“That will work,” I said.
I jotted down a quick note on the bag and then headed back to his truck. Right as I was about to open the passenger’s door, he rounded the corner next to some vending machines, carrying a bucket of ice and some snacks. The light on his phone shone on his handsome features.
He looked up, meeting my gaze. I smiled.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I figured you could use a drink,” I said, holding up the paper bag.
He sighed and nodded. “Sure. Why not.”
He continued down the sidewalk to a door nowhere near his truck. I sighed, thankful I didn’t knock on any more of them, waking even more people only to end up empty-handed. Thankfully, he showed up, so it didn’t matter.
He opened the door to his room, and I stepped inside, taking in everything. And I was appalled.
There hadn’t been a lick of love or care done to the place. I wouldn’t be surprised if it hadn’t been cleaned in months.
Half the lights didn’t work. The bedding had holes in the comforter, flat pillows, and lacked appeal. Bits of wallpaper was missing from parts of the walls, and a few holes were left unfilled. Stains covered the carpet, and there was an odd smell in the room.
Though this was my first time being inside one of the rooms, it wasn’t my first time sending someone here, and I was embarrassed.
“Oh my… I’m so sorry,” I said.
“For what?” Guy asked.
“I had no idea this placed was so bad,” I said, meeting his gaze. He carried his bucket of ice and snacks to a counter with a sink and coffee pot. A door sat next to it, and I could only imagine the condition of the bathroom standing on the other side.
“Don’t worry about it.” He approached me, taking the bag from my arms. “The room is good enough for sleeping and that is about all I needed it for.”
“I will not be referring anyone else to this place whatsoever,” I said.
“I think that is a great idea,” he said and pulled out everything I bought from the paper bag. He then picked up the bag itself and read the note I jotted down.
“I was going to leave everything in your truck since I noticed the doors were unlocked,” I said.
He nodded. “Well, at least you didn’t go banging on doors this late at night.”
I chuckled under my breath. “I did on one. That was it.”
He turned and settled his gaze on mine. He smiled. “Really?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
He laughed, shaking his head as he turned his attention to the items sitting on the counter. “What’s all this for?”
“Hottie totties,” I said. “I figured you were a whiskey man.”
“You guessed right,” he said and grabbed two ceramic mugs from the stack next to the coffee pot. “What gave it away?”
I shrugged as he rinsed them out in the sink before doing the same with the coffee pot and then filling it. “I’m great at reading people.”
He nodded. “Good to know.”
Minutes later, hot water brewed into the pot. As he waited for the water, he poured suitable amounts of honey and lemon juice into the mugs. He topped everything off with some water and brought a mug over to me.
“I don’t have any tea,” he said.
I shrugged. “I’m fine with that. I don’t normally use tea anyway.”