Page 91 of To Catch a Latte Thick as Thieves

Parking just past the office, she switched off the engine and turned toward Jared and the puppy snoring loudly across his lap.

“I’ll go get us a room if you’ll stay with her,” she offered.

“Aroom?” Jared repeated.

“Well, with your financial situation, I figured we’d share a room,” she explained with as much tact as possible. Her budget didn’t allow for two rooms but she couldn’t just abandon him.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” he said. “I can sleep in the van.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She waved a dismissive hand at him. “It won’t cost any more for an extra person. I’ll be right back.”

Jared watched her go, feeling the manacles of Cam’s lie snap shut around his wrists. To tell her the truth was to expose Cameron’s plot, and to perpetuate the lie was to subject himself to the torture of sleeping in close proximity to her. It was a lose-lose situation.

Thumping his head against the windowpane on his right, Jared grimaced. When and if he survived this little excursion, he was going to catch the next plane back to Massachusetts and strangle his old buddy.

The puppy in his lap began to whine as soon as Cat disappeared from sight. No amount of cajoling on Jared’s part would distract the dog from her steadfast gaze on the office door. Jared reluctantly let his gaze mirror that of the dog’s. Thankfully, the dog was the only one drooling.

Cat rang the old-fashioned bell on the counter and waited. When she’d found this motel online, it had been described as quirkily vintage, but she suspected that was a euphemism for old. There was no one behind the desk or in the lobby. She rang the bell again. No one appeared. Huffing out a frustrated sigh, she was about to pound on the bell again when the office door behind the counter opened and an old man shuffled out. He was wiping his chin with a napkin. He was short, skinny, and bald. He reminded Cat of a plucked chicken wearing overalls.

The man squinted at her and Cat smiled. He frowned.

“Hey, mister,” he said. “You only need to hit the bell once. I’m not deaf, you know.”

Cat glanced behind her. There was no one else in the lobby.

“I’m sorry, sir,” she said. “Do you have a room available?”

The old man narrowed his eyes and studied her. “Keep your shirt on, young fella. The sign said vacancy, didn’t it? Of course I have a room.”

Cat bit her cheek to keep from laughing.

“Yes, sir,” she said. No one had confused her for a boy since she was four years old and insisted on dressing just like Cameron.

“We run a quiet place here,” the old man said. “If you want to get drunk and bust up your room, do it some place else.”

“We’ll be no trouble,” she promised.

“See that you aren’t.”

As the paperwork was processed, Cat browsed through the motel’s brochure. On the back in bold type she noticed the words NO PETS ALLOWED.

Not a rule breaker by nature, Cat almost told the man to cancel the room. But as the old codger handed her the room key—an actual key with a plastic tag that labeled her room number— Cat felt herself smile and leave. Lucy was a good dog. No one would ever know she was here.

Cat climbed back into the van, and Jared noted the way she worried her lip between her teeth.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“We have a situation,” she confirmed.

“What?” Jared snapped, fearing the motel was booked solid, and they’d be forced to share one tiny single bed. He’d rather be tied to a rack and stretched to breaking.

“They don’t allow pets.” She frowned. “We’re going to have to sneak Lucy in.”

“That’s all?” he asked.

“Yeah, why? What did you think?”

“Nothing,” he answered, feeling foolish and giddy with relief.