Page 95 of To Catch a Latte Thick as Thieves

Bang. Bang. Bang. A fist pounded on their door.

“Hey, open up in there,” a man shouted.

Cat leapt from the bed. “That’s the manager,” she whispered to Jared. “If he sees Lucy, we’ll get booted.”

Jared reached for his jeans while Cat yanked down the bedspread. Lucy tipped her head back to howl again and Jared dropped his jeans and dove across the bed, dragging Cat and the bedspread with him. Down they went in a tangle of limbs and ugly motel blanket. Jared clamped a hand on Lucy’s muzzle. Cat flailed her arms trying to get free of the blanket. When she did, her mouth popped open and she giggled. Jared was wearing boxers with big yellow smiley faces all over them. She knew he’d be a boxer man.

“Smiley faces?” she asked.

Jared opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a fist banging on their door.

“What’s going on in there?”

Jared let go of Lucy and finished pulling on his jeans. He helped Cat to her feet and grabbed the bedspread.

“Just go along with whatever I do,” he whispered.

Cat nodded.

Jared flicked on the TV to a late-night movie. Then he tucked Lucy into the bed with her head on the pillow. He fluffed the comforter, making her look taller than she was.

“Hop into bed,” Jared instructed. “Pretend you just woke up.”

Cat crawled into bed beside Lucy and feigned sleep.

Jared went to open the door. Cat watched him through her lashes. He rumpled his hair and let out a big yawn as he opened the door.

“What can I do for you?” he asked. The wiry little chicken of a manager burst past him.

“I got a call that there’s a dog in here,” he said. “We don’t allow pets.”

Cat pretended to awaken. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“You’re the young fella who booked the room,” the old man accused. Then he squinted at Lucy. “Did you sneak a girl in here?”

Cat had her hand on Lucy’s chest, keeping her still. Technically, Lucy was a girl and they had sneaked her in. She shrugged.

She heard Jared’s snort, but didn’t look at him for fear that she would burst out laughing.

“You need to keep a tighter rein on your boy,” the manager said to Jared. “That’ll be another twenty dollars for the girl.”

“Yes, sir.” Jared fished his wallet out of his back pocket and slapped a twenty into the manager’s open hand.

Just then a howl sounded from the TV. The manager’s head whipped around to look at the screen and Cat clamped a hand over Lucy’s muzzle.

“What are you watching?” the manager asked.

“Werewolf movie,” Jared answered.

“Ah, so that explains it. Turn it down. I don’t want to come back here tonight,” the old man grumped and slammed the door behind him.

Cat and Jared each sagged with relief. Lucy leapt out from beneath the covers and licked Cat’s face.

Jared began to laugh, tried to stop, looked at Cat and laughed harder.

“That old duffer thinks you’re a guy,” he howled. He laughed so hard Cat was afraid he’d injure himself. It wasn’t that funny.

Feeling chagrined, she snapped off the lamp and pulled her covers up to her shoulders.

---