Page 24 of The Scenic Route
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By the time Bennett turned the car into the Black Bear Inn’s parking lot, the adrenaline had worn off, and Felicity was exhausted.
“All I want is a hot shower and my mediocre motel bed.” She stretched her sore muscles as well as she could in the passenger seat of her car.
Bennett gave her a strangely intense look but then hummed what she took as his agreement, so she decided not to ask what that glance meant. Instead, she unbuckled her seat belt in preparation of hobbling to her door as she glanced at the dashboard clock.
“It’s not even midnight,” she said, swallowing a yawn. “This day feels like it’s lasted a thousand years already.”
When Bennett stiffened, it was so tiny a movement that Felicity was surprised she’d caught the motion. It was just more evidence that she was focused on him in a way that was probably a bad idea, not to mention how much teasing she was going to get from her sisters when this whole story came out.
Following his gaze through the windshield to the sidewalk in front of her room, she groaned. “What now?”
The elderly woman who’d checked her in was waiting outside her room. As Bennett pulled into the parking space right in front of Felicity’s room, she got a better look at the motel owner and groaned again. From the top of her bluish white curls to her white New Balance shoes, the woman was positively vibrating with righteous indignation.
Biting back a few choice words that wanted to escape, Felicity forced herself to get out of the passenger-side door. Plastering on as much of a smile as she could manage, she walked toward the motel owner, trying not to limp too much. The last thing she wanted was questions about how she’d hurt herself. “Hello. Did you need something?”
“I need you to get your things, hand over your keys, and leave,” the woman snapped, her arms crossing over her skinny chest.
Felicity felt her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline. “You’re kicking us out?”
“I am.” The woman’s nod held a grim satisfaction. “With pleasure.”
Felicity gave herself a few seconds to try to understand the reasoning behind this unexpected ejection, but she honestly couldn’t. They’d only been in their rooms for fifteen minutes, and as far as she knew, they hadn’t created any loud noises or especially noxious fumes. “Why? We’ve barely spent any time here.”
“I know why you’re here.” The motel owner’s mouth screwed up even tighter than it had been.
Felicity glanced over at Bennett, but he looked as confused as she felt. “To work?”
“Work,” scoffed the woman with such disgust that Felicity shifted back a step, a little worried the owner was going to spit on her shoes. “That’s what you call hounding an innocent boy until he has to go into hiding?”
“Innocent boy?” Even though she knew it wouldn’t help the situation, she couldn’t prevent her incredulous tone. “Are you talking about Dino? Because he’s about as far from an innocent boy as you can get. He’s a meth dealer.”
“Douglasis my grandnephew, and he doesn’t mess with any drugs. He told me himself. He was framed by his no-good ex-girlfriend, poor boy, and you’re here to harass him some more.”
Figuring it was futile to continue to argue about Dino’s innocence, Felicity bit back the words and focused on the important part of what the woman was telling her. “Who told you this?”
“I have my sources,” she said smugly before her expression went flat again. “Now get your things and go.”
After another speaking glance at Bennett, Felicity let herself into her room. She quickly repacked and scanned it for anything she’d forgotten. Her body—especially her ankle—protested her rapid movements, but she didn’t dare slow down. If she did, she didn’t think she could get moving again.
Once she’d cleared the room, she left, handing off the old-fashioned key to the owner.
“I want our money back.” It wasn’t much, but Felicity was feeling helpless and frustrated, tired and sore, and she wanted to win a point in the confrontation, even if it was a small one.
The motel owner looked affronted, as if Felicity had demanded a huge concession, but she pulled out a wad of cash,peeled off some bills, and held it out to Felicity, who accepted it. She made a show of counting it, using the petty activity as a way to hold off her exhaustion.
Once Felicity pocketed the cash, they waited a couple of minutes in stiff silence that made it feel like an hour. Bennett finally emerged from his room with a bag slung over his shoulder and handed over his key.
“I have our money,” Felicity said, tiredness dragging at her, making her desperate for the confrontation to be over. “Let’s go.”
“Good riddance,” the motel owner spat, turning toward the office with both keys clutched in her fist. “Pair of jackals, chasing after my sweet Douglas.”
“Don’t think you’re getting a good Tripadvisor review from us.” Felicity cringed at her pathetic threat, but then amusement sparked off her irritation as she turned back to Bennett. “Jackal is actually one of the nicer things I’ve been called.”
He made an agreeing sound before turning to escort her to his SUV with a huge hand warming her lower back.
“I really don’t want to be driving around the mountains at midnight, trying to find a motel with an available room,” she said, fighting the urge to lean into his supportive hand as she limped along. “Want to just sleep in our cars?”
