Page 48 of The Best Friend Power Play

Once I get my inheritance, the first thing I'm going to do is make sure Hannah, Chester, and Katie are set up financially for the rest of their lives.

But until then, I'm doubling down on my commitment and making sure we spend the rest of the summer focused on her.

We pull up at a single-story motel.

The motel sign is old, its rusted metal frame illuminating the buzzing neon lights. The exterior walls are a sun-bleached peach, and the whole place is giving off a we've seen better days vibe.

I try to remain optimistic.

Hannah smiles and takes out her phone, opening the shared doc I created.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Checking off Road trip and Stay at a motel. They're both on the list."

I feel somewhat better knowing that this unexpected wedding hasn't totally derailed her hot girl summer plans, that a road trip to Fresno and staying at a roadside motel were actually things she wanted to do before my sudden need to get married became a thing.

"Nonna knows the owner of this motel," I explain as we get out of the car. "I get the impression it's nothing fancy, so you might want to adjust your expectations accordingly."

"And here I was thinking we'd spend our first night as husband and wife in the Taj Mahal."

I grab our luggage from the back seat. "Lots of things about our first night as husband and wife are going to be unconventional. It's not like we're not going to be consummating the marriage, right?"

Hannah remains quiet, so I glance over to see if she got my joke. When she notices my eyes land on her, she tucks a strand of hair behind her ears and smiles. "No. Of course not."

Her cheeks seem a little redder than usual.

"You okay?" I ask as we make our way to the entrance.

"Uh-huh."

I put the bags down and stop walking. "I'm sorry this isn't exactly five-star luxury."

From when she was a little girl, Hannah has always wanted to travel. She got a globe for Christmas one year, and for the longest time after that, she'd excitedly point out new places she wanted to visit someday.

I want that for her. I want her to see the world, stay at the nicest hotels, eat the most delicious food. Instead, here we are in a small town outside of Fresno, staying at a run-down motel having passed a diner with an Eat here or we both starve! sign on its front window.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I wanted to do a road trip, and I wanted to stay in a motel. Check and check."

I go to pick up the luggage, then stop. Straighten. Look her square in the eye. "If you were able to go anywhere in the world, if money and time and responsibilities didn't factor into it, where would you want to go and why?"

She throws her head back and stretches her neck. When she looks up at me, a wistful smile rises on her lips. "My number one all-time travel destination isn't a place, it's a thing."

"What sort of thing?"

"I want to see the Northern Lights. They're just…breathtaking." I've only ever seen images or videos of them, but the way the sky is lit up in hues of pinks and purples and greens, it's an incredible sight. I can understand why she wants to see them in person. "But apart from that, I'd be happy to go anywhere."

"Really?"

She nods. "Yeah. A big part of me wants to jump on a plane and see where life takes me. I might make a new friend or meet someone who recommends somewhere I've never even heard of, and that might be the coolest place I ever go to."

"That sounds great."

"My whole life has been about being responsible and organized and planning everything down to the last detail. I want to flip the switch and see where life takes me."

"Well, so far, it's led you to The Sunset Haven Inn."

"And I love that, Culver." She hooks her pinky around mine. "I know you have mixed feelings about this whole fake wedding to score an inheritance thing. I get that, and I respect that."

---