Chapter 80 Vacancy
Chapter 80 Vacancy
Annabelle
By the time the tow truck rolled to a stop, I had officially decided I never wanted to see the side of a highway again.
The little town we’d been hauled into couldn’t have had more than a few thousand people. It consisted of one blinking stoplight, a handful of brick storefronts that looked like they’d been standing since the eighteen-seventies, and exactly one tire shop sitting at the edge of town.
Unfortunately…
Every light inside it was off.
The tow truck driver climbed down from the cab while James and Blake immediately got out to stretch their legs.
I followed a little slower, grateful to finally stand on solid ground again.
The cool evening air smelled faintly of fresh-cut grass and diesel fuel. Somewhere nearby, crickets had already started singing, filling the silence left behind after the tow truck engine shut off.
The driver looked at the building and gave us an apologetic smile.
“Sorry, folks.”
He pointed toward the dark garage.
“They closed about forty-five minutes ago.”
James looked hopefully toward the service bay.
“So… somebody can come open it?”
The older man chuckled.
“Not around here.”
My stomach sank.
“They don’t open again until Monday morning.”
For a second, nobody spoke.
I blinked.
“…Monday?”
He nodded.
“Afraid so.”
I looked at my poor car sitting on the back of the flatbed.
One shredded tire.
One ruined weekend.
One increasingly expensive insurance claim.
“Well…”
I folded my arms.
“I guess we’re having ourselves a little mini vacation.”
Blake looked toward the road.
His eyes immediately lit up.
“Guys.”
We all followed his gaze.
Across the street sat a small roadside motel with a glowing VACANCY sign flickering beneath the office window.
Right beside it…
A fast-food restaurant.
The bright red OPEN sign might as well have been heaven.
Blake actually pointed.
“I vote food.”
James nodded instantly.
“I second food.”
“My stomach actually seconded it first.”
The tow truck driver laughed.
“You folks can leave the car here.”
He handed me a claim slip.
“They’ll call Monday once they get the tire replaced.”
I accepted the paperwork with a sigh.
“Thank you.”
“Wish it could’ve been better news.”
“So do I.”
Ten minutes later, the four of us stood inside the tiny motel office.
The lobby looked exactly how roadside motels always looked in movies.
Wood paneling.
A faded floral couch.
A coffee pot that had probably been brewing since breakfast.
Behind the counter sat an older woman wearing reading glasses on the end of her nose.
She smiled warmly.
“Evening.”
“Hi,” I said.
“We need a couple rooms.”
“No problem.”
She typed on an ancient-looking computer whose keyboard sounded loud enough to wake the dead.
For a moment, I thought we were in luck.
Then she frowned.
“Oh…”
That was never a good sign.
“We only have two rooms left.”
James smiled.
“Perfect.”
“They both only have one bed.”
His smile slowly disappeared.
“Oh.”
She looked genuinely apologetic.
“Little league baseball tournament.”
She shrugged.
“They booked almost everything.”
I looked at James.
He looked at me.
I already knew exactly what expression was coming.
“No.”
“I didn’t even say anything.”
“You were about to.”
“I was thinking.”
“I know.”
He grinned.
“We’re adults.”
“So are Blake and Shannon.”
His smile faltered.
“…Fair.”
I looked toward Shannon.
“You okay bunking with me?”
She nodded immediately.
“Of course.”
Then her eyes drifted toward Blake for just a second.
Almost apologetically.
Blake surprised me by smiling.
“No worries.”
He shrugged.
“I’ve shared hotel rooms with this idiot before.”
He pointed at James.
“I don’t steal blankets.”
James snorted.
“I wasn’t worried about the blankets.”
“I also don’t snore.”
“Liar.”
“I snore athletically.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means my breathing has excellent conditioning.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You two are exhausting.”
The woman behind the desk laughed quietly while handing me two keycards.
“Rooms twelve and fourteen.”
“No room thirteen?” Blake asked.
She smiled.
“Not around here.”
He blinked.
“…That’s either really smart or deeply suspicious.”
“Little bit of both.”
James grabbed one of the keycards.
“I call the shower first.”
“I call the side of the bed furthest away from you,” Blake answered.
“I don’t cuddle.”
“I wasn’t worried until you brought it up.”
“I definitely don’t cuddle.”
James looked over at me.
“…He’s going to cuddle.”
Blake pointed dramatically.
“Slander.”
“Libel.”
“I don’t know the difference.”
“Neither do I.”
Shannon laughed quietly beside me, and I noticed Blake glance toward her almost automatically.
He smiled. Not because she’d looked at him. Because she’d laughed.
It was subtle. Small enough that I doubted anyone else would’ve noticed.
I did.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Blake clapped his hands together once.
“Excellent.”
Everyone looked over.
“Sleeping arrangements have been established.”
He pointed toward the glowing restaurant next door.
“Can we please go eat now?”
James nodded.
“Agreed.”
“I’ve been surviving on squirrel food.”
Shannon folded her arms.
“It was trail mix.”
“It was squirrel food with good marketing.”
“It literally kept you alive.”
“Barely.”
She laughed again.
I caught the way Blake’s entire face softened for half a second before he looked away.
Yep.
Very interesting.
I slipped my arm through James’s as we headed back outside.
The motel wasn’t much.
The town wasn’t much either.
But after sitting stranded on the side of the interstate for an hour and a half…
A hot meal and a bed suddenly sounded like luxury.