Jo stood in front of the board, her arms crossed and lips gently pursed as she looked over the papers in front of her. There were about five different posts collected and she was trying to read each one thoroughly as she gauged what would be the best "starting point."

The idea of fulfilling a commision and building something for someone else was daunting to her. Of course she had built things before, but they were mainly for herself or as gifts. None of her products had ever been a request or necessity. It brought a whole new level of pressure into the picture.

Figuring she should start off easy, Jo began to reach for a commision posted by Lucy for two simple chairs. After all, she had built a rocking chair for her neighbor less than a year ago - if she could do that then this should be easy. However, before she could grab it, another hand beat her there and pulled it down.

"Aw, too slow, kid," the voice next to her spoke, the tone nasally and snide.

Kid?

"Higgins," Jo stated, annoyance coating her voice as she looked at him.

"You should leave these jobs to the big boys. Meaning me," he told her, smirking as he waved the paper in her face.

Jo huffed. "If you're such a 'big boy' then why don't you take one of the bigger jobs? That ones just for some chairs."

"Hmm," he began.

God, she wanted to kick him right in his stupid, little shins.

"You're right," he stated with a nod. "I think I'll take both."

In one quick movement, Higgins was reaching up to take another sheet off the board - this one labeled with a "B."

"Thanks for the tip, kid ," he sneered as he backed away towards the front entrance. He held up both papers to her as he went, pride coating his features.

" Unbelievable ," she breathed as he exited. Her fists were clenched to her sides, her blood boiling in her stomach and chest.

She groaned, her brows pulling together as she turned back to the board. Reminders to "be the bigger" man danced through her head, even though everything in her wanted to chase him down and tackle him for the paper.

Taking a tight breath in, Jo followed it with a slow breath out as she focused on slowing the thumping in her chest.

What would he do in this situation? Focus on that, Jo.

Taking her own advice, Jo decided to snag a commission from Django regarding a needed tea table. At least the task would be a similar concept. Plus, now that Higgins had pissed her off she was ready to build the best darn tea table anyone had ever seen. She wanted to rub it right in his squirmy face.

Leaving the guild, Jo jogged home in an attempt to not lose her motivation. She had planned to take a trip down to Alice's Flower Shop to buy a succulent that morning and maybe even Martha's bakery for some breakfast - but now neither seemed important. Her hunger had completely disappeared and was replaced with determination.

The minute she passed through her gate, she went to work. Her jog back had bothered her injuries that were still sore from yesterday's spar with the snailbobs, but she ignored them. The only things that mattered right now were the quick movement of her hands, the correct supplies, the proper tools. Time was of the essence, but so was the quality. She didn't just want the job done quickly, she wanted it done right.

Lost in her actions, Jo began cutting up wood, sanding it, mending it in place. It was as if someone was there coaching her through each step, ensuring that she wasn't going to fail on her first real job. However, it was only Jo and the wood. Perhaps the real third member of the party was pure instinct.

After connecting the last leg to the tea table, Jo set it upright before leaning her weight into the top. The cut on her arm stung as she pressed, but she hardly acknowledged it due to the excitement rushing through her. The table was sturdy and didn't show any sign of faltering under the pressure.

Yes.

Studying her work, she quickly thought of what it needed and headed back to her wooden chest. But she was stopped short when she heard someone clear their throat.

She turned abruptly to look at who was standing behind her, taken aback as her eyes fell on a familiar face.

And a fire erupted in her stomach.

Would you quit it?

"Arlo," she stated, blinking a few times at the man across from her. "How long have you been standing there?"

He let out a small laugh as he smiled at her. "Long enough. I didn't have the heart to break your focus. Which was impeccable, by the way."

"I'll take that as a compliment, I guess," she told him as she took the rag hanging out of her pocket to try and wipe off some sawdust on her hands. "Afterall, tea tables are really the most advanced project a builder can take on."

"Oh," Arlo responded with a nod. "Don't I know it. Windmills and generators don't even come close."

