unhelpful. He seemed to feel my stare and looked up with a smile. “These are nice, Noll.”
I tore away, suddenly forgetting how annoyingly unhelpful he was being and remembering how attractive his face was. That cleft in his chin always had an effect on me. “Thanks.” I tucked a little bit of hair behind my ears. It was short, but it still stuck out enough that it could get irritating if I swung my head around quickly.
Jurij put down the cat with the scarred rump and followed it with a dog and her puppy. He arranged and rearranged them until he must have decided they were shown off to their best angles. His hand lingered on the mother dog. “I don’t suppose there’s a way to get Bow. Tell El—your sister you need some company?”
I laughed, and not kindly. “I don’t think she’d have much sympathy. Especially once she discovered I already had some company.”
Jurij leaned back, resting his head against the bricks of the baker’s shop. “Yeah, I guess that wouldn’t work.”
I reached into the basket and pulled out the last of its contents, a small wooden sign on which I’d carved “Wooden Playthings, 2 Coppers Each,” and placed it in front of the eclectic little herd. “Well, if it’s any comfort, she’s bound to realize soon enough that you haven’t gone off to die, and you’ll get your dog back in the chaos that ensues.”
Jurij pounded the back of his head against the baker’s shop wall once, twice, and a third time. “That’s not a comfort at all.”
I shrugged. I knew that. But I didn’t think he was helping things by hoping it never happened. “Why don’t we invite her to your mother and aunt’s tonight?”
Jurij tore his head away from the wall and stared at me. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
I ran a finger in a circle around a squirrel. “You might not find it so bad after all. You might … ” Just go back and make up with your wife already.
“No.” Jurij leaned his head back again and hugged his knees to his chest. He always did that when he was uncomfortable. I wondered if Elfriede knew that about him. Or if she’d ever seen him uncomfortable before the curse was broken.
“You know, Elfriede doesn’t … ” The giggles of children stopped me from continuing. I smiled at the boy and two girls standing in front of my makeshift shop. “Good day.” The girl in the front held two copper coins between her fingers.
“Ask her!” The boy laughed and shoved the girl beside him.
“No, you ask her!” The girl he’d shoved dug her heels into the ground and pushed back against the boy’s hands in her efforts to resist him, accidentally bumping into the girl with the coins in the exchange.
I pretended to cough and held up the cat. “Do you want to take a closer look? Go ahead. Pick them up.”
The well-behaved girl with the coppers took the cat from me and examined it. The boy and girl behind her were undeterred, still pushing against one another. Jurij stared at them, one eyebrow raised. “What’s up with those two?” he asked quietly.
I stuck out a hand to stop further inquiries on the subject. It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten questions, and it was bound not to be the last. With any luck, they’d both prove too shy to ask, and that would be the end of it.
The little customer put the cat back on the blanket and picked up the squirrel, just as the girl behind her stumbled forward, her battle against the boy’s persistence lost. “Um,” she said, rubbing a hand over her forearm. “Wanted nolorloolike.”
“What?” asked Jurij.
The children burst out laughing, the boy clutching his arms to his stomach, the girl covering her mouth as if she’d said something shameful. She hadn’t said anything at all, really, except that I knew exactly what she meant, having heard it a number of times now.
I picked up the puppy figure and held it to the girl in front, who put the squirrel down and took the puppy from me. “They want to know,” I
I tore away, suddenly forgetting how annoyingly unhelpful he was being and remembering how attractive his face was. That cleft in his chin always had an effect on me. “Thanks.” I tucked a little bit of hair behind my ears. It was short, but it still stuck out enough that it could get irritating if I swung my head around quickly.
Jurij put down the cat with the scarred rump and followed it with a dog and her puppy. He arranged and rearranged them until he must have decided they were shown off to their best angles. His hand lingered on the mother dog. “I don’t suppose there’s a way to get Bow. Tell El—your sister you need some company?”
I laughed, and not kindly. “I don’t think she’d have much sympathy. Especially once she discovered I already had some company.”
Jurij leaned back, resting his head against the bricks of the baker’s shop. “Yeah, I guess that wouldn’t work.”
I reached into the basket and pulled out the last of its contents, a small wooden sign on which I’d carved “Wooden Playthings, 2 Coppers Each,” and placed it in front of the eclectic little herd. “Well, if it’s any comfort, she’s bound to realize soon enough that you haven’t gone off to die, and you’ll get your dog back in the chaos that ensues.”
Jurij pounded the back of his head against the baker’s shop wall once, twice, and a third time. “That’s not a comfort at all.”
I shrugged. I knew that. But I didn’t think he was helping things by hoping it never happened. “Why don’t we invite her to your mother and aunt’s tonight?”
Jurij tore his head away from the wall and stared at me. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
I ran a finger in a circle around a squirrel. “You might not find it so bad after all. You might … ” Just go back and make up with your wife already.
“No.” Jurij leaned his head back again and hugged his knees to his chest. He always did that when he was uncomfortable. I wondered if Elfriede knew that about him. Or if she’d ever seen him uncomfortable before the curse was broken.
“You know, Elfriede doesn’t … ” The giggles of children stopped me from continuing. I smiled at the boy and two girls standing in front of my makeshift shop. “Good day.” The girl in the front held two copper coins between her fingers.
“Ask her!” The boy laughed and shoved the girl beside him.
“No, you ask her!” The girl he’d shoved dug her heels into the ground and pushed back against the boy’s hands in her efforts to resist him, accidentally bumping into the girl with the coins in the exchange.
I pretended to cough and held up the cat. “Do you want to take a closer look? Go ahead. Pick them up.”
The well-behaved girl with the coppers took the cat from me and examined it. The boy and girl behind her were undeterred, still pushing against one another. Jurij stared at them, one eyebrow raised. “What’s up with those two?” he asked quietly.
I stuck out a hand to stop further inquiries on the subject. It wasn’t the first time I’d gotten questions, and it was bound not to be the last. With any luck, they’d both prove too shy to ask, and that would be the end of it.
The little customer put the cat back on the blanket and picked up the squirrel, just as the girl behind her stumbled forward, her battle against the boy’s persistence lost. “Um,” she said, rubbing a hand over her forearm. “Wanted nolorloolike.”
“What?” asked Jurij.
The children burst out laughing, the boy clutching his arms to his stomach, the girl covering her mouth as if she’d said something shameful. She hadn’t said anything at all, really, except that I knew exactly what she meant, having heard it a number of times now.
I picked up the puppy figure and held it to the girl in front, who put the squirrel down and took the puppy from me. “They want to know,” I
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