She turned and her cheeks were pink. She glanced away then back at him before speaking. “Oh, hi.”
He wanted to go to her and tell her it was okay, that she didn’t have to be flustered around him. “I’m letting Frog outside. Have you eaten breakfast?”
“No, not yet. I can make you something.”
"You don't have to." Thario opened the back door, and Frog went out. "How about I make you breakfast?"
“Not so fast, either of you,” Sharp said as he came into the kitchen. “You both need rest. Sit. I’ll make breakfast.”
“Oh, but…” Calla’s lips pressed together.
"You can sit and relax, and someone else can do the work," Sharp said.
Calla shook her head. “That’s going to take a lot of reprogramming for me to accept.”
“Yes, but you can accept it, eventually,” Sharp said.
Frog was at the back door, wanting in. Thario moved to the kitchen and grabbed a plastic grocery bag from under the sink. "I'm going out to pick up Frog's bombs."
“You can leave it,” Sharp said.
“No way. That dog will take over your backyard with those things.”
“I’ll go out with you,” Calla said.
“Sure.” Having Calla with him would be good. He still wasn’t one hundred percent, but he was better.
He opened the door, and Frog stepped back, seeming excited that he was heading outside. His dog was always up for fun with him.
“Hey, buddy, where did you leave the bomb?”
Frog barked and jumped around, careful not to knock into him. Thario saw the poop and went over to pick it up. He bent over and had to draw in a deep breath because his head started spinning so fast and hard that the pain almost dropped him to his knees.
“Hey, you okay?” Calla asked.
He grabbed the poop and wrapped it up, then stood. Calla was right there beside him, holding his arm.
“Let me help you.” She took the bag from him and tied off the top.
They walked to the patio, and he stopped. Calla glanced up at just that moment, and even though she was holding a bag of Frog’s poop in her hand, he thought she radiated beauty.
Speechless, he reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear. “Thank you for helping me.”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “Any time.”
He reached over to take the bag. “I’ll go toss this in the trash.”
“No. You shouldn’t walk over there alone.”
She was right, though her words made him bristle a little. "Thank you for helping me. I did get dizzy picking up his poop."
"Next time, let me bend over and get it."
“Oh no, that’s too much to ask.”
"It's not too much. You were almost killed by my brother, and then you and your friends came over and saved me. I was locked up in that house for years. You gave me life, and I thank you."
He smiled at her, liking how her eyes warmed as she stared up at him. After a few seconds, he cleared his throat. She looked flustered.
