“I met Josh,” I started.
They all nodded. No further description needed. “Critter, of course.”
An image of Caribbean blue eyes and an angry scowl came to mine. “And…Finn?” His name came out like a question.
All three girls stopped what they were doing. Kayla dropped her broom. Maya set her spray bottle down on the floor. Missy looked up from filing her nails.
“Finn Hollis?” Maya asked.
“Unless there is another Finn?” I tightened the lid on a ketchup bottle.
“Are you sure it was Finn? Blonde hair. Tall. Rugged. Come-hither eyes attached to a come-hither body?” Kayla asked.
“That’s him.” I nodded.
“And he TALKED to you?” Maya leaned her chin on her hand. “He doesn’t talk to anyone. Not anymore.”
“Uh, yes. He talked to me.” If you considered threats to be talking. “But only briefly.” I wasn’t about to tell them about what had happened earlier.
Before I knew it, they were all standing around the table I was wiping down. “What? What is it you aren’t telling me?” I asked.
Kayla rested her elbows on the table. She folded her hands together, creating a steeple. She lowered her voice so the three of us had to lean in to hear what she had to say. “Let me tell you a story. A fairytale, if you will.”
“All right.” I set down my rag and took a seat across from her. The twins followed.
Kayla dramatically looked between the three of us like what she was about to tell us was classified information.
“Once upon a time,” Kayla started. “Finn Hollis was known as the lord of the swamp. He was a do-er. Someone who could get anything done in a moment’s notice. Some of the things he did were on the up-and-up. Others were only mentioned in the softest of hushed whispers after Sunday church. You either loved him. Hated him. Feared him,” she bit her lower lip, “or lusted after him.”
The twins giggled.
“Regardless, Finn WAS Outskirts. Our golden boy. More popular than our own mayor. Then one day, a terrible tragedy drove him deep into the swamp to wallow in his grief. He still comes around from time to time, but sightings of him are almost as rare as the Swamp Ape, although told between residents of Outskirts with even more surprise and awe.”
“Swamp ape?” I questioned.
“Think of it like a redneck Yeti,” Maya chimed in.
“Okaaaay.” I slid my chair back and stepped away from the table. Suddenly feeling the need to put some distance between myself and the legend of Finn Hollis. Although one more question lingered in my mind.
“What happened?” I asked. “What was the great tragedy that made him run off?”
Maya emptied a dustpan into the trash and glanced back over her shoulder. Her smile was a sad one. “The lord lost his lady.”
Chapter 14
Finn
Sixteen Years Old…
It was Jackie’s sixteenth birthday and the two of us had snuck away from the bonfire where most of the kids from school were keeping the party going.
John Anderson sang “Straight Tequila Night” through the speakers of Miller’s Honda over the less pleasant sound of Josh and Miller mouthing off to one another.
Miller, in his drunken state, had scared off Josh’s date, Scott, by telling him that Josh was pregnant with his baby.
When he followed Josh into the trees my money was on that Miller wouldn’t be making it back out alive. That was on him though. I had other more important things on my mind.
Jackie and I slipped into the tent I’d assembled before the party got started. We were kissing and touching. Making out without coming up for air like we always did.
After only a few minutes, I was already in some serious pain. I knew that the night was going to end with a non-stop ticket to blue balls express land. But it was always worth it. Jackie was always worth it.
Even when things weren’t great and she was going through one of her phases where she was either mad at me all the time, or she’d skip class and stay home to sleep all day, things were still great.
There were more good times than bad, and that night wasn’t just a good night.
It was a great night.
“What do you want for your birthday?” I asked, needing to stop what we were doing before I embarrassed myself in my pants.
Jackie bit her lip and looked away shyly. Her blonde hair was splayed out all around her. I picked up a lock and rubbed the softness between my fingers.
“Come on,” I tickled her ribs. “Tell me.”
Jackie giggled and the sound shot straight to my aching dick. “I…I want you,” she whispered.
And just like that, whoosh, the air was ripped from my lungs.
Jackie blushed and her green eyes glimmered.
I swallowed hard. “You…you do? When?” I asked, trying not to sound too eager. Meanwhile, my dick was doing cartwheels against my zipper.
Jackie reached under the sleeping bag. I shifted off of her and onto my side to give her room. “Is now okay?” she asked, handing me a condom.
With no thought of a word in the English language that could convey my excitement, I simply nodded and waited for my heart to calm down so I wouldn’t die from a heart attack before I had the chance to lose my virginity.
We undressed and I climbed over her between her spread legs, lifting up to give myself just enough space to attempt to tear open the condom wrapper.
“I don’t really know what to do,” Jackie admitted, giggling nervously.
“We’ll figure it out,” I reassured her, sliding on the condom, wishing that porn videos didn’t skip that part so I’d be better prepared. When it was finally on, I lowered myself onto her.
We were both shaking.
When we finally came together it was a lot of forehead bumping, teeth clanking, and accidental hair pulling. Awkward at best.
It was by far the greatest night of my entire life.
Or so I thought.
Nineteen Years Old
Jackie and I were sitting around with a group of friends on my parents’ back deck while they were out of town.
