Sold for gold

Jared sat on the floor of his room, legs stretched out, arms behind his head, sighing for the tenth time in two minutes.

A warm towel landed on his forehead.

"I'm not dying, you know," he muttered, eyes closed.

Lucy knelt beside him, folding the towel at the edges with deliberate care. "You look like you want to."

"I feel like I've aged a decade in a week."

"Good. Now you match your attitude."

Jared cracked an eye open to glance at her. She smiled sweetly—too sweet.

He groaned and let the towel stay. "It's the blacksmith."

"James?"

"Yeah. He's doing well. Too well. If I praise him too much, he'll get cocky. If I say nothing, he might quit."

Lucy tilted her head, gently massaging his shoulders. "So, naturally, you chose the option where he thinks you hate him."

"It's strategic leadership."

"It's emotional constipation."

"I prefer 'calculated restraint.'"