No Strings Attached

“You have a great family. You’re very lucky. But I guess you already know that.”

“You should have visited your folks while you had the chance. Mom said your mother’s been asking about you.”

“I might have, if my dad hadn’t been there. I really don’t want to see him. I’m afraid we’ll get into it, and there’s really no point in rehashing all that old crap. I’m done with that.”

Samantha silently debated whether or not to tell him what she knew about his father; she didn’t want to distract him from his driving. Finally deciding she should, she said, “Mom said your dad’s been going to AA for the past six months. Maybe a visit from you would have been therapeutic for him. It wouldn’t hurt to support his efforts.”

Jack seemed surprised by the news. “I spoke to my mother just the other day. She didn’t mention anything about him going. I wonder why? She usually confides in me about stuff like that.”

“Because your dad told her not to. He’s afraid he’ll fail again and you’ll be even more disappointed in him than you are already. Your opinion means a lot to him.”

Jack’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. “How do you know all this?”

“My mother told me. She wanted to tell you, too, but I told her it would be better if it came from me. I wasn’t sure how you’d react to the news, and I didn’t want you to take offense and think my mom was interfering in your business.”

“I would never think that about Lilly, you know that. And this treatment program is nothing new. Dad’s been to AA many times before.”

“I know. But your mother seems to think that this time is different. Charlotte told Mom your dad is really making an effort. Apparently he hasn’t touched a drop of liquor in six months.”

Jack released a sigh. “My mother always thinks that, which is why she’s still with him. And she always ends up disappointed. I’ve spent my whole life waiting for Martin Turner to change. He never does. I’m not putting myself through that again. It’s just not worth it.”

Hearing the hurt in Jack’s voice, Samantha decided to change the subject. Besides, driving in this miserable weather was bad enough; he didn’t need any more stress to deal with, at the moment. “Did you find out what’s bothering Ross? He seemed in better spirits after talking with you.”

“Ross is confused about what he wants out of life. I think he feels totally lost and useless without football.”

“Football was a sport he played. It didn’t define who he was or is. My brother needs to figure that out. And what about Ellen? Did he mention her?”

Jack paused a moment, as if weighing whether or not to say anything. Finally, he replied, “He’s not sure about her. Ross has feelings for Ellen, but he doesn’t know what they are.”

“Ellen’s a nice woman. But as I said, I’m not—”

Suddenly the car began making clunking sounds.

“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good.”

“It sure as hell doesn’t.”

“Why’s the car making that awful noise?”

“Beats me,” Jack replied with a lift of his shoulders. “This is a rental, remember? But it doesn’t bode well for continuing our trip.”

The clunking grew louder, then steam began rising from the hood. Samantha’s eyes widened, her voice filling with alarm. “Is the car on fire? It looks like it’s on fire. Do you think we should get out? I don’t want to burn alive, Jack. Cremation has never been my thing.”

“I don’t think so. My guess is the water pump might be going. We’ll get off the road at the next exit.”

“But it’s Sunday afternoon. There won’t be any mechanics open.”

“Which means we’re going to have to find a motel and have the car fixed in the morning, if we can find someone who works on cars. From the looks of our surroundings, the residents here might still be driving horse-drawn buggies.”

Ever so slowly, they clunked and clanged their way to the next exit and found a seedy motel that sat back amidst a thick cluster of pine trees.

At the sight of it, Samantha made a face of disgust. “This place is right out of Psycho. I don’t want to stay here. It gives me the creeps.”

“We don’t have much choice. It’s the Bates Motel—well, Pine Hollow Lodge—or the car. I’m opting for a bed, no matter what the room looks like. At least we’ll be inside where it’s dry.”

Heaving a deep sigh, she said, “Okay. But if the proprietor looks anything like Norman Bates, I’m not taking a shower.”

SAMANTHA WAITED in the car while Jack braved the elements to rent them a room for the night. When he returned a few minutes later, he was frowning, and she figured the news wasn’t good.

“They’ve only got one room left. Apparently the storm has stranded a bunch of tourists heading north, and they’re full.” Just then, the pink neon Vacancy sign added a big red NO.

“Oh well. At least we’ve got a room. After sitting in this car, contemplating the size of the backseat, I’ve decided to be grateful for that.”

“That’s my girl. I’ll grab the bags. Here’s the key. It’s number eight. Go ahead and unlock the door, I’ll be right in.”

SAMANTHA WANTED TO CRY when she stepped into the motel room, which smelled like stale cigarette smoke.

Hell had better furnishings!

The green shag carpeting covering the floor was threadbare and didn’t look too clean. A brown, stained and torn chenille bedspread did nothing to disguise the lumpy mattress on the one double bed. She stared at the bed for several moments, unable to keep her heart from racing. She and Jack had never slept in the same bed together.

Don’t be stupid! You’re perfectly safe with Jack.

Yeah, but is Jack perfectly safe from me?

Why on earth was she suddenly fixating on Jack? Samantha had never done that before. Well, not for a long time, anyway.

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