Her back ached from moving the crates. Straightening, she gave him a tight smile. “Jarik, now is not the time.”
She expected him to storm off in a huff, but instead, he buried himself in the job. Pressing a hand to her stomach, she briefly closed her eyes. This morning, when she woke up, she was happy. Now, she could barely keep anything together.
How had the world shifted so quickly?
There was a large empty tent erected for them. One-by-one, they cracked the crates opened and pulled out the toys. Dolls. Stuffed animals. Books. Toy cars and trains. Puzzles. Most of them were cheap, but to these children, they would be precious. Everything was more precious to them.
It was a shame that not everybody could appreciate the joys in life.
Finally, well after midnight, all the toys were sorted. She sat heavily at one of the tables and smiled in pride.
“One toy left,” Jarik whispered. Maria turned to see him holding the teddy bear that she had stopped to pick up from the toy store.
It was only a few days ago, but it seemed like forever. Slowly, she reached out and took the bear. “Everything is sorted. I don’t know where it goes.”
“Then hang on to it. I’m sure you’ll find the right person tomorrow.” He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “Come to bed?”
“Sure, but I don’t think you’ll find any privacy. We’re bunking with Tess.”
“No, we’re not.” He grabbed her hand and led her gently outside. The torches were slowly diminishing. As he led her around the tents, she looked up at the night sky and smiled.
“The stars are so beautiful.”
“Just like you.”
Snorting, Maria shook her head. “You’re lucky I’m so tired.” Leaning against him, she snuggled under his arm, walking awkwardly until they stopped. When he pulled the tent flap back, she stiffened.
“What is this?”
“I wanted some privacy with you tonight, so I got us an extra te
nt.”
“An extra tent?” Maria felt the anger wash over her. “And how much did you pay for this?”
“Maria,” Jarik said quietly.
“Why? For sex? Are you kidding me?”
“No.” He reached out and grabbed her. “Not for sex. To talk. Damn it, Maria, what is happening with you? This is why I’m here. To help you, but you’re fighting me.”
“I’m not fighting you, Jarik. I’m fighting your money. I wanted you to work at the camp so it would humble you, but you’re throwing your money around here like it’s nothing. Doesn’t that embarrass you?”
Ushering her inside, he rubbed his head in irritation as he began to pace. “What gives you the right to humble me? You know nothing about me, yet you persist in judging me based on your own misguided perceptions about money. It’s a tool, Maria, money is a tool. I use it to get things done.”
“It’s a weapon. You use it to make people do things that they wouldn’t normally do. You hold it over their heads.”
“No,” Jarik growled. “The only person who has been holding money over anyone’s head has been you. I swear, I can’t even think about reaching for my wallet without you making a big deal about it, which is completely ironic given that you run a charity designed to help others. Well that can’t happen without money, which you don’t have; so, it has to come from somewhere. Tell me this. If you despise the rich so much, why would you choose a charity that we would embrace? So you could decline the donations because it came with expectations? Life is filled with expectations and money is a means to meet them.”
Maria was tired. She was tired of trying to get him to see her point of view. She was tired of fighting about the money. And most of all, she was tired of fighting about her feelings for him. There was one way to make all the fighting stop.
“Well, you’ve upheld your end of the bargain. I got you here, and you spent your time working in the camp as promised. I’m sure you can find a flight out tonight to get you to your final destination, wherever that might be.”
Jarik narrowed his eyes. “So this is it? We’re done?”
“Done? You make it sound like we’re breaking up.” Maria tried to sound casual as she headed to the tent entrance. “We both knew what this was going to be. We had fun, but we don’t get along.”
He suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm. “You’re not serious.”