Her giggles made Henry’s heart speed up. Certainly she was focused on the man with the funny accent and he could not see her face from where he stood but he could imagine how it must light up and how her eyes must have shone. He sighed quietly, watching Jack and Penny engage in a confusing conversation. Josey was just behind him and it made it impossible for him to slink away for when he made the move to leave, the man’s big hand fell on his shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. 

Henry stopped when Josey leaned in, whispering, “Don’t you go runnin’ off just yet. We got unfinished business once Mr. Pumphrey leaves.” 

He nodded and gulped, Josey releasing his shoulder and the chef turned to the Newfie. 

“‘Lasses? Whew, boy. Gonna cook up some shine then?” he laughed, his white teeth flashing against his dark skin. “I’ll see what we got. Sugar, honey we have for sure. Cupcake, the molasses would be in the bakery pantry if we got it. You can fetch some for Mr. Pumphrey if I can get a promise outta him for a jar off the first batch.” 

Josey chuckled and leaned back against the counter top next to the stove. Henry stood awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen, alone and unengaged in the conversation apparently about moonshine. He would not have any of it, when he gave up drugs like weed, meth and whatever else he could get his hands on he gave up booze as well. Anything that would make him slip and lose control. He had to maintain control always lest he become [i]that[/i] person again. He shuddered slightly, as if suddenly cold, and he turned away from the delightful vision of Penny’s round backside. There would be none of that either. 

No girls, no booze, no drugs. Henry closed his eyes a moment, taking a few deep breaths, remembering the mediation exercises. His thin chest rose and fell and he opened his eyes again, reaching for his mop. It was better to focus on his work, get the kitchen spotless and feeding the crew of the ship. He began mopping furiously, the sinews of his wiry arms standing out as he pushed the mop back and forth. 

Josey glanced his way and shook his head once, he would still have to deal with the Henry situation and he needed Penny’s opinion on the matter. He admitted to himself he had put the poor girl on the spot but the idea of having her work with someone with Henry’s past made his stomach sour. He was not sure he would even want to share space with the kid but he was a large man and Henry was not danger to him. Penny, however...Josey chewed over the issue until he noticed Henry had stopped mopping and was attending to his tablet. 

The beep had taken him by surprise and yet he had been expecting it. A surge of anxiety hit him as Henry tapped it and saw a blinking message from Dr. Park, the ship’s shrink. He would return to his sessions and it filled him with a mixture of dread and relief.