Maybe that was why he was so quiet today. Maybe being with his friends had reminded him of how his life was before me, and he missed it. But of course he was too nice to say anything.
Will you say something?
Wasn’t that a good question.
I shifted Ash to my other hip, giving my right side a break. She’d grown and was probably ready to be in twelve-month clothing even though she hadn’t turned one yet. Chris’s phone rang, then he headed down the hall.
Chris’s gaze darted to me, then away. “I’ll be right back.”
“Can I come?” Cheye asked.
“Not yet. Let me see what kind of creature it is first.” His blue eyes twinkled as he stared at her.
I tilted my head, studying them as silent communication passed back and forth between Chris and my niece. Their interaction wasn’t unusual. It looked just like it would at his house. So why was he being more close-lipped with me? Had I done something wrong? And if so, what?
Twenty-Four
Chris opened the back door, trying to push aside the image of Erykah’s confused face. She must’ve picked up on his altered behavior. Not that he could really feign surprise. He’d decided on the airplane to give her the space she desired, but judging by the look on her face, that’s not what she wanted. Or at least, if he was interpreting it correctly, she wasn’t feeling gratitude but hurt.
“Hey, you Chris Gamble?” the animal control officer asked.
“I am.” Chris stuck out a hand. “What do we have here?”
“Someone found a female black-footed ferret in their garage. Called animal control, and now here we are.”
Chris examined the small crate the animal was in. “Is she hurt?”
“Negative.”
“All right.” Chris signed the transfer paperwork.
Then he got one of the clean crates from the bottom shelf and opened it so that the man could transfer the ferret with ease. She quickly moved to the other enclosure, and Chris closed the crate doors. After locking up behind the man, Chris turned to the ferret.
“Welcome to Gamble on Nature. I’m Chris,” he said, peeking into the crate. “You’re going to be okay. I might even introduce you to Kimble if you’re well-behaved.”
She chucked at him, and he laughed.
He didn’t think she was someone’s pet. There was a look about her that spoke of the wild, but the quickness with which she’d traveled from crate to crate spoke of domestication. Maybe she’d recently been released from a breeding farm.
He turned on the laptop in the in-processing room and pulled up their standard questionnaire. Grabbing some gloves, he opened the crate into an enclosure that would allow him to examine the new ferret and ensure she was physically okay.
After going through the checklist, Chris determined she was fine. Probably got turned around and found herself in the garage. He should’ve asked the animal control officer if the ferret came from a rural neighborhood or suburban one. That’s something he could do tomorrow morning. He sent himself an email detailing that and added a note to check for chipping, so he wouldn’t forget to do so tomorrow, then slid his phone back into his pocket.
“Hey, you wanna meet Kimble?”
Actually, this would be a good thing for Erykah and Cheyenne to witness. He wasn’t sure if Ash would care, but it was safe for them to watch. He coaxed the ferret into her crate, then slid off the gloves.
He walked down the hall and found the girls in his office.
“What is it?” Cheyenne asked.
“A ferret.”
“Like Kimble?”
He nodded.
“Can I see?”
