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“You can do this with the fish. I’ll help you decide which is best to stab. Some might be too small or even too large.”

“If we only…stabbed the biggest fish, we could stab less fish and have enough for our meal, right?”

“Sometimes. Other times, it’s important to leave enough parent fish to reproduce new fish to stab the next time.”

“Ah, yes.” She sucked in a breath and puffed it out through her pursed lips.

I, of course, stared at her mouth. I couldn’t look away. I kept thinking about how wonderful it felt to kiss her. And how bad I felt after when I realized she might not have wanted me to do it. But she’d kissed me first. That had to mean something. And that was why I was going to show her how to stab fish. Then she’d realize this meant I wanted more with her.

Beth glanced toward the firepit where Pete and the others lounged in chairs. Watching. Smiling. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth before she nodded. “Alright. Show me. I’ll do my best to stab the ones you recommend.” Her swallow took a long time to go down.

Despite the fact that she appeared a bit concerned, hope pulled taut in my chest.

Her gaze dropped to her clothes, and she frowned. “I,uh, I can’t exactly change into a bathing suit or anything. Not that I have one, but you know what I mean.”

It took me a moment to catch her meaning because I couldn’t imagine why humans would wear special outfits to bathe.

My ears burned. Of all things, I hadn’t considered what she could wear in the river. If she undressed, the others would know the truth. But if she stayed in what she had on right now…

“You don’t need to change,” I said quickly. “When you reach the river, roll up your pants. Take off your shoes. No one will know.”

Her eyes searched mine, uncertain, before she sighed. “I can do that.”

We left the gazebo, me striding with confidence I wasn't sure I should be feeling, her pacing beside me, carrying her spear. It felt good to look down and see her with me. Happy—mostly. Eager to do something with me.

As we passed them, Pete gave me an encouraging nod. Carol beamed and elbowed her mate. I was grateful that their suggestion for useful gifts had been this well received by Beth, and I actually was starting to think this could work, that Beth might grow to like me.

Mary's head tilted as her gaze fell on Beth, but she didn't say anything. Joel just smiled.

I guided Beth to a broad, shallow area in the river with a big, well-leafed tree shading the water.

“I saw many fish here yesterday,” I told her, pointing to the shadowy area beneath the tree. “I think we'll beable to stab enough for our dinner. Maybe enough for breakfast.”

“I’m not sure many people like eating fish for breakfast, though my grandfather loved smoked kippers.” Her nose scrunched. “He ate them on toast every Sunday morning.”

“Did you eat them with him?”

Her lips curled down, sorrow filling her face. “I was little when he died. I told him they smelled yucky. Now I wish I’d tried them.”

“I’m sure he understood. Grandparents can be amazing.”

“He truly was. He was one of the few people who was nice to me. He loved me, and I loved him too.”

“I’m glad you had him in your life.”

“Me too. As for fish,” she lifted her new spear, “don't count on me feeding the crowd. I’m a newbie.”

“Wait and see.” I looked down at her. “I'll go fetch my own spear and be right back.”

She nodded and turned to face the water while I jogged to where I'd left the one I'd made for myself, returning fast. She'd toed her boots off while I was gone, removed her socks, and rolled up her pants. Her legs were slender and pale-skinned, and I ached to touch them.

Heat crawled up my neck. My breath turned shallow as I dragged my gaze away from the smooth skin of her calves.

I cleared my throat, forcing my mind to focus.

“Normally, orcs wear suits in the water,” I croaked,struggling to find something to say. “But it's safe here. You don’t need to be concerned.”

She bit down on her lower lip, frowning at the water lazily flowing past us. “Safe from what?”