Ник Сайнт - Purrfect Secret

Just then, a howl made them all look down at Ralph, who was looking up at them with his sad brown eyes. Oh, God, Dee thought. They’d totally forgotten about poor Ralph’s bathroom break!

Chapter Three

Scott was in hell. No doubt about it. Stuck in the middle of nowhere. Worse. Stuck with his parents and his sister in the middle of nowhere. Worse! Stuck in some crappy motel with his parents and his sister in the arse end of nowhere, like the Brits liked to say.

Aargh!

Why did they have to land themselves in the snowstorm to end all snowstorms? And why was he the one singled out to take Ralph out for a pee in this horrible weather?

Double aargh!

He stomped his feet, the collar of his winter jacket turned up, while he waited for the family Goldendoodle to do his business in the bushes that lined the motel parking lot.

Cars were still pulling in from the highway, the motel their last resort destination, and Scott looked moodily on, while Ralph seemed in no hurry whatsoever to do his business.

“Come on, boy,” he said encouragingly. “Just pick a nice bush and take a wee.”

But Ralph was a picky dog. He seemed to be determined to sample every last bush out there before taking his pick. Meanwhile the snow kept on coming down, covering the world in a thick pack of white and frost, and the wind kept on howling, smacking wetly against Scott’s exposed face. In spite of his thick parka, his knitted fleece-lined cap and his winter gloves, he was freezing his tush off. Not so Ralph, whose tail was wagging excitedly, poking his nose into a bank of snow and leisurely pawing at the fluffy white stuff.

“Ralph!” Scott said desperately. “Just do it already, boy. Just go ahead and pick a bush. They’re all exactly the same and they’re all fit for duty.”

Ralph turned his head and gave an excited woofle.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Scott muttered. He looked up at the sky and allowed the snowflakes to drift down on his face. In spite of the cold he had to admit it was pretty neat. Not that he didn’t get enough snow in Seattle, where he lived, but a snowstorm like this was something else. It was as if the world had completely turned white—covering everything.

So he took out his phone, and snapped a couple of selfies against the backdrop of the motel, took another few shots of Ralph as he dug into the snow, and of Ralph as he finally got wise and did his business, digging up some snow to cover the end result.

“Good boy,” said Scott, fluffing up the Goldendoodle’s ears and getting a happy bark and a lick on the nose in return. “Now let’s get inside, shall we? I can’t feel my feet.”

Returning indoors, he quickly checked the pictures he’d taken. Pretty cool stuff. He posted a couple of them online, then shoved the phone back into his pocket. He had to admit that being out in the cold and watching Ralph enjoy the snow had considerably lifted his mood. And it was with a light heart that he joined his family, hoping that at least they’d picked a nice room for him with a decent flatscreen, some primo cable and other amenities.

Maya couldn’t believe her ears. “No separate rooms? You can’t be serious!”

“Maya, please,” said her mother. “Keep your voice down.”

“Mom, I can’t be in the same room with that animal,” she said, and she didn’t mind who heard her. “He makes weird sounds in his sleep! And what’s more, he’s a hormonal teenager and you know what that means.”

“No, I don’t know what that means and I don’t care,” said Mom, who was obviously very near the end of her tether. “We’re very lucky they have a room left, so…” She turned to the harried-looking receptionist, who was chewing her bottom lip and nervously glancing at the long row of people still to be processed. “We’ll take it. And thank you very much, Vikki.”

The young woman brightened. “So that’s settled then? Can I have your credit card, Mrs. Kelly?”

Tom, who was still cradling Jacob, gestured silently at his fanny pack, and Maya watched her mother remove Dad’s wallet, take out the credit card and hand it to the receptionist.

“This is a disaster,” Maya muttered. The prospect of having to share a bed with her brother was horrifying. “How long do we have to stay here for? Please tell me it’s just the one night.”

“They’re saying the storm will last at least three days,” said Vikki while she processed Dad’s card, then printed out a room key. “Tomorrow will be even worse than today.” She pushed her hair away from her face, then produced a weary smile. “Thank you for your business, Mr. and Mrs. Kelly.”

“How many rooms have you got left?” asked Maya, not to be deterred.

Vikki grimaced and whispered, “Only three.” She glanced at the line of people and Maya got the picture.

She groaned as they stepped away from the counter.

“Looks like we got here just in time,” said Mom.

“I wonder what all these people are going to do,” said Dad.

“Eden said the Middletown fire department and the Red Cross are setting up a shelter in the high school gym and at people’s homes in town.”

“What about other hotels?” asked Scott, who’d rejoined them. “There must be plenty of hotels in the area.”

“All full,” said Mom. “It’s a miracle this motel still had a few rooms left.”

“Probably because it’s a dump,” said Scott. “So what room did you get me?”

“We’re all in the same room, Scott,” said Dad. He handed the baby to Mom. “Now help me get the bags out of the car, will you? Before this blizzard snows it under completely.”

Scott stared at his dad. “The same room? You mean me and duck-face have to share a room?”

“Be nice to your sister,” said Dad automatically.

“We all have to share a room, poo-brain,” said Maya with a slight grin. The look on her brother’s face almost made it worth it to suffer the intolerable cruelty of being cooped up with the rest of her family in the same room for three days.

“All of us? In one room? No way!” Scott cried.

“At least we’re in a room,” said Maya. “But if you prefer to spend the next three nights on a camping cot in some high school gym be my guest. At least I won’t have to live through the horror of sharing a bed with my idiot brother.”

“Sharing a bed! You gotta be joking!” Scott looked absolutely horrified now, and it was gratifying to know that Maya wasn’t the only one going through hell right now.

“Scott,” Dad said. “Come on, dude. Let’s get that luggage before it’s too late.”

And as Scott and Dad walked away, Maya could hear her brother loudly complain about this latest tragedy that had befallen him.

“Teenagers,” she said. “Can’t live with them. Can’t kill them.”

Mom grinned, then immediately wiped away her smile. Parenting 101: never give the impression of partiality, especially by appearing to approve when one kid lambasts another.

“Come on,” Mom said. “Let’s find our room, before someone else gets there first.”

Maya, holding the leash Scott had relinquished, tugged it and Ralph gave a cheerful bark.

At least one member of this family was happy with this unexpected adventure.

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About Nic

Nic Saint is the pen name for writing couple Nick and Nicole Saint. They’ve penned 70+ novels in the romance, cat sleuth, middle grade, suspense, comedy and cozy mystery genres. Nicole has a background in accounting and Nick in political science and before being struck by the writing bug the Saints worked odd jobs around the world (including massage therapist in Mexico, gardener in Italy, restaurant manager in India, and Berlitz teacher in Belgium).