Page 46 of Sergeant O'
The app was right. There were two gas stations, one fast-food restaurant, and one diner that was connected to the one motel in town.
It wasn’t really a town, per se. More like a group of businesses on the side of the freeway collectively profiting from travelers passing through.
To be honest, if we weren’t in the middle of a downpour, I would have insisted we kept on driving.
But desperate times called for desperate measures.
She pulled as close as she could to the motel entrance, parking in the loading zone by the lobby doors, put the truck in park, then turned to me and asked, “Do you want to wait here?”
I shook my head. “No, I need to move my legs.”
“Okay, but be careful. It’s probably slippery.”
Neither of us moved to get out as the rain continued to pummel the windshield.
A crack of lightning nearby made her jump, and she reached for the door handle. I touched her arm and told her, “A vehicle is one of the safest places to be during a thunderstorm. The metal shell and rubber tires directs any current away from you and to the ground.”
“I know, but the rain has let up. I think we should make a run for it.” She stopped and corrected herself with a smile. “I mean, I think we should make a brisk walk for it.”
“Don’t wait for me, Sunshine. You go ahead and run. Unlike you, I’m not sugar. I won’t melt.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, you’ve said some cheesy things to me, but I think that one was the cheesiest.”
I couldn’t even pretend to be offended.
“Yeah, you’re right, that was pretty bad.” I grabbed the handle and asked, “Ready? One, two, three, go!”
We opened our doors at the same time, and I hobbled to the entrance while Jade ran. She waited for me under the covered part by the door, then we walked inside together.
There was only one clerk, and he was helping a couple ahead of us, so we waited in line, dripping water on the lobby floor. I didn’t feel too bad when I noticed the people ahead of us had done the same.
Jade gripped my elbow, gestured to the wet tile, and whispered, “Please be careful.”
I liked that she worried about me.
In fact, I couldn’t think of a thing about her I didn’t like.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jade
We stepped forward, and before either of us could make a request, the clerk, whose nametag read, “Oscar” informed us, “It’s your lucky day. We have one room left.”
Brian glanced at me, like he wasn’t sure I’d be okay with that. “Only one room?”
“My last one.”
“Two beds?” I asked hopefully.
Oscar clicked a few buttons, then shook his head. “It’s a king.”
Brian and I exchanged looks, and he shrugged. “I can sleep in the truck.”
“Don’t be silly. We’ll make it work.”
With that, Brian pulled out his wallet and asked, “How much?”
A few more clicks, and Oscar told him, “After tax, seventy-nine dollars and thirty-six cents.”