Now was Jo's turn to laugh. And it felt… exquisite. She had been wound up all morning after her interaction with Higgins - so much that her jaw was tight from tensing it so hard. But Arlo's presence was bringing her back down to Earth. It was just what she needed.

Not him in particular. Just someone to help ease her. Anyone. Definitely not just him.

"So what brings you here?" Jo asked, throwing her towel to the side. "Or does the Captain of the Civil Corps visit all members of the community every morning?

Arlo smirked, shaking his head. The movement caused his red hair to tousle on top of his head. Jo couldn't help but shift her eyes up to admire it.

Admire it? No, no. Definitely not.

Swallowing hard, she was relieved when he started talking and helped wave off her thoughts.

"Wouldn't that be something... " he began. "But no. I...uh… thought you'd like this back."

He lifted his right hand out to her, showing that he had been holding her green jacket this entire time. She hadn't even noticed as she had been focused...elsewhere.

That's right. Your jacket.

"Oh," Jo responded. She moved towards him, reaching out a hand to take it from him. "You didn't have to come all this way to give it to me. I could have just stopped by the Civil Corps later to pick it up."

Jo wasn't sure that she actually meant the words, but it felt like the right thing to say. After all, he had already done enough for her - when she hadn't even asked. Between knocking out snailbobs and taking her all the way up the hill via horseback, she felt as if she was completely in his debt.

"Figured this would be easier," he said, but Jo could see him swallow hard. The reaction caused her head to tilt slightly to the side. "Besides, I didn't think you should be making the trip up there on that hip."

He gestured towards her now, his eyes sliding to the left side of her body. However, it was clear that his gaze was respectful, innocent. Unlike Xu's the day before. God, she had wanted to slip right out of that seat based on how the doctor had been staring at her. She didn't care how much her hip hurt then - she would have gladly ran all the way home just to avoid him.

"I appreciate that," she said, focusing instead on the respectable man in front of her.

"Speaking of which," he started again. "Why on Earth are you up and moving so much this morning? You should be resting."

Jo laughed at this. "Oh, no. I'm much too restless by nature to do that. Besides, it doesn't hurt that bad." She turned away from him, trying to prove a point as she went to reach for her paintbrush and gloss in order to finish the tea table.

But her motions were incomplete as she heard Arlo hum. Then came the touch that had her straighten up immediately.

He was right next to her now, his advances having been silent as he had left his spot feet away and come to her. Jo's lips parted as she stared up at him, unsure of herself as she anticipated his next move.

And his eyes were on hers too, his features soft as he stared at her.

What was he doing?

Seconds felt like minutes as they stood there, but soon Jo realized why he had approached her.

Without saying a word, Arlo's fingers were brushing her left shoulder, pulling down the fabric of her cardigan as he revealed the bare skin underneath. What was left was the deep bruise that had already formed on Jo's skin from yesterday's events. She didn't even have to look over to confirm it was there.

Arlo's eyes left hers as he stared at the spot now, nodding to it as the smallest of smiles sat on his lips.

Like he had known.

"That says otherwise," he said, referring to her statement before.

His hand was still pressed against her left arm, holding the fabric of her sweater down so her shoulder remained exposed.

Her eyes left him - she needed them to in order to clear her thoughts - and she looked over at her shoulder. She hated that he was trying to prove her wrong.

"Well," she said, brushing off his hand so she could slide her sweater back up. "It only hurts when touched."

She shook her head at him, giving a slight scowl. It was teasing, but she couldn't help but feel actual bitterness that he was trying to challenge her word.

"What about your cut? Or your hip, Jo?" he asked her as she reached for her brush and gloss - not allowing him to interrupt this time.

She scoffed at him though, standing up straight again with her needed supplies in hand.

"I am not showing you my hip, Arlo," she told him, shaking her head once more.

The thought of him brushing his fingers over that area was not a thought she needed in her head.

And now it was in her head.

"I wasn't asking you to show me your hip," Arlo retorted, his voice light as he raised an amused brow.

