7
EMMA
"Come on,Beth. Level with me. Do you really think this plan of yours is going to work?" I asked. The air nipped at my cheeks as we climbed out of the car, sending goosebumps up my arms.
Beth pursed her lips, shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat. She glanced down at the white glove she was wearing on one hand and hesitated before answering. "Honestly? Maybe. It's our best shot right now."
Maybewasn't exactly the confidence boost I needed, but it would have to do. We'd already come this far, there was no turning back now. Deva needed answers before this curse hurt something, or someone else, in her life. She’d already told us as much. It was our job to fix this for her, so she could just focus on her restaurant.
“So,” I stretch out the word. “We just make sure you shake his hand with the glove on, and then we’ll know if it’s him? That’s all.”
Beth nodded. “And even though Carol is helping Deva at the restaurant, she’s keeping her phone on, and close, in case we run into any trouble.”
I really hoped we wouldn’t need her help, even though this seemed like exactly the kind of place to find trouble. We made our way toward the town motel, a run-down, beige affair that had seen better days. The peeling paint and flickering neon sign screamedavoidin capital letters, but we couldn’t turn back. Deva needed our help.
Opening the door to a dimly lit hall, we entered with all the trepidation of a cat at the vet. The carpet was orange, stained, and thread-bare beneath our feet. The walls had marks, like water had slowly leaked beneath the wallpaper and the swelling paper might burst at any moment.
“Remind me to never need a motel in Mystic Hollow,” I mumbled to Beth.
She was softly counting the room numbers, but paused to say, “There it is.”
I sighed as we came to stand outside the door. The scent of stale cigarettes and mildew filled my nostrils, but I pushed it aside, focusing on the task at hand. "Let's get this over with."
"Yep," Beth said. With a final glance at each other for reassurance, we raised our hands in unison and knocked on the door.
The sound echoed through the hallway, bouncing off the grimy walls and reverberating like an ominous drumbeat in my ears. I clenched my fists, trying to ignore the prickling sensation running down my back. This place gave me the creeps.
We waited for what felt like an eternity, our breaths merging with the dusty air. The silence was palpable, heightening my anticipation and making my skin crawl. I couldn't shake the sensation that we were being watched, but when I glanced around, there was no one in sight.
"Maybe he's not here," I said to Beth.
"Or maybe he's just taking his sweet time," she said, her gaze never leaving the door. "We're not going anywhere until we get some answers. We'll wait if we have to."
"Fair enough."
Seconds later, the door creaked open, revealing Deva's dad, Robert. He stood there shirtless, a bag of chips in one hand and the other wiping crumbs off his chest. The sight before me made my nose wrinkle involuntarily. I could practically smell the stale beer and regret from here.
"Whaddaya want?" he said around a mouthful of chips, crumbs tumbling down his unkempt beard.
"Hi, Robert," I began, plastering on my biggest, friendliest smile. "You may remember us, we're friends of Deva's, Emma and Beth." I gestured to myself and my glove-wearing bestie.
"Sure, sure," he said dismissively, squinting at us with his beady eyes as if trying to recall who we were. "You two are the ones who always showed up to her parties, right?"
"Guilty as charged," I said with a chuckle that sounded more nervous than I would've liked.
Beth offered him her hand to shake, he looked at the chips in his hand meaningfully, then went right back to eating. Darn it!She needed to shake his hand to know if he was involved in this. We’d need to try to take another opportunity.
I rolled with it, deciding we should try to get inside his hotel and stretch this out. "Anyway, we just wanted to talk to you about some things."
He grunted then stepped aside to let us in. "Make it quick, I got stuff to do."
As we entered the dimly lit motel room, the distinct aroma of unwashed laundry and stale cigarette smoke assaulted my senses, along with the beer scent I knew would be there. I tried not to gag.
"Thanks for seeing us," Beth said politely, clearly struggling to find something positive to say. Then, she held out her gloved hand again.
"Yeah," Robert replied absentmindedly, ignoring her hand and flopping down onto a couch that had seen better days. "So, what's this all about?"
Unable to help myself, my gaze ran from Robert from his head to his toes. He and Deva had the same dark hair and the same deep brown shade to their eyes. But other than that, there were no similarities. While his features were harsh and masculine, hers were gentler and more feminine. While she was slender, he had more than a bit of a beer belly. And while I remembered him being athletic in her youth, he’d also still been cold and harsh, two words I’d never use to describe Deva.
