Because thanks to a mold infestation and half the motel being condemned behind sheets of plastic, I find myself standing beside Brandon in the doorway of one room, staring at one laughably small bed.
Kill me now.
twenty-seven
PRESENT DAY
BRANDON
The motel room smells like cheap air freshener and murder. Carpet crunches beneath my boots. Yeah, carpet shouldn’t crunch.
“Gross.” I breathe the word over Kate’s shoulder as she stands on the threshold.
She agrees with a shudder. “I don’t even wanna check the bathroom. I’d rather pee outside again.”
I laugh and stride past her, ruffling her hair with one hand. She tries to swat me away but stays glued by the front door while I flip on the bathroom light.
“Ahhh!” I yell, just to get a rise out of her.
Kate screams in response, clinging to the grimy door frame.
My deep laugh echoes in the small bathroom before I stride back.
“Kidding,” I say. “It’s fine. Old, but fine.”
“Funny, Brandon. Real funny.” She’s annoyed, but I can tell she’s trying not to laugh.
I grin. This is the most we’ve felt like friends in a long while. Her dark eyes scan the room, lingering for a second on what I figure is hardly more than a full-size bed.
Kate maintains her mask of indifference, but her left knee bounces.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous too. The fiercely beautiful woman standing in the doorway is reason enough to have sweat slicking my palms.
But something shifted between us today, and I can’t quite put a finger on when. Her expression toward me is softer than it has been in years, and there’ve been a couple instances where I get a glimpse of the old Kate.
The real Kate.
Did something shift during the car ride? It couldn’t have been after her little incident of peeing herself in the woods. I rub my jaw, remembering her hilarious look of panic as she high-tailed it through the snow.
Was it in Tom’s cabin? I grimace, wanting to wring that perv’s neck for how he kept objectifying Kate. Yeah, she’s hot, but she’s also so much more than that. Kate’s funny when she wants to be, loyal to a fault, and passionate about everything.
She shifts beside the door, still wearing her spare gym shorts.
I groan inwardly, and I wonder if I’m no better than creepy Tom. Surviving hours without gawking at Kate’s legs has been distressing to say the least. Not to mention the striped crew socks pulled over her calves. It’s like this weird, school girl-meets-sports-team fantasy, and I’m here for it.
Only, I shouldn’t be.
This motel room isn’t big enough for both of us, much less the hefty baggage that comes with us.
Plus, as far as I know, she still has a boyfriend.
My mind growls Tanner’s name, but I slide on my signature grin and act entirely nonplussed.
I inspect the bed before flopping backward onto it, propping up on my elbows. I can practically hear the blood rushing to Kate’s cheeks. She turns around, fumbling for the window latch before cracking it open. A stream of winter air ruffles the scruffy curtains.
I try not to laugh.
Kate catches my snort and turns back. She crosses her arms across her sweatshirt.
