The Edge of You

by Theresa Dalayne

  “There’s a pretty big indoor pool at the coast guard base. You can get in since your dad works there.”

  If that was the best option she had, her life had just sunk to a whole new low.

  “All right, class. Time to clean up,” Mr. Stuart announced.

  Jake opened his cell phone and punched his fingers over the keys. When his phone buzzed with a reply, he grinned.

  Maya slouched down in her seat. He probably had a girlfriend—one who wouldn’t appreciate him befriending the new girl. Just her luck.

  Chapter Ten

  Jake

  Jake pressed send on the text to his mom and leaned back in his chair, finished with his painting. It was impressive, especially since he wasn’t an artist of any kind. But the class seemed like an easy elective to get the necessary credits.

  The new girl’s hazel eyes were focused as she applied some finishing touches to her project. He examined the bleached layer under her dark hair, tipped with shades of blue. Paired with the small diamond stud above her lip and her bottle cap belt, he couldn’t help but be drawn to her. She tilted her head, examining the paper until she seemed satisfied. Maya grabbed her brushes and pushed out of her chair. “I’m going to clean my tools. You should too before the paint dries. It’ll ruin the bristles.”

  “Oh.” He gathered them off the table and leaned back in his chair, watching her walk away. Tight jeans hugged her curves, and her shirt revealed a glimpse of her stomach. He usually wasn’t a fan of hipster clothes. All the girls on Kodiak tried to be so trendy, but she pulled it off.

  He stood and joined her beside a sink at the back of the room, waiting for her to finish.

  She glanced up at him. “You need help?”

  “No.” He cleared his throat. “I think I can handle it.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder, her dark waves mixing with the blonde and blue, trying to keep it out of her face with her hands covered in water and paint. More strands fell around her neck and shoulders. She blew them away with a puff of air. When they fell again, she paused, her shoulders slumping forward.

  He tilted his head. She was so awkward, but it was cute as hell. “Here.” He reached up and brushed hair out of her face. She glanced at him, her cheeks flushing pink.

  Holy shit. Did he just make her blush?

  Jake pulled his hand back and began to wash his brushes.

  “So listen,” Maya said nonchalantly. “I haven’t met anyone yet, and I don’t really know my way around. Maybe we could hang out sometime? I mean, if your girlfriend wouldn’t mind. She can come too.”

  Girlfriend? What made her think he had a girlfriend? That ship sailed months ago, and since then he made a decision not to get involved and stay focused on work.

  “I, uh. I can’t. I have work after this.”

  She nodded slowly. “Right. No problem. I just thought…” She shook her head and smiled awkwardly. “Never mind.” Maya turned off the water. “Thanks anyway.”

  He didn’t say anything as she walked back to her seat. It had been forever since he hung out with anyone, and the streak of guilt clawing through him didn’t help. He did have work, but he could get off early.

  He’d just show her around and be done with it. At least that way he wouldn’t have to feel awkward in art class the next day. He reached in his pocket and slipped out his phone as Maya stood beside her chair, cleaning up the rest of the mess.

  He walked over to her. “Hey, uh…” She turned. “I can probably get off work early enough to show you around a little. But…” Fuck. He was so bad at this kind of thing.

  “Cool.” She snatched his phone from his hand and saved her number, then called herself. Her phone vibrated once and she handed his phone back. “There. Now you have my number.”

  She was beautiful and direct.

  Even so, he could only afford one day. He’d show her around and then get back to work.

  No getting distracted.

  The bell rang, and the class erupted with students rushing out the door. Jake stepped aside to avoid being trampled while Maya grabbed her bag.

  As the class emptied, he grabbed his painting and walked around the back of the room toward the hall.

  “Hey.” Maya pushed her chair in and caught up to him, falling in stride. “What time do you think you’ll get off?”

  “Maybe five or six.” Seven if Wes really needed him to stay. He’d have to work his ass off to get his to-do list done in time.

