Chapter 4
Chapter Four
“Thought the snow wasn’t supposed to fall until later?” Thick, wet flakes of snow cover the windshield faster than the wipers can swipe them away. We’re hardly two hours into our road trip, but I made Justice pull off at a gas station so I could use the restroom.
“I’ll check the weather radar. Do you want anything from inside?”
“Maybe some of those little vanilla cookies if they have them and lemon-lime soda or cherry.”
Justice’s gaze lingers on me as I bend over the seat to grab my coat and gloves.
I know he’s checking out my ass. He’d never cop to it, but I’ve noticed he’s been looking at me differently since he showed up last night.
I find him studying me when he thinks I’m not paying attention.
Could he finally be seeing me? Really seeing me.
When I glance back at him, he’s picking at a loose thread on his jeans where they are worn around his knee.
“I need to walk Mr. Tinkles.”
“You walk your cat?” He shakes his head.
“Unless you want to take him for me.”
“I’ll pass.”
“Suit yourself.” I climb out of the vehicle and get my coat on. “Come on, Tinky Butt. Let’s get your leash.”
“Thought his name was Mr. Tinkles?”
“Tinky Butt, Gremlin, Mr. T, Tinkler. He has many names.”
He shakes his head.
I find a grass spot next to the gas station and proceed to walk my kitty. Justice goes into the gas station and returns with two bags full of junk food. I get Mr. Tinkles back in his carrier. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“You haven’t gone yet?”
“You saw me walking my cat.”
“Jesus, you’re a fucking nutball, you know that?”
I shrug.
“Take your time. It isn’t like we aren’t in a hurry,” he gripes.
“Thanks. I will.”
He groans as I shut the back passenger door.
“I’ve got good news and bad news,” Justice tells me as I secure my seatbelt.
“Okay?”
“Which do you want first?”
“Does it matter?”
“Guess not. Good news is they had your cookies.”
“And the bad?”
“Storm is worse than predicted. Temps are dropping, and they’ve already closed roads near Blackwood. They got about three inches of ice in the past hour.”
“What’s that mean for us?”
“Travel as far as we can and get a couple of rooms somewhere until the roads clear and hope we don’t lose power.”
“As long as they allow pets.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep your pussy warm.”
He did not just say that, did he? Heat floods my cheeks and spreads down my neck.
“The little fucker is growing on me.” He reaches back and wiggles a finger at Mr. Tinkles.
Right. He meant my cat, not my actual pussy.
Slightly shaking my head, I return his smile. “Give me my cookies.”
“Don’t touch my radio.”
“Technically, it is more mine than yours. This is my dad’s car.”
“Bean, who’s driving?”
“What’s that have to do with anything? Everyone knows the passenger is the DJ on a road trip.”
“Wrong. It’s the driver.”
“Besides, I have better taste in music than you do.”“That’s debatable.”
I roll my eyes at him.
“Just shut up and eat your cookies and let me worry about the radio.”
“Why don’t you shut up and drive and let me worry about it.”
“I’m this close…” he pinches his fingers close together but doesn’t let them meet.
“To what?”
“Pulling you across the console and spanking your ass like your old man should have done when you were little. Maybe then you wouldn’t be such a brat.”
“If you think you’re big enough.”
“Oh, Bean. I’m big enough all right.” He grabs hold of me and starts pulling me toward him.
“Are you crazy?” I smack at him, but I’m no match for this asshole’s strength.
“Should drop your ass off at the next exit and let you find your own way home.”
“I’d manage. I’m sure I could get a ride easy.”
“Five minutes with that mouth and they’d bring you back.”
“Depends on what I do with it, yeah?” I arch a brow and his face gets all red.
“That’s not funny, Neva, Jesus. Do you know what happens to girls who trade their mouths for a ride? They end up in a ditch.”
“It was a joke. Lighten up.” I pinch his inner thigh, and he howls.
“What the fuck?”
“Are you going to drive, or are we going to sit here and flirt all day?”
“You think this is flirting?”
“Yup,” I pop the P.
“Why would I fucking flirt with you?”
“Because you find me charming and adorable.”
“Find you annoying.” He pulls back onto the road.
