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  “Okay,” she replied. “Do you think they have Moon Pies? I could do with a Moon Pie. A banana one if they got it.”

  Lexie grinned. Her sister could have all the damned Moon Pies she wanted, if it made her feel all right again. “Sure, want an RC Cola with that to wash it down with?”

  Chapter 10

  Bada Groom

  As they neared Tallahassee, Lexie began to look for a good place to pull over. When she came to the first large gas station on the outskirts, she pulled off the interstate and into the station. Connie’s drawn complexion had considerably brightened as she munched her Banana Moon Pie and sipped her RC, bopping gently along to Sloop John B. Nash proclaimed Banana Moon Pies the best snack in this dimension so far. Nelson had said nothing, apparently content to simply sing along. Now the three of them looked at her expectantly.

  “We needing gas already?” Connie asked.

  “Yes, we can do with a top up. You know I don’t like going below half a tank and much as I love this car, it does guzzle gas a bit, especially going eighty on an interstate. I’m sure we’re below that, as much as we’ve driven.Even if we don’t, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to have more gas plus that it’d be a good idea to stop and find us a hotel to check into. I don’t want to walk in only to be told no, and then have to try again all night only to be told time and again to go find someplace else.”

  “Oh, good idea. I could look on TripAdvisor and make some calls.”

  “Okay, let me fill up first and you can do that while I go in and get us some coffee. There’s a mini-Starbucks inside.”

  When she returned with two puppuccinos for the bounty hunters and two caramel cappuccinos for herself and Connie, she found her sister already grinning from ear to ear. Connie climbed out of the back and opened the door for Lexie to get in, shooing Nelson and Nash into the back seat so she could sit in front. “From the shit eating grin on your face, I’m going to guess that you found someplace and it’s a good one.”

  “Hell, yes! So, I looked and saw the Four Points Sheraton. I thought, well that’s pricier than we usually go for, but then I reckoned, it’s the trip of a lifetime and after what happened at the budget place we just left, that we deserved it! So I went on Expedia and bam! Found us a deal. Then I rang them. They let us have the room at twenty-five percent off, and we can have it today.”

  “Okay, what’s the catch? At twenty-five percent off, it’s still a gazillion dollars?”

  “No,” Connie said defensively, “it’s under a hundred and fifty.” Okay, that Lexie could live with. It was just for one night, maybe two, anyways. Connie continued, “But the thing is, we can’t have it until after ten o’clock this morning.”

  “It’s barely past five now and we gotta wait another five hours?”

  “Four and a half. It’ll take us at least half an hour to get there.” Connie had what Daddy called her stubborn mule look on her face. Lexie sighed, knowing an argument would be futile. Besides, in all likelihood, they’d be told the same thing at any four star and over place and she’d promised Connie they’d indulge in some place fancy, and modern, not to mention rift ghost free. If there was anything hinky about a place like the Sheraton, she was sure someone would have left a review about it on the web.

  “Just let me drink this so I have some more get up and go,” she said. “What do you suggest we do for the next five hours or so?”

  “There’s a place pretty close by the hotel called The Southern Velvet Cafe. They open at six and have fab reviews for their coffee, tea, and pastries. We can go have breakfast there, then look for a Petsmart. We need to get Nelson a collar, tag and leash so he can pass for a pet dog, especially when walking around in the city, not to mention at Daddy’s. And a habitat for Nash.”

  “Habitat? You’re talking about locking me away in a damned cage, aren’t you?” Nash grumbled.

  “Just while we’re at Daddy’s! Besides, if people look in the car, and you’re in a habitat, people will know you’re a pet and not vermin.”

  “Oh, he can be a right bit of vermin,” Nelson snickered. Lexie decided to make sure he got a harness, preferably one that was all sparkly.

  “Hush, you,not helping!” Connie scolded. “And it won’t be a cage with bars, Nash, I promise. A habitat is more a box with see through sides and a top, with tunnels and stuff. Like an apartment for rodents.”

  Nash gave a sniff. “I suppose I’ll have to put up with it. Plus, you can buckle a box in. Less chance of being flung to my doom should you go all Nascar on me again.”