  “Well—” Maya pushed her hair behind her ear. “Thanks for offering to show me around. But if you think you’ll be tired, I totally understand. It’s just so boring here and you’re the first person on Kodiak who I’ve really talked to.”

  He would have to go home and shower before meeting up with her so he didn’t smell like fish and sweat, but if he were honest with himself, he was looking forward to the down time. “It’s no problem.”

  Her posture relaxed as she played with her keys as they approached the exit. “Where should we meet up?” Maya asked.

  “I can pick you up if you want.”

  “Um…can I just meet you somewhere?”

  “Okay, how about you come over to my place?” He stopped beside the last desk and folded his “painting” in half, then jotted his address on the back. He extended it to her.

  Maya seemed relieved. She took the paper and shoved it in her purse. “So around seven?”

  That would give him plenty of time. “Seven.” His gaze stayed trained on her swaying hips as she walked into the hall.

  He leaned to the side, catching a last glimpse of her strut before she vanished around the doorway.

  Something told Jake that after today, art would be his favorite class.

  ***

  Fresh out of school, Jake decided to make a quick stop at his Aunt Sara and Uncle Mike’s house. He had driven by that morning, but all the lights were off, and his aunt would have gone Carrie on him if he’d woken them so early.

  Jake walked to the front step and knocked. Aunt Sara shouted something from inside, and his uncle’s voice called back in the same annoyed tone he used when she ordered him to take out the trash or shovel the driveway.

  Uncle Mike swung open the door and smiled. “Hey, stranger. Finally decided to visit?”

  Jake stepped inside. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I was here this morning, but I think you guys were asleep.”

  “This morning? As in, before school?” Jake nodded. “Then yeah,” his uncle continued. “And if you ever knock on my door at six in the morning, I’ll beat you. Just for the record.”

  Jake chuckled. “I figured.”

  “Mike, who’s at the door?” Aunt Sara called from somewhere in the house.

  “Oh.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked up on his toes. “Just a bum off the street. He looks hungry. Maybe we should feed him.”

  There was a long pause. “What?” Aunt Sara stepped into sight, saw Jake, and rested her hands on her hips, a dishtowel still pinched between her fingers. “Oh, that bum.”

  Jake lifted his hands in the universal ‘I surrender’ gesture. “I know, I know. I’m sorry.”

  She tapped her fingers on her hip, her lips arched in a grin. “All right. I’ll forgive you if you come over here and give me a hug.”

  One thing was for sure. He couldn’t turn down a hug from his aunt, at the risk of death. He closed the gap between them and scooped her into his arms, lifted her off the ground and spun her in a circle.

  “No, no!” His uncle rushed toward them, his hands extended. “Put her down. You’ll hurt the baby!”

  Jake froze, his muscles rigid. Silence lingered in the air. He slowly, and very, very carefully, lowered Aunt Sara to her feet.

  “Baby?” The word came out in a whisper.

  His aunt’s cheeks flushed bright red. She nodded. “Baby.”

  Jake turned toward his uncle, who was grinning like a mad man. “You mean…” Jake shifted back, gawking at Aunt Sara’s belly. “You’re pregnant?”

 
Her smirk blossomed into a full smile. She lifted her chin, pride beaming from her face. “You got it. For the next nine months I’m going to be a crazy, hormonal mess.”

  Uncle Mike chuckled. “She says that as if it’ll be any different than the last ten years.”

  Aunt Sara gasped. “Oh, shush, you.”

  Jake hugged his aunt again, this time careful not to squeeze her too tight. He let go and backed away, his gaze darting between them. “So I guess congratulations are in order.”

  “Actually…” Aunt Sara tucked her raven-black hair behind her ears and gestured to her diamond stud earrings. “See these?”

  “Yeah. They’re nice.”

  “A gift from your uncle. One for each baby.”

  Jake had to fight to keep his jaw from hitting the floor. “Twins?”

  Uncle Mike nodded. “Am I a man or what?”

  Jake laughed, shaking his head. “I can’t believe this.”

  “Yeah. Neither could we,” his aunt said. “But with the hormone treatments, I ovulated from both ovaries, and—”

  “Okay,” Jake said, his hands outstretched. “A little too much information for me.”

