Page 12 of Shielding Maya

"Like chasing after armed men?"

She sat back on her heels. "Sometimes." Laying her hands on her knees, she cocked her head to the side as she stared into his eyes. "Sometimes, it's stuff like this. Or, sneaking into buildings or computer research. It depends on the job."

His brows furrowed slightly as he continued to stare at her. His jaw softened and he looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you like it? Your job, I mean? Do you like what you do?"

She smiled then. "I do. It's all I've ever wanted to do. Both of my parents have worked for GHOST. They're both semi-retired now. But, Myles and I grew up with our teammates. We played games like spy and covert ops. It's what I've always known I'd do when I grew up."

"And you get to work with your brother."

She chuckled. "And that's both a bonus and a pain sometimes. But, he'd likely tell you the same thing. It's just the two of us, and my parents love that we're able to watch each other's backs, just as they did for each other."

"I can imagine."

She studied his face a moment. The sun shone in the sky now, and when it landed on his hair she saw some gray at the temples. "What about you? Do you love your job, and do you have siblings?"

He swallowed and his brows furrowed briefly. "So, right now, I guess I'm between jobs. My father..." He swallowed again and turned his head to the right past April's cabin. "So, my father is on his deathbed. He's the president of our community up here. When he passes, it's been our tradition to pass the job on to the firstborn son. Not only am I firstborn, I'm the only son, so then the president's job will pass to me."

"I'm sorry to hear about your father. He's probably a hero up here for freeing you from Craig's uncertainty. I know he's spoken of highly in town. He saved Everleigh from being killed. Our team, especially, is eternally grateful to him for that."

Jasiah's smile didn't reach his eyes. "He doesn't feel like the hero. He killed my mom's brother. He killed a man he’d spent much of his life with. No matter that Craig had become unpredictable and scary. He was family and my father has struggled with that since the moment he fired his gun."

Maya stood up and brushed her hands on her thighs. "I'm sorry that has weighed so heavily on him. I'm also sorry for your family's loss. I hope your mom is able to mourn properly and heal."

He smiled at her and it was so serene and beautiful she wanted to hug him. "She's focusing on my father, and that has preoccupied her for the time being. Soon, she'll have to grieve both of them."

Her nose stung and her eyes watered slightly. "I'm so sorry."

He inhaled deeply. "Thank you. She's strong. She has all of us up here to help her."

"So when you're president, what will that job entail?"

He tucked his fingers in his front pockets and looked into her eyes. "Right now, it means making sure the peace agreement is kept. It means ensuring we're doing our part to grow. By grow, I mean as a community. We have running water now. We have electricity and gas. We're getting used to that. I'm working with some of our builders and we're working on retrofitting homes with necessities. Just this morning I walked into my parents’ cabin and saw my mom turning the faucet on and off in utter amazement. That might seem backwards to you, but it's a thing of wonder up here for so many."

She smiled at him and her heart swelled. "I don't think it's backwards. I think it's beautiful. How exciting to guide your people through such a new and exciting transformation. You should be so proud."

His grin was adorable. His cheeks pinked slightly and with the sun shining on him, he looked like something of a magazine figure. Real, but also, not real. How could a person be so beautiful he didn't look real?

"I'm proud. And, I'm learning all the new things I'll be responsible for. Just a few moments ago, it hit me I'd be the person to help April find employment. All she's ever done is sew. She makes most of the clothes up here. Once everyone is able to buy their own clothing, she'll find her finances in a pinch. I haven't the slightest idea how I'll be able to help her. But I'll figure it out."

Maya smiled. "We might be able to help you with that. Between all of us, we can speak to the folks up here and find out what they're good at. Didn't the mayor mention a job fair or something?"

Jasiah smiled and it was magnificent. "He did. I hate to admit this, but I don't see how a fair can help people get jobs."

She laughed. It came straight from deep in her belly. And, it felt good. "I never thought about that before. Actually, a job fair isn't like going to the county fair. It's where people who are looking for workers gather and talk to people looking for work. Hopefully, they'll all make a match and fulfill their needs."

His cheeks reddened and she saw him rub the back of his neck. "I guess I have a lot to learn." He mumbled.

She smiled softly. She'd embarrassed him and certainly didn't mean to. "I'm sorry for laughing. It wasn't at you. I actually didn't think of how a job fair would seem to someone who'd never heard of one. It is a silly name now that you point that out. And, to be honest, they aren't at all fun, like a county fair. But they can and do fulfill a need."

9

Stunning, that's what she was. His heart beat differently when he was around her. It puzzled him to feel something like that. Over the years, he’d had sex with some girls up here, but not once did his heart do a weird dance when one of them was around.

"I'm a bit out of my element. I have things to learn about how to blend some of our culture up here with your culture in town so we all merge easier. It's helpful that so many have gotten jobs in town. It's my hope to be able to guide us to a positive future."

"I have no doubt you will. It's clear you're a leader."

There it went again. His heartbeat did a somersault or something. Her smile was like the brightest sun. He pulled his shoulders back slightly at her praise. "I appreciate that."

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