by Cat Johnson
In the office, she stepped up to the counter. “Hi, I’d like a room.”
The man’s eyes shifted to Justin. “King bed?”
“Uh, whatever. He’s just dropping me off. I’m checking in alone.”
The man looked skeptical at that but moved to start tapping on the computer. “How many nights?”
That was a good question. “Um, I’m not really sure. Definitely one, probably two. I don’t know. Can we make it just for tonight for now and I’ll get back to you in the morning?”
He sighed. “All right. But checkout is at eleven.”
“That’s fine. I’ll decide before then.”
“Parking a vehicle?”
“No. Well, not right now, but I will be later.”
He slid a paper and pen toward her. “Fill this out with the make, model, and license plate number, as well as your name and address. And please initial by the rate.”
She glanced at Justin for help. Justin leaned down and filled in the parts of the form that pertained to the truck, which had the desk attendant’s brows rising.
He didn’t believe Justin wasn’t spending the night with her. She shouldn’t care what the front desk attendant at some cheap hotel in Oklahoma thought about her, but for some reason she did.
“That it?” She slid the paper back after filling in her contact info.
“I just need a credit card and a photo ID.”
“Oh, of course.” In her distress over this guy’s opinion of her, she’d forgotten all about paying. She slid the two items toward the man and turned back to Justin. “Sorry I’m holding you up.”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.”
Finally, the man gave her back her card and ID along with a key card. “Room one-ten.”
“Thank you.” Grateful the check-in was over, she scooped it all up off the counter and spun on her heel. “Let’s go.”
Justin led the way, holding the door open for her as she stalked through.
The moment they were out of earshot, she spun to him. “I told him I was staying here alone and still he was behaving as if I was lying. Did you see that?”
He grinned. “Yes, I did.”
“What are you laughing about?” Hands on her hips, she frowned at him.
“You, getting all embarrassed just because he figures we’re staying here together and didn’t want to admit it.”
Her frown deepened. “But it’s not true.”
He shrugged. “It was last night. You and I shared a room. Remember?”
“Yes, but we didn’t, you know, do anything.”
“No, we most certainly did not.” He put extra emphasis on the last word.
“I just think that considering he’s in the hospitality industry, he should hide his opinions, no matter what they are.” Phoenix stopped her rant long enough to process the tone of Justin’s last statement.
Had he wanted something to happen between them?
Unaware of her inner turmoil, Justin continued, “Don’t worry about it. You’ll never have to see him again after tomorrow, so who cares what he thinks?”
He might have moved on, but her mind hadn’t. Not now that he’d put the thought of their being together into her head. Whether he’d intended to do it or not, the idea was planted firmly.
He grinned wider. “I still think it’s cute how flustered you are.”
For the second time in less than an hour, Justin had called her cute. A girl could get used to that. She was getting used to it. To him. Everything about him. The gait in his cowboy boot swagger. The twinkle in his eyes when he teased her. The sound of his voice. The smell of him—a mixture of deodorant and good clean man.
Dammit, she definitely shouldn’t get used to any of it. She remembered too late exactly how far California was from Oklahoma. It wouldn’t matter that she had his cell phone number and they could text since they’d still be ridiculously far from each other.
And now she was thinking about sending texts to Justin. Hot ones, at that.
Sexting with Justin. Jeez, she definitely shouldn’t be thinking about that.
It was a very good thing he had to get going to drop off the trailer. She needed to take a cold shower or something. She really couldn’t have him in the room with her. It would be way too tempting.
And after he left, she was going to steer clear of any romance movies on TV. She didn’t need some sappy chick flick putting more ideas in her head.
She already had plenty of bad ideas of her own.
Chapter Twenty-One
Justin got into the truck and drove away from the hotel before he changed his mind and decided to stay.
He reached for his cell and speed-dialed Rohn. The man answered on the third ring.
“Hey, Rohn. I’m on my way to Bonnie’s house with the trailer.”
“Okay, great. I was just going to call to see about your ETA. I’ll meet you over there at her place.”
“Um, I was planning on just unhooking and leaving the trailer in the driveway, if that’s okay. I mean, I’ll help you unload tomorrow if you want, but I kind of wanted to get home right away to check on Momma.”
“Of course. You go. Do what you need to do. I think I’m still gonna head over to the house to take a look inside the trailer. I want to see what I’m in for. Was there a lot of stuff to move?”
Justin laughed. “Yeah.”
“Was it a lot of furniture or mostly boxes?”
“A sofa, a recliner, a breakfront, a couple of dressers and mattresses. Some of the heaviest books I’ve ever had to lift.” Justin let that all sink in before Rohn got any ideas that he was going to start unloading the trailer by himself.
Rohn groaned. “A’ight. We’ll deal with it tomorrow. With the four of us working, it shouldn’t take all that long.”
“Nope. Not with all of us it won’t.”
“Thanks a lot for doing this, Justin.”
“No problem at all. It was my pleasure.”
