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“Since you aren’t, why not take another one?” Wheeler intoned, scrambling to get more and place it on Moon’s shoulders. “You are slacking off.”
“He’s not. But I can take that.”
Glee glowed, and she realized she had walked right into his trap.
“If you insist.”
A second later, the second sack was transferred from Moon to her amid Moon’s protests. She positioned it properly, then stilled when the two ogled her. With an inward sigh, Nicola went for the dramatics and groaned under the weight.
“It’s heavy.”
“I can help—”
“I got it, Moon.”
“See? You got it.” Wheeler grinned, then followed her and Moon as they went to deposit the sacks in the space beside the pen. A donkey brayed and scurried off, recognizing her, so she sidled away from it until she noticed Wheeler observing her once more.
“What?”
“I can’t figure you out, you know. Sometimes you are so incompetent, but other times you act like you barely sweat through the physical activities assigned to you. Which is an act?”
Careful, Nic.
“Neither. Can’t a guy just be tired sometimes?”
“You have the captain wrapped around your finger, too, and I don’t think you earned it as much as this boy did.”
“He’s helping me with etiquette,” Moon reminded. “For when we come across obstacles we can’t fight with our guns and swords.”
“Bah. Anything can be solved with guns and swords.” Wheeler scoffed. “Anyway, it must be all the secrets. I bet your dirt about Jasper will come in handy someday. Have you been buttering up your old captain, too? Did you kiss his asshole to get him to spill his secrets to you? You are pretty as hell…for a boy. It must have been easy.”
Like most of her interactions with him, it was a tossup between her back going up and her nails trying not to land on his face. She settled for a sigh.
“Of course not—oof!”
Nicola glowered at the trash bag filled with manure thrown her way.
“Just make sure you don’t change the tide, young man,” Wheeler warned, then brightened. “Since you seem to be energized today, why don’t you carry this to the back of the ship?”
“It’s heavy,” she complained out of spite.
“It’s not. Anyone can easily carry that much.”
“It’s really heavy.”
“Nonsense. I can do it without breaking a sweat.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Because you are the newbie and need to earn your keep.”
And there, she saw her opportunity.
“I knew it. You can’t carry it. You are just all talk and no action.”
She glimpsed the moment the challenge rose in his features before she was nudged to the side. Nicola bit back a smile as Wheeler hauled the bag on his back, stout legs wobbling slightly.
“See, it’s easy.”
