It is therefore my pleasure to offer the Shamrock Safari Wildlife Park an ongoing grant for the duration of my tenure as the head of charitable contributions at Rawth Industrial Cooperative. You will find the details on the following pages, and our foundation will be in touch with you soon.
Sincerely,
Kanvasara Roth
P.S. I wouldn't want it spread around, but rumor has it that Ms. Cindy Collins of ColCor is about to find herself up for job review, and that conditions of further employment may include her daughter attending an ordinary public school so the poor kid can have a chance at a normal life. She seems like a good kid, under it all, and just needs a chance to get out from that spoiled atmosphere she’s in so she can thrive. To be honest, I should know. I’ll keep an eye on her, and I think she’ll be okay.
P. P. S. Doug and Graham's programs are safe. ;)
-KR
Aoife put the letter down and stared at Dr. Kelly. "Am I reading that right?"
Dr. Kelly cleared her throat. "The following pages outline an incredibly generous grant. Considerably beyond what we were hoping for from ColCor. Apparently you made an impression, Aoife. A good one," she added, just in case it needed clarifying. "I may have to give you that promotion to facilities manager after all."
A huge bloom of pride filled Elliott's chest as Aoife gave a quick, semi-hysterical giggle. "No, no, I'm good for right now. You wouldn't want to take me away from the job of charming billionaire heiresses into giving us loads of money, would you?"
"Evidently not," Dr. Kelly said dryly. "That's all, then. You two may go." She did catch Elliott with another one of those gimlet glares. "No more adventures."
Elliott nodded hastily and waited until they were outside to scoop Aoife into a hug and spin her around. "Youarea fierce lioness," he whispered into her hair. "And I hope to havelotsof adventures with you, no matter what Dr. Kelly says."
Aoife laughed out loud. "I think she meant, in the park."
"Well, in that case." Elliott put Aoife down so they could walk down the steps together, then extravagantly gathered her hands in his and held them to his chest. "I know we've really only just met, and there's a lot of getting to know each other ahead of us, but Aoife, will you go on an adventure with me?"
"Yes. Absolutely. What kind of adventure?"
"Well, honestly, I was kind of hoping for dinner and a bus tour of Cork so I can find out all the touristy things that I want to go see?"
Aoife grinned, twining her fingers in his. "That's a pretty low-key adventure."
"Well, I do have another week of being the lion on loan before I can go on bigger adventures, and unless that grant from Kanvas includes three months of paid vacation, I assume you're going to still have to work, so, you know, maybe low-key is the way to go at first." Elliott beamed at her. "You were really incredible yesterday. You should be proud of yourself. I'm proud of you."
"I'm relieved." Aoife leaned against him, laughing breathlessly. "This is a lot better than being fired."
"It is." Elliott kissed her hair, still smiling. "Onward, to adventure?"
"Onward! Oh,damn, we're late for the train again—!" Aoife broke into a run, and Elliott bolted after her, toward a lifetime of adventure.
EPILOGUE: ONE YEAR LATER
There was a lion on the loose in Clew Bay.
Elliott was romping—Aoife couldn’t think of a better word—down the coast of a small island off the coast of Mayo, chasing birds that were about a sixteenth of his size and occasionally stumbling over his own feet as sand or rock moved beneath them. Aoife, sitting on green patch up above, grinned down at him, laughing when he pounced, laughing harder when he accidentally put a huge paw down on a seagull’s tail.
They both squealed, although a lion’s squeal was a pretty deep roar. Elliott leaped away and the gull threw itself into the air, circling above him to shriek with outrage. Aoife threw a small bun as far as she could and the gull, distracted, dove for it while Elliott pounced his way back up to the greenery where she’d laid out their picnic lunch. He shifted to human to say, “My heroine,” with total sincerity, and Aoife laughed again.
“I can’t let seagulls beat up my man, now, can I? This was a good idea,” she added. “I never thought ‘rent an island for a weekend’ would be on my bucket list, but this is grand altogether.”
“I’ve already written Kanvas three texts and an email of appreciation,” Elliott promised. “Who could afford this without the grants she’s given Anavee?”
“And the subsequent pay rise,” Aoife said with a grin. “I may have texted her two or three times myself.”
“Oh good, it’s not just me. But the last one, she told me to turn off my phone and enjoy my weekend.”
“She has no idea howmuch, though,” Aoife said happily. “I don’t think even I’ve ever seen you get to be a lion this much.”
“Not having to worry about neighbors is amazing,” Elliott admitted. “I could get used to this. I mean, look at that view.” He gestured, and Aoife, sighing contentedly, leaned on him to do just that.
