Page 29 of Unleashed

I grinned despite my drenched clothes, shaking the water from my hood. “It’s me, Sally.”

Sally, short with graying brown hair and a smile that could light up a room, came bustling around the desk. She didn’t even flinch at the puddles we left on her pristine knotty pine floors as she pulled me into a tight hug. "How long’s it been, honey?"

"Too long," I said, squeezing her back. “A couple of years, at least.”

She pulled away, eyes twinkling. “Well, who’s this handsome fella?” She gestured toward Slade, who was dripping wet and clearly uncomfortable with the attention.

“Slade Abbott,” I introduced, amused when Sally didn’t hesitate to wrap him in a hug too, as if we weren’t both soaked.

Slade gave me a sheepish smile as he endured the hug. "Nice to meet you," he said, a little awkwardly.

“What can I do for you two?” Sally asked, retreating behind the counter and eyeing us like we were a pair of drowned rats.

“We need a room. Please tell me you’ve got one, because the idea of sleeping in the rain tonight is making me lose the will to live,” I said, half-joking, but mostly serious.

Sally chuckled, thumbing through a set of keys. “You and rain never did get along. Remember that summer you showed up here at two in the morning?”

I groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

“Oh, I will,” Sally said with a wink, turning to Slade as if I wasn’t even there. “This one came in, soaked to the bone, dragging along a pack of miserable friends. She couldn’t stand the rain dripping into her tent and practically begged me for a room. Dropped wet, crumpled bills all over my counter!”

Slade’s mouth twitched in a smile. “Sounds about right.”

Sally found the key and glanced up. “I’ve got two rooms left. One queen, one king. No doubles, though.”

I bit my lip. The idea of sharing a bed with Slade made my heart race, but at this point, anything was better than camping out in a storm. “The king will do.”

I slipped my pack off, about to reach for my wallet, when Slade beat me to it. He pulled his credit card from the zippered pocket of his cargo shorts and handed it to Sally.

“Slade, I got this,” I protested, fishing out my wallet.

“Shush, Morgan,” he said firmly. “I’m paying.”

Sally raised an eyebrow at our little exchange but took the card without a word, her smile knowing. I huffed, slipping my wallet back into my bag as Slade signed the credit card slip.

“I’m the one who suggested we stay,” I muttered under my breath.

“And I’m the one sharing the room with you, so I’m paying,” Slade said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Sally handed over the key card with a wink. “You two need anything from the store?”

“Maybe in the morning,” I said. “But what time does the diner close?”

“Midnight,” Sally replied, her grin widening. “Still making those giant burgers you love, Morgan.”

“I could use one right now,” I said, glancing at Slade. “They’ve got this ridiculous mega burger—four patties. Takes a week to eat.”

“I might actually try that,” Slade said with a half-smile. “I’m starving.”

He grabbed the key card and slipped it into his pocket, then helped me shrug my pack back on. As we headed for the door, a few more hikers trudged in behind us, their faces a mirror of exhaustion and relief.

“One of those groups is going to be stuck,” I murmured, glancing back.

“They might just be here for supplies,” Slade said, holding the door open for me as the rain continued to pound against the aluminum roof of the porch. “Still, beats camping in this.”

We walked down the stairs, making our way to room ten. The motel’s rustic charm greeted us as soon as Slade pushed open the door. Pine-paneled walls and floors, a king-sized bed with thick, plush pillows, a flat-screen TV, and a small eating areawith a round table. It was basic, but it felt like luxury after the day we’d had.

I dropped my pack with a heavy thud and peeled off my soaked rain jacket, draping it over one of the chairs. My boots were next. “Thank God they’ve got a boot dryer,” I muttered, hanging my boots upside down on the plastic poles and flipping the warm air switch.

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