  Connie opened her mouth to reply, then thought better of it. She shut her mouth and gave her head a shake.

  “Con, you reserved the room, right?”

  “Oh, yeah, I made sure of that. Not just going to chance going in and being told they had nothing once we actually got there.”

  “Okay. Plug the cafe’s address into the doohickey so it can give me some directions once we get going.” Connie complied while Lexie took a cautious sip of her coffee. She grimaced. It was still too hot. She put it in the drinks holder hanging from her window and reached over to pick up one of the puppuccinos. She pulled the lid off and called Nelson to come back over to drink it. Connie followed suit, helping Nash enjoy his. Both women added a splash of their coffee to the frothed milks, knowing there wasn’t any actual coffee in their drinks. “Thanks, I needed that,'' Nelson said once he finished.

  “Yeah, well, I can’t function without at least one good cup in me, either,” Lexie replied. Nelson climbed onto Connie’s lap and looked out the window. “Oh, I see, I get both of y’all now, do I?”

  “Insert snarky lowbrow comment here about threesomes,” Nash quipped. “Just imagine a good one, please. My brain is still too tired to come up with anything.”

  Connie stared at him and then laughed. “You’re something other else.”

  “So my mama always told me,” Nash said proudly.

  Lexi tried another sip. Her drink was still hot but now she could drink it without searing her tongue and throat. Connie took note and tried hers again. They sat there in companionable silence, watching the few commuters come and go from the station until they finished their drink. “I gotta go to the bathroom first,” Lexie said. “You need to go, Connie?”

  “I can wait until we get to the cafe,” Connie said. “Besides, I have my lap full.”

  Lexie hurried in. Returning several minutes later, she said, “Okay, let’s get this show on the road!”

  Early morning commuter traffic wasn’t too heavy, thankfully, though it was noticeably heavier the closer to downtown they got. The cafe had ample parking though it was evident that it must have a crowd of regulars as she could see people inside already seated despite it only being open for the past fifteen minutes. They found a seat and perused the menu. “Everything looks so good and it smells incredible,” Connie moaned.

  “I know,” Lexie agreed.

  In the end, they closed their eyes and jabbed a finger at the menu to pick blindly, unable to otherwise make up their minds. They ordered two of each, with one set to go for Nelson and Nash. The cafe’s relaxing atmosphere and the sounds of soft conversation had Lexie drifting.

  “Psst, Lex!” Connie hissed.

  “Huh? What?’” Lexie jerked in surprise.

  “You’re about to fall into your coffee!” Connie looked at her assessingly. “I’ll drive us to the hotel before we go to Petsmart.”

  “But the hotel said not until ten! Even if we spend an hour here, we’d have three more to wait.”

  “Then we sit in the lobby.”

  Lexie nodded. She could damn well nap in their lobby. Maybe they’d take pity on them and let them check in early. If not, at least she’d catch a little bit of sleep first.

  “Do you need more coffee?” their fresh faced young waitress asked.

  “Yes, please,” Lexie begged.

  Connie nodded frantically. “Umm, excuse me, I need to go to the little girl’s room.” She got out of her chair on the side
of the table away from the waitress. Lexie watched her in mild surprise. She’d been wondering how Connie hadn’t needed to go before, after having drank an entire RC before their trip to Starbucks. The waitress looked at Connie’s cup hesitantly. “Did she say yes to a refill?”

  “Yes, she did, thank you. We’ve been in the car since last night and I think it just caught up to her.”

  “Oh,” the young lady nodded in understanding. “You visiting somebody here?’

  “Just stopping by on our way up to go see our Daddy up in Charleston.”

  “You’ve still got a ways to go then.” She topped up Connie’s cup. “Just wave me over if you need more,” she said before turning attention to another table.

  Connie came trotting back. “I’d held that for so long, I thought I’d burst.”

  “Why didn’t you go at the gas station?”

  “I thought I could hold it and the guys were all settled comfortably.”

  “Well, you could have gone first thing once we got here.”

