Page 46 of Tattle Tail
“I disagree.” She muttered the words into the mug of tea.
A campfire crackled against the night. She inched away from the fire, the smoke tickling her nose. The day had been warm, but the night was cooler than she expected. The computer estimated from the tilt of the planet’s axis that the season was autumn. She agreed, considering the warmth of the sun.
The ship landed roughly, as the landing gear had sustained impact damage from a stray asteroid. Racing against daylight, they took inventory of the damage. The hull breach was the worst. Daylight leaking in through the long, jagged gash made a stark contrast to the dull gray interior of the hull. The communication array needed repairs, but Peaceable felt confident that she could scrounge up the necessary parts.
As for any damage caused by the disruptor, she had yet to inspect every nook and crevice on the ship. Nettle had been freed from her carrier and currently stalked the ship. Peaceable felt confident that if there was another disruptor lurking, Nettle would find it. She was a skilled hunter, after all.
“You always disagree,” he said.
“If I agreed too easily, you would be suspicious.”
He chuckled softly. “Sweet pea, nothing about you is easy.”
Her tail swept across the ground, brushing against the grass. His tone made his words sound like a compliment.
Before the sun set, Joseph took a handheld scanner and foraged for food. He had landed in a field near a wide river. Trees clustered near the water. As the sun slipped over the horizon, he returned with root vegetables and fish.
He cheerfully made a campfire, finding stones to build a containing ring while she searched for tinder. Cleaning the fish had been more graphic than she expected, but the cooking aroma chased away that memory. Her stomach growled in anticipation.
“Someone’s hungry,” he said. He removed the fish from a large, flat stone next to the fire and put it and the roasted vegetables on a plate.
“Are you certain the food is free of parasites and toxins?” She accepted the plate but eyed the dinner with caution. Coated with butter and garlic, the meal smelled better than it had a right to.
“Everything’s been scanned and tested, but I have stuff in the ship.”
“More soup,” she said, unimpressed.
“You’ve been sick. Your stomach can’t handle anything too heavy.” He reached over to take the plate.
She pulled it protectively toward her chest. “I will eat slowly and determine for myself what my stomach can tolerate.” She picked at the fish, mindful of the tiny bones. The texture was flaky and not unpleasant. Nettle moved between her and Joseph, happily devouring small pieces. Between the fire, the stars, and the satisfying fullness from the meal, exhaustion crept up on her.
“Thank you,” she said, barely covering a yawn. “This is nice.”
“When I said I wanted to take you on a real date, I meant the full Moonquest experience. I pull out all the stops,” he said. “Exotic location. Home-cooked meal. Scintillating conversation.” He waggled his brows.
Peaceable huffed with amusement, ducking her head down to hide her blush. Emergency landings and abandoned ghost planets aside, she’d been on worse dates.
“You are good at this.”
“I’m very good at this,” he said, voice low. Seriousness replaced the teasing, and the air seemed to crackle between them. An unknown and unavoidable force pulled her forward, leaning toward him.
Firelight reflected in his dark eyes. A hand—her hand acting as if a separate entity—reached out and brushed a thumb across his bottom lip.
She cleared her throat, jerking her hand away.
“At camping,” she said, unexpectedly flustered at his flirting. For all his talk about a real date and the kiss they shared, it somehow eluded her that Joseph would flirt.
With her.
Peaceable Daval.
And she would caress his lips like they were mates.
She didn’t know how to process this.
He gave a soft smile. “My dad liked to camp. Any chance he got, he was always dragging us to some out-of-the-way place without working utilities. Mari complained about the insects.” A flash of sadness crossed his face, half-hidden in the flickering firelight. “I didn’t realize how much I loved it until he was gone.”
Joseph added a piece of wood to the fire. Red and orange sparks flew into the air. They sat in silence, finishing their meal, and watching the fire.
