get through these next couple of weeks . I’ve come up with a solution.”
He raised an eyebrow . “Have you now?”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” he asked as his eyebrow rose another degree . She scowled.
“Obviously I don’t like you, and you don’t like me—”
“I never said that,” Logan cut in . “Abe, did I ever say that I disliked Miss Amber?”
Abe stopped pouring her another cup of coffee, looked back and forth between the two, and then nervously cleared his throat . “Well, no, you didn’t say anything of the sort.” Logan turned to Amber with a triumphant shrug . “You aren’t being very nice to her, though.”
Logan’s cockiness faded as she raised her eyebrow back at him . “Like I said: you don’t like me, and I don’t like you . The only way we are going to survive being on a ship together is if we avoid each other.”
“It’s a large ship, but don’t you think we will run into each other on occasion? Especially during meals, and at night when you sleep in my bed?”
“I’ve figured that out too,” she replied, refusing to respond to his baited comment about the bed, knowing he said it to irk her . “We speak to each other as little as possible, and keep the conversation polite and impersonal.”
“You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“What if I tell you it isn’t going to work?”
Abe shook his head with a silent groan as he peeled potatoes . Amber crossed her arms . “Why on earth wouldn’t it?”
Logan pulled himself from his leaning stance against the wall and approached her, stopping to grab an apple from a barrel . “I’d think it would be quite obvious to you, by now.” She narrowed her gaze as he took a bite . “I’m a pirate . I can’t be civil.” Juices from the ripe apple ran down his chin as he chomped . “So I guess you have to come up with a new plan.”
Amber stood . “I guess I do.” As she walked past him she knocked his mug off the table, spilling hot coffee all over the front of his breeches . Logan leapt away with a bellow as she disappeared around the corner .
Abe approached with a damp cloth and tri ed to dab at the mess, but Logan snatched the rag from him and rubbed angrily .
“I have never met a more irritating woman in my entire life,” he seethed as he pressed the cloth to his burned thighs.
Abe bit back a smile . “I hate to say this, but I think you deserved that one.”
Chapter Eight
The rest of the day passed without much action . Amber made good on her half of the deal by avoiding Logan as much as possible . He too decided to adhere to the plan, his change of heart perhaps stemming from the incident at breakfast . But all too soon, it seemed, the sun sank below the horizon and the smell of dinner cooking tempted the crew to rush through their nightly duties so that they could eat sooner .
After procrastinating as much as p ossible, Logan surrendered the helm to Jean and did a quick survey of the ship that led him to the door to his quarters, where Amber had been most of the day . He sighed and entered the room.
At the sound of his entry she spared a single glance in his dire ction, then returned her attention to the worn copy of Othello she held in her hands . By the looks of it, she had almost finished it.
“Hungry?” he asked as he walked over to the clothes that hung drying on the rafters . She licked her finger and turned the page . “Are you still ignoring me?” She stayed silent . “Othello kills himself at the end.” He could see the muscles in her jaw working as she held back her angry response. Shaking his head, he pulled off his shirt and replaced it with a clean , though damp , one. The door opened again, sending in a gust of cool air as Eli entered . Amber looked up and smiled.
“Good evening Elijah,” she said as she marked her page and put the book down beside her.
“Hello Miss Amber . I hope you had a relaxing day?”
“I did, thank you very much
He raised an eyebrow . “Have you now?”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” he asked as his eyebrow rose another degree . She scowled.
“Obviously I don’t like you, and you don’t like me—”
“I never said that,” Logan cut in . “Abe, did I ever say that I disliked Miss Amber?”
Abe stopped pouring her another cup of coffee, looked back and forth between the two, and then nervously cleared his throat . “Well, no, you didn’t say anything of the sort.” Logan turned to Amber with a triumphant shrug . “You aren’t being very nice to her, though.”
Logan’s cockiness faded as she raised her eyebrow back at him . “Like I said: you don’t like me, and I don’t like you . The only way we are going to survive being on a ship together is if we avoid each other.”
“It’s a large ship, but don’t you think we will run into each other on occasion? Especially during meals, and at night when you sleep in my bed?”
“I’ve figured that out too,” she replied, refusing to respond to his baited comment about the bed, knowing he said it to irk her . “We speak to each other as little as possible, and keep the conversation polite and impersonal.”
“You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
“What if I tell you it isn’t going to work?”
Abe shook his head with a silent groan as he peeled potatoes . Amber crossed her arms . “Why on earth wouldn’t it?”
Logan pulled himself from his leaning stance against the wall and approached her, stopping to grab an apple from a barrel . “I’d think it would be quite obvious to you, by now.” She narrowed her gaze as he took a bite . “I’m a pirate . I can’t be civil.” Juices from the ripe apple ran down his chin as he chomped . “So I guess you have to come up with a new plan.”
Amber stood . “I guess I do.” As she walked past him she knocked his mug off the table, spilling hot coffee all over the front of his breeches . Logan leapt away with a bellow as she disappeared around the corner .
Abe approached with a damp cloth and tri ed to dab at the mess, but Logan snatched the rag from him and rubbed angrily .
“I have never met a more irritating woman in my entire life,” he seethed as he pressed the cloth to his burned thighs.
Abe bit back a smile . “I hate to say this, but I think you deserved that one.”
Chapter Eight
The rest of the day passed without much action . Amber made good on her half of the deal by avoiding Logan as much as possible . He too decided to adhere to the plan, his change of heart perhaps stemming from the incident at breakfast . But all too soon, it seemed, the sun sank below the horizon and the smell of dinner cooking tempted the crew to rush through their nightly duties so that they could eat sooner .
After procrastinating as much as p ossible, Logan surrendered the helm to Jean and did a quick survey of the ship that led him to the door to his quarters, where Amber had been most of the day . He sighed and entered the room.
At the sound of his entry she spared a single glance in his dire ction, then returned her attention to the worn copy of Othello she held in her hands . By the looks of it, she had almost finished it.
“Hungry?” he asked as he walked over to the clothes that hung drying on the rafters . She licked her finger and turned the page . “Are you still ignoring me?” She stayed silent . “Othello kills himself at the end.” He could see the muscles in her jaw working as she held back her angry response. Shaking his head, he pulled off his shirt and replaced it with a clean , though damp , one. The door opened again, sending in a gust of cool air as Eli entered . Amber looked up and smiled.
“Good evening Elijah,” she said as she marked her page and put the book down beside her.
“Hello Miss Amber . I hope you had a relaxing day?”
“I did, thank you very much
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