“Fine.”
“And don’t let him charm you.”
Kaden almost smiled. Too late.
Outside, the sound of the axe was rhythmic. Kaden rounded the corner and stopped. Jalis had taken off his jacket. His sleeves were rolled up, his forearms lean but taut as he brought the axe down. The movement was clean and controlled. Not showy, just competent. He was making a better job of it than Kaden usually did. He was stronger than he looked.
“Hi,” Kaden called, careful not to startle him.
Jalis turned, smiling, a little breathless.
Kaden stared at the neat pile of chopped wood. “You did all that?”
“Too much?”
“Yes. Come on, fill the basket and we’ll stack the rest.”
Jalis hesitated, then smiled again. “It’s fun. I’ve never used an axe before.”
Kaden laughed. “I know a place that does axe throwing. They want me to work on the content of their website. We could go and give it a try.”
Jalis froze. “Thrown…at what?”
“Targets.”
“Not people?”
“Not people.”
He visibly relaxed. “Then yes. I’d like that.”
What?Sometimes Jalis was very strange.
They both reached for the basket, their hands brushing. Jalis didn’t pull away for a moment. “Let’s carry it together.”
“Okay.”
“How would you feel about staying here a couple more days?”
Jalis glanced at him. “Your dad doesn’t trust me not to do bad things to you if we go to yours?”
“No.”
“I understand.”
And somehow, that simple acceptance felt more intimate than reassurance would have.
“I hurt you once, but I will never hurt you again.”
Kaden believed him.
His dad gaped when he saw the quantity of logs they’d brought in. “Good grief. I wasn’t planning to heat the entire village.”
“Sorry,” Jalis blurted, his Adam’s apple twitching in his skinny throat.
“You should see what we left outside,” Kaden said. “We’ve stacked it for you.”
“Thank you.” Then his dad turned to Jalis. “Thank you, too. Do you like chilli con carne?”
