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“Fine. There’s a motel just on the outskirts before we head out of town. We can get some rooms there.” She shivered, and then her teeth chattered. The temperature must have dropped a lot more than he’d anticipated.
He reached for the dial and turned up the heat. “Fine. You better call your father. I don’t need him worrying about you.”
She nodded and reached for her phone. It was probably the first time she’d done something that he’d told her to do right away.
And Elijah secretly loved it.
16
Scarlett
“What do you mean you don’t have two rooms?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. There’s only one left. It’s got two queen beds, though. There were a lot of folks who had the same idea as you. They can’t take the road out of town with the way the weather’s turning out.”
Scarlett glared at the receptionist. Any moment, Elijah would come inside from parking his truck and he’d accuse her of sabotaging their plan. He wouldn’t want to share a room, and she wasn’t about to sleep in his truck. Either way, they were stuck.
She glanced over her shoulder toward the door and then leaned closer to the receptionist. Her voice lowered and she did her best at making it sound sweet. “I know how places like this work. You have to keep a certain amount of rooms on hand in case of emergencies. Well, this is an emergency.”
“You’re right. It is.”
Scarlett was about to smile, but the woman in front of her stopped her with one statement.
“This is an emergency, and every room has been taken. You can have the last one, or we can give it to the next person who comes through that door.” At that very moment, the door opened and Elijah entered. He shook his head like a pup, flinging rainwater in every direction.
Then he glanced toward her with those eyes that seemed to be able to see right down to her soul.
Their eyes locked and a whole conversation seemed to pass between them. How was she supposed to tell him that they’d be stuck together tonight? She couldn’t, not with a straight face. Elijah was stuck with her and she with him.
“Well? You get our rooms?”
She took his wrist in her hand and dragged him a few feet away. “There’s a little… hiccup.”
“What do you mean hiccup?” The edge in his voice returned. “They’re going to give you a room, right?”
“Yes,” she assured them. “But that’s it. They only have the one.”
“The one what?”
“The one room.” Her face blossomed into color—or at least that’s what it felt like. Scarlett looked away, not willing to see his reaction just yet. “They said they have two queen beds, so it’s not like we’re going to be forced into sharing one…” Finally, she glanced up at him. “But if we don’t take it, then someone else might. I’d say we could go check out the other options, but at this point, I’m not sure there will even be availability elsewhere.”
“You’re probably right,” he muttered. “Fine. Let’s take it.”
They checked in, got their keys, and when they opened the door, Elijah let out a curse.
“This has to be a mistake,” Scarlett whispered, her eyes landing on a king-sized bed. “She assured me that it would have two queen beds. She promised.”
“Sometimes people just want to get your money. It even happens in places like this.”
“Should we… go get our money back?”
He gave her a flat look. “Do you seriously think they’re going to care? They just lied about the bed situation.”
“Maybe they have a cot we can use.”
Elijah shook his head. “I doubt it. The place is full, right? We’re probably lucky we got what we did.” He tossed his hat on a small table near the door. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“Absolutely not!” Scarlett burst in front of him, arms crossed. “I won’t make you do that.”
