“The other guests are having lunch,” Oliver said. “Why don’t you join them while I take your things upstairs? They’re nice people, and they love making new friends.”
“You don’t mind? I mean, I’m leaving you to carry my bags. I know they’re heavy.”
“It’s my job.” He nodded toward the door a dozen feet down the hall. “Dining hall’s in there. Go on, have fun.”
A real smile stretched my lips. “Thank you, Oliver.”
I trotted toward the doorway to food heaven, inhaling more delicious aromas, my eyes drifting partway closed again. My tummy grumbled. Oh lord, I was starving. At the doorway, I paused and opened my eyes all the way to survey the dining hall.
Men and women sat at tables, chatting, smiling, and stuffing fries in their mouths.
Naked men. Naked women. Not a scrap of anything resembling clothing on any of them.
A wave of ice cold flooded through me. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t budge even one-thousandth of a step.
Totally naked people.
Suddenly, the gaze of every single person in the dining hall veered to me.
And I screamed.
God, had I turned into the dumb chick in a B horror movie? Screaming? For heaven’s sake, I was a grown woman. But I couldn’t shake the ice-cold shock. What kind of birdwatchers ate lunch in the nude?
Pretty sure my jaw dropped. My eyes bulged too.
Something thumped behind me.
Everyone stared at me. They looked confused.
I stammered but couldn’t piece together whole words, much less sentences.
Oliver appeared beside me, touching my arm. “What’s wrong? Are you having an epileptic seizure or something? I can take you to the hospital if—”
“No, I’m not having a seizure.” Why did my voice sound breathy? I squeezed my eyes shut and turned toward him, praying I could get a grip soon. “Why is everyone naked?”
“Oh. Yeah, that. I know at some naturist resorts the guests dress for meals, but here we have a less formal way of doing things. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Fine. Yes.” The syllables were clipped. I pried my lids apart to look at Oliver. “Why would birdwatchers eat in the nude?”
“Birdwatchers? Some of our guests enjoy doing that, but what’s clothing got to do with it?”
“Everyone is naked.” Why did he not see how horribly wrong this all was?
“Uh, yeah, that’s kind of the point.” He laughed, sounding and looking a bit uncomfortable. “This is a naturist resort.”
I threw my hands up, huffing. “Like that explains it?”
“Well, sure it does.”
Seriously? He thought that explained the naked people scarfing down burgers and fries.
I stalked out into the hallway where I couldn’t see into the dining hall anymore. Were my eyes on fire from what I’d seen? No, they were dry and hot because I’d been gaping at those people for…how long? An hour was what it felt like.
Oliver followed me. “I’m confused. Why are you so upset that all the naturists are naked?”
“Because—” I flapped my arms and huffed again. “Public nudity is illegal.”
“This isn’t public. It’s a private resort.” He held up his hands, his tone conciliatory. “Listen, you can dress for meals. Nobody will care.”
“Oh, how generous.” Christ, I sounded like a haughty bitch. How was I supposed to react to all of this? I scrunched up my face so hard my eyes watered. My lip probably curled. “I’m allowed to wear clothes if I want. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about disturbing all the other guests who don’t want to eat surrounded by naked people?”
“Um, those are all the other guests in there.”
“Everyone eats in the nude?” What bizarre alternate reality had I stumbled into? I grasped my head in my hands, struggling to make sense of…anything. “What kind of place is this?”
“It’s a naturist resort.” He touched my arm again. “Relax. This is a clothing-optional resort, not a clothes-free one. You can take your time getting acclimated before you ditch the clothes. You haven’t done this much, have you?”
“Done what?”
“Gone nude.”
What on earth was he talking about?
I lowered my hands, narrowing my gaze on him. “What do you mean it’s a clothing-optional resort? I thought this was a naturist retreat.”
“It is.” He raised his brows. “What exactly do you think a naturist resort is?”
“A place where people go to enjoy nature and see the wildlife.”
He gave me a long-suffering look. “Miss Severins, you’re at a nudist resort.”
