They walked on in silence again, accompanied only by the gentle rustle of the forest and Karim’s wheels on the dusty ground.
Perspective.
Balance and focus.
That’s exactly what Dan needed.
“What if I told you I am interested?”he said.“That I could be ready?”
“Then I’d feel like I’ve pushed you into it.”She looked away.“That you’d think I’m like everyone else.Using you.”
“Helping me.”
She raised her gaze back to his, her brow crinkling.
“You’ll be helping me, Libby,” he said again.“Not using me.”Telling his story, his way, was what he had to do to get his life moving forward again.It would give him some breathing space while he planned what to do next with his life.“You scratch my back, Libby.I scratch yours.I’ll give you as much happy content as you need for your channel if you get those reporters out of my face.”Dan held out his hand.“Deal?”
Her eyes dipped to his palm.“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
A slow smile spread across her face.“Then it’s a deal, Cranky.”
She pressed her hand into his and shook.
A chorus of wolf-whistles and kissy-kissy noises erupted down the dirt road.It was the Christopher Mac Gang.
Had they been there all this time?
Dan groaned.“Go away!”
They didn’t, of course.Instead, they ran up to him, laughing.
Libby snickered too.
“You’re just as bad as they are,” he managed to say a split second before he was swamped.
They tugged at his T-shirt and pulled on his arms.
“Come to the caves!”they said.“We want to show you the kopeka.”
Chapter16
Itwasalmostdarkwhen there was a knock on the door.Libby scooped Karim up off the kitchen floor, turned down the burner on the stove, and went to answer it.
“Is that you, Cranky?”
“Will you stop calling me that?”
With a chuckle, she opened the door.“I was getting worried.What happened to you?I didn’t think you’d be gone so long.”
“I would’ve come hours ago,” Dan said, stepping inside.“But on the way back, I bumped into the colonel in the village.”
“Who’s he?”
“The guy who runs the Cabins.He was on his way to atumunu.I made the mistake of asking what that was, then the next thing I know, he’s dragging me into the forest again.”
Libby giggled.“So now you’re drunk on the local homebrew?”
