Another Hotel For Now

Dan shrugged his shoulders. "We could find another hotel. Maybe one that's better than the one we used last night," he suggested.

Laura felt her cheeks flush as she laughed, it sounded like a strangled cough. "Yes, one night was plenty for me. There should be a hotel off Parks Ave. that... well, no, that's a little more expensive. I know there are a few budget hotels in that area, though. It's near the convention center. Just head that way, and I'm sure we can find something."

It didn't take long to find a moderately nice hotel that displayed a one-night stay price that was within their dwindling budget. "Fifty five a night, ouch," Dan groaned.

"That's... a little over seventeen hundred a month. Almost eighteen hundred actually, after tax," Laura calculated as she drummed her fingers on the center console. "That... won't work for us. Even after factoring in what the Red Cross can do for us."

"No kidding," Dan groaned. "Just for tonight then. We'll try to find something. I don't relish the idea of sleeping out of my car."

"Nor do I. I need a job," Laura mumbled as she bit her lip. The thought of going back to the bail bondsman wasn't high on her list of things she wanted to do.

"I'll go in and check-in," Dan said as he parked the car. "Be back in a few." A few minutes later, he came back and slid into the driver's seat. "Hey, got a room with two beds," he greeted.

"Oh, that's good," Laura said with a smile.

"The clerk, Lola, told me that there is some convention in town. It'll be fairly busy after six or so tonight. If we're doing dinner, we need to do it early, probably even earlier than five."

"I'm not super hungry, but I'm sure I will be by then," Laura said as she buckled back up.

The hotel room was on the first floor, near the corridor toward the outdoor pool. Laura saw two girls and their mother sitting by the pool in oversized chairs. A group of college-age boys was in the pool, roughhousing and laughing nearby. The mother was giving one of the boys a look she could understand. The boys had a right to be confident about showing off.

"Oh man, this is so much nicer," Laura complimented as they entered the suite. "I call the bed by the wall, you get the one by the window."

"Works for me," Dan answered as he dropped the shopping bags down on the short coffee table. "Oh, hey, we don't have to watch porn at least," he commented with a snort when he turned on the T.V.

Laura shot him a withering look that her son didn't see. She rolled her eyes and went into the bathroom. "Thank goodness," she called out. "They even have little toiletries we can use to save what we got."

It didn't take long for them to settle in and get at least semi-comfortable for the night.