Page 25 of Hairpin Curves

When Megan blinked a few times at her, Scarlett blushed, color coming to her cheeks. “Not like that.”

Megan smiled lazily, tired enough not to second-guess playing along. “Sure. You’re just trying to get me into bed, aren’t you?”

Scarlett flushed more. “You definitely need some sleep. Let me get the check.”

Megan dozed off as soon as Scarlett pulled out of the diner’s parking lot. Scarlett turned the GPS sound down low and followed the directions to the Pink Sands Inn, which fortunately was only a few miles away. She should probably wake Megan up, since she wasn’t going to be able to sleep for long, but didn’t have the heart to do it. When she slept, she looked so innocent and vulnerable. The real Megan was neither. She was sharp-witted and ready to defend herself, like an armadillo covered in heavy plates of armor. Like this, sleeping on the passenger seat of the Toyota, though, Megan might as well be exposing her soft undersides.

Not that thinking about Megan’s soft undersides was a good plan. Scarlett’s gaze drifted to Megan’s breasts, the gentle swell pushing out against her sweatshirt with every breath, and she dragged her attention back to the road before she drove into a ditch. She had to steady her breathing. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but her feelings for Megan that she could always keep under wraps were much more resistant to being kept under wraps right now.

The Pink Sands Inn looked sort of like its website, although it was somewhat less flattering when viewed head-on instead of at an artful angle with the sunset illuminating the stucco, like it had been on the internet. Scarlett pulled into a spot and had a moment’s crisis. Megan was going to pay for the hotel, but Megan was asleep. Scarlett could just...take her card and check in, but was that okay, or another breach of trust?

She was saved from having to make the decision by Megan jerking awake all at once, startling into alertness. Staring wildly around, she seemed to take a minute to realize where she was before nodding at herself and stifling another yawn. “Sorry. How long was I out?”

“Only about five minutes. We’re here. You want to come in with me?” Scarlett jerked her thumb at the front door. “You’ve got the credit card.”

“Right.” Megan got out, fumbling a bit with the door as she did so.

The outside air bit into Scarlett’s face as she stepped out into the chilly afternoon. The day was bright and clear, and the crispness woke her up as she led Megan inside. Megan, though, didn’t look very awake at all. She had a sort of half-asleep grumpiness that made Scarlett smile. Megan grunted a quiet thanks as Scarlett opened the door for her.

The guy behind the desk looked up as he saw them, putting his book down. “Hi.”

It wasn’t a very formal way to greet them, so he was probably the one who had picked up the phone earlier, the one who didn’t even give the name of the hotel.

“We’re checking in,” Scarlett said. “I called this morning.”

“Right. I remember you.” He was probably about their age, in his mid-twenties, maybe working his way through college or just trying to hang on to a summer job through the rest of the year so he could be near the beach when it mattered. He had long hair that looked like it had been bleached before growing out again, shaggy from not getting frequent cuts or just enjoying the surfer look. His name tag said “Jeremy” and his pink polo shirt advertised the Pink Sands Inn with black embroidery over the pocket. He slid a paper registration form across the counter, making a decision between the two of them and settling on Scarlett. “License and credit card, please.”

Megan produced the credit card from her wallet and set it on the counter while Scarlett filled out the sheet. “You know my license plate number?” Megan asked, sounding grudgingly impressed.

“Yeah.” Scarlett had double-checked it earlier. “So there’s really nobody else staying here?”

Jeremy laughed. “It’s winter. You try to book this in June, or even on spring break, and we’re sold out. We’re probably already sold out into the summer.”

That was a relief. At least the place wasn’t a disaster year-round.

He finished processing their paperwork and slid a pair of key cards across the desk. “You’re in room 103.” He waved at a display of brochures next to the front door, right beside one of those racks of twenty-five cent candy dispensers. “You can look through there for stuff to do if you want. All the local places are listed.” Megan was halfway over there before he added, “But most of it’s closed for the season.”

Megan turned with a sigh. “Then why did you point it out?”

Jeremy shrugged, unconcerned. “It’s part of my job.”

Scarlett took the key cards. She was kind of surprised they had key cards at all; this definitely seemed like the kind of place with actual keys on the little plastic diamond keychains. Scarlett bid goodbye to Jeremy and led Megan out to the car to grab their overnight bags.

The door swung open on a somewhat stale-smelling room, but one that was nonetheless clean. Scarlett flipped the light on and surveyed the space, which wasn’t nearly as bad as she’d expected, with one glaring exception.

“Oh.” Megan, who had stepped in behind her, stared at the one king-sized bed in the middle of the room. “That’s not right.”

“Nope.” Scarlett laughed, but her laughter masked a few other thoughts and feelings. “How do you feel about sharing?”

She was only half kidding, but Megan gave her a withering look, and that was all she needed to know. She took Megan’s key card back. “Let’s get this straightened out.”

Jeremy was back to reading his book again. Scarlett slid both key cards back across the desk, getting his attention.

He looked down, puzzled. “What’s the matter? Isn’t it clean?”

“We need two beds. Not one.” Scarlett glanced at Megan, who was nodding emphatically.

Jeremy turned red right away. “Oh, hell, I’m so sorry. I just thought...never mind.” He started typing in the computer. “There we go. Two queens. I’ll put you right next door in 104 so you don’t have to move your car.”