Susanna Carr - Outrageously Yours

“We wing it.”

She winced and pulled away from him. That was the worst plan. “Jason, how long have you known me?”

“I’m not sure.” He was obviously puzzled by her question. “How long have you and Kim been friends?”

“Since the first day I moved into town. I guess that would make it since kindergarten. And in all that time have you ever seen me wing it? Improvise? Go with the flow?”

Jason gave a shrug. “I haven’t noticed.”

She gritted her teeth. Of course he wouldn’t notice her. She was on the sidelines of his life while he frequently starred in her dreams. “Then let me enlighten you. I don’t improvise because that never works.”

He propped his elbow on the bar counter. “You haven’t improvised with me.”

“And there’s a reason for that. It would be like our brainstorming sessions. Your mind goes off in a direction I don’t anticipate.”

Jason rested his head against his hand. “You’re the kind of person who follows a recipe exactly, aren’t you? You don’t make substitutions or change things up.”

“And you’re the kind of person who wouldn’t read the recipe all the way through before you start.” She suddenly remembered all those times she’d seen him in the kitchen at the Strong house preparing a snack for himself and his friends. “No, scratch that. You’re the kind of person who won’t even look at a recipe and just make it up as you go along.”

“You should try it. Who knows what you could create?”

She’d create a disaster. Claire was envious that Jason could do something on the spur of the moment and be successful. Her brain didn’t work that way, but she wouldn’t tell him that. This was not the moment to advertise her shortcomings.

“Put away the organizer, Claire,” he quietly ordered.

She hesitated. Her methods were like a security blanket for her. As long as she followed her procedure she wouldn’t forget something or go over her deadline. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

“We don’t need a lot of time,” he decided. “There’s nothing to beta test, or whatever you call it. In fact, that would only waste the time you have left. You have seven days. You just have to act.”

“I don’t know...” Jason was making sense but she didn’t like what he was saying.

“You basically want to create a fake profile but in the real world. It’s temporary but it has to look as if you’ve been wild for a while.”

She reviewed his words in her head. “Yes.”

“You don’t need a battle plan for that. You just need a partner in crime. I’m that guy. I will make you a wild party girl by next Friday.”

Claire wasn’t sure how she felt about Jason being part of her strategy. She’d asked for his help, not for him to be her partner. He was smart and intuitive but he didn’t pay attention to detail. That was why she was the support for clients like him. She worked behind the scenes and gave others the spotlight. She anticipated every problem and did the grunt work so her client could shine. That wasn’t Jason’s strength.

“But you have to be careful with this reinvention,” Jason warned. “If you don’t get the job, you will stay here and people will remember how wild and crazy you were.”

“I’ll get the job.” She didn’t make eye contact with Jason. She desperately wanted to prove that she was as good as her competition. She wanted everyone to know that she was an expert. Talented and capable. If she got this job, maybe her family would start believing it, too. And maybe she would start believing it during her darkest moments.

“Are you going to join a Roller Derby this week?” Jason chuckled at the idea. “Find a few trophies for wet T-shirt contests and put them around your home?”

She kept her head down. “I’ll figure something out.”

Jason fell into silence as he studied her. “Do you really believe Max has a job waiting for you? Are you sure he’s not playing you?”

“There’s a job opening. I checked.” But that didn’t mean this wasn’t a game for Max. Max was like the bullies she’d known most of her life. They sensed her vulnerabilities and while they couldn’t figure out the source of her tension, they toyed with her until she wanted to run away and hide. Her quiet demeanor and her ability to blend in to a crowd didn’t always protect her.

But this time, she wasn’t going to hide. She was going to show her level of expertise even though it would also demonstrate what she couldn’t do. But that was a risk she needed to take. She had to prove to the Max Blairs of the world that her methods and style were just as valuable as theirs.

“Claire, we have to do this my way. It’s faster. Easier.”

She was sure it was. Jason had a talent for finding shortcuts. He knew how to get a job done in the least amount of time and still make it look like a million bucks. Maybe she should go with his plan. She could watch him, analyze his methods and see if she could repeat the process.

But while Jason always found success, this was the first time she’d been part of the equation. What if it went horribly wrong?

She couldn’t think like that. Jason was going to be her secret weapon.

“We will try it your way,” Claire said and wished the tension inside her hadn’t soared. “But if I don’t see immediate and quantifiable results, then we do it my way.”

“Great.” Jason’s smile was triumphant as he rubbed his hands together. “We start tonight.”

“Tonight?” She stared into his light blue eyes as she fought a kick of panic. “Don’t you have to work?”

“We close at ten,” he reminded her. “And I was going to a party afterward.”

“Erica’s bonfire?” she guessed. The annual party was held on Erica’s farm and all of her friends and former classmates would be there. “I’ll be there, too. Any suggestions?”

Jason’s mouth tilted into a smile. “Arrive late and show as much skin as possible.”

* * *

CLAIRE FELT COLD and naked as she walked across the field to the bonfire later that night. Had it really been a good idea to follow a man’s suggestion on appropriate attire? She wished she hadn’t left her coat in the car. The extra layer would have allowed her to hide her curves and give her warmth.

No, she truly wished she hadn’t worn the skintight jeans that had been in the back of her closet. She’d been saving them in case she lost weight, and it turned out she had not lost an ounce. Claire glanced down at her dark jeans and favorite knee-high boots. The clothes were familiar but there was something different about her. She looked different and she didn’t know why.

She wandered aimlessly from one group of familiar faces to the next. Claire was aware of the double takes and the way the men were staring at her transparent-looking lace burgundy shirt hoping for a nipple slip. They were in for a long wait.

Claire didn’t see Jason anywhere and she hoped he came soon. She had lost her chance to make a big entrance and she had no idea what to do to build the foundation of her party-girl reputation.

She found herself drifting toward a few of her friends who were the wallflowers at every party. Claire felt most comfortable around them. They were standing next to the makeshift DJ table, swaying to the beat as they watched people dance.

“Claire?” Deanna squinted in the dark and then her eyes went wide. “Did you get a boob job?”

“I’m sorry, what? No.” Claire refrained from crossing her arms as the other women studied her curves. “It’s the same old me.” Although the push-up bra was brand-new. It was uncomfortable but pretty.

“You look fantastic,” Alison said as she huddled in her dark hoodie.

“Thank you.” Claire nervously smoothed her hand over her long ponytail. Why did her friend sound so surprised? She’d dressed up before. Not in a shirt that made it look as if she was wearing nothing underneath or that faithfully followed the lines of her body, but the outfit wasn’t that much different from what she’d worn in the past.