Oh.

"I know that," she said, shrugging him off as she went back to the tea table.

She could feel his eyes on her back as she kneeled down, the movement causing her to hiss in a quick breath as a stab of pain hit her hip.

"Jo, come on. You really should be resting," he persisted.

"Would you stop your worrying? I'm fine. Besides, I'm almost done," she told him.

Arlo walked over, standing on the other side of the tea table as he stared down at her. She was aware of his disapproving look as his hands were placed on his hips.

"Oh yeah? But then what do you plan to do after this?" he asked.

She pursed her lips, not meeting his gaze as she began to add gloss to the wood in front of her.

"I don't see how that's important," she told him.

"Are you going to rest?" he continued.

"If you'd like to call it that - sure," she said. She felt her skin becoming electric at their back and forth - not daring to let a smile slip onto her face.

"And what does Jo's form of rest look like then…?" he asked.

She nearly laughed.

"Curling up with a nice hammer and sheets of glass to fix some broken windows," she said, unable to keep the smirk out of her voice.

And now Arlo groaned as she could see him shake his head in her peripherals.

It felt inexplicably good to tease him. To make him frustrated.

Although her eyes remained focused on her work, she could make out Arlo coming down to a low squat in front of her - just on the other side of the table. The burn of his gaze nearly brought a flush to her cheeks, but she continued to dig deep to keep herself at bay.

"You are beyond stubborn, you know that?" he told her, his voice dipping low.

A tight shock ran through her chest as she nodded. "So I've been told."

Arlo huffed. "Will you at least try to sit in a chair while you do it?"

Now she looked over at him.

"That sounds ridiculous," she told him, laughing. "It's like the 'lazy builder's' approach."

"Or," he jumped in. "The 'cautious and smart builder's' approach… considering that builder is hurt ."

"Not that hurt ," she mocked him.

"Jo!" he said, but his disapproving tone was less received due to the laugh that accompanied it.

" Arlo , I told you. I'm fine," she tried again, still continuing his brush strokes. "I built this entire table while 'hurt,' didn't I?"

Besides, she wasn't even his to worry about.

Well, technically , she kind of was… considering he was the head of the people in this town sworn to keep everyone safe.

Irrelevant!

"Yes," he breathed, obviously not wanting to admit it. "But just because you did it doesn't mean that it was a good idea."

"You say that," she began. "But you're not the one who has to face Higgins if you get behind on commissions. Imagine what people would think if I hadn't started helping out."

She stood now, moving to her left to get to the end of the table. Which also meant that she had shifted closer to where he was still lowered.

"People will understand considering they know what happened yesterday," he tried. "Besides, you don't have anything to prove."

His last words rang in her ears, nearly making them turn red. Her tongue moved to poke into her cheek as she continued to let the sentiment sink in.

If you only knew.

"Look, it's fine," she said, shooting him a glance. "I promise to take breaks and be careful. I know I won't be much good if I push it too hard."

Now her gaze was back on her work, but she could feel Arlo's eyes become less piercing. She didn't even need to look at him to know the stare had grown softer.

"Fine," he said, his voice a little reluctant. "You win this time, Jo."

Her stomach flipped at the words. Why did she enjoy that so much?

"But, I insist you relax tonight," he told her. He stood up from his spot, and for some reason Jo followed suit.

"Rem, Sam, and I will be going to the Round Table tonight. You should join us," he said, his tongue passing over his lips quickly.

The action nearly distracted her.

"I know Sam wanted to invite you, so I figured I would take it upon myself," he continued.

She chuckled. "What a hero."

"Thank you," he nodded.

"Well…" Jo said, looking down at her work. It was nearly finished - and the windows were sure to be long done before their likely meeting time.

"I'm sure I could make it," she said, fiddling with the brush in her hands. She couldn't help but smirk as a thought came into her head, and soon - it was leaving her mouth. "Will Phyllis be joining us?"

The way that Arlo instantly tensed and widened his eyes made an uncontrollable laugh escape her. It was priceless.