  Aunt Sara rolled her eyes. “Men are such babies.”

  If that was the excuse he needed not to hear about her ovaries, so be it.

  “All right, you two.” Uncle Mike stepped forward. “That’s enough. My baby mama needs to get some rest.”

  Aunt Sara slapped him on the arm. “Call me that again and I’ll hurt you.”

  He laughed and kissed her cheek. “Deal. But really, you should go lie down.”

  Her eyes narrowed. She turned and walked up the stairs, mumbling the entire way.

  Uncle Mike still hadn’t stopped smiling. “That woman.”

  “You know you love her.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” He moved past Jake, heading toward the kitchen. “So, what brings you over?”

  Jake shrugged. “Nothing. I just haven’t seen you guys for a while and wanted to stop in before I go to work.”

  “Oh, right. How’s the job, by the way?”

  “Great, so far. This’ll be the third season I’m with Wes.” If it weren’t for his uncle, he wouldn’t have the job in the first place. “And then after work I promised a girl I’d show her around Kodiak.”

  Uncle Mike lifted his eyebrows. “A girl, huh?” He leaned in toward Jake and spoke in a low voice. “Is she cute?”

  “I heard that!” Aunt Sara shouted from upstairs.

  “How the hell…” his uncle mumbled.

  Jake pointed at the air vents. He should know. The first few weeks Jake was on Kodiak, he slept on the couch, well aware of every single time they were “trying” for a baby. The memories still made Jake cringe.

  “So anyway,” Uncle Mike continued, eyeing Jake. “I don’t need to give you the talk, do I?”

  “Um, No. Definitely not.”

  “Good.” He patted Jake on the back, and then gripped his shoulder. “But seriously, if you knock anyone up, I’m going to kill you.”

  “Me too!” Aunt Sara shouted from upstairs.

  Jake couldn’t help but to suppress a smirk. “All right. Point taken.”

  “Good.” Uncle Mike shoved him toward the door. “Now go to work. Can’t be late, or I’ll be hearing it from Wes, and I’ve got enough griping with a pregnant lady in the house.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Maya

  Maya followed the GPS instructions from her phone to Jake’s apartment. She parked and shoved her phone back in her pocket and checked the digital clock in the car’s dashboard, reading six thirty. It took some getting used to not to have to leave the house an hour early to fight California traffic. Or maybe she was just a little too anxious to finally have someone to hang out with. Kodiak had been a lonely place¸ and Jake was the first friend she’d made. Granted, the fact he was seriously cute didn’t hurt, and she could use the distraction.

  Maya stepped out of the SUV and straightened her blouse, second-guessing her outfit. The black lace shirt over a nude tank top and a pair of dark-wash jeans was all she could find that seemed dressy enough to not be too casual, but not too casual to seem like she didn’t care.

  It only took a few minutes to find apartment 7A. She smoothed down her blouse one last time, and then knocked.

  There was shuffling from the inside. “Who is it?”

  “Uh, Maya.” She stepped closer to the door so she wouldn’t have to shout and piss off the other tenants. “I know I’m a little early—”

  The door creaked open, and the security chain pulled tight. Maya stepped back and flashed a smile. “Hey.”

  “Oh, hi. Hang on a sec.” He shut the door and jiggled the chain out of its lock before opening it again. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you until seven.” He was wearing a pair of basketball shorts and no shirt.

  “I know.” She scratched behind her ear, her cheeks flushing with heat. “I can come back if you want.”

  “It’s not a big deal. Come on in.” He stepped aside and opened the door wider.

  She walked inside, examining the tattoos that started at his forearms and ran up his shoulders, curling around the curves of his back. He really needed to put a shirt on before she started to visibly drool. “I feel like such a jerk,” Maya said. “I should have waited.” She pointed behind her gesturing to her car parked outside.

  He leaned in toward her to close the door. Maya inhaled the scent of his sandalwood cologne. “You look great,” he said. His soft tone spread heat through her body.

