She smiled again. “Okay, I’m happy to let things calm down a bit then.”
I nodded. “In the meantime, we can open a bottle of your favorite wine Friday night and start compiling a wish list.”
“Do we have to wait until Friday to open the wine?”
“Of course not. I’ll make sure we’re stocked.” I kissed her nose. “Until further notice, I drop and pick you up from work, got it?”
“I know the drill, honey,” she said.
“Let’s go get some food.”
She kissed me one more time, then followed me back downstairs.
Violet
Two weeks later, my buzzing phone atop my nightstand pulled me out of much-needed slumber. Aero was on a run for the club, so I was alone. Well, sort of. Scrappy was sacked out in the living room, my watchdog for the night.
Bleary eyed and half-asleep, I struggled to make out who was calling. Finally, my eyes adjusted enough to see that it was the zoo and that it was 1:05 A.M.
Why the hell is someone from work calling me at this hour?
I thought briefly about ignoring the call and going back to sleep, but then thought the call might be about Ellie or the calf, so I picked up.
“Hello?” I answered in a groggy voice.
“Oh, good you’re up,” a panicked voice on the other end said.
“Who is this? Is everything okay with Ellie?”
“Oh, sorry. This is Phoebe. I’m one of the new interns. Ellie and baby are fine, but Mara never showed up to relieve me from my shift. She’s over an hour late and isn’t answering her phone.”
“What about Gilbert?” I asked.
“He’s in Honduras with Ray picking up a male Capybara from a sanctuary. I’m so sorry. Your number was next on the list. Normally I’d stay, but I have an early class tomorrow morning.”
“No, that’s alright,” I said sitting up. “Sit tight. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
