Page 31 of The Fast Lane

Theo closed the door behind me and put his hand low on my back to gently push me forward. The dog emitted a soft growl before laying his head back down with a groan.

“Don’t worry none about him,” the man said, a friendly smile carved on his face. “He’s grumpy ’cause he don’t like the heat. Come on in. I’m Zip. What can I do for you?”

Theo and I stepped closer to the counter, his hand warm and solid on my back. Small bottles of sunscreen, bug spray, travel-sized tubes of itch cream, and bottles of pain reliever, all with outrageous price tags, cluttered the countertop.

“Our car broke down about a mile or so down the road and we don’t have cell service,” Theo explained.

“Oh, yeah, a total dead zone. You two walk here then?”

Theo nodded. “We were hoping we’d get some service near you.”

My eyes drifted around the small office. A poster hung on the wall behind the counter of a man and woman’s silhouette with the words Free to Be Me! Above them. On the opposite wall, handwritten announcements for board games in the community center on Wednesday nights covered a large bulletin board. Friday, there was a karaoke competition. A more professional flyer advertised a 5K next month called the Bun Run.

“We won’t let them put a cell tower on the property,” Zip said. “This place is supposed to be a sanctuary, a place to be free, if you know what I mean.”

I shot Theo an uneasy look.

He shifted on his feet. “Would you have a phone we could use? And possibly the name of a mechanic close by?”

“Well, there’s no mechanic round here exactly. You’d have to go into Amarillo.” Zip scratched his chest, dislodging the crumbs. “But George, our maintenance guy, is pretty handy, so he might could have a look.”

“That would be great.”

“Let me go get him.” Zip rounded the end of the counter to head toward the door, and that’s when Theo and I discovered that aside from his Hawaiian shirt and a smile, Zip was very, very naked.

THIRTEEN

Note to self:

Eye contact is key to making new (naked) friends.

The second the door swung shut behind Zip, I turned to Theo and clutched his arm. “He was naked.”

“I think that pretty much covers it.”

“No, nothing was covered.” I bit back the urge to laugh. “His little zipper wasn’t covered at all.”

“Ali,” Theo said, his voice sounding choked like he too found this situation hilarious.

“Oh,” I breathed. “Do you think this is some kind of weird cult? Did we stumble into a Netflix docuseries?”

The door opened as I asked that, and Zip chuckled. “No, ma’am. Just a resort for nudists. It’s our busy season, being the summer, and we’re packed full right now.”

“With naked people?” I asked, my voice faint.

Keep your eyes above the waist, Ramos. Do. Not. Look. Down. Do not.

A small frown creased Zip’s face. “Well, sure. We like to think we’re born exactly the way we should live.”

Theo cleared his throat and my eyes darted to his face. His cheeks were flushed pink, but his eyes danced with amusement. “We appreciate any help you can give us.”

“Of course. Always best to help someone in need when you can.” He opened the door and waved us outside. “Come out here and meet George.”

George, as it had turned out, was a giant of a man who was wisely clothed seeing as how he worked with tools and whatnot. He offered to take us back to the car for a look. The three of us squeezed together in the front cab of George’s truck and headed out.

While I’d packed my backpack with a change of clothes, toiletries, and my medication, George explained our water pump was shot. The good news? He could replace it. The bad news? He wouldn’t be able to get the part from Amarillo until morning.

When it became clear we’d be stuck here for the night, Zip offered us an empty cabin.

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