Unloading the furniture was no problem. But the blushing sweet thing with the secret—the one in the hotel room with the king-size bed—yeah, she might be a problem.
“Will I see you in the morning or do you need a day to recover?” Rohn asked.
“I’m a little stiff and I’ll be more than happy to get out from behind the wheel, but I should be good to work in the morning.”
“I’ll see you in the morning, then. Have a good night.”
“A’ight. You too.”
Justin made short work of backing into Bonnie’s driveway. He didn’t bother to even shut off the truck while he unhooked the stock trailer. Instead, he just hopped down and strode around to the back while the engine idled. He’d been hauling stock to rodeos for Rohn for long enough that he could uncouple a trailer from the hitch in his sleep.
Hell, after some trips he’d been so tired it felt as if he had been sleepwalking by the time they got back to Rohn’s to unload the stock.
Hoisting himself up and sliding back behind the wheel, he was more than happy to be almost home so he could get out of this vehicle. He loved his brother and he loved this truck, but it had been a long three days of driving.
He’d have to get into his own truck and drive back to Phoenix and the hotel in a little while, but he’d be okay with that once he stretched his legs for a bit. Grabbed something to eat. Talked to his mother.
His anxiousness to get home had him driving through town as fast as he dared. Not pulling the trailer anymore made it easier to speed.
He turned into the driveway shortly and was happy to see his aunt’s car was still there so his mother wasn’t alone. He parked Jeremy’s truck off to the side so he’d be able to get his own out later.
Finally, he was home, and it felt really good to put his feet on the ground.
He went through the back door and tossed the keys onto the kitchen counter. “Mom? Aunt Phoebe?”
“In here.” It was his aunt’s voice he heard from the living room.
H
e walked in and found her seated alone on the sofa with the television on. There was a bottle of wine open on the table with two glasses beside it.
“Hi, Justin. How was your trip?”
“Long. Where’s Momma?”
“She went to lie down. The wine gave her a headache.”
He drew in a breath and let it out. This was why he needed to be around. His mother had a myriad of excuses to go hide in her room, to stay home and sit in the dark all day rather than go out. He knew they were just her way of covering up that she was too depressed to go out.
His aunt, however, was easier for his mother to fool.
And giving her alcohol? He wouldn’t have done that. He knew from experience that even just a glass of wine wasn’t a good idea. Drinking seemed to bring his mother down. He could watch the decline in her mood with every sip she took as old memories replaced present-day life in her mind.
Even so, he couldn’t be ungrateful. His aunt had done him a favor, and though his mother was lying down in the middle of the day, at least she was home and safe.
That was all that mattered.
“Thank you for staying with her.”
His aunt stood. “Of course. Any time. It was fun.”
He couldn’t imagine that was true if his mother had spent most of the time in bed. “I still appreciate it. It eased my mind knowing she wasn’t alone.”
“I know.” She moved closer to press a kiss to his cheek. “You’re a good son, Justin. She’s lucky to have you.”
“I guess.” He hugged his aunt. “I’m going to throw something together to eat. You want to stay?”
“I think I’ll go home. Get myself together, do some laundry before work tomorrow. There’s leftover lasagna in the fridge you can microwave.”
“Mmm. Thanks. I will.”
His aunt disappeared into the den, which they used as a guest bedroom. Justin tried to forget that was because they hadn’t been able to clean out Jeremy’s old bedroom. It was still exactly as he’d left it. Like a shrine.
She returned with an overnight bag. “Tell your mom I’ll call her tomorrow.”
If she made an appearance any time before tomorrow, he would. “Will do. Drive safe.”
“I will, sweetie. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
She waved before pulling the door closed behind her. Justin sighed and moved to the coffee table. He grabbed the two glasses and the bottle. His mother wasn’t getting better. It had been two years and, if anything, some days she was worse now than she had been shortly after Jeremy had died.
That thought left him needing to see for himself that she was okay. Leaving the glasses and bottle on the counter in the kitchen, he headed for the bedroom.
Easing the door open, he peeked inside.
The curtains were drawn shut and the room was dark except for the nightlight plugged into the outlet inside the bathroom just off her room.
Listening, he knew she wasn’t sleeping. He could tell by her breathing.
“Mom, you asleep?” He kept his voice low so as not to wake her if he was wrong. He moved farther into the room. “I just wanted you to know I’m back from my trip, but I have to run out for a bit in a little while.”
She rolled over to face him. “Okay.”
“Do you mind? Do you want me to stay here and sit with you?”
“No. I think I’m just going to turn on the television for some noise and try to go to sleep.”
He drew in a breath. “Okay. Aunt Phoebe left, but she’s going to call you tomorrow.”
“Okay, baby. Go do what you have to do. I’ll be fine.”
She always told him she was fine even when she wasn’t. But he had no proof to the contrary, and he knew she would stay in her room all night even if he were home.
He had to get the truck to Phoenix.
Fighting the guilt that he should be staying with her after having been gone for so long, he said, “Call my cell if you need anything while I’m gone.”
