I thoughtfully studied the motel, a single story structure with russet wood siding.  It looked like something from the seventies but seemed well maintained on the outside.  Emmitt really seemed to be trying to help us.  He was doing way more than what just some guy who’d been in the right place at the right time would do.  But why?

He came out with a room key just then.  He held it up and smiled at the boys.  His gaze met mine briefly, and my heart fluttered.  Troubled, I looked away.  I needed sleep.  My emotions were all over the place.  He was just being nice and didn’t need some silly teen constantly staring at him because she didn’t have her head on straight.

Climbing back into the cab, he apologized to Aden for taking so long then moved the truck to park it directly in front of the room’s window.  With a small smile, he handed me the room key and the truck key then quickly got out to open the door for me.

I didn’t know who he was beyond his first name, or why he wanted to help, but I wasn’t ready to question him.  I wearily climbed out of the truck and helped lift the boys down.

He waited by the truck as I tried to unlock the door.  When I failed the second attempt, he came over and held out his hand.  I willingly surrendered the key and backed up a step to give him room.  He slid the key into the lock, and the door immediately clicked open.

“If you need anything, I’ll be right here.  Yell, and I promise I’ll hear you.”  He moved aside to let us into the room.

Before I could walk passed him, he caught my hand.  I turned in surprise.  He lifted my hand, placed the key in my palm, and wrapped my fingers around it.  I realized I would have walked into the room without asking for the key back.

Trying not to dwell on his warm touch, I nodded, stepped into the room, and closed the door.  I watched through the peephole as he went back to the truck and got comfortable.  He didn’t lock the doors for himself as he had for us.  He closed his eyes and appeared to sleep right away.

I clicked the bolt into place and tiredly turned around.  Aden and Liam stood beside me, watching.

“Both of you use the bathroom,” I said, bending to kiss their foreheads.

Aden made a beeline for the toilet, and I shook my head.  Poor guy.

I looked around the room.  It appeared clean enough with a queen-sized bed, television, and small table for eating.  Honestly, it could have been a cave with a pile of straw in a corner, and I would have found it inviting.

Pulling back the bed covers, I kicked off my shoes and listened to the boys giggle as they washed.  The bed tempted me, but as soon as my head hit the pillow, I knew I’d be out.  I waited until they finished in the bathroom.

“I like Emmitt,” Liam said softly after taking off his shoes.  Aden did the same and nodded.

“I’m glad you like him.  I think he might be willing to help us for a while.  At least until I get some real sleep.”

They climbed up on the bed.  I knew they weren’t tired but would stay close to me while I slept.  Thankfully, the room had cable with a cartoon channel.  I showed Liam how to turn on the television then went to use the bathroom.  As I washed my hands, I saw a plastic-wrapped cup on the bathroom counter.  I opened it, filled it with water, and brought it back to the bed with me.  Liam watched me set it on the nightstand.

“Use this on my face if you need to wake me up fast,” I said.  He looked at me in surprise.  “It’s okay, buddy.  Use it if you think you need to.  I won’t be upset.”

I gave them both tight hugs and planted a kiss on top of each of their heads.  No one but me to keep them safe now.  I studied them as they watched cartoons.  Neither smiled nor laughed.  We were such a broken family.  Tears gathered in my eyes for them, and I wiped them away quickly.  I just needed some sleep.

*    *    *    *

Distantly, I became aware of a wet hand gently tapping my face.  Peeling my eyes open, I saw Liam peering down at me.  I blinked and focused on his concerned expression.  He stood beside the bed, holding the cup of water.

It took several heartbeats for everything to click back into place.

“I’m up,” I said quickly to avoid a soaking.  “What’s wrong?”  I looked over and saw Aden sitting up in bed, quietly drawing on a piece of motel stationary.  They must have been awake awhile.

“Emmitt is knocking on the door.  I looked out the window and saw it was him.”

I nodded and pulled back the covers, forcing myself to stand though I still felt tired.

I checked the peephole.  Emmitt stood in the dark, illuminated by the outdoor light.  My stomach did its strange flutter again.  Apparently, my sleep-deprived brain hadn’t imagined how good he looked.  He watched the door.  It felt like he was looking right at me, but I knew that wasn’t possible.

He had left his jacket off and wore a plain, white tee with his jeans.  I blinked slowly and looked at his hands.  He held a plastic bag in one hand and a paper bag balanced on top a drink-carrier in the other.  Food.  I opened the door and stepped back so he could enter.  He nodded at me as he stepped in.  When he walked past, he seemed to slow, and I couldn’t help but notice he smelled good, too.

The boys perked up and inched toward Emmitt when they saw him enter.  He smiled reassuringly and waved them over to the table where he set the paper bag and drinks.

“There’s a fast food place nearby.  Since everything’s been quiet, I made a quick run,” he said as I closed and locked the door.  When I turned around, he offered me the plastic shopping bag.  “I noticed you didn’t have much, so I also picked up a few things.”

I took the bag, opened it, and blinked at the contents: toothbrushes, toothpaste, new socks, and t-shirts for all three of us.

“Thank you,” I murmured, not looking up.  Gratitude warred with suspicion.  He’d bought us things.  He didn’t even know us but saw our need and shopped for us.  Instead of trying to resolve my feelings over his kind gesture, I nudged the boys toward the bathroom.

While the three of us crowded around the sink and brushed our teeth, Emmitt set the food out on the table.

The boys brushed longer than usual to make up for the missed brushings—Liam’s idea.  I smiled at them.  When they finished, we closed the door so they could change into their new clothes. The best part was the clean socks.  Aden’s little feet got so sweaty when he had to wear shoes for an extended period.

Emmitt leaned against the wall near the motel door, looking relaxed with a hand in his pocket as he drank his coffee.  Two fast food wrappers already littered the garbage.

The boys settled at the table and tentatively reached for some food.  I went straight for the coffee then sat on the edge of the bed.  I finally glanced at the bedside clock.  I’d slept for five hours.  Good enough for now, but it would catch up with me fast.  At least I could think better.

Suspicions I should have already considered continued to creep in.  Why would a complete stranger want to help me to the extent he had?  Was it just chance he’d hung around so long at the diner?  Feeling watched, I glanced at Emmitt and met his gaze.  Did something lay hidden there?  I couldn’t tell anything beyond the intensity in which he watched me.

“Sorry for waking you up so soon.  I could hear the boys saying they were hungry,” he said quietly, shifting his gaze to look at my brothers.

Having his attention diverted brought relief.  Perhaps I was just being paranoid, but it felt like he constantly watched me.  Maybe he just wanted to figure out what he’d gotten himself into.  Or maybe he already knew.  The suspicion that he’d been planted at the diner rose in my mind, but I quickly killed it.  David had been following me.  I’d picked directions at random, never knowing where I wanted to go until I turned.  He’d been halfway through his meal when we’d arrived.  There was no way he could have been there for me.