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“Maybe you should change?” I tell her, giving the guy with the red flannel a death stare.
“Into what? It’s hot out,” she complains, pulling her tank away from her stomach to allow the air to flow.
“Don’t you have jeans? Or something less?—”
“Less what?” She raises her brows. “Go on, less what?”
There is no point in carrying on with the most stubborn woman ever to exist. I almost push her through the door into the air-conditioned restaurant which serves rather questionable food.
We order two burgers, share a plate of fries, and when the truckers come in, I decide we need to get out of here. Gabriella may not understand just how beautiful she is because every man in here turned to check her out from head to toe, but if I want to make it out of here alive without beating the smug look off their faces, we need to bail now.
“You know what? I’m done. Let’s hit the road.”
Three hours into our drive, during an argument over the movie Titanic as to whether Rose could have fit Jack on the door, which lasted longer than I cared to admit, the engine light comes on.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, leaning over to view the dash.
“Engine light. We may need to find somewhere closer to stay for the night while I check this out.”
She pulls out her phone, typing something in. “There’s a bed and breakfast a mile down. Do you want to try there?”
I have some car knowledge but not enough to push through the night without the possibility of being stranded in the middle of nowhere. I’ve watched too many unsolved mystery shows, many of them I remember from heart. This stretch of highway isn’t exactly safe.
The bed and breakfast is a small gray and pink building surrounded by tall palm trees with a sign reading Esmerelda’s Den.
We pull into the parking lot, stopping the car in the visitor’s spot. There are a few cars around, nothing too busy. With our bags in hand, we enter the building and straight into the small reception area. The walls are covered in flowery wallpaper. It’s kinda creepy, but it will have to do for the night.
A lady with long gray hair steps out of the small room behind the desk. She offers a welcoming smile, touching the gold crucifix which hangs around her neck. On closer inspection, there’s a statue of the Virgin Mary on the countertop, and on the other side, a set of ornamental cats.
“Hi.” Gabriella smiles politely. “We ran into some car trouble and were wondering if we could have two rooms?”
“I’m sorry, dear, we only have one room. Our Lord is watching over us, you know.”
Great, a religious sanctity covered in cats. If we want a safe place to sleep tonight, we will have to pretend that our union is holy under the Lord’s watch.
“She means one room.” I place my arm over Gabriella’s shoulder. “My wife is just a bit scatterbrained with the pregnancy and all.”
“Oh, my dear, of course.” This answer seems to satisfy the lady, her face lighting up rather joyously. “A child is a blessing from the Lord. We have one room with a double.”
“Um…” Gabriella opens her mouth to speak, but I quickly pinch the side of her hand, causing her to scowl.
Gabriella begins to mutter under her breath. “You got some nerve on you, Madden. Trying to get me to share your bed. Honestly, you’re the biggest pain in the ass.”
I give her my most innocent smile.
The lady takes us down the hall, opening a small room covered in more floral and cats.
Jesus Christ. Oh shit, this doesn’t seem like the place to take the Lord’s name in vain.
“There’s so much pussy,” Gabriella whispers. “It’s weird.”
I try to hold in my laughter. When the lady leaves, Gabriella looks at me. “Why did you say I was your wife?”
“The sign on the counter had some religious phrase, and judging by the way she was about to say no, we either lie or sleep in the car.”
“So, we have to sleep together.”
“Well, sweetheart, your wish is my command.”
