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“I can’t handle a weekend of vegetable screams,” I said in mock-horror.
She let out a noise of frustration. “Kane.”
“I like being scolded.” I grinned.
She dragged me to the kitchen. “And apparently I like being driven crazy.”
I shrugged off my suit jacket and hung it on a barstool before rolling up my shirtsleeves. “Put me to work.”
She paused mid-dig through a crate of winter vegetables on the counter.
“And stop looking at me like I shock you. I like that too.”
“I’m sure you get that a lot.” She resumed rummaging, pulling out some green shit that I was sure would leave me starving an hour after we ate.
“I never heard the story about what happened with the whales. Except some secondhand stuff.” I pawed through the box. “Are there some potatoes in there?”
She produced purple things that looked like potatoes. I supposed they’d have to do.
“As much as I hate to admit it, after you so kindly pointed out I had no plan, I made one. I put out an SOS to every organization I’d ever worked with. Our crew didn’t have a lot of experience, but we had heart.” She rinsed off a carrot... a white one? “And just before we set off, we got a massive anonymous donation.”
“Good timing.”
“It was almost two million dollars,” she said excitedly. “That person’s generosity saved six whales that year.”
I let out a low whistle. “Over three hundred grand a whale. Impressive.”
She glared. “That expedition spurred countries in the region to pass legislation protecting the whales. There’s a multi-country pact that’s been in place and honored for over a decade.”
“I knew you could do it.”
She dropped the carrot in the sink. “You thought it was ridiculous. You still think I am.”
“You have no idea what I think.” I put both hands on the counter and leaned forward. “If I wasn’t interested, I wouldn’t have asked.”
“You still think it’s stupid.” She refused to look at me.
“If I did, do you care?”
“It wouldn’t stop me.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
She picked up the carrot and scrubbed it aggressively. “There’s not one.”
“Your mom and your social circle and God knows who else make you feel like you’re wasting your time and talent.Not me.So don’t try to pin what they do on me.”
She stared at me incredulously. “You do that too.”
“I ask questions. And share observations. Maybe you don’t like them, but I’m honest. And I would never undermine what you want to do with your life.Never.”
“Are you saying you were trying to help me?”
“Yeah. I was. And trying to understand it.” I shrugged. “I’ve never known anyone whose mission is completely selfless. It’s hard to grasp.” I didn’t understand it. But if there wasn’t someone like JoJo in the world, trying to make it a better place, what would it be like?
“Why does it feel like you’re making fun of me again?” She reached for an heirloom tomato.
“Because you’ve let everyone else get in your head. What doyoufeel like you should be doing?” I rounded the island and bumped her with my hip. “Are we washing this whole crate?”
