Mistletoe Motel

7. Mack

Chapter 7

Mack

T he hot water pounded against Mack’s skin as she stood under the shower, trying to scrub away the mix of embarrassment and arousal that clung to her. She couldn’t shake the memory of waking up half on top of Holly, her arm draped over her waist. The realization had jolted her awake, and she had scrambled out of bed, praying Holly hadn’t noticed. Now, under the steady stream of water, she tried to clear her mind.

After a few more minutes, she sighed and turned off the shower. With her skin flushed from the heat, she quickly dressed, then took a deep breath, steeling herself before stepping out of the bathroom.

Holly was up now, standing by the window with the curtains open, sipping a coffee. The morning light filtered through the thick snowfall, casting a soft glow around her. She turned to Mack, her eyes fluttering over her.

“Come and have a look,” she said. “I’ve never seen so much snow.”

Mack crossed the room and joined her by the window. The world outside was pristine white, the cars buried under a thick blanket of white. The snowfall was still heavy, but it had transformed the landscape into something out of a winter fairy tale.

“It’s beautiful,” she admitted, her eyes tracing the delicate patterns of frost on the windowpane. But as much as she appreciated the picturesque scene, she sincerely wished the snow would stop. Every flake that fell felt like another obstacle keeping her away from her family and the birth of her niece or nephew.

Holly nodded. “I made you a coffee.” She pointed to a paper cup on the table.

“Thank you.” Mack stirred some sugar through it. The cheap instant coffee was bitter, but she still savored her first caffeine hit.

“Did you sleep well?” Holly asked, a hint of mischief in her smile.

Mack felt herself blush, unsure how to answer. “Uh, yeah. Did you?”

“Like a log.” Holly’s smile widened. “You know,” she continued, her tone teasing, “you were getting really cozy with me.”

“Uh…” Mack stammered, desperately searching for a way to change the subject. “I, um, didn’t mean to?—”

“Don’t worry, it was nice,” Holly interrupted her with a chuckle. “Just, next time, maybe buy me dinner first?”

Mack’s blush deepened, and she was about to make a fumbling apology when a knock on the door saved her. She nearly leapt at the distraction, grateful for the interruption. She opened the door to find a cleaner standing there, her arms full of sachets of instant hot cocoa and coffee, and a large storage box.

“Good morning,” she greeted them. “Maude asked me to bring these. She also wanted me to decorate your room since it’s the only one that hasn’t been done, in case you’re staying another night.”

“Oh…” Mack shook her head. “That’s very sweet, but we’re leaving today. Decorating isn’t necessary.”

The cleaner looked doubtful. “With the airport closed until tomorrow and the roads in this condition, I think you might be stuck for a bit longer. But by all means, you should try. Maude will have a list of local rental companies.”

Mack’s heart sank at the thought of being stuck longer. “All right,” she said, turning to Holly. “Why don’t you take your time in the shower? I’ll get dressed and call the car rentals at reception. If I manage to get one, we can share.”

“Thanks. I won’t be long.” Holly turned to the cleaner. “By the way, can you tell us about the peephole situation?”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” The cleaner chuckled. “Room Fifteen is for watching, and Room Fourteen is for people who like to be watched. Watertown Motel is kind of famous for it; all. All the locals know about it. We don’t give out these rooms unless people specifically ask for them, but with the weather situation, Maude had to make use of the space she had, and I guess she forgot to mention it. I see you’ve already taken care of it though,” she added, noticing the chewing gum in the hole.

“Okay…so it’s a thing,” Holly said with a frown.

“Oh, you’d be surprised.” The cleaner looked amused. “We had two couples who booked both rooms for a whole week. They switched places every night.” She glanced up at the wall. “I like what you’ve done with the wall art. I’ve seen some interesting things here, but that’s a first. Creativity is definitely appreciated. Makes it way less creepy somehow.”

“We improvised. I hope Maude doesn’t mind.”

“Of course not.” The cleaner put down the box. “Are you sure you don’t want me to decorate while you’re out? I assume you’ll go for breakfast?” She held up a hand when Mack was about to protest. “I know, I know. You’re hoping to get out of here, but my shift finishes at ten and I’d hate for you to miss out on Christmas decorations in case you don’t manage to get a car.”

Mack hesitated for a beat, then gave in. “Sure. Thank you. Just give us some time to get ready and the room is all yours.” She didn’t care for Christmas decorations, and she had no intention of staying if she could help it, but the cleaner was clearly passionate about it, like everyone else in this establishment, it seemed.

“Great.” The cleaner beamed and saluted her on her way out. “I think you’ll be pleased to see how even the dreariest of rooms can be transformed.”

Mack put on her coat and shoes, and glanced at Holly, who gave her an encouraging smile. “Good luck with the car rentals,” she said.

“Thanks.” She braced herself and opened the door to a gust of icy wind. The snow was deep, and each step was an effort, but she made her way to the reception.

Inside, Maude greeted her with a cheery smile and an interesting Christmas sweater with a frontal view of a reindeer, its eyes made of big, golden baubles. “Morning, dear! How did you sleep?”

Mack forced a smile. “Good morning, Maude. I slept well, thank you. The cleaner told me the airport will remain closed today, but we really need to get to Minneapolis. She said you have a list of local car rentals? I can’t get a decent enough signal on my phone to look them up.”

“I certainly do.” Maude handed her a short, handwritten list. “But I have to warn you, many of the cars were rented out yesterday afternoon after the first flights were canceled.” She pushed the phone in Mack’s direction. “Here, use this one.”

Mack’s heart sank a little, but she thanked Maude and started making calls. There were five car rentals in and around Watertown, and each conversation was the same: no cars available, everything rented out, and the roads were too dangerous to drive on anyway, so what was she even thinking?

Holly joined her just as she hung up from the last call. “Any luck?” she asked, though her hopeful expression faltered when she saw Mack’s face.

“None at all,” Mack said, her voice heavy with disappointment. “I don’t know what else to try.”

Holly sighed. “Well, all we can do is make the best of it, I suppose.” She turned to Maude. “Is the room free for another night?”

“Already done,” Maude said with a wink. “I’ve been through enough blizzards to predict the aftermath, so I took the liberty of reserving it for you.”

“Thank you.” Holly gave her a half-hearted smile. “I’ll call my parents. Let them know I’m stuck here for Christmas Eve.”

“I’ll do the same. And then we should probably get some decent food,” Mack said. “Anywhere we can get breakfast around here, Maude?”

“Oh, yes! My brother’s diner does the best pancakes. And it will be open tonight too. He’s serving traditional Christmas food. You’ll also have better luck with the Wi-Fi there. It’s usually pretty stable.”

“Thanks. What’s your brother’s diner called?”

“It’s the Mistletoe Diner,” Maude said. “We’re an entrepreneurial family, us Mistletoes.”

Mack stared at Maude as she processed the information. It sounded like a joke, but she suspected it wasn’t. “Wait… Is Mistletoe your real surname?”

Maude chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “It sure is. I’m Maude Mistletoe, the eldest sister. My brother, Marty, runs the Mistletoe Diner, and our younger sister, Millie, runs the gas station. It’s only a five-minute walk from here. She sells great gifts.”

Holly exchanged an incredulous glance with Mack. “Well, that’s certainly memorable. We’d better check it out. Oh, and thank you for the room decorations. That’s very kind.”

“You’re welcome, girls. No one escapes Christmas in Watertown, stranded or not.”