Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“You’re right that I probably would have overthought it and backed out, then regretted it later.”
“Do you want to go home? If so, it’s absolutely no problem to head back to San Francisco.”
The fact that he understood what I was going through and totally supported my decisions meant a lot. It had felt like all of this was out of my control, but now I saw that it really wasn’t.
That revelation was reassuring. So was this moment Devon and I were having. I felt good with him. He made me feel cared for, and safe. This was going to be okay, because I was with him, and he’d make sure of it.
“No, I want this,” I said. “I really do. There are just a lot of unknowns, and it happened so fast, which threw me off. But I’m sure I’ll get my nervousness under control soon.”
“As far as tonight goes, I’m planning to stop again in about three hours, so we can spend the night at a cute motel I stayed at when I did that west coast road trip. Does that sound good?”
“It sounds great.” I leaned back a little, so I could see his face. “I’ve been so busy freaking out that I think I forgot to say thank you, Devon. I really, truly appreciate what you’re doing for me.”
He gently touched my cheek and said, “I’m doing this for both of us. It means everything to me to get to share this with you.”
At about two a.m., I woke with a start. The van was parked, and Devon was standing beside me with the passenger door open. As I looked around and tried to get my bearings, he said, “We’re here.”
“Where’s here?”
“We’re at that motel I mentioned, which is about ten miles north of Santa Barbara. We’re all checked in.”
“The desk clerk was awake at this hour?”
“I called ahead. The owners remembered me from when I was here before. They charged the card I had on file and left a key for us.” I wasn’t surprised that they remembered him, since he made friends wherever he went. “If you need a minute—”
“No, I’m awake.”
I tumbled out of the van, and as he locked up behind me, I noticed ours was the only vehicle in the parking lot. I also discovered he’d already unloaded his duffle bag, backpack, and the suitcase I’d borrowed from JoJo.
We gathered our things, and I took his hand as I dragged the shiny red suitcase behind me on its little wheels. When I stepped through a gate he held open for me, I whispered, “Oh, wow.”
The midcentury-modern motel was a single story with maybe fifteen rooms, and it was built around a lush, tropical courtyard. The planting beds were softly lit, and the golden glow made it feel like I’d stepped into a dream.
Devon asked, “Do you like it?”
“It’s wonderful.” That made him smile.
When he used a key card and opened the door to our room, I was pleasantly surprised all over again. The décor was funky 1970s chic, with a hot pink, orange, and yellow color scheme and some wonderful details, like daisy-shaped throw pillows on the two queen beds and a spherical, orange pod chair in one corner.
“This is incredible,” I murmured, “and definitely not what I was expecting.”
“It’s cute, right? The owners are this amazing lesbian couple. The motel was abandoned when they bought it, and they put their hearts and souls into fixing it up and making it someplace special.”
“I love it so much. It’s like stepping onto the set of The Dating Game in 1972.”
“I think that’s exactly what they were going for.”
I kicked off my sneakers before climbing into the pod chair and crossing my legs. “I assumed we’d be sleeping in a generic chain motel, so this is a great surprise.”
“I always try to find unique, independently owned places when I travel. It’s more fun.”
When he pulled his phone from his pocket, I said, “Before we mess up the room, could you take a few photos? It’s giving me a ton of ideas for an outfit I’d like to design.”
“Great idea. In fact, we should make that the theme of this road trip—design inspiration, from sea to shining sea. I’ll post pictures and build a whole story on social media. It’ll be great!” I loved his enthusiasm, so I didn’t complain or try to dive out of the shot when he included me in some of the photos.
A few minutes later, after we’d both brushed our teeth and changed into pajamas, we climbed into separate beds and shut off the lights. We were facing each other across a three-foot divide, and I could still see him pretty clearly, since I’d intentionally left on the light in the bathroom.
Devon tucked his hand under his head and said, “You seem to be doing better.”