Page 42 of Scent of Home

I choke. I want her to want to see me without clothes on.

Shane is staring at Erin. I know because when I check his expression, I’m positive he will be furious. I’m baffled to find he just looks confused.

“Why?”

Erin stands up and tilts her head to the side as if she is completely astounded. “Because you’re hot, and I’d like to see you naked so I can fantasize about you when I touch myself.”

I quickly look around, letting out a relieved breath when I realise there is no one close. “Not so loud.”

“You think I’m hot?” Shane asks as if I hadn’t even spoken.

“Don’t be daft, Shane. Everyone thinks you're hot,” Brayson growls.

Shane whips his head towards Bray. I don’t know what passes between them, but Shane fixes his eyes on the men in the water, and I think his cheeks turn pink.

“Are you always such a prude?” Erin whispers to me.

“I’m not a prude,” I snap, although I’m thinking I might be. “This is my town. Every person here knew my mother, fathers, or grandfathers. Every person is family who watched me grow up, who saw me rise and fall. All these people will still be here watching me when you’re all long gone,” I say quietly, allowing myself two seconds to feel the desperate loneliness that has been making the nights so unbearably long.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.” She reaches out, and her fingers rest lightly on my wrist. “Finn, I apologise.”

“If this is all I have, one week with my scent match, the last thing I want to do is do it under the ever oppressive eyes of my town, watching every move we make.”

Erin’s eyes widen as she seems to grasp and understand exactly how I’m living. “Shit, Finn, that’s a horrible way to live.”

“It's not horrible-”

“You drank the water!” Erin hisses. “But it’s not like that everywhere else. You can live your life and make a fool of yourself and be free to make mistakes. It’s a glorious roller coaster of embarrassment and wonderful life experiences. The world isn’t like this everywhere else.”

I shake my head, almost amused by her sudden vehemence and desire to save me.

“Honestly, it’s okay, but I’d prefer to explore all this in privacy.”

“Of course. Because having Alma rock up to our group meeting would be an instant,” her eyes drop to a man crying as he dashes out of the river, “marble maker.”

I snicker again, and she shoulders me.

“I hear you, and I see it. You have responsibilities to these people. You owe them, and they own you. I feel like that sometimes, with the courts and cases. This enormous weight on my shoulders to protect my clients. To keep the reputation of my firm intact. To always be better and push harder, to bring in bigger clients and more money.”

I blink at her, trying to imagine living under that stress. “Wow, all I need to wonder about is when Deirdre Spears is going to forget seeing me naked in her bush twenty-five years ago.”

Erin bursts out laughing. “Has everyone here got a story like that about you?”

I flush, and though I try to hold her gaze, when I think of all the stories the town could tell her, it makes my whole body burn with humiliation.

She grins wider but pats my hand. “I promise, I won’t ask them.”

“Thank you,” I choke out.

She scoffs and shakes her head. “What are they doing now?”

“It’s the spring bunny hop,” I say with a grin. “Everyone dresses up as bunnies and hops up the hill. First one to the top wins.”

Erin laughs and rolls her shoulders. “I thought I heard swimming, fishing.”

“Well, yeah. They’re going to swim across the river. And fishing. They put floaties in the water and whoever catches them wins.”

Erin puts her head in her hand and chortles. “This town is so incredibly backwards.”

---