Chapter 20
DEAN
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Atticus Thompson: So, we all saw that bobcat on the loose, right?
Comments:
Jade Clark: That was a leopard, DEFINITELY. You don’t have to be nice about it.
Kerry Winsor: So you DID all see my new threads?
Jade Clark: Threads? Dear God, Kerry. It’s not Halloween yet.
Kerry Winsor: I looked AMAZING.
Atticus Thompson: People. Focus. I’m talking about an actual bobcat. Not the eyesore Kerry wore.
Kerry Winsor: EYESORE???
When I pulled up to the hotel, I let out a sigh of relief. This place wasn’t home, but it was a bed that I could pass out in, and now that I knew everything was okay with Grace, that was exactly what I would be doing.
I parked next to a tractor that was pulled in sideways, thinking about how odd this town could be. Shady Acres used to have things like this when the town was full of farmers, but that had faded over the years.
I found myself letting out a laugh as I walked to my room. After putting in the keycard, I was about to fall face down on my bed and be dead to the world.
But then I heard the shower was on.
I paused, wondering if there could be a leak. The hotel was old, and it would be my luck that something broke while I was away.
It couldn’t be a person. I was in the middle of nowhere. What would be the odds of a break-in?
If I hadn’t been so tired, maybe I would have made a better decision, but I’d barely slept, so that was the only reason for me shuffling to the bathroom.
The entire room was full of steam, which meant this had to have been happening for a while. I pulled the white curtain back to see what was happening with the water. What I was met with would be burned into my memory for the rest of my life.
“Hey!” a rough voice said. “Don’t you kids know how to knock?”
I saw far too many wrinkles, an entire ass, and a dick that wasn’t my own.
A scream made its way out of my mouth and I shut the curtain. “Hugh!” I yelled as I squeezed my eyes shut. “What the absolute hell are you doing in my hotel room?”
“What are you doing in my hotel room?” The water shut off and the curtain opened.
I let out a yelp and stumbled out of the bathroom. I did not need to see that again.
“Put some clothes on, man!”
“What? You’ve never seen an ass before?” I heard shuffling, but Hugh didn’t move fast. I wasn’t opening my eyes until it was safe.
“Why are you in a hotel?” I asked. “Don’t you live in town?”
“My hot water’s been busted for years. Sometimes I want a hot shower.”
“And you chose mine?”
“This room was given to me, you little shit. I checked in this morning!”
“I’ve been here for days, there’s no way they gave you this room.”
“The card worked!”
“We’re going to the front desk.” I finally opened my eyes, only to be scarred again. Hugh had his arms crossed, but hadn’t done anything else. “You’re still naked!”
“Yeah, what about it? You’re young, but when you get to my age, you don’t care about people seeing your junk.”
The woman that worked at the front desk looked like she could be freshly out of high school. She nearly fell over when she saw Hugh and me coming.
“H-hi, how can I help you?”
I was exhausted and tired. But I wasn’t rude. Before I spoke, I took a breath to calm down. “I think my room was accidentally double-booked. Can I get a new one?”
“O-oh, I’m so sorry.” I expected her to look at her book and give one of us a new room, but she glanced at Hugh instead. “Um, we’re fully booked.”
“You’re what?” I looked out at the parking lot. There was just my truck and the tractor. “How?”
“We’re doing some remodeling,” she said. “We only have a few rooms.”
“I guess we’re roomies then,” Hugh said. “I’ll warn you like I warned my first wife. I snore. And fart in my sleep.”
I stared at him for all of one second before I looked back at the woman. “Please tell me this is a prank.”
“I’m so sorry.”
It was official. Life hated me. There was no explanation for this happening.
“Come on, roomie. I’ll even let you have the side of the bed near the door.”
“No, no. You can have the room. I’ll figure out another hotel.”
Hugh laughed. “Good luck with that. You’re in the middle of nowhere, kid. Any other hotels all have bedbugs.”
“I’m not rooming with you. No offense, but I need my alone time.”
“I ain’t thrilled about this either, but you’ve got no other options. It’s not like you made any nice friends who would let you stay with them.” He shrugged and slowly hobbled away.
“Do you really not have any friends?” the front desk lady asked.
“I—of course I have friends.” Under her appraising gaze, I walked away and outside.
“Come on, boy! You gotta catch up.” Hugh had only made it about ten feet.
“You’ve had your shower. Aren’t you done with the room? You have to have a bed at your house, right?”
Hugh frowned. “I’ve got a bad back and the ones here are comfier.”
“But—”
He glared. “I paid good, hard money on this room and I’m using every part of it. You’ll just have to deal.”
For fuck’s sake. “You have a good night, I’ll figure this out.”
“What are you gonna do, sleep in your truck?”
That would be a better option.
“Like I said, I’ll figure it out.”
As Hugh considered me, I wondered if he had any kindness in his body. Maybe he would change his mind about going back to his house. But he shrugged and went back to the room.
My teeth gritted together as I gathered my things and set out. I checked for other hotels, but the only ones that were decent were over forty-five minutes away.
I cursed. Should I have even taken on the job with Wren? Things were fine with Grace, and I was sure I could leave if I wanted to.
But I knew I didn’t want to. Leaving meant not being able to help her out. It also meant I would miss things.
Did I even have a choice?
I was dialing her number before I could think about anything else.
“Dean?” she asked on the second ring. “Is everything okay?”
“Not really,” I said. “I might need to leave town.”
“What? What happened? Did someone say something to you?” Her voice rose in pitch.
“No, there’s a hotel issue. And since we’re in the middle of nowhere, there’s nowhere else to go.”
“Oh,” she said. “That’s surprisingly easy to fix. Just stay with me.”
I blinked, the idea bouncing around my head. Her house was nice, even if it did need some minor work. It certainly would be better than a hotel with a planning issue.
But that would be far too much time with her. I knew that Grace’s charm could be dangerous for me. I didn’t need to make it any worse.
“No, it’s okay.”
“Seriously,” she said. “I have a guest bed. I’ll need to tidy up, but it’s here for you. And it’s free of charge!”
“Grace, I’m fine. I don’t need anything. I just figured I’d let you know I would be gone for a while.”
“I thought you took a job with Wren?”
I sighed, my shoulders slumping. “I’ll have to cancel it.”
“You don’t have to do anything,” she reminded. “I have a place for you to stay. Isn’t this what friends do for each other?”
Yes, they did. But just the thought made my shoulders tense, though not because I didn’t want to spend time with her—I did.
A little too much.
And where could that lead?
“It’s a bad idea.”
“If you stay here, you might find things to work on,” she singsonged. “And I might let you.”
My jaw fell open. She might have found the one thing that would get me to say yes. “You play dirty, Grace Day.”
“That I do. So, will I see you soon?”
Should I say no? Yes.
Was I going to? Absolutely not.