Page 36 of Wish Lists and Road Trips

I couldn’t imagine a world that Brit wasn’t the queen of. If I had to guess what her life was like, I’d imagine her as the centerpiece of every table. She was sweet, witty, fun—I had a feeling if I’d met Brit when I was twenty-two, she would have broken my heart a million ways to Sunday. She still might if I had any intention of touching that.

“Growing up, I didn’t get to pick my own friends,” she said. “And the ones my parents picked didn’t really get me.” She swept a hand over her body, gesturing to her hair and her outfit.

I followed the path she’d just taken, admiring all of those things they “didn’t get” and shook my head. “Their loss, Brit.”

She dipped her head in a sort of demure move I hadn’t seen her make yet. “You’re sweet.”

I huffed a laugh. I’d never had a woman call me sweet before. Uptight, withdrawn, difficult—I was used to that, but not sweet. I scratched the back of my head, turning to watch the dryer spin. “I think we both know I’m not.”

“You’re sweet to me.”

Yeah. I’d started to notice that too.

It was after dark by the time my clothes had finished washing, and Nick called an Uber to just drop us at the nearest hotel. We were in the middle of nowhere, he reasoned, so we had to take what we could get.

The air in Louisiana was like hot soup even in March and when the cold breeze from the lobby brushed my cheeks as we pushed inside, I nearly moaned in relief. I wasn’t made for this heat unless there was a pool and a frozen drink involved. Boston would be forty-degrees and snow-covered right now, and I certainly wouldn’t be chafing on my inner thighs.

“Good evening,” the man behind the counter greeted. “Do you have a reservation?”

“We’d like to make one,” Nick said. He glanced at me sidelong and let his hand fall from where it had been resting on my lower back. “Two, actually.”

“Oh.” The man’s smile tightened, and I knew immediately that we weren’t sleeping here. Based on Nick’s lack of a scowl, he hadn’t figured it out yet. “I’m sure you’ve heard there’s a blizzard crippling the Northeast at the moment.”

“Yeah,” Nick said, rather snarkily. “That’s why we’re in Louisiana looking for a couple of rooms.”

“Well, I’m afraid there’s a conference in town. Between that and the overflow from the airports due to the storm, we’re fully booked.”

That would explain the rush on that crappy pizza place. I watched Nick’s cheek twitch.

“You don’t have anything?”

“I’m sorry.”

Nick dragged a hand down his face, looking like he needed a break from travel negotiations. Marco had been indifferent, but Darla really hadn’t liked him. I stepped in front of him and stood on my toes to lean on the desk, trying to look weary. “Are you able to check any nearby places for us? We’ve been driving for hours and we’re sort of stranded.”

The man—Greg, according to his nametag—smiled and started punching keys on his computer. “Of course. We have two other properties nearby.”

Nick wandered over to an upholstered bench and flopped down, pulling out his phone.

“It looks like there’s one room left at The Cypress, and three available at Serene Stay Motel, but that’s not in the greatest neighborhood.”

“How much is the room at The Cypress?”

“It’s a river view suite. The normal rate is five hundred a night.” He must have seen my face fall. “You could probably shave a few dollars off booking this late in the evening.”

A suite sounded amazing after hanging out in a laundromat for hours, and I didn’t like that Nick had paid for the car himself. It was my turn. I slipped out my credit card and slid it over. “Will you book it for me?”

“Of course,” he said. “It’s a fifteen-minute drive. I’ll call ahead and let them know you’re coming.”

“Perfect.” I turned to Nick. “Honey! Hope you like to cuddle.”

Nick was still grumbling about me paying for the room as he slid the keycard into the reader and let us in. This place was . . .whew. Stunning. The carpet was a rich maroon with gold detail, the headboard was upholstered and real, as in not bolted to the wall. One whole wall was covered in velvet drapes that I was sure would reveal a view to rival the cruise ship when we pulled them open.

I pushed past Nick and launched myself face first onto the mattress, letting out what I realized too late was a very sexual-sounding moan.

He gave me an uncomfortable look and let the door close behind him. “This room is ridiculous.”

“Come on, Nicky. Live a little.”

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