Chapter 11

When Parker pulled into a crappy motel parking lot, Ruby thought it must be some kind of joke. It didn’t match the nice car he drove, which was black, sleek, and screamed money. Something about the fanciness of the car had made her feel safe, though. The leather seats were incredible, there was plenty of legroom, and there were airbag symbols everywhere. She didn’t think she’d have been able to make the trip in any other vehicle.

And now they were sitting in front of a motel that probably had dead bodies under the beds.

She didn’t mean to be ungrateful, considering she wasn’t the one paying for any of this, but the unexpected feeling of safety she’d enjoyed for the past three hours had suddenly been replaced by anxiety. Not only did the motel look like it was ready to crumble around its inhabitants, but it was nestled in a grove of trees on top of a mountain. She didn’t remember when the desert landscape had given way to the forest, but it now consumed everything around them. This was what horror movies were made of.

“You sure about this place?” Ruby asked, looking at Parker.

“It’s fine. I’ve stayed in this place plenty of times,” Parker said, but he refused to make eye contact.

“You have actually slept in one of these rooms?”

Parker hesitated. “Yes, though it has been a couple years.”

What had Ruby been thinking? She should have stayed in Amor in her nice house and her nice bed where nothing exciting ever happened, but she always felt safe. And then she remembered the baby shower and all the wedding invitations she would receive over the coming months, and how she would have to act so happy for everyone.

Ruby would risk the serial killers over all that.

“All right, let’s go see what awaits us,” Ruby said, jumping out of the car and grabbing her bag from the back seat.

Parker watched her, looking surprised at her sudden resolve, but he followed her inside to the dingy front desk.

“Hey, I need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back,” he said, then slipped down a hallway that had a sign indicating the bathrooms were somewhere in the vicinity. If he didn’t return in ten minutes, Ruby was sending a rescue team.

She looked around the waiting area and decided she needed to pretend this was a game. Someone had set up a nice, clean, safe hotel, but had chosen an unusual decor for the interior. Paint was peeling from the walls and the yellowed linoleum cracked with each step.

“You need something?” the woman behind the desk asked. She hadn’t bothered to look up from the magazine she was thumbing through, which showed how much she cared. Her tank top had fallen off one shoulder, and a cigarette hung from her lips.

“Um… We’d like two rooms, please,” Ruby said, approaching the desk.

“We’re full,” the woman said, still not bothering to glance up.

“How can you be full?” Ruby asked, shocked that anyone, other than them, would dare stop here.

“People pay us money, and we rent out the rooms. That’s how it works, sweetie.” The woman continued flipping through the magazine.

Parker stepped up to the counter beside Ruby, which was a relief. “I have a reservation under Parker Loveland.”

The woman heaved a sigh, like she was disappointed she’d have to actually do something, then slid off her stool. She typed a couple of things into an old computer, then handed Parker a key. “Room 203. Checkout is at eleven o’clock Sunday.”

“But that’s only one room,” Ruby said, dread washing over her. “We need two.”

“Like I said, we’re full.” The woman sat back down on her stool and resumed reading her magazine.

Ruby spun toward Parker, whose guilty expression told her everything she needed to know. “We have one motel room? And you knew this before inviting me?”

“I actually didn’t think that part through,” Parker admitted. “I reserved the room eight months ago. Every hotel, motel, and camping spot has been booked for at least six months. When you have a balloon festival that’s this big, thousands of people come from all over the world. I couldn’t have booked another room if I wanted to. We’re just lucky that I always book a couple extra nights before the festival, just in case I want to come early.”

Ruby stepped close to Parker, her voice dropping in volume. “You told me this wasn’t that kind of a weekend, and yet here I am, staying in the same room as you.”

“Maybe it won’t be so bad,” Parker said, taking a step back. “Usually there are two beds in each room. It will be fine.”

“You requested a king-size bed,” the woman at the counter interjected. “There’s only the one bed in yours.”

“Brilliant.” Ruby walked out of the small office and back to the car. She leaned against it, not sure what she was going to do now. There was no way she could share a bed with Parker.

When he finally walked out of the office, he was carrying both their bags.

“What are you doing?” he asked, dropping the bags on the ground.

“I don’t know,” Ruby said. “I guess I’m waiting for you to unlock the car so we can go home.”