"Oh my," she continued to chuckle. "You should see your face."

Arlo cleared his throat, reaching for the bandana around his neck in order to partially loosen it from his skin.

"No, no. She's not," he said, his voice tight. "Why would you think that?"

"Hmmm," she began. "Just couldn't help but notice the glances last night. They were pretty obvious."

Even when Phyllis had been wrapping Jo's arm, she could see how the nurse's attention was still fixed on Arlo. The way she batted her eyelashes at him, pressed her chest out just a little more. Not that she needed to. Phyllis was doing just fine in that area even without the accentuating movement.

Arlo groaned. "She's not the Queen of Subtlety, is she?"

Oh, so there is something going on there? He's not denying it.

Jo took a quick breath in, keeping a smile despite the weird ache growing in her temples.

"Not exactly," she told him, trying to focus on the amusement of the situation. "I almost felt like I should have gone and left you two the room."

She watched as Arlo raised his arm in order to rub the back of his neck. He shrugged at her, suggesting that this wasn't necessarily something he wanted to discuss.

Right. I'm the newbie. Not my business.

"Anyhow," she started. "I shouldn't be butting my nose into your relationship. But I will come tonight. A good chin wag will do me some good."

She smiled at her words, looking to him to see if she would catch her meaning.

His laugh and the drop of his hand from his neck informed her that he had.

"Great, I'm glad. We'll be there around seven. Feel free to come anytime you want," he told her.

"I'll be sure to," she confirmed.

They stared at each other before Arlo shuffled his feet, finally taking some steps towards her gate.

"Thanks again," she said. "For bringing me my jacket."

"My pleasure," he responded. And then he was out of the gate. Gone.

The Round Table was busier than he had thought it would be that night. Normally it was relatively quiet on Tuesdays, but not on this specific occasion. Almost all of the tables were filled up, whether by larger parties or groups of two. Thankfully, he was glad to see that one of those groups consisted of Sam and Rem already waiting for him.

"Glad to see you managed to get a table," Arlo said, sliding into a seat next to Remington.

"Barely," Sam spoke up. "Apparently Django is doing some sort of 'Tuesday Night Special' now and everyone wants in on it. It has created an invasion."

"Invasion?" Rem chimed in, bringing his drink up to his lips.

"I think your dramatics are a bit much tonight, Sam. Even for you," Arlo said before Sonia appeared to give him his usual drink order.

"It was a lousy day," Sam said, sinking back into her chair as Sonia walked off.

"We'll get Amber Island figured out," Rem reassured her. "Gale said he would talk with Merlin this afternoon and get back to us in the morning. Don't dwell on it too much."

"But we all know that's where all of the stolen stuff is going!" Sam blurted out.

Arlo nodded at her words. They had all sorted that out by now. Only Sam was the one who had grown frustrated when there was nothing she could do right then and there as they stood outside of the cave. Though Sam was a great fighter and problem solver - she definitely needed to work on her impulses.

"And we will get it all back… when it's safe," Arlo told her, his voice lowered and serious.

Sam blew out a frustrated breath through her nose and leaned her head back against the wall behind her.

"Fine."

"Just enjoy the night," Rem said. "I heard they have Salmon Fried Rice on the 'specials' tonight."

She rolled her head on the wall in order to glance across the table, meeting Rem's eyes.

Daggers.

Arlo tapped the table, figuring now was the time to bring up their additional dinner guest for the night - as he had failed to do so earlier.

"Besides, we have a special member joining us for drinks. You have to be on your best behavior,' Arlo said, taking a sip from his glass.

"Who?" Sam asked as her and Rem both shot Arlo a perplexed look.

"The new builder," he informed her.

And then she perked up.

"Seriously?" Sam asked, picking her head up off of the wall. "Oh hell yeah. I've been wanting to go out for a drink with her! She seems like a pretty cool chick."

Rem laughed at this. "A pretty cool chick, huh? And how did you work that out? You barely know her."