I fiddle with the radio, and his gaze cuts to mine, sharp as glass. Then he grabs my inner left thigh and gives me a squeeze. My heart jumps to my throat when he flashes me a sexy smile.
“Eat your cookies, Bean.”
How about you eat my cookie? I don’t voice the response, but I’m damn sure thinking it.
My belly goes all warm and melty at the thought.
I shove sugary vanilla goodness in my mouth and crank up the radio before I say something embarrassing that he’ll never let me live down.
It doesn’t take me long to grow bored with the radio and scrolling social media on my phone.
There’s only so many funny cat videos I can watch before they all look and sound the same.
And not to mention the fact that we are traveling at a snail’s pace.
“My grandma drives faster,” I mutter.
“I can barely see shit,” Justice grumbles back.
“Someone’s grumpy. Maybe you should have eaten a cookie.”
“You love to press my buttons, don’t you?” he switches the radio station to classic country.
I don’t push my luck by complaining. Instead, I sing along to the classics like Patsy Cline and Tammy Wynette. My mom would play their records all the time. She’d inherited her mother’s collection. When she passed away, they became mine, but I stopped playing them because they made my dad sad.
They may have been divorced when she passed, but he loved her deeply. I’m not sure if he’s loved anyone since.
“Crazy…” I sing and hum.
“Yeah. You sure as fuck are,” Justice teases.
“Ha. Ha.”
A weather alert overrides the music, warning that all roads are closed to non-emergency travel.
“Guess it’s time we found that motel.”
We travel another half hour when we finally see a sign for Deadeye Motel. It looks about like it sounds. Dreadful. An L-shaped two-story building with the room doors on the outside. But the parking lot is nearly full.
“I’ll get our rooms.” Justice parks and leaves me and Mr. Tinkles in the car.
While I wait, I fire off a text to my father, so he doesn’t worry.
Neva: Had to stop off. Roads are closed. Getting motel rooms until the roads open back up.
Dad: be safe. Love you, girl.
I smile at his message. Things with my father have never been easy.
Sure, he’s spoiled me rotten, but that was because it was convenient.
So he didn’t have to parent me. So he didn’t have to look at me.
Because when he looks at me, all he sees is her.
My mother. The woman he lost. I have her eyes.
Her smile. But he tries in his own way, I suppose.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to meet people where they are, not where I wish they were.
Justice climbs back into the driver’s seat, interrupting my thoughts. “Good news is they had a room left. Bad news is they only had one.”
“Oh. I mean, that’s not really a big deal, is it?”
“They only had a single. One bed,” he says like his throat suddenly drying up. He drives to the end of the longer side of the L and parks in front of the last room on the end.
“Unlock the door and I’ll start bringing everything in.” He hands me an actual key attached to a plastic eyeball keychain.
Classy.
I’m scared that when I flip on the light, I’ll see roaches scattering to the dark corners. I really hope they don’t have bedbugs.
I shudder at the thought.
Luckily, I don’t see any bugs. The room is a basic single-unit motel room.
There’s a small table with two chairs in the corner next to the wall heater and the window that faces the parking lot and the pool.
Too bad it’s not summer. It’s a winter wonderland out there.
Makes me think of when I was a kid, and I’d tag along with my brother and Justice to go tubing and sledding.
They hated taking me, but my dad would make them.
I drop my purse on the table and move further into the room to inspect the bathroom.
It’s small, but there’s enough space to put Mr. Tinkle’s temporary litter pan.
I should have left him with Allie, but when I got him, I promised I’d never dump him on her, and I can’t bear the thought of being away from him for two weeks. He’s like my child.
“Where do you want your fur ball?” Justice stomps his boots outside the door. He looks so funny. His tall frame, all dark and menacing with his leather jacket and tattoos, while holding my hot pink cat carrier.
I went with color because it’s bright and easy to see.
“I’ll get him.” Our fingers brush as he hands my boy over. A shiver slithers up and down my spine in a good way.
“I’ll grab our bags.”
“Can you get the litter pan, too?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” I lean up on my tiptoes and press my lips to his stubbled jaw.
His face reddens, and it isn’t from the cold.
“Turn the heat up,” he grumbles, trying to play it off, but I know better. I affect him. And for at least the foreseeable night, we’re going to be alone in this room. Just the two of us. No club. No dad. No brother. No Tawny to come between us.