“Therizinosaurus,” I say. “It’s a herbivore, right? But you wouldn’t want to pat it.”
Max stares at me, his face a picture of shock.
Isla chuckles. “Most adults have only heard of the T-rex and the Stegosaurus.”
“It was ten meters tall,” Max says, “and it had a big beak. Have you seenJurassic Park?”
“I have,” I reply. “Several times. It’s one of my favorite movies.”
“Oh, you two are going to be friends for life.” Isla smiles.
Content that Ghost is happy to be petted, I stand up, and Isla does too. I hold out my hand. “I’m Cullen Reeve. I train rescue dogs when they come into the Forever Home.”
“That must be so rewarding.” She shakes my hand. Hers feels small and slight in mine, finely boned. “I’m Isla Markham. You probably heard me say that I’m a veterinary nurse.”
“I did.” Somewhat reluctantly, I release her hand. “The vets and nurses have a daily morning meeting until eight thirty.” It’s only 8:15 a.m.
“I’m not officially starting until Monday, but we were out for a walk and came into the Ark to look around.”
“How old is Max?” I ask.
“Nearly seven. He’s on school holidays now. He’ll be going to a holiday club in Sunrise Bay while I work. I’m taking him down there at nine.”
I follow her gaze, watching the boy sitting quietly on the floor. He’s showing Ghost his dinosaur. Ghost sniffs it cautiously.
“I want to stay here with you,” Max says.
She bends down again. “We’ve talked about this, love. You know you can’t come to work with me. The clinic will be busy, and you’ll just be in the way.”
“I won’t. I’ll be like Ghost and sit under the table.”
“Max, that’s enough.” She straightens again.
He drops his gaze back to the German Shepherd and doesn’t say anything else.
The phone rings and Frieda answers it. Isla moves a little closer to me so she can lower her voice. “He’s such a lovely boy, but he’s a little clingy, and he’s nervous about going to the holiday club. People always say kids adjust easily, but he has a bit of separation anxiety.”
“Well, I don’t have kids,” I admit, “I only know that dogs are the same. They can get very anxious about leaving their owners.”
“I was hoping he’d enjoy coming up here for Christmas and living by the beach,” she murmurs. “We’ve… had a difficult time.”
Her gaze meets mine for a moment, and then she lowers her eyes and studies the Noah’s Ark logo on my T-shirt. It sounds as if she and Max have come here alone, maybe from Auckland. Is she divorced from Max’s father? Or is it a trial separation maybe? Either way, it’s none of my business.
“My parents divorced when I was eight,” I tell her. “Mum moved from Hamilton to Auckland to be nearer to her parents. It’s a big change at that age.” I blink, surprised at my admission. I very rarely talk about myself.
“It’s always hard to know what to do for the best. Kids don’t come with a parenting manual, unfortunately.”
“You seem to be doing a great job. He’s very well-behaved, and he’s obviously good with dogs.”
“Oh, he loves all animals from dinosaurs to dogs to hamsters.”
I hesitate for a moment, then say, “Look, I don’t want to speak for the Ark, but I know what Noah’s like about family. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if Max stays here with you. There’s a creche here for younger children, and during the last mid-termbreak, a couple of older kids came with their parents to work. Your boy came, didn’t he, Frieda?”
She’s finished her call, and she nods. “Tom’s with his dad today, but he’ll be here with me tomorrow. He’s seven. The kids play on the playground and in the paddocks. They can go over to the Petting Zoo. And sometimes they help out here with the animals.”
Max scrambles to his feet. “Oh, can I stay, Mum?” He jumps up and down. “Please!”
“Sorry,” I say to Isla guiltily, “I hope I haven’t made things worse.”
