Chapter 30 Rule Two Vera - Prepare for all types of weather
Rule Two Vera - Prepare for all types of weather
“Emmett, slow down. We’re sliding everywhere.” I stared out the window into the pitch-black, dead of winter. The wipers were working furiously, but the snow was coming down too harshly. I could barely see anything, so I knew he was struggling too.
“I’m under the speed limit, Vera. Don’t worry, I’ll get us there.”
Suddenly, we heard the roar of motorcycles and a group of them were upon us, passing us by. Emmett gripped the wheel tighter and leaned over it, trying to see, but then, we hit a bump and the car went sliding, followed by a loud bang!
“What was the bang?” I shouted as the car slid to a stop off the road.
Steam rose from the engine as his side of the car began to deflate. The tire. That was the bang.
“Are you okay?” he asked me, his face riddled with concern. I swallowed deeply and nodded. Rattled, sure, but uninjured. He nodded and opened the door. “Let me go check the damage and see if I can get us back on the road.” He stepped out into the storm, closing the door quickly.
Sighing, I fell back against the seat. The snow had been taking so much of my attention that I hadn’t had any time to process the photos Tim had showed me.
Emmett had been married before? Recently?
He hardly looked any different than he did now.
We were young, both of us twenty-one. How could he have had time to get married?
And why didn’t he tell me?
The questions came one after another, drowning me in more worry. I barely knew this man, and yet I’d agreed to spend the rest of my life with him. Had I made a mistake?
The door opened suddenly, and Emmett jumped inside, now soaking wet, with snowflakes peppering his hair. He wiped his face and gave me a worried look. “The tire’s flat and we don’t have a spare. Plus, the engine…I’m not sure what’s going on. I don’t have a flashlight.”
“What do we do then?” I shivered. It was freezing, and with the car shut off, it was only getting colder. We couldn’t stay here. “Should we walk and try to get help? I saw a sign of a hotel a bit back. They must havea phone.”
Emmett paled. “That place? No, I don’t want to go there.”
“I don’t know if we have any other options, Emmett. You’re drenched. We can’t sleep in the car. We’ll freeze!”
He stared at the roof. Something was weighing heavily on him.
“Fine. You’re right. It’s not safe here. Grab your coat. Do you have good shoes?”
I pulled up my dress, revealing the cheap dress shoes with the open toes. “Not really, but I packed some boots.”
He went to the trunk and grabbed our suitcase and coats. He handed me my coat and setting it on the snowy ground, opened our luggage inside to find my boots.
We didn’t have much, just the one suitcase. What we hadn’t told my parents was today would be the last time we saw them. We weren’t coming back. This was everything. One, single suitcase.
Grabbing my boots, I traded them for the dress shoes. Zipping up our coats, we turned to each other.
“You ready?” He gave me a quick peck on the lips. I shivered again.
“Let’s motor.”
It was pitch black out, with street lamps a distance away.
Emmett found me quickly in the dark and gripped my hand, and we started forward.
The wind howled and fought against us, snow pelted us head-on as we walked in the direction it was blowing.
I squeezed his hand as I stumbled, the snow going up to my knees in some places.
If we didn’t get to that hotel soon, we’d freeze out here.
“Just a little more, love,” he yelled over the wind, through chattering teeth.
My cheeks became raw, my lips dry and brittle, and my lungs were filled with ice. My joints ached, my feet felt heavy, and my dress seemed to grow an extra inch with every ten feet we walked. Until suddenly, we saw it.
A light.
A light!
“Emmett!” My free hand shot out of my coat and pointed to the large castle with the lights in the windows. “There it is!”
It was like a shining star, the light at the top. It called to us, telling us to move faster, come hither.
Run.
My feet moved on their own, speeding up, dashing through the snow. Emmett kept pace with me and soon we could see the wrought iron gates.
As if they could sense us, they opened with a loud creek as we came near, and we hurried inside, as they shut behind us.
Heading up to the door, we saw the motorcycles that had passed us, parked with all the other cars.
I swore, I could hear music and laughter pouring from the windows, making my mood lift exponentially. What was this place?
It didn’t look like a hotel. In fact, if it weren’t for the cars parked off to the side, I’d think it was a private residence. Emmett tried the door but found it locked, so he knocked.
And all the music coming from the windows ceased instantly.
We turned to each other with wide eyes.
So he’d heard it too.
A shiver that wasn’t from the cold slid up my spine. What was that?
The door jingled loudly from the other side and then opened with a loud groan, as if the building was protesting its availability to new guests.
A pale, blond Caucasian man in a slightly tattered suit and shoe-horn pattern baldness answered the door.
“Hello?” he asked, as if confused as to why we were here. The warmth from inside flamed our faces, and I leaned in, trying to steal more of it.
“It’s snowing.” I shivered.
His gray eyes peered past us, his eyebrows rising as if he hadn’t even realized it was winter.
“Ah, yes. Come in. We can get you checked in for thenight.”
He pushed the door open further and stepped back, inviting us inside. Hand in hand, Emmett and I stepped into the castle, and the door slammed shut behind us. I jumped slightly, as the foyer in which we stood was now deathly silent.
“Was there a party going on?” I asked, as we followed the odd-looking gentleman to the next room, where a counter stood with a wall of keys behind him. He was rail-thin, and his face gaunt, like a skeleton with thin skin stretched over the bones.
“No, why would there be?” he asked sharply.
“Well…” Emmett squeezed my hand. “We thought we heard music and laughter.”
The man chuckled as he went behind the counter and pulled out a ledger book.
“Oh, I’m sure you did. Our guests can be quite lively at night. Hopefully, they don’t keep you up. Name?” He looked to Emmett, who shifted uncomfortably.
“Emmett Grant.”
The man’s head shot up from his book.
“Grant?”
Emmett, already flushed from the temperature change, grew even more red. “Uh, yes. Please, just give us a room. We just got married, and we’re very tired.”
“Married?” The man seemed utterly shocked by the news. With wide eyes, he scanned us up and down and then slowly nodded. “I see, then that deserves the honeymoon suite.”
I tugged on Emmett’s hand and shook my head. “We can’t afford that,” I told Emmett.
“Consider it on us. Your entire stay. A full week. The snow storm is just getting started, and I presume we’ll all be trapped here for a few days.
Take the suite. Our gift to the newlyweds.
” The way the man said it made me both uneasy and curious.
Why was he acting so strangely? He turned and took a key off the wall, handing it to my husband.
Emmett straightened, any joyful energy he’d had in the car gone. “Thank you. We appreciate that.”
Taking the key, we turned and returned to the foyer, where the stairs lay.
“Second floor, all the way to the right,” he called to us.
Together, we started up the stairs, and then, the strange man added, “You remember, Emmett, I’m sure.”