"I'll have you know that her and I had some awesome conversations that day I was her tour guide," Sam refuted.

"Mmm," Arlo shook his head. "Once again, you were not her tour guide."

"I showed her where the infirmary was… and our place. That's a tour," she informed him.

"Barely," Arlo continued to tease her.

"You weren't there. You don't know about the beautiful bond we created," Sam said, finishing the bottom of her drink.

"Beautiful bond, huh?"

"We'll be sure to ask Jo all about it when she gets here," Rem said, bumping Arlo's shoulder.

"Fine! Do it! You'll see," Sam said. "Plus, you both know the fact that she fought those snailbobs all on her own was completely badass."

She partially had a point there.

Arlo was about to ask her if she needed another drink, when he became distracted by the front door opening and someone slipping inside.

Jo.

He stared at her as she looked around, searching in every direction except for where they all sat. She had changed since he last saw her - wearing a pullover sweater instead of the cream cardigan he had seen her in that morning. Perhaps it was a product of her needing the warmth in the nightly spring air... or the fact that she didn't want to risk the chance of someone seeing the bruise on her shoulder. Especially him.

Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, tendrils framing her face softly in their usual waves. He wondered what it would feel like to twist one of the strands around his finger or even just brush it away from her face.

"Jo!" Sam called, breaking Arlo out of his daydreams. "Over here!"

For once, he was thankful for Sam's brusque nature.

"Hey, guys," Jo said, flashing them all a smile as she reached the table. "Hope it's okay that I'm crashing the party."

"You're always welcome," Sam said, patting the seat next to her. "Take a load off."

"I second Sam's statement," Rem said. "The more the merrier."

Arlo barely registered the laugh that left him before he spoke. "Especially considering Sam here thinks you're a 'pretty cool chick.'"

Rem began to laugh along with Arlo as Sam kicked them both underneath the table.

"You two suck, you know that?" She snapped at them.

Arlo calmed down, running a hand through his hair in order to get it out of his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

He then looked over at Jo, catching the brow she was raising at him before turning her attention to Sam. "What are they going on about?"

Sam sighed. "When Arlo told us you were coming, I mentioned that you were cool - and they decided to be jerks about it!"

Remington jumped in. "To be fair, she also insinuated that you two were the best of friends."

Sam shot Rem daggers once more, opening her mouth to scold him.

But Jo jumped in. "She's the only who actually offered to help show me around town that first day. I'd say that warrants a pretty special bond."

Sam now shifted her eyes to Jo, a smile turning up the corners of her mouth.

"Ah, perhaps that's a women thing, though," Jo continued. "Boys just don't understand."

"Oh. Boys, huh?" Arlo asked, unable to hold his tongue.

"Umm," Jo began, looking up at the ceiling as if to make a big show of her "thinking." "Yeah, I'd say boys is fitting. Wouldn't you, Sam?"

Sam was full on smirking as she nodded and then looked at her teammates. "Yup. Definitely fitting."

Jo nodded to the blonde before turning back to Arlo and giving him taunting shrug, her smile was smug.

Arlo leaned forward, his arms crossed as he leaned his elbows on top of the table - staring her down.

"I was kind enough to invite you along tonight, and this is how you show thanks?" he said, before shooting Rem a look of disapproval. "Can you believe the audacity?"

They both shared sounds of disapproval.

"The fact that you're regretting your decisions is your fault - not mine," Jo informed him.

Arlo looked back at her.

Oh, he wasn't regretting it.

"How about a truce?" she continued. "Especially because I would like to actually enjoy a drink before being dismissed from the table."

Rem laughed. "I can agree to a truce."

"Aw man. I was just enjoying the feminine power thing we had going," Sam pouted, but quickly changed her tune. "But fine. I'll give."

Jo smiled at the girl before her eyes were on him. "Arlo?"

He breathed out a laugh. "I'll play nice as long as you do." His voice dipped down without him meaning to as he tipped his drink to her.