Parker’s lips parted. He looked like he was trying to speak but couldn’t find the words. Finally, he spluttered, “We just drove three hours to get here.”

“I’m sorry, but it was bad enough when I thought we might be sharing a room. But now that we’d have to share a bed? I don’t see any way around it.” Ruby didn’t think she was being unreasonable. She hadn’t been given all the facts when she decided to come on this little excursion. Truth be told, she hadn’t even thought to ask about the sleeping accommodations, she had just been excited to get out of town.

“I’m not going back until Sunday,” Parker said, his voice now firm.

Ruby’s eyes widened. “You’re keeping me hostage?”

“Not at all,” Parker said. “I’m sure there’s a bus station around here somewhere that I can drop you off at.”

“Buses don’t have seatbelts.” Ruby’s voice came out as little more than a squeak.

“Some do.”

Ruby glanced around. The first time she ventured from Amor and look what she’d gotten herself into. Before she could figure out what needed to happen next, someone called Parker’s name from across the parking lot.

She turned just in time to see two men run up to them. One, a guy with a bald head and gigantic arms, put Parker in a headlock, and Ruby wasn’t sure if she should call the police. She pulled her phone out, just in case. But the man soon let go and she saw that Parker was grinning.

“Andy, Rafael, I can’t tell you how good it is to see you guys,” Parker said. He looked happier than he had all week.

“You too,” the other man said. He had a full head of black hair and piercing eyes. He turned to Ruby.

“Ooh…you brought a girl. That’s a first,” he said, giving Parker a not-so-subtle wink.

“Ruby, this is Rafael,” Parker said. He pointed at the bald guy. “And this is Andy.”

“Nice to meet you,” Ruby said, shaking their hands. Had Parker invited these guys to the festival too? It seemed too much of a coincidence that they’d all be there, at the same motel, at the same time.

“Ruby’s an old friend from high school,” Parker explained. “I thought she might enjoy seeing the balloons. She’s never been to the festival before.”

“Uh-huh,” Andy said. “That’s what they all say.”

A blush crept up Parker’s neck. “Anyway, I thought you guys weren’t getting in until later tonight.”

So, Parker did know they were going to be here. Ruby wondered how many other surprises she would have before the weekend was through.

“We were,” Rafael said, “but it turns out the casino we were going to stop at went out of business. Apparently too many people were winning.”

Andy grinned. “They couldn’t handle our awesomeness, is more like it.” He and Rafael then whooped and chest bumped each other.

Men. Ruby would never understand them.

Rafael walked over to Ruby and placed an arm around her shoulders. “So,” he said in a conspiratorial whisper. “What was our buddy, Parker, like in high school?”

Ruby hesitated. What should she say? There was her perception from a week ago—that he was an arrogant jerk that wouldn’t speak to her after one small misunderstanding, even though she’d specifically told him she didn’t want to go out on a school night. Or there was the guy she hadn’t known about until just a few days ago. The guy who had liked her so much he couldn’t wait for the weekend to go out with her, but instead ended up waiting for three hours in a movie theater lobby for a girl who didn’t deserve his attention and admiration.

Rafael and Andy leaned in, waiting for her response, but Parker looked even more interested in what she would say.

“He was the coolest guy in school,” Ruby said. “I always wanted to date him, but he was way out of my league.”

This brought a chorus of ooohs and Parker’s buddies slapped him on the back, laughing. Ruby didn’t know why she’d added that last part. She certainly hadn’t thought that way back in high school, but now, more than a decade later, she realized that Parker Loveland really had been out of her league. She hadn’t deserved him.

Parker watched Ruby, amid the teasing from his friends. He wore a small smile, an eyebrow cocked in surprise.

“Is there anywhere to eat around here?” she asked, embarrassed by the attention.

“Ooh…we know the best place,” Andy said. “If you like steak.”

Ruby didn’t love it. She didn’t understand the appeal of a giant piece of meat slapped down on a plate, but she decided to go with it anyway. They’d probably have something else on the menu that she could order. “Sure, that sounds great.”

Parker walked up to Ruby and placed his hand on the small of her back. Tingles shot up from where he touched her. “We don’t have to go there if you’d prefer someplace else,” he whispered into her ear. The tingles transformed into shockwaves, and Ruby had to work at staying upright.

