Second Chance Girl
Page 31

“I’m happy to help.”
Carol thanked her again and left. She would have to get with Ronan in the next day or so and arrange to pick out the piece of glass. She’d heard he had a big studio up in the mountains where he lived, so she guessed she would be heading there. First, though, she should take a few pictures of Millie so she could show Ronan who he was really helping.
She headed to the animal preserve, stopping by the office to check in with her dad. Ed was sitting at his computer. He looked up and saw her, then stood and crossed to her.
“There’s my girl,” he said, hugging her tight. “Congratulations on scoring the money.”
“It hasn’t happened yet,” she said.
“But it will. I’ve already been in touch with Atsuko and she’s confident we can get at least three hundred thousand for the piece. She’s going to waive her commission and donate the food and drinks. That means we get all the money free and clear.” He led her to his desk and showed her the spreadsheet he’d printed out.
“Your uncle and I have been working the numbers. We already have the expanded barn permit and the money to start building. We’ll be ready to welcome the giraffes we buy.”
The barns would be sturdy, temperature controlled, with lots of light. Each stall would lead to a fenced-in outdoor area, allowing the new residents to get used to sights and sounds. It also meant the new giraffes could see each other without interacting physically. Later, the stalls could be used if one of the giraffes needed medical attention.
Her father tapped the spreadsheet. “Ted and I have been in touch with a few private sanctuaries who have a surplus giraffe population. Plus there’s one lady in Texas who has a giraffe she wants to sell.” He shook his head. “Who keeps a giraffe in their backyard? Anyway, we have a lot of possibilities. Transportation is going to be a challenge, but we’ll work it out. And we’re hoping there’s enough money left over to pay for a vet.”
An ongoing problem, Carol thought. With their growing animal population, they had to deal with how to care for them. She could handle the day-to-day issues and she had several resources in retired zoo workers who gave her plenty of advice, but medical treatment was specialized.
So far they’d been able to contract the medical help they needed, paying a zoo for veterinary care, but that was only a short-term solution.
“We’re going to have to hire someone,” she said. “But that’s not going to be easy.”
“Ted and I were talking about an alternative. What if we found a vet who was interested in moving to exotic animal care? We could pay for their training with the understanding they would come work for us when they were ready. There would have to be a contract—they’d work here so many years in exchange for us training them.”
“I like that idea.”
“Us, too,” her dad said, putting his arm around her. “You did good, Carol. We’re proud of you.”
“I didn’t do anything, Dad. Ronan is the one who agreed to donate a piece. It’s a huge thing and it’s all him.”
And Mathias, she thought, who’d convinced his brother. Possibly because he felt guilty about their night together, which wasn’t something she was going to discuss with her father. Or with Mathias, apparently. He’d made it clear he didn’t want to talk about it. Which left her wondering what, if anything, was going on between them.
* * *
ULRICH FOUND HIMSELF in the uncomfortable position of missing a woman he barely knew. All right, he knew her reasonably well—they’d spent the last twenty-four hours together—but still. It wasn’t as if they’d been dating or anything. He shouldn’t mind she was gone.
Only he found that he did mind. He missed having Violet breeze in and out of his room. He missed the sound of her tapping on her computer keyboard when he was trying to sleep, and her fussing as she made sure he took his pills. She was nothing he’d imagined—she was smart, funny, kind and beautiful.
Having her hover over him while he was in bed was a particular kind of torture. Thank goodness his various aches and pains and the medications he was still on were enough to keep his, ah, interest in check. Otherwise he would have been embarrassing them both with an obvious reaction to her presence.
He glanced at the clock in the Cadillac dashboard and saw nearly two hours had passed. Surely she would be returning soon. She’d said she was having lunch with her friends, then stopping by her apartment before hurrying back. She had said hurry, had she not? What if he needed her?
He knew he was being ridiculous. No doubt from the bump on his head. He was perfectly capable of spending a few hours by himself. As a rule, he enjoyed his own company. He liked solitude and not having to deal with any problems or concerns for just a few minutes. Now he had entire days of it. He should enjoy his recovery as much as he could—he would be back home soon enough.
Not that he didn’t want to go. Of course he did. Battenberg Park meant everything to him, as did his grandmother. It was just...there was something about Violet.
He spent the next thirty minutes trying to convince himself he was wrong—that she was completely ordinary. Then he heard her let herself into her room and every part of him went on alert. It was as if he could breathe easier now that she’d returned.
She knocked on the half-open door that separated their rooms, and called out.
“Hi, hi. It’s me.” She walked in and immediately put her hands on her hips. “You’re not in bed!”
How he wanted her to mean that other than how she did. If only she were scolding him for not being ready for her arrival in a dozen delicious ways. Instead he was confident she was referring to the fact that she was concerned he’d sat up too long. Which he probably had. He made a mental note not to mention the fact that he’d done a little pacing to pass the time.
“How was your lunch?” he asked.
“You’ve been sitting up the whole time, haven’t you?”
He hesitated a second before admitting. “Perhaps.”
“Get in bed,” she said, pointing. “Now.”
She looked ready to take him on, he thought as he allowed himself a moment to enjoy the temper snapping in her green eyes and the firm set of her mouth. A mouth that haunted him through the night.
“Yes, miss.”
He rose, pleased he was steady on his feet, then walked over to the bed. He was dressed in a T-shirt and sweatpants. He stretched out on top of the covers, then rolled on his side so he was facing her.
“Better?”
“Much.”
“Good.” He flashed her a smile. “Now please, tell me about your lunch.”
Her stern expression immediately softened. She reached for the desk chair and dragged it over to the bed. “Were you lonely by yourself? You haven’t been spending time with anyone but me, have you? I’m sorry. I should have thought of that.”
He almost told her he didn’t need much company beyond her, but didn’t want to her to read too much into his words.
“I’m interested in your life here,” he said instead. “What is this town like? Should I judge it by my room?”
She looked around at the Cadillac-slash-bed and the drive-in size television mounted on the wall.
“Let’s not,” she said with a laugh. “Did you eat the lunch I had delivered?”
“Every bite. You’re quite the taskmaster.”