He slips his phone from his pocket and brings up the photo I sent him the other day of an otter with a water gun and the caption “Navy SEALs to be replaced with Navy OTTERs.” I bark out a laugh, remembering how funny I found it.
“Plus, when you genuinely asked me the other day how many otters you’d be able to fit in the bathtub, it was a bit of a giveaway,” he adds.
I grin. Okay, he has me there. “I still think I could fit two in there comfortably.”
He shakes his head, smiling.
Another otter dives into the water. I laugh as I play with him through the glass. He chases me as I dash from side to side of the enclosure window, and twirls through the water as I wave my hand around. Hunter’s chuckling to himself when a woman in beige pants and a green fleece appears from one of the hidden doors.
“Hunter Bowen?” she asks.
My spine stiffens, and I spin around to face her.
How does she know his name?
“That’s me,” he answers, extending his hand. “You must be Helen. Your dad has told me a lot about you. Thank you for arranging this. I really appreciate it.”
I narrow my eyes again. What is he up to?
“That’s me, and it’s no problem.” She smiles. “It’s not something we offer to the public, but when he mentioned who it was for, I knew I had to figure out a way to make this happen,” she says, then turns her attention to me. “It’s great to meet you, Elliot. I hear you’re a big fan of otters.”
My jaw drops, and I whip around to look at Hunter. He’s watching me with a proud smile on his face.
“Is this the surprise?” I ask.
He nods. “Sure is.”
It’s like the energy dial inside my brain goes from mid-level calm to buzzing overload. I bounce on my toes, excitement bubbling in my veins. There’s no way I’m going to be able to stay calm and hide how I really feel. This is possibly the best day of my life.
“Yes, I love them!” I answer Helen’s question. “They’re my favorite. I used to help out with a rescue sanctuary when I lived in Vancouver, but with my schedule, it was hard finding time to dedicate to it.”
“I can imagine. You have a very busy schedule. Has Hunter told you what we’re doing today?” Her eyes flick to Hunter.
“You’re going to feed them,” he tells me.
I whirl around to face him again, my eyes widening. “The otters?”
He nods, grinning. “Yeah. I figured, seeing as you can’t keep one as a pet, then this is the next best thing.”
How is this man so fucking perfect?
I close the distance between us and jump, throwing my arms around his neck. He catches me, and I wrap my legs around his waist, clinging to him like a koala. He kisses me, and I feel like I’m floating on the damn moon for how gone I am for him.
Hunter puts me down, and we follow Helen through the magic door. She gives us special coverings for our shoes, and then we wash our hands.
“I should warn you, you may get dirty,” she says, then picks up a bucket from the counter and leads us through another door.
I have to stop myself from dropping to my knees when two Asian small-clawed otters pop their heads out from one of the alcoves, watching us with avid curiosity.
“Oh my god,” I gasp, my heart pounding in my chest. “I think I might cry.”
“As I’m sure you already know, these are our Asian small-clawed otters,” Helen explains. “They are the smallest of the otter species and are incredibly intelligent and sociable. So they may climb on you.”
I press my lips together, trying to keep my emotions contained. Fuck. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry or scream in excitement. I’m so overwhelmed.
“Would you like to feed them?” she offers, handing over the bucket.
I take it from her and tense at the sight of the raw fish.
