The Outskirts (The Outskirts Duet #1)

“Thank you for letting me use your shower,” I said, straightening my shoulders. Feeling braver, I marched right up to Finn with every intention of zipping past him.

“I didn’t let you do anything,” Finn said, reaching out and stopping me in my tracks by toying with the bottom of the towel, almost like a reminder that he could rip it off me at any moment.

“I was trying sarcasm,” I said, my attempt at bravery falling flat.

“You like torturing me, don’t you?” Finn asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Me?” I asked. “You’re the one who…never mind. I’m just going to go.”

Finn tugged on the towel again and I stilled, not wanting to be naked in front of him for the second time in just as many minutes.

Finn stood tall, looming over me. Using his larger than life presence to his advantage. “You don’t have to torture me, you know. That job’s already taken.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, honestly. Although, this time when his eyes met mine, I recognized something familiar in them I couldn’t quite place.

“You really don’t know, do you?” Finn traced the line of the towel with his fingertips, brushing the skin of my thigh and heating it along the way.

“Know what?” I was breathless and suddenly feeling very dizzy.

“So…innocent,” he crooned, shaking his head.

I tried to collect myself. “I…I’m going to be late for work.”

“Tell me one thing first and then you can go.” Finn tugged on the towel again. I had no choice but to back up so my hip was against his thigh.

“What?”

“Tell me something about yourself.”

“Like what? My favorite color? I don’t think I have one,” I said.

“No,” Finn licked his bottom lip. “Tell me what you thought when you saw me today. When you were watching me shower.”

“Why?” I felt heated recalling his wet and glistening body.

“The way you looked at me…” he started. “Let’s just say that your curiosity has made me curious.”

I shifted uncomfortably, pressing my thighs together. I bit my lower lip. “Please, I just have to go and…”

“Tell me and you can go.”

Finn wasn’t holding me or hurting me. He was only asking me a question and I really, really had to go or I was going to be late.

I closed my eyes tightly as I tossed him the truth. “I thought…”

“Open your eyes, look at me,” Finn insisted.

I looked at him and gasped, quickly realizing what I was seeing in his eyes that was so familiar to me.

Hurt.

“I was thinking that I didn’t know that a naked man…” I summoned every ounce of courage I had to continue. If Finn was doing this just to try and intimidate me, I wasn’t going to let him. I took a deep breath and steadied my words. Looking past his blue eyes I spoke directly to the hurt in them. “I was thinking that I didn’t know a naked man could be so beautiful.”

Finn’s arm dropped and I didn’t stay to register his reaction. I darted to the steps, gathered my clothes, then sprinted across the yard.

Once inside my camper, I dressed quickly, grabbed my bag, and started a fast-paced power walk to Critters. There was no time to linger on what had just happened.

Especially, since I had no idea what exactly that was.





Chapter Thirteen





Sawyer





Despite the shower incident with Finn I managed to make it to work on time. Somewhat winded.

But on time.

There were three other waitresses working. Missy and Maya were identical twin sisters with long blonde hair and matching gap-toothed smiles. They stood off to the side, I caught an exchange of knowing glances between them while I dried some glasses.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Missy just wanted to know…” Maya started.

Maya nudged her in the shoulder and spoke between her teeth. “No, I didn’t. YOU wanted to know.”

“Know what?” I prompted, setting down the glass.

“About your clothes,” Missy and Maya echoed.

I glanced down at my long denim skirt and button-down shirt. “What do you want to know?”

“They want to know why you’re wearing them,” another voice jumped in. Kayla, another waitress who I assumed was around my age. Her skin was flawless and she had a big red lipped smile that showed off stunningly bright white teeth.

They all wore tight tops and short shorts, paired with sneakers or boots. Kayla’s entire outfit looked as if it were painted on, showing off her tiny waist and perfectly round breasts.

Just like Finn’s body, I wasn’t appalled by their form as I was always taught I should be. That women should hide their figures, but one look at these women and their beautiful curves and I knew that way of thinking had to be wrong. Why hide the very things that makes us women? That makes us beautiful.

It had me wondering what Finn might have thought when he’d seen all of me that morning. Did he think my naked figure was beautiful?

As beautiful as I thought his was?

“I come from a conservative family,” I said, using the same simple explanation I’d given Josh.

“You all go back to work and mind your own damned business,” Critter chimed in. The girls scattered like roaches under a light.

I considered what the other girls were wearing. “I’m sorry. Should I be wearing something else?” I glanced down at my skirt. “I forgot to ask about the dress code.”

Critter held up his hand and cut me off. “If that’s what you want to wear, then that’s what you should wear.” He shrugged. “It’s really as simple as that. No dress code around here except just, you know…wear some damned clothes.”

“It’s not what I want to wear,” I admitted, glancing back over to Kayla who had a tray of glasses raised above her head. She walked from table to table with confidence and a smile.

“Then I recommend heading to Bebe’s. She’ll take care of you.” Critter tapped out some numbers on an ancient calculator under the even more ancient looking register and jotted some notes down in a receipt book.

“Josh said the same thing.”

“And that girl knows her clothes. Despite the police uniform and that look in her eye like she’s about to cut you,” Critter joked.

He went back to the kitchen and put Kayla in charge of showing me the ropes. She was patient with me while I tried to grasp the concept.

I hadn’t eaten out much in my life, never mind waited tables, but toward the middle of the day I was finally catching on and knew the abbreviation for most everything on the menu and how to write them down on the order slip.

“So where are you staying, Sawyer?” Maya asked. She threw me a rag and I followed her lead, wiping down tables and refilling the ketchup and mustard bottles. We were in the middle of shifting gears between the lunch and dinner crowd.

“Off Orange Grove Blvd. If you ever want to come by, just look for the old shack in the middle of nowhere. I’m the camper across the way under about three feet of mud,” I said.

“Mud is our town mascot,” Kayla chimed in, grabbing a broom and sweeping up around the bar, sliding the stools in and out, the feet making a horrible scraping noise against the concrete floor.