She stopped at the end of the drive and gave him a withering look.
Right—she didn’t do north and south. “I mean left. Then right at the stop sign. And that’ll take us into the next town.”
He glanced at his phone. There were no reviews of the motel. But that was good, right? People usually left them only when they had something negative to say.
Minutes later Lauren slowed in front of a one-story motel that squatted on a slab of concrete. It boasted—and he used the verb lightly—about a dozen exterior rooms. The sign protruding from a rusted pole appeared to be from the seventies and advertised color TVs. A fenced-in pool sat in the middle of the paved lot, but it was dry and seemed to be sprouting a garden.
Lauren pulled into the lot and parked in front of the office. “Well. Happy birthday to me.”
Chapter 30
“This had better not be one of those stupid only-one-room-left scenarios,” Lauren snapped as they approached the motel’s interior service window. She inhaled, filling her lungs with the nicotine from a lifetime supply of smoked cigarettes.
“There are only two cars out front.”
“That’s not making me feel better.” She couldn’t believe Tammy had done this. It had to have been on purpose. She certainly wouldn’t put it past the woman. And maybe Jonah had been culpable, too, despite what he’d claimed. After all, he’d lied to her before. Sure, by omission, but whatever.
“Two rooms, please,” she said to the bleached-blonde woman behind the glass, whose black roots were half grown out.
Deedee (according to her name tag), who was probably approaching forty, eyed Jonah with a lecherous smile. “Sure thing, honey. I’ll need a credit card.”
He reached for his wallet. “I’ve got this.”
“Better believe it,” Lauren mumbled. She sure wasn’t paying for this debacle. Her gaze skittered around the lobby, afraid to stare too closely.Please, God, no bedbugs.And would a Keurig be too much to ask? “Is there coffee in the room?”
“Just in the lobby.”
Her gaze stopped on a half-filled pot of ink-black coffee that had likely been sitting since this morning. Hard pass.
Three minutes, four lingering gazes, and two sultry smiles later, the transaction was complete.
“Thanks, Deedee,” Jonah said.
“You’re welcome, hon.” The gust of wind from Deedee’s fluttering lashes nearly knocked Lauren over.
“Is there a place nearby where we can grab a bite to eat?” he asked.
“Nice of you to ask, but I don’t get off till morning.” Deedee winked as she handed him the keys. “Just kidding. There’s the corner bar down the street on the right.”
“Thank you.” Lauren would definitely be looking that up first. “What’s it called?”
“The Corner Bar.” Deedee said the words extra slow while bestowing a condescending expression on Lauren.
“Right,” Jonah said. “Well, thank you so much for your help.”
“I’ll be here all night if you need anything.” She pinned Jonah with her gaze. “Anything at all.”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “We get it—you’re single and available. Thank you.” She and Jonah exited the building.
“Somebody’s a little jealous,” Jonah singsonged as soon as the lobby door closed behind them.
“Sojealous. Thank God for fresh air. That lobby reeked of smoke and desperation.”
“You hungry?” He flashed his phone screen. “The bar doesn’t look too bad. They have wings.”
Lauren glanced at the screen, then toward the motel rooms, where God only knew what awaited her. “I need proper fortification before I go in there.”
“That’s the spirit.”
