TENET: 121
Be active.
- Dr. H.VynFleet, 132 Tenets of Childcare & Maintenance
BA’SH
Ba’sh dragged himself out of bed before dawn, as usual, and headed outside.
He’d had a rough night, tossing and turning, thinking about how badly he had messed things up with Yasmine.
He was haunted by the image of Pia’s tearstained face.
And he couldn’t help picturing his own ugly rage as he berated the young nanny in the great hall. No wonder she didn’t want to forgive him and stay on.
So far, his plan to stay out of her way seemed to be working. It had been hard, but he’d stayed in his study last night, when they all came in from outside laughing and talking quietly.
It was nice to hear Jax laughing again. Ba’sh remembered his own confusing and rebellious teenage years, and didn’t push his son to talk to him too much.
But Yasmine seemed to have effortlessly opened a path of communication.
She’s younger than I am, she’s not his father, and she has time on her hands…
But none of those reasons explained why Jax hadn’t talked with any of the other nannies.
She makes an effort with him.
The thought made him feel bad about not making a better effort himself.
He was still mulling it over when he reached the lawn. His two security agents followed far enough behind him that he felt like he was going for a run in the park and there happened to be a couple of other guys heading for the park, too. Even if those guys were carrying blasters and scanning the area for threats the whole time.
But when he passed the big fountain, he could see that someone else was in the meadow at the edge of the trees.
At first, he thought he was imagining it to be Yasmine because he had been thinking about her so much. But as he got closer, he saw that he was right. She stood just off the entrance to the trail, stretching.
When she caught sight of him her eyes widened, and she got a look like an arbistle in a trap.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d be here,” she said. “I can run another time.”
“No,” he said quickly. “That’s silly. Run with me, please.”
Her expression was torn.
He resisted the impulse to continue encouraging her. She would make her own decision.
After a moment, she nodded.
“Excellent,” he said. “Do you normally do a lot of stretching before you run?”
“They say you’re actually more likely to injure yourself if you stretch before running,” she said. “But I can’t help it. I always feel better loosened up a little.”
“I agree,” he said, beginning his own stretches.
They limbered up in the chill morning air for a few minutes, then Yasmine jogged in place a little.
He tried and failed not to notice how beautiful she was, feeling like a schoolboy with a crush. The poor woman was just trying to get some exercise. She wore cling breeches and a t-shirt with a farming symbol of some sort, as well as a cheap pair of pink sports shoes that were not even designed for running in forest terrain.
He made a mental note to have someone on staff measure her feet so he could get her some proper ones. The girl had pride, but he couldn’t have her hurting herself on the trails. If the children gave them to her as a gift, maybe she would accept.