  “That would have looked rude, as if we only came in to use their restrooms.”

  “Not with me taking a table and ordering us coffees it wouldn’t.”

  “Why are we arguing over when I decided to use the toilet?”

  Lexie rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know. Just tired I guess.”

  “Yeah,” Connie said. “Come on, let’s eat and go. You look like you could sleep for a million years and I’m not far off behind you. We need to drive there while we can still do so and be safe.”

  By the time they were ready to leave, Lexie doubted their ability to drive. As she paid she asked if they could leave their car parked at the cafe until noon. The manager looked at their haggard faces and agreed. “But only until noon. We get busy with the lunch crowd and need the parking,” she said.

  Lexie left a hefty tip and called for an Uber.

  Connie went to the car to put Nash in her purse and to grab their luggage. Lexie followed her, taking their luggage out of the back seat. “It said less than five minutes.”

  Connie nodded. “You told them about Nelson?”

  “I did.” They sat on the hood to wait. Minutes later, a dark colored, late model Prius pulled up with a young man behind the wheel. He rolled the window down. “Hi, you ladies call for a ride?”

  A glance at her phone showed Lexie that this was indeed their Uber. The picture of the driver and description of the vehicle matched. “That’d be us,” she confirmed. He got out of the car and began to load their luggage into the car. “They do nice pastries here,” he said, conversationally. “I bring my girlfriend here sometimes.”

  “It really does!” Connie said with enthusiasm. “We just had breakfast here.”

  “Nice looking ride. Ya’ll break down?”

  “No, just too tired to drive. We drove all night. Someone is coming to get the car,” Lexie prevaricated, not wanting anyone but the cafe staff to know the car was going to be sitting in the parking lot unattended for several hours.

  He closed the trunk and opened the rear passenger door for the two sisters. “He won’t mess in my car or jump around barking, will he?” he asked, looking at Nelson.

  “Oh, no, he’s a good boy,” Connie assured him.

  “All right,” he said. “Says you’re going to Four Points Sheraton Hotel, is that right?”

  “It is,” Lexie confirmed.

  “That’s a short ride. I’ll have you there in just a bit,” he assured them.

  “Thanks, Billy,” Lexie said, using the name she’d read on the app notification.

  Nelson quietly looked out the window, playing the role of a sweet, little lap dog perfectly. Less than fifteen minutes later, they were pulling up outside of the hotel. Billy pulled up in front of the hotel using the drop off zone and got out to unload their luggage. Lexie paid him via the app, giving him a nice tip.

  “Thank you, ma’am”.

  As a hotel employee came to greet them, they brought their bags inside the door. “Don’t forget to leave him a good review,” Connie said.

  “After my nap. After,” Lexie emphasized.

  The clerk on duty took one look at the exhausted pair and sympathetically checked the status of their room. “I can go ahead and check you in,” he said. “The room was empty yesterday so it’s ready. Just the one dog?”

  “Yes,” Connie replied.

  “There’s a twenty dollar surchage for the dog.”

  ‘That’s fine,” she said. Lexie leaned against the counter, resting her eyes. Connie could handle checking them in, she didn’t care.

  “Credit card?” Tap, tap, tap… “Thank you very much. This is the room key. Please don’t lose it or leave it where someone could take it. Carl here will help you take your bags up.” Lexie opened her eyes. Carl still had their luggage on the fancy brass embellished cart he’d loaded them on to get them into the lobby.

  “Okay, thanks,” Connie said brightly.

  “Yes, thank you. I’m dead on my feet,” Lexie confessed.

  “I’ll wish you a good sleep, then,” the clerk said with a friendly smile.

  Lexie gave a tired smile in return before following Carl and Connie into the elevator. Sleep beckoned and Lexie was ready to give into the call.

  The bed was pure heaven, especially after sharing a back seat for so long with all of their luggage. Connie didn’t know what brand the mattress was but she decided she wanted one. She wondered if it’d be weird to take all the sheets off the bed and look for a tag. She stretched. Why was she awake again?

  She shot up. “Oh shit, the car. Lexie! The car!”

