“Yeah, Liam, she’s fine. I’m keeping her under control. I debated tying her to the roof about fifty miles back but refrained. I have a reputation in law to maintain.”
“I’m happy it seems to be an okay trip, and also, it works out well since you will both get here on time despite canceled flights.” I can hear by his voice that he is smiling.
“We’ll see you soon.” Hailey ends the call with a fond, caring look. She adores her brother, and he adores her.
Nobody would want to get in the middle of that.
She points to the upcoming exit. “We should probably pull off. Maybe there is a hotel there or at least a place for early dinner to sit out the storm.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
Pulling off the highway, we drive a mile until we enter a small town in the middle of nowhere. Other than a pickup truck turning up ahead and a diner with only a few full tables that we can see through the window, this town is kind of empty.
“This is fun. Totally unplanned, slightly concerning, but ooh, there is a bed-and-breakfast up there that actually looks really cute and normal,” she observes.
Peeking over the steering wheel, I look through the windshield to examine the Victorian house on the corner with a painted sign on the lawn, surrounded by potted plants.
The place appears decent. Not a motel, instead it’s quaint.
Hailey claps her hands together. “Perfect.” She reads the sign. “The Wagon House.” Hailey flips pages in her book until she reads over a section. “This place is actually in the guidebook. It’s fine. We won’t get locked in the basement by a serial killer.”
I look at her strangely before I slow the car and park out front with the rain beginning to pick up. “Riveting,” I say dryly.
She unbuckles her seatbelt. “Seriously, this place has good reviews and is ideal for travelers without kids. There are even nightcaps and biscuits for breakfast. Hopefully they have two rooms.”
“The town doesn’t look busy.”
So this option sounds pretty solid to me. Plus, I’m tired too.
Turning the engine off, we both hop out of the car and walk up the stairs of the wraparound porch that has rocking chairs and a bench swing.
Before we even manage to open the perfectly painted door, a woman probably in her 60s greets us on the other side with a warm smiling face.
“Hello. May I help you two?”
Hailey smiles charmingly. “I know we didn’t make a reservation, but we decided to stop early due to the stormapproaching. What are the chances you have two rooms?” She pretends to pray. “We’ve been driving since six from Illinois.”
The woman steps to the side and glances up at the sky. “You’ll want to stay off the roads. We’re on a tornado watch.”
“All the more reason we hope you’re our miracle today, ma’am.” I never say ma’am, nor hurt my cheeks from an overly measured smile, but here I am.
“I’m Patricia. Come inside.” She gives us a little space to walk through the door where the hallway has dark pine floors and a classic staircase.
“You can, of course, stay here. It’s busy. We have newlyweds, a couple driving home to California, and a professor conducting research nearby. The guests who were supposed to show up for the other room cancelled last minute. That room is now available, but I do only have the one room.”
My entire body tenses in a heartbeat.
One room.
“Oh,” Hailey says, but I can’t figure out if it’s a simple oh, excited oh, or a disappointed oh.
I swear my dick is stirring inside my pants at the mere prospect of being stuck in a bedroom with her.
“The next town is another five miles from here. I can call ahead for you if you really need two rooms.”
The sound of thunder startles Hailey as much as it does me, except I don’t think it’s the elements that have us on edge.
We both look at one another, debating, wondering, waiting for one of us to decide. I’m positive she is thinking the same as me, but I can’t be 100% sure.