It had been a bad few weeks. I had to practically pry Jackie out of her house to get her to come hang out with me. And for a while, I was glad I had.
We’d both had a few drinks and Jackie was snuggled on my lap as we listened to our friends tell their small town crazy stories.
When Miller brought up the subject of losing our virginities I couldn’t help but smile at the memory. I squeezed Jackie’s hip.
Her shoulders shook against me when she laughed. Her voice when she spoke came out high-pitched. Shrill. I’d never heard her sound that way before.
“Oh please, everybody lies about losing their virginity. Am I right?” she asked, clinking her beer bottle to Josh’s which remained still in her hand. “I mean, I told Finn he was my first and he actually bought it. Remember that, baby?”
I froze.
Jackie looked up at me, but I wasn’t smiling like she was.
Nobody was.
Jackie didn’t seem to realize that everyone else around us had gone silent.
“Come on. Let’s go,” I said, pushing her off my lap and grabbing her by the hand. “I’m taking you home.”
“Now?” she asked, pushing against me. “I’m not going anywhere. You drag me all the way here and expect me to sit and talk and make nice with these people.” She looked around the table with disgust. “People that I haven’t even liked in years.”
I tugged harder, but she pulled her hand from mine. “And we were just starting to have fun, weren’t we guys?”
Miller and Josh looked to me. The others looked to the ground or each other.
“I mean,” Jackie laughed. “I gave it up to Anthony Steward like six hours before you.” Her laugh died in her mouth and she looked at me. Instead of humor on her face, there was only bitterness. Contempt. Her gaze narrowed. “I told him the same story about him being my first that I told you, but unlike
you, he didn’t buy it for one second.”
Jackie cackled. “I mean really, Finn. How stupid can you be?” I wanted to blame her behavior on being drunk but she’d only had two beers.
This wasn’t the alcohol talking.
This was Jackie.
“Enough,” I ground out, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her toward my truck.
She continued to laugh maniacally even as I picked her up and hoisted her over my shoulder. She laughed throughout most of the drive home too.
It wasn’t until I could hear my own voice again that I realized she’d finally stopped.
When I looked over to the passenger seat she was fast asleep against the window.
I slammed my hand against the steering wheel. Tears pricked at my eyes.
It was the first night I realized Jackie’s little problem was a much, much bigger problem than I’d ever imagined.
It was also the first night I ever questioned my feelings for her.
The first night I felt guilty for doing so.
The rope of our relationship, the one I thought couldn’t ever be cut, began to fray.
It was a turning point, but not just in my life, in all of our lives.
Mine, Josh’s, Miller’s, and Jackie’s.
One we never saw coming.
That night was the beginning of the end.
Chapter 15
Sawyer
Critter’s was a much busier place than I’d expected. Most of the time I was there, I helped Critter behind the bar, taking simple food orders and washing glasses while he topped off the drinks.
“Hey Sawyer, do you want to go do something after work?” Sterling asked, setting down his beer.
Sterling was a regular. I’d seen him almost every day since I’d started. He’d introduced himself the second he sat down as the owner of the feed store and made sure I knew that the meatloaf Monday special was his absolute favorite.
Sterling was under six feet. Messy dark brown, almost black hair that worked for his dark grey eyes. His smile was straight whereas Finn’s was slightly crooked. Sterling was softer than Finn’s muscular build, but his biceps filled every bit of room of his short-sleeved, button-down, denim-blue work shirt, probably from tossing feed bags all day.
I inwardly smacked myself for comparing him to Finn. Who I hadn’t seen since the shower incident besides the occasional swaying of his window curtains or the sound of his boat motor echoing over the house.
Even after realizing I was comparing Sterling and Finn I found myself continuing to do it.
Sterling was by far friendlier than Finn. He never scowled at me or made me feel unwelcome. He didn’t seem moody or broody or set on making me feel uncomfortable.
Sterling was exactly the kind of guy I should want to have around. I was twenty-one years old and had never been on an actual date. However, my excitement at the prospect of a real date faded when the obvious hit me. There was no spark between me and Sterling.
No hum of energy.
No connection of any kind.
Everything I didn’t want to feel when Finn was around but DID.
“Thanks, Sterling. You’re…really sweet.”
Sterling’s smile dimmed ever so slightly. “But…”
I leaned a hip on the counter. “But I haven’t been here that long. I’m not really looking for anything right now,” I explained. “Still getting my bearings.”
Sterling laughed and took a sip of his beer.
“And what is so funny?” I asked, finding myself chuckling with him.
“I was thinking about maybe walking you home, not walking you down the aisle, Sawyer.” He leaned over the bar and whispered, “You know, ‘cause that’s what FRIENDS do. They hang out. They go for walks. Ain’t much else to do around here.” His smile grew again and I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment.
“Yeah, I kind of did jump the gun on that one, didn’t I?” I laughed at myself. Feeling ridiculous thinking that his invite was something more than what it really was. “Sorry,” I offered with a wince.
“No harm no foul.”
