This was a man who desperately needed some tenderness, but even if Sunny were remotely inclined to be the one to give it to him (and like hell she was), Jackson would not have accepted it from her anyway.

But he really should not be alone.

So she let her face settle into a flat stare. "What, so you're just going to retreat and let others do the work for you? Oh, no. We're gonna clean this mess up. I'll help you carry your books after."

Properly, it should have been 'you're going to clean this mess up.' She had nothing to do with it. But aside from being something to do, it allowed her to keep an eye on him in a way he might accept and getting the room back in order would help him at least some.