  “Thanks.” She barely knew this guy and was already thinking a whole lot of things she probably shouldn’t. With another inhale, she forced herself to make some distance between them and cleared her throat. “So I can just wait out here while you get dressed.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair, still half-wet from his shower. “Be out in a minute.”

  When he vanished into the back bedroom, Maya slumped against the wall and pulled out her phone to text Beth. Oh. My. God.

  ???

  Maya glanced up when she heard a noise from inside his room. Hanging out with a guy.

  On a scale from one to ten...

  Maya chewed her bottom lip, the smell of his cologne still lingering in the air. 20.

  Holy crap. Call me as soon as ur done.;)

  Maya smiled and slipped her phone back in her pocket. She examined his apartment, which was a total bachelor pad. One couch, a wooden coffee table covered in scratches, a flat screen sitting on a glass stand, and a gaming system with controls.

  Jake walked out of the bedroom wearing a pair of jeans and a zip-up hoodie. His hair was still a mess, brushing over the tips of his ears and curling at the ends.

  He grabbed his wallet and keys. “Are we taking your car or mine?”

  “I guess yours, since you know where you’re going.”

  He crossed in front of her and opened the door. “Ladies first.”

  They walked out to the parking lot, where she followed him to the most beat up El Camino she’d ever seen. Maya paused, her lips parted. “It was you!”

  Jake’s eyebrows rose as he fumbled for his car key. “Who did what, exactly?”

  “You almost rear-ended me when I was pulling out of my driveway the other day.” She gestured to his car. “Or is there someone else around here driving another El Camino covered in rust?”

  “Hey.” He opened the driver side door. “Don’t make fun of the Beast.”

  Maya arched a brow. “The Beast?”

  “Yep.” He tapped the hood of his car. “The one and only. I spent more money bringing it here by freight than I did buying the damn thing, but it was worth it to have my own car.” He sat in the driver’s seat and leaned over, opening the passenger door for her.

  She bent down and peered at him over the bucket seat. “So it was you.”

  He grinned. “If you say so.”

  She sat and slammed the door shut, unintentionally rattling the window.

  “S
o where do you live?” he asked.

  “Spruce Cape Road. Do you know it?”

  The car turned over a few times before it finally started. “My aunt and uncle live up there. That’s probably who I was visiting when you saw my car.”

  “You mean when you almost hit me.” He answered with a chuckle. “Does all of your family live here?” she asked.

  “No. Just them. They’ve lived here for years. My uncle used to own a fishing boat. He’s the one who hooked me up with my job a few years ago.” Jake pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

  Lukewarm air blew out of the vents, sending a chill down her arms. “Where’s the rest of your family?”

  “My mom’s back in Washington State. She was going to come here with me, but the doctors are better over there.”

  “Oh.” Maya sat back in her chair, mentally kicking herself. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize she was sick.”

  “Yeah.” His tone had turned solemn, which made her feel even worse. She slumped down in her seat, pissed for not knowing when to keep her mouth shut.

  “Hey. Don’t worry about it.” He reached over and flicked a few strands of hair out of her face. “Don’t beat yourself up.”

  She twisted her heavy silver ring in circles around her finger. “That obvious?”

  He glanced at her again and cracked a smile. “Yeah. Pretty obvious.”

  The road they were on wasn’t familiar, which meant they weren’t in town. “Where are we going?”

  “You said you like to do stuff outside, right?”

  “I mean...” She double-checked her outfit. “I’m not really dressed to go hiking or anything.”

  He inspected her. “You look fine to me.”

  His flirty tone prompted Maya’s smile. She wanted to figure him out in the worst way. Usually hot guys were assholes, just waiting for some poor girl to come along so they could sweet-talk their way into her pants. She’d seen the type in California, and had even spent a year with one. Even after being cheated on, she held onto the hope there were still good guys out there. Nice guys, who were interested in her talent or personality instead of just her looks. Not that she was a supermodel, but she never had trouble getting a second glance. Plus, she was never afraid of a little adventure.