“Thanks for doing that. I really appreciate
it,” I said to her.
She waved me off. “No problem sweetheart. Now, let’s get you something to eat before you go. What’ll it be?”
After some interrogation of the fry cook, I settled for a veggie burger with a side of roasted veggies. Once I was full and feeling more or less thawed out, I gave the waitress a fifty. “Keep it,” I said when she went to get my change. She nodded and as I was leaving, I was almost a little embarrassed to see tears in her eyes.
Chapter Seven — Allie
I tucked my collar up and pressed it in close around my neck before giving one last glance back through the window towards the friendly waitress, and then ran like hell back to the Blue Lagoon Motel. I burst through the front door and sheer exhaustion forced me to overlook all the glaring flaws I’d noted on my first visit. The warmth seeped into my jacket and with a full meal in my stomach—I was ready to get to bed.
“There you are,” Paul called to me as I shook out my arms, spraying rain drops in my wake. “I was beginning to wonder if Karen decided to adopt you.”
I gave him a faint smile, too tired to come up with a smart-ass reply.
He gave me another look up and down as I stepped to the counter. My legs were screaming in protest at having to move, and I dreaded what they’d feel like in the morning after such a long ride. Cooper’s offer to put me on a plane came back to me for the dozenth time and I cursed my stubbornness. Not that I would ever admit as much to Cooper. As far as he needed to know, I was warm, dry, comfortable, and not at all worn out.
“Where are you from?” Paul asked.
I sagged against the counter. “Originally? Kansas. That’s where I’m headed now actually.”
He gave a small nod and then turned his attention to the notebook in front of him. “Looks like room 201 is vacant.”
I nearly snorted at his comment. From what I’d seen out in the parking lot, it appeared that most, if not all, of the rooms were vacant. There had been two, maybe three, other vehicles parked out front and I couldn’t remember seeing any rooms with lights on. I pushed aside my skepticism and laid my hand across the table as Paul handed me a pen. He spun the notebook around on the counter so the page was facing me.
“The room is $64 for the night, check out is at ten, no smoking, no pets. Sign here,” his tone was gruff, but his expression neutral.
I handed over my credit card—the one Cooper had given me—and signed the spot indicated, agreeing to the terms, and then laid the pen on top of the book. I glanced over the counter and didn’t see a computer anywhere. “Does this place have WiFi?”
Paul shook his head. “No, and on a night like this, the satellite is probably down too.”
I shrugged. As it was, I was likely to pass out as soon as I got to the room. “All right.”
“Here is your key,” Paul said, passing over a small, metal key. No internet, no TV, and metal keys? I wrinkled my nose, wondering if I was really less than a day away from the huge, technology steeped Los Angeles. “We’re low tech, but the room are clean and a decent price.”
I nodded, doing my best to wipe the mystified look off my face. “That’s great, I’m really, really grateful you opened a room for me tonight.”
Paul gave me a small smile and another polite nod. I noted a small dimple when he smiled, and the way his eyes creased warmed up his face. I couldn’t help but smile back, remembering what the waitress—Karen—had said about him. “Not a problem. I live on site, so if you need anything, just holler. I’ll be here most of the night. I’m kind of a night owl.”
I nodded and picked up the key. “Thanks.”
Even though the room was easy to find, and not far from the main office, I was drenched through by the time I got inside. I flicked on as many light switches as I could easily find, and went about inspecting the room. It was small, and felt smaller than it was, thanks to the dark wood paneling covering three of the four walls. Other than the bed, there was a small dresser which had an old school looking TV on top and a wire table with matching chairs that looked like they had originally been meant for a patio table.
I shrugged out of my coat and draped it over the back of one of the chairs and then dragged it to sit closer to the radiator, which I bumped up to the highest setting. Although the room looked tidy, it was freezing cold and damp. The rest of my clothes were so wet they were clinging to my body, and I wanted nothing more than to strip out of everything and take the hottest shower of my life, but first I needed to make sure the bed was clean, because once I got out of the shower that was the only place to go.
I was in the middle of inspecting the sheets for any sign of bed bugs, when my phone started chirping. A flash of fear gripped my stomach as I jumped across the room to answer and saw my brother Ben’s name and number on the screen. “Ben?” I answered, the fear digging in deeper as I held my breath, awaiting his reply.
“Hey Allie. Where are you?”
“I’m in Arizona, near the border, I think. I had to stop because of the rain storm. I’m at the Blue Lagoon Motel. How’s daddy?” I sat down on the foot of the bed.
“Stable. He pulled through the heart surgery and the doctors said everything went as planned. They had to stitch him up and set a couple broken bones too, from the accident.” It had been a while since I’d last seen my brother—well, anyone in my family—but I recognized the overtone of exhaustion in his voice and could picture his sleep deprived face.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I said, wishing I could offer something more substantial. The overwhelming sense of helplessness cut into me and my nose stung as tears pricked at my eyes. “He’s gonna be okay.”
I realized I was saying it more for my own benefit than Ben’s.
“Yeah, he’s gonna be okay, Allie. Get some sleep, and give me or mom a call tomorrow when you’re getting close.”