Page 20 of Unsteady: How to Fail at Flirting
Finn
Skylar brought another tray of coffee, looking cute as hell. This time, she’s in baggy jeans and a zip hoodie over a T-shirt that’s seen better days.
As for me, I’ve managed to keep my shirt on.
She cocks her head as I stare at her red curls, all bundled on the top of her head in a messy bun.
When she peels off the hoodie a moment later, she catches me staring. That shirt is so loose it’s practically falling off of her. When she leans down to rifle through my toolbox, I get a full view down her front. No sports bra today, just a simple lacy thing with barely enough coverage.
“What is it? Do I have something in my teeth?”
“No. I just don’t know why you bring so many drinks and a dozen donuts for two people.”
She smiles her devastating smile as she picks an iced coffee from the work table, along with a powdered donut. “I didn’t know what you liked. And also, I assumed you were going to have help at some point.”
“Not today. I will. Soon.”
I pick up a black coffee from the tray and pop open the box, eyeing an iced raspberry jelly.
“So…why not today? Why is it just us again?”
It’s time to fess up. “Because I’m not charging you for this job.”
“Excuse me?”
“And I want the work done perfectly for you. So, if I don’t want to hemorrhage money like a fool, I’ll bring people in on days when extra help is essential. I can’t afford to have workers standing around waiting for instructions.”
Skylar shakes her head. “Why would you do this for free? This is crazy.”
“It’s a calculated risk, but I believe in you,” he says.
“You barely know me!”
“I think I do know you pretty well.”
Her eyes widen in shock. “All of this is so irresponsible to do for no money. I’m already not paying you rent, so you are, in effect, already hemorrhaging money.”
I shrug. “I have enough saved, and this is a pretty small job. Not like I have to install a kitchen. The bathroom just needs a little TLC, nothing major. The HVAC needs some work, and I have that scheduled for the week before the drywall goes up. It’s a sound building, or I would never have let you move in.”
Skylar gapes at me. “Let me?”
“Yeah,” I say, sipping my coffee.
It’s a stare-down. I’ve always been pretty good at stare-downs. Unflapped, I take a big bite of my donut, leaving barely half of it.
“What do you mean by ‘let me’?”
I know it’s rude to speak with my mouth full. But she’s already pissed at me for some reason. I can see the darkening pink behind the freckles on her nose. “You think I’d let someoneI care about as much as I care about you, move in somewhere that wasn’t safe, or that I couldn’t fix up on a deadline? There’s a reason we ran into each other all those weeks ago.”
“I’m not going to be beholden to you, just so we’re clear,” Skylar informs me.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m not going to do what you say or date you or have sex with you in exchange for everything you’ve done here.”
“When did I say that, Skylar?”
She closes her mouth, staring up at me with that incredulous look.
