Page 21 of The Mirror and the Curse

“Hard work helps me think stuff through,” he said gruffly. “Also, I try to lead by example. Why are you all dressed up?”

Her attire wasn’t his issue; something had riled him before she arrived. She smoothed the skirt of her hot-pink flowered sundress. “For a change, I guess. Can’t spend my entire summer in a flight suit.”

He stabbed his manure fork straight down into the straw, leaned one elbow on its handle, and looked her up and down, his expression impassive. “For a real change, you could pick up another fork and help me here.”

Eddi wrinkled her nose. “Sooo not happening. I’m meeting friends for a shopping trip soon.” She lifted one foot to show off a strappy sandal with sky-high heels. “And these weren’t cheap.”

He displayed a well-worn rubber boot, mimicking her movements. “Neither were these, back in the day.”

Teasing was a good sign. Grinning, she retorted, “You should be more careful of your valuable attire. I’m sure some designer labored to arrange the holes in that tee-shirt for aesthetic effect.”

The glint in his eye told her she was about to get her sass back with interest. “Absolutely. Holey tee-shirts draw girls like flies. Unfortunately, today the flies outnumber the girls.”

Eddi chuckled, but he wasn’t finished. “Wait, there’s more.” Leaving the fork to stand on its own, he flourished one finger and thumb of each gloved hand, peeled the damp tee-shirt away from his belly and chest, and fanned it in and out. “This shirt is also ergonomically designed. Its superior ventilation encourages top-quality labor. And finally, the pièce de résistance?” He pulled up the hem with both hands and mopped sweat from his face. “It doubles as a towel. Bet you can’t do that with your designer dress.”

After what felt like an endless pause, Eddi managed a laugh. “As if I would try!”

Warning! Warning! Get mind back on track.

It wasn’t as if she’d never seen him and other guys shirtless at the resort beach in years past, so maybe he’d thought . . . Nope. She wasn’t that oblivious.

“You did that on purpose to fluster me, you toad!”

The twitch at the corners of his lips verified her suspicion. “It worked,” he pointed out.

She opened her mouth to tell him . . . she didn’t know what.

Time to change the subject.

“Kai . . .” She had to pause and clear her throat. “I just got word that other fterotó racers are coming soon, and I bet they’ll want training once they see how you and Flurry work together.”

He jerked the manure fork out of the straw. “You mean, once they see how you and White work together. They won’t be seeing Flurry. The fterotá are welcome to come, but I can’t fit more clients into my schedule without affecting my work. And I owe Faraway Castle my best.”

Eddi’s thoughts abruptly scattered again. “Did you already know they were coming?”

“I was informed a few hours ago that five additional fterotá will arrive in about two weeks.” He stabbed the fork into the straw and dumped another load into the barrow. “All six stalls will be filled. I imagine White will enjoy the company.”

She didn’t know what, but obviously something was wrong.

“I guess so, but he’s been happy with just us.” When he didn’t respond, she asked, “Hey, um, can my lessons be on Tuesday and Thursday this week?”

He nodded. “Works for me.” He paused and looked directly at her. “I have Thursday morning off. If you can fit it into your schedule, we could take a longer flight than usual.”

Her heart lifted. “That sounds great! I’ll set the entire morning aside.”

His expression visibly brightened, and yet . . . He set aside the fork and stepped over to the wheelbarrow, adjusting his work gloves.

“Why are you so cagey all of a sudden?” she blurted. “We’re friends again, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, but I’ve got work to do.” He raised one brow and gave her a wicked smile. “As your friend, I advise you to move out of the doorway.” Before she could react, he hefted the loaded barrow and rolled it toward her. “Sure would be a shame if something smelly landed on your pretty shoes.”

Monday morning, Eddi sat chatting with friends at a breakfast table on the deck outside the dining hall when two warm hands covered her eyes and a falsetto voice ordered, “Guess who.” Irritation spiked, but then she realized who played the silly trick.

“Fidelio?” The hands slipped away, and she turned to squint up at a grinning face largely covered in black whiskers. “I didn’t expect you so soon.”

“Surprise! I worked out the complications and arrived late last night.” Still beaming, he appropriated the empty chair beside her and regarded Ianthe and Maria across the table. “Good morning, ladies. Mind if I join you for breakfast?”

“Tell me again how old you are, Your Highness,” Maria demanded in a voice nearly free of inflection. “Nine? Ten?”

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