Her tongue flicked over her lips, so fast that one could almost question if it really happened.

But Arlo knew it had.

"For now," she said, meeting his eyes for a few seconds before she cast them to the side. She flagged down Sonia and pointed towards Arlo's drink.

And thank God she had. Her words made him feel warm under his jacket and fellow layers. He didn't need her seeing it on his face.

"Can I do one of those?" she asked the waitress.

"Of course, girl. I'll be right back," Sonia told her, walking off with a swing of her hips.

"You're going to drink one of these?" Arlo asked her.

Jo shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"

"Well, because this can be a lot if you're not careful. Not everyone's taste," he told her.

"Yeah. I, for one, hate the stuff," Sam chimed in.

Jo's expression remained smooth as she only leaned forward onto an elbow positioned on the table. "I'll never know unless I try it for myself. Time and my taste buds will tell."

She was likely in for a surprise.

Arlo wanted to voice this, but was cut off as Rem took over the conversation - posing a question in Jo's direction.

"So, how much do you know about building, Jo?" he asked. "Was it something you did before moving to Portia?"

Their attention fell back on her as Jo simply shook her head.

"No, not at all. Well , that's not completely true. I did some projects here and there, but it wasn't my profession. I don't hold a candle anywhere near my dad. But I'd like to think I'm a quick learner."

Arlo remained silent, but his mind filled with questions. He was nearly taken aback, dumbfounded by the fact that this woman had moved from God knows how far away in order to pursue a lifestyle in an area that she wasn't fully knowledgeable about. A large part of him wanted to poke and prod - asking how and why. But the respectful side of him won the argument - knowing it wouldn't be fair to put her on the spot like that.

Besides, her statement about being a "quick learner" had been so sure, so confident. He couldn't help but believe her.

If only she had learned to take it easy when she obviously needed to.

Arlo replayed the events that occurred that morning from their conversation. They were the same events that he had been playing in his head all day.

Mentally kicking his shins once again.

The conversation had now gotten away from him as Rem was going on about some story from weeks ago. The one concerning their run in with a pack of Flurpees. He was evening talking with his hands, using full antics as he recreated the scene - with Sam's assistance as she jumped in here and there.

Already knowing the story, Arlo found himself continuously sneaking glances towards Jo. Rem's voice became a murmur as he watched her react to the events - leaning her chin into her hand, smiling at parts, laughing at others. She looked… carefree… content. Alive.

Her full cheeks, glowing eyes, and the genuine laughs that would bubble out of her. His breathing had grown slower, nearly heavier as he studied her. The wonder in her eyes was partnered with concentration as she listened to Rem and Sam. One would almost believe that she was actually listening to someone tell her the key to happiness and success. Or the juiciest secret she had ever heard.

"Arlo? Helloooo. Earth to Arlo?"

He shook his head, glancing over to Sam. "Sorry?"

He thanked his lucky stars that his thoughts had somehow left him looking down at his drink rather than continuously focused on Jo. He didn't want to imagine the horror that would occur if they had all witnessed him staring at her for the last five minutes.

They would have likely read into his admiration for her spirit as something else.

Because he could assure his own mind that it was only an innocent admiration.

"We were about to do a toast," Sam informed him. "To our new friend."

"Oh gosh," Jo said, smiling as she attempted to wave them off.

"Shhh, we have to," Sam said. "So, to Jo! For joining our little town."

"And being a 'pretty cool chick,'" Rem added.

Sam shot him a look as she raised her glass - he only gave her a cheeky smile as he brought up his own.

Arlo didn't add his own sentiment. Instead, he picked up his glass and glanced at his other two friends before looking at the girl herself. "To Jo."

She sighed, even with a smile on her face as they clinked glasses. But she also decided to throw in her own toast as they pulled away.

"And to you," she said.

But though she said it to the whole table, Arlo saw the way her eyes shifted over to him.

Briefly, but it was enough.

And then they all took a gulp of their drinks. The liquid refreshing in Arlo's buzzing mind.

To you.