Page 89 of The Pacifist
“I know, but Khan refuses to do it.”
Hunter snorted. “Good, because that would have made him a complete joke.”
“Why?” Anne asked.
“Because it’s not what we do.” Hunter squared his shoulders. “No one would hug him.”
“Do Nmen not like hugs?”
“Sure, but not with our ruler. And the safety concern for him is too great. Not everyone is a fan.”
I placed both my elbows and palms on the table, leaning forward. “I still believe that a hugging booth would get a lot of attention. Especially if the people hugging are someone the Nmen would form long lines to hug; like women.” My gaze shifted to Anne, who raised her brow.
“You want me to hug people to help your friend, Khan?”
“Uh-huh. I’m happy to do it alongside you, but I think your line would be a lot longer than mine.”
Hunter crossed his arms. “A hug sounds excessive. I’m not sure you two know what you’re getting yourself into. Let’s keep it to a handshake and a picture.”
“How can a hug be excessive?” Anne asked.
“A hug is one thing, but we’re talking hundreds maybe. Big men who will swallow you up in their arms and resist letting go again.”
“Men like you?”
Hunter nodded. “Yes, and bigger than me.”
A small smile played on Anne’s lips. “I think I can handle it.”
My voice rose with excitement. “So you’ll do it?”
“Yes. It sounds fun.” Anne looked as excited as the time she was five and we took her on a secret mission to Mom’s cherry tree. “When are we leaving?”
“Whoa, slow down, you two.” Hunter pointed at me. “I see what you’re doing and I can’t let you do it.”
“Do what?”
“You’re recruiting Anne to do something that fits your agenda, but she has no way of fully understanding what she’s agreeing to.”
“Anne is an adult who can make her own decisions,” I argued.
Hunter stood his ground. “The tournament isn’t until April the sixth. That’s still three weeks away, so why not bring Anne to the Northlands for a visit before then?” He nodded his head like it was already decided. “It’ll give you a chance to make a more informed decision.”
Emanuela gave Anne an apologetic smile. “Nmen are very protective of women. Hunter means well.”
“It’s fine. I understand.”
“Okay, then you can come with me when I leave tomorrow night. If you’re available.”
“I might as well since all my modeling jobs have been canceled. Apparently, there’s too much attention around my private life at the moment.”
“Good. Bringing you will give us a chance to discuss the idea with Pearl and Khan. I’m sure they’ll agree a hugging booth is a great idea.”
Hunter waved his hands in front of him. “Stop saying hugging booth. I like the idea of helping Khan, but please don’t make the mistake of promising people a hug. Just call it a meet and greet. If you feel like hugging you can, but otherwise shake their hands. Trust me, fans can be a bit much. Ema and I have a lot of experience with this sort of thing.”
Emanuela agreed: “Hunter is right, but if this is important to you, Jonah, then I’m happy to help too.”
Hunter huffed out, “Then it’s definitely only handshakes. I’m not letting my wife hug strangers.”
