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Seeing her tearstained face this morning had felt like broken glass on his heart. It had taken everything he had not to run to her and sweep her up in his arms.
But the way she tried to wipe away her tears told him she didn’t want him feeling sorry for her.
And that broke his heart even more.
At least he’d managed to comfort her with a good meal. And even if it wasn’t quite the same as wiping her tears away, she looked relaxed again, maybe even content. And it was because of Jubal.
He had never known that such a thing would be important to him.
Don’t fall for her. This is supposed to be all business.
When he’d signed on, that sounded easy enough.
The trouble was, between last night and this morning, everything in his heart seemed to have changed, and he could barely keep up with the instincts and emotions this slip of a Terran girl inspired in him.
“I’ll just get the dishes,” she said, flashing him a smile and sliding off her stool and heading to the sink.
“No need,” Oberon’s voice said, before Jubal could argue. “Our staff will be very pleased to take care of any clean up. And the two of you need to prepare for the day’s activity.”
“What’s the day’s activity?” Jubal asked.
“Today, you will hike the mountain behind the villa,” Oberon said. “And I want to issue you a challenge.”
“A challenge?” Jubal echoed, surprised.
“If you make it to the top of the mountain and successfully camp for the night without asking for my help, I will open up another wing of the villa for you when you return,” Oberon said.
“So, like a bet?” Jubal asked.
“Yes,” Oberon said. “We can call it a bet if you would like. Your file says you have extensive experience camping, Jubal.”
Thoughts of his extensive camping experience made him smile.
“What do you say, Chloe?” Jubal asked, glancing over to the little schoolteacher. She was probably afraid of the woods at night.
But to his surprise, she was smiling so hard that it looked like she had just scored front row tickets to his comeback show.
“That sounds amazing,” she said happily.
“Excellent,” Oberon told them. “There is a burden beast outside with everything you’ll need.”
Jubal gestured for Chloe, and they headed out to the terrace together.
Sure enough, a tiny white horse with black markings pulled a hover-sled of camping equipment on slender traces.
Beside the horse sat two backpacks.
“Each of you can take one,” Oberon explained. “Your packs contain a change of clothing, extra rations, and a small siren to set off in case of emergency. I’ve given each of you a compass as well.”
“Neat,” Chloe said, already putting on her backpack and grabbing the compass attached to the front strap to fiddle with it.
“You’ll want to get started soon, so that you can reach the mountaintop before dark,” Oberon advised. “Is there anything else you need from me before I sign off for our… bet?”
“Nope,” Jubal said.
“The only way to the top is to start at the bottom,” Chloe said lightly, quoting the lyrics to one of his earliest songs.
“So climb, baby, climb,” Jubal replied with a smile. It was cute that she would quote his song to him. The least he could do was answer the call-and-response.