  Lexie poked her head out of the bathroom. “You only just woke up? The desk called us and I shook your arm to wake you when you didn’t stir. I know you don’t function well on with little sleep and even then not until a couple cups of coffee but damn, girl. Come on, we’ve got to get downstairs. I’ve already called our Uber and it’s on its way. We can grab some coffees at the cafe while we’re there.”

  Connie finished blinking the sleep out of her eyes and looked down at herself. “Just let me put on a clean t-shirt and some jeans.”

  She grabbed the first t-shirt her hand touched. She picked up the jeans she’d worn. She’d only put them on at the truckstop early that morning and they were still clean. She chose sandals so she didn’t have to hunt for a clean pair of socks. She picked up her toiletry case and went into the bathroom. She brushed her short hair and her teeth and decided to just go with some BB cream, a brush of bronzer across her lids and cheeks, mascara, and a natural nude matte lipstick. Satisfied that she passed muster, she put everything away and rejoined her sister.

  “We can stop by Petsmart after we pick the car up, then find someplace to grab lunch,” Lexie told her, putting Nash in her purse. Nelson was pouting as Lexie bent to pick him up. “It’s not fair I have to be on a leash,” he muttered.

  “Better that and a collar and tag than the pound,” Connie told him.

  “Not helping!” he growled.

  Connie and Lexie laughed. “Sorry, it’s not nice to tease, but your reaction is just so funny! Look, you’ll have to wear the collar and tag all the time, but we’ll only use the leash when we absolutely have to,” Lexie said.

  “Okay,” he agreed grudgingly. Connie scooped Nelson up and carried him out the door. When they reached the lobby, the app pinged on Lexie’s phone.

  “Our ride’s here,” she said, glancing at it to view the car and driver information. Reaching the front door of the hotel, she quickly spotted the female driver and her car idling in the pick up and drop off zone. “And there she is,” she said hurrying over to the car.

  “Ohhhh, a lady driver,” Connie said approvingly.

  “Hi,” the woman greeted them, “I’m Donna. Do you need help with anything?”

  “No. No luggage or anything. We’re just going to go get some coffee at the Southern Velvet Cafe,” Lexie replied brightly.

  “Okay, cool. I’ve never been there, but I’ve he
ard they have great pastries.”

  “They do,” Connie said, nodding her head.”

  “I was unaware they allowed dogs,” Donna said.

  “Oh, I’m getting the coffee to go,” Lexie said. “We thought we’d explore a little while taking the dog for a stroll.”

  “Well, it’s certainly a nice day for it. Rain is forecast for tonight, though. Just supposed to be a light shower and then clear again tomorrow.”

  “We should look at the brochures in the lobby and go visit somewhere tomorrow before we go,” Connie suggested.

  “Good idea. We don’t want to find ourselves visiting a closed attraction again,” Lexie said.

  “That’s awful. I hate going all the way somewhere and finding out they’re shut,” Donna commented.

  The two women thought it prudent to not enlighten her.

  “All right, here we are. If you need another ride, you can ask for me specially,” Donna said, stopping the car and handing them a business card.

  Lexie took the card with thanks. They wouldn’t be needing her services again hopefully, but one never knew. Besides, it was polite. Lexie paid the fare and the two women got out of the car and walked to the cafe’s front doors.

  “You wait here,” Lexie said. “Here, you best watch my purse. If they catch sight of Nash while I’m paying for our coffee, it’ll cause a scene. I somehow don’t think a rat in a food establishment would go over very well.”

  “Probably not,” Connie agreed, taking Lexie’s handbag. “You can let them know we’re taking the car too, so they don’t look out and think it’s been stolen.”

  Lexie glanced at her phone. “Well, I did say we’d be here at noon to fetch it and it’s ten to now. But, I will, just in case.”

  Lexie went inside and notified the manager they were here to get the car.

  “People kept asking if we knew who’s T-bird that was,” the manager told her. “They were wanting to know if it was for sale.”

  “No way. My sis and I bought it and just had it restored. It’s our dream car for our once in a lifetime road trip.”