“Steak is fine,” she said. “I’d like to go wherever you guys think is good.”

Parker nodded, then stepped away. “I’ll drive, but you’ll have to sit in the back,” he told his friends, giving Ruby a quick wink. “Let me just run our bags up to our room.” He sprinted across the parking lot and up the stairs to a room on the far side of the building, opened the door, then threw the bags in, before running back.

Even after they were in the car, driving again, Ruby could still feel where Parker’s hand had rested on her back, and she found herself hoping he would do it again.

* * * * *

Parker wove through the winding mountain roads to a restaurant that had a giant dancing cow on the roof and a sign claiming they had the ‘world’s best steak.’ The cow wore a bikini and its udders were on full display, and for a moment, Ruby wondered if this was a weird exotic dancing place.

“Huh,” was all Ruby could think to say as Parker pulled into a dirt parking lot.

“You just have to pretend the cow’s not there when you go inside. After that, it’s not so bad,” Parker said.

“What are you talking about?” Andy said from the back seat. “The cow is the best part.”

Parker threw him a warning glance. “Dude, you’re going to scare her off.”

Andy laughed and jumped out of the car before it had come to a complete stop.

Parker had been right. Ruby kept her gaze on the ground until they made it inside, and then it was a typical steakhouse. After they were seated, Ruby picked up what seemed to be only half of the menu, and she looked on the table for the rest.

“I think I’m missing part of mine,” she told Parker, waving her menu.

“No, that’s the whole thing,” he said.

“But there’s nothing but steak on here. There aren’t even side dishes or burgers or anything.”

“Nope. The only way you get sides is if you order the steak,” Parker said.

Ruby stared at him. “This place is seriously messed up.”

“Do you not like steak?” Parker asked, his brow wrinkled in concern.

Ruby glanced at Andy and Rafael, who were daring each other to get the biggest steak on the menu. “I figured they’d have other stuff I could choose from,” she said quietly. “But it’s fine. I’ll just choose the smallest one they have. It’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah…their small steak is gigantic. I’m sorry. I wish I would have known.”

Ruby wondered if she’d made a mistake coming here. Parker had obviously planned the weekend as a boys’ trip, and she didn’t want him worrying about her not enjoying herself. “No, it will be great. I want you to do everything this weekend like you would have if I hadn’t tagged along. Pretend I’m not here.”

Parker chuckled. “Yeah, that’s going to be kind of hard to do.”

The way he said it made Ruby blush. And yet she liked it—until Clark’s face popped into Ruby’s mind and she immediately felt a tidal wave of guilt. No matter what a good guy Parker was, no matter if Ruby was attracted to him, she couldn’t allow anything to happen between them. She turned to Andy and Rafael in an attempt to shake off the unwanted feelings.

“How did you two meet Parker?”

“College,” Rafael said. “He put up a flier looking for a crew, and he found Andy and me.” He sized Andy up. “Worst mistake he’s ever made.”

Andy punched Rafael in the arm and they both laughed hysterically.

Ruby nodded, like what Rafael had said made any sense to her. “So…what does that mean? What do you guys do as Parker’s crew?”

“All the hard stuff,” Andy said. “Poor Parker can’t handle a tiny balloon on his own, so he had to bring in the big guns.” Andy flexed his giant muscles in Ruby’s direction and gave her a quick wink. “You should see when these babies lift the basket off the back of the truck. It’s poetry in motion.” His flirtatious smile melted into a fleeting grimace and he looked under the table, as if someone had just kicked him.

“Balloon and basket,” Ruby said slowly. Everything was clicking into place. “You are his crew to help get his balloon in the air.”

“We also follow him in the truck so we can pick him up wherever he lands,” Rafael said.

Ruby turned on Parker, panic flooding her senses. “That’s why you are here. To fly a hot air balloon.”

Parker avoided her gaze. “Yup.”

“And you invited me, even though you knew about Clark.”

Parker nodded, his gaze fixed on the table.

“I’m going to go check on that bus schedule,” Ruby said. She stood and walked out of the restaurant, but knew she had nowhere to go. She blew out a puff of air and leaned against Parker’s car, the stupid cow on the roof mocking her as it danced.

Ruby didn’t know how, but she needed to get out of there. She needed to get back to Amor.