"Of course."

Zach ended their embrace and used his now free hand to readjust so Jo would have an adequate amount of pillow and blanket covering. He allowed her to keep her vice grip on his hand, not about to pull away if that’s what she truly needed.

After some adjustment, he sought to try and encourage her to lay down, help ease her down without hurting her. He even took it upon himself to tug the covers up so she would be comfortable.

With a light kiss to her temple, he simply stated, "Rest."

Zach remained awake, long after Jo fell asleep, intent to watch over her. In the morning, he would need to notify his staff that he was feeling under the weather.


Zach awoke as soon as the sun began peeking in through the window, and he made sure to very quietly slide his way out of bed so he didn’t rouse Jo. First order of business was to pen a note to his staff, apologizing for his absence, and providing a list of tasks he hoped to be completed. In the unlikely event of an emergency, they knew to send up the shop’s elderly owl to alert him. It was a bit faster than exiting the shop and using the back staircase to knock on his door. His wards prevented unwanted visitors from apparating into his private quarters and the shop. He had also taken care to temporarily close his floo off from unexpected visitors.

Since Zach was a bachelor who lived alone, he didn’t have the most well stocked kitchen, but he did manage to scrounge up some eggs and bread that he could easily toast. His mother was constantly on his case about how he should hire a cook at least for the evening meal, so that he didn’t waste away to nothing. Zach didn’t see the need.

Humming, he set about cooking, the smells of egg and nicely toasted bread wafting down the hallway.