“I won’t need anything.”
“Promise you’ll call if you do.”
“I will. I promise.”
“A’ight. I’ll be home later.”
“Okay.” She rolled over and pulled the covers higher around her. She was deep in her cocoon and there was nothing more he could do.
Tomorrow he’d get back on her to get up and dressed, to eat at least one decent meal if not three, and to get some good sleep—when it was actually night, not as a series of naps that spanned the whole day.
He rose from the bed and headed for the back door. He grabbed his truck keys from the hook, spotting Jeremy’s set lying on the counter.
Was he just as bad as his mother when it came to moving on with his life?
He hadn’t let Phoenix change the damn radio station in Jeremy’s truck. He must have seemed like a lunatic to her. And the napkin—he remembered her reaching down to the floor to pick up an old fast-food napkin she’d found there. She was going to hop out of the truck to throw it away. He’d grabbed it away from her and stashed it in the console rather than let her throw it out.
A paper napkin. All because Jeremy had left it.
His mother couldn’t go on in the state she was in, but he realized that neither could he. He had to do something about his mother, though what that might be he had no idea. But as for himself, that was one change he could make. He was in control of his own actions. If he was going to make a change, it was up to him and him alone.
Jeremy had had no choice. His life had been taken away. But Justin was alive. Young and healthy. He could live life to the fullest. And he was going to, starting today.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The brisk knock on the hotel room door had Phoenix jumping off the bed and rushing to press her eye against the peephole.
She saw Justin standing there. Well, mostly just his chest and chin because he was so tall, but she knew who it was.
Frowning, she had to wonder what had him knocking so urgently. She reached to flip the safety latch and then opened the door.
“Hey, what’s—?” She didn’t have time to finish her inquiry as he backed her into the room and let the door slam behind him.
He cupped her face in his hands and leaned low until his lips were mere inches from hers. “Phoenix.”
In shock, she managed to say, “Yeah?”
His eyes narrowed as he moved closer. “I’ve been thinking of doing this since last night.”
He closed the distance, and then his warm lips were covering hers. Her thoughts focused on his words. He’d wanted to kiss her, just as she’d wanted to kiss him.
The amazing part was that they’d both been thinking the same thing. Thankfully, he’d done something about it when she hadn’t had the guts to.
He deepened the kiss, pressing closer until she was up against the wall with him against her. She let out a sound that could only be described as half frustration and half satisfaction as she sank deeper into his kiss.
Justin pulled back just enough to lean his forehead against hers. He let out a breathy laugh. “I guess the front desk clerk saw this coming, huh?”
“Yup.”
He groaned and pushed himself off the wall and away from her, putting some space between them so she could think clearly again. She didn’t want the space. She wanted Justin’s lips back on hers.
“You eat yet?” he asked, changing the subject.
“No. I took a shower and then I was looking for something to watch on television.” She waved a hand in the general direction of the TV, playing along though there was no audience.
“I brought the truck for you.” He hooked a thumb in the general direction of the parking lot.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He kicked at the carpet with the toe of his boot.
She watched him as his focus darted around the room. She could see the conflict inside him. “Why are we talking about everything except the obvious?”
He finally raised his ga
ze to hers. “Because I’m trying to get my head back on straight.”
Phoenix moved closer and rested her hands on his chest. “I like your head just the way it was when you walked in here and kissed me.”
He cocked one brow up. “You could have just as easily screamed, slapped me, and thrown me out the door.”
“But I didn’t.”
“No, you didn’t.” He brought his right hand up to her face and, cupping her face, ran a thumb across her cheek. “Why not?”
“Because I liked it.” She rose up on tiptoe, putting her mouth within kissing distance of his.
He groaned and hauled her up against him with one hand pressed to her lower back while his mouth covered hers.
She was very happily kissing him when he broke contact to say, “Starting something when you’re leaving so soon is stupid.”
“I know. I don’t care.”
Apparently, he didn’t care either. He slammed his mouth back into hers while lifting until her feet left the ground. He carried her to the bed and tumbled them both onto the mattress.
A distant sound she finally identified as Justin’s cell phone ringing in his pants distracted her. He pulled away from her mouth and rolled off, just when she was really enjoying the weight of him on top of her.
“Shit. I’m sorry. I have to see who this is.” He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out his cell. He glanced at the readout, then, after letting out a big breath, tossed it, unanswered, onto the bedside dresser.
“You don’t have to answer that?”
“No. It’s just one of the guys from work.”
As if he could read the doubt in her face, he said, “I thought it might be my mother.” He drew in a breath. “You know what, I should probably get back home anyway. She’s there alone and I didn’t say I’d be out long.”
“Oh. Okay.” Phoenix tried to hide the surprise that he was leaving her bed to go be with his mother.
She remembered his being concerned about her on their drive. She couldn’t fault a guy for worrying about his mother, even if he did seem to worry an awful lot.
Coming from a girl who had two mothers, one she had yet to meet, maybe she couldn’t really judge what the appropriate amount of concern was.