“All right then, friend,” I said. “I get off in thirty minutes. If the offer still stands, I’d like to take you up on that walk.”
“Then I’ll see you in thirty,” Sterling said with a wink. He stood and pushed back his stool. He walked over to the ting trays at the end of the bar and pulled out a piece of paper and a blue string. He scribbled something down and hung it from the ceiling right above his seat at the bar and sat back down.
Out of curiosity, I stood on my tiptoes and he watched me read what he’d written on his ting.
June 6th, 2017
Made a new friend.
I like her freckles.
-Sterling
“Here you go,” Critter said, coming up beside me and shoving a huge wad of cash in my hands at the end of my shift.
“What’s this for?”
“This, is what they call money,” he said sarcastically, laughing at his own joke. “It also happens to be the tips you neglected to pick up so far this week.” When he smiled it was like his mustache was smiling too.
“Oh,” I said. “I’ll have to remember that one.” I tapped my finger on my head. “Pick up the money, Sawyer.”
“There you go. You’ll get the hang of it, kid,” Critter headed over to the far end of the bar when someone called his name.
“Hey,” Sterling called, coming back up to the bar. “I’m going to have to take a raincheck on that walk. One of my employees just ran over a fence on a delivery. Another time though, okay?” He winked.
“Sure,” I said, feeling both relieved and slightly disappointed. Although, overall, I was really enjoying getting to know the people of Outskirts.
Well, MOST of them.
Chapter 16
Sawyer
I was getting ready to walk home when Josh strolled through the door minus her usual police uniform. She pushed up her dark sunglasses to the top of her head like a headband. Thick gold hoops dangled from her ears and a dozen or so tiny gold bracelets clattered on her wrists. A white halter top and cut off black shorts showed off her tiny waist, epic curves and creamy dark skin.
“Come on, little lady. Clothes and fashion waits for no one,” Josh said, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me out into the sunlight.
I followed her through the main street area which was less than a half of a mile long and consisted of buildings intermixed with vacant land. Every other building was boarded up. “That’s Miss Andrea,” Josh said, pointing to a shop that read Outskirts Cakes & Pies. “She makes the best chocolate mousse pie in three counties. Actually,” she patted her flat stomach, “stay far, far away from her or they’ll be knocking down a wall of your little RV to remove you.”
“No chocolate mousse pie,” I repeated, pressing my lips together to hide my smile.
“There’s Gary’s garage.” Josh pointed to a small building with two bays, one of which was open. “That’s who towed your truck. He’s a good guy. Won’t try and fix something that ain’t broke just to make a quick buck.”
“There’s the library,” she said, waving to a building that looked like an old schoolhouse. Unfortunately, it was boarded up. “It closed when everything else started to close.”
“That’s a shame,” I said, grieving over all the books I never got a chance to read.
We passed several people on the way. All who knew Josh by name. She introduced me to everyone and when we passed a building that had several signs she explained that it was because the building was the bank, post office, and police station, all-in-one.
“Oh, shit,” Josh swore, stopping and rolling her eyes when the door to the multi-purposed building opened and a man emerged, crossing the street quickly with his eyes locked on Josh.
He was just as tall as Finn. His dark hair was pulled into a bun at the nape of his neck. “Come on,” Josh said, walking faster as the man jogged to catch up, thin gold chain swished around his neck.
&n
bsp; “I’ve been looking for you, Josh,” he said slyly, as he ran in front of us and stopped, blocking the walkway. He rubbed his hand over the dark facial hair around his mouth and looked Josh up and down.
“I know you’ve been looking for me, Miller. That’s why I’ve been avoiding you,” Josh retorted, pushing past him.
Miller’s bright white sneakers caught my attention. I was curious how he kept them so clean in Mudville, USA. I looked down to my own white sneakers that were several shades of yellow and brown and I’d only been there a couple of days.
“Who’s your friend?” Miller asked, smiling at me. He followed us as we hustled across the street. I jumped over a puddle that Josh barely had to lift her long leg to step over.
Josh turned, stopping so abruptly Miller almost slammed into her chest. She held her hand over her heart and smiled up at him sweetly. Fake but sweetly. Blinking rapidly.
“Oh, I’m so sorry I didn’t introduce you. Miller this is Sawyer. Sawyer is new in town. Sawyer this is Miller.” She lowered her voice to a deep gravelly tone and spoke but barely moved her lips. “The bane of my existence.” She started walking again.
“Hi,” Miller said, holding out his hand. “I promise that Josh really loves me. She just has a really unique way of showing it. ISN’T THAT RIGHT, JOSH?” he shouted so she could hear.
Josh flashed him a middle finger over her head without missing a beat. “And she messed up my introduction. I’ve actually been the bane of her existence going on over ten years now.”
I shook his hand and Miller beamed a big white smile. His front two teeth were turned slightly inward, but it worked for him. If they were straight his smile would’ve been almost too perfect for someone so rugged. He was handsome, but not in an in-your-face way.
“It’s nice to meet you, Miller.”
“Can you please tell Josh that our love can’t be ignored?” he shouted again, cupping his hands over his mouth.
The Outskirts Duet Page 7
