Page 54 of Sheltering Instinct

“Reaper brought up that same dilemma yesterday,” Craig said.

“For me, I wouldn’t have shared.” She held a finger up, stopping anyone from jumping in. “Before we left, Tess and I both told the group about our concerns. We showed them how much water we were bringing and why. We showed them which snacks we picked—salt over sugar—and why. But did they listen? No. They bought chocolate doughnuts and lunchbox-sized water bottles.”

“It’s a choice.” Craig nodded. “And in this case, Gwen, I think I agree with you. They were on their own to FAFO.”

“FAFO, Dad?” Gwen tucked her chin. “Where in the world did you hear that term?”

“Fool around and find out? Isn’t that a thing you kids say now?”

Gwen grinned. “Yup. That’s exactly right, fool around.”

“So the miracle was the proximity of the houses and the distance in either direction to something else?” Goose asked.

“Yes, that and Otto happened to roll to a stop in front of a long drive to a winery,” Tess said. “The sign said seven kilometers.”

“But it was the heat of the day, Gwen, right?” Iris scolded. “Seven kilometers without knowing if the winery was open or still existed?”

“I didn’t go anywhere, Mom.”

“Otto decided that he'd hike to the vineyard. Half the group joined him.”

“With a little water bottle?” Enrico asked with a shake of his head.

“They didn’t know what they didn’t know. Until you’ve faced dehydration, it’s hard to fathom. Water seems ubiquitous.” When she said that, Tess could feel Levi’s gaze hard on her. She could feel that protective force that he’d radiate out like a magic shield.

But this time, something was different, like he was trying to tamp down a reaction that was borne of habit.

And it hurt to remember. It hurt to know that wasn’t for her anymore.

Tess focused on her fingers, laced tightly in her lap. It was unfortunate that they should cross paths. There was little she could do about it. She needed to get through a few days; then he’d be gone. And she could throw herself into her work.

Licking her lips, Tess screwed her courage in place.

When Tess lifted her gaze again, Gwen was fluffing a hand through her hair, sliding the strands behind her ear to expose her neck as she looked at Levi. “We stayed back and sat in the shade of the trailer. We figured there were more efficient ways to get some help.”

“And the other half of the group?” Levi asked.

“Sunbathed,” Tess said. “Gwen and I were comfortable enough in the shade with a gentle breeze except for a Kamikaze fly that continuously dive-bombed us with the most aggressive buzz I’ve ever heard.”

“Tess and I had been successful when we got sand bogged at Big Daddy, flagging down cars. And that was our go-to plan.”

Levi pushed his fruit bowl toward Tess with one last plump, gloriously red strawberry.

Gwen’s eye dropped to the bowl, then up to Levi.

Tess held her breath. It was another act of muscle memory on his part.

Levi blinked at the bowl, then pulled it back, leaving it untouched beside his water glass.

He was right to retract the strawberry.

That had been a call back to the way they used to be together.

Levi always saved the best bite for last, and he always offered that bite to Tess. Be it a piece of fruit or something sweet—even if they had ordered the exact same dessert—the last piece, the one that was a symbolic show of sacrifice, Levi offered it to her.

This might be too hard to do, Tess thought. Maybe she should take the car and head back to Windhoek until Iniquus left.

Being this close to Levi left her bereft for the death of their future together.

---