Treat Me (One Night with Sole Regret #8)(36)

"Why is his cage so small?" Jacob asked.

"Most of the exhibits are small here," Amanda said. "This is a rescue zoo. So you'll find animals that other zoos didn't want or couldn't keep, injured animals that need to be isolated, exotic animals that someone had thought would make a good pet but couldn't keep, and retired service animals." 

Jacob scowled. "Like dogs?"

"Monkeys," Amanda said. "Every animal here has a story." She pointed to a little sign on the cage that explained the lemur's origins and how he'd come to the zoo. Beneath it was a collection box. Amanda read the sign to Julie-and Jacob, not that he was willing to admit that.

"Just because he didn't get along with other lemurs doesn't mean he should be kept in such a small cage," Jacob said, staring intently into the creature's intelligent eyes as it nibbled on an orange wedge.

"They do the best they can here," Amanda said. "All the funding comes from paid admissions and donations. They don't get any financial assistance from the government. That's why I volunteer."

Jacob reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He took out a twenty-dollar bill and stuffed it into the slot of the lemur's collection box.

"What are you doing, Daddy?" Julie asked.

"Giving this lemur some money."

"Can I give him some money too?" she asked.

Jacob pulled Julie from her perch on his shoulders and handed her another bill. She stuffed it into the collection box and smiled up at him with pride. Jacob stroked her silky hair and kissed her on the forehead. "It's nice to give when you can."

Which reminded him of something Owen had said the day before. He fleetingly wondered if Owen's plans to dump Lindsey on his mom had worked out.

They continued around the zoo. Amanda shared interesting facts about all the animals. Julie insisted on shoving a twenty into every collection box. Feeling a bit light in the wallet but full in the heart, Jacob wandered the small zoo, having to stop every so often to dig sharp stones out of his sandals.

The tortoise exhibit had low walls, and Amanda said it was okay for Julie to touch the hard shell of a roaming creature when it got close.

"Why is there so many turtles here?" Julie asked.

"These are tortoises," Amanda said. "Turtles live in water."

"Why do they have so many tortoises?" Jacob asked. There were over a dozen of them crawling about in their dusty pens, and he was pretty sure others were hiding out in the central shelter and thus weren't visible.

"Tortoises live a long time-some of these are over fifty years old. So when they're bred in captivity, it doesn't take long to have a surplus population, and when other zoos run out of room, they send them here."

"This turtle is as old as Grandma?" Julie said, looking up at Amanda with wide eyes. "I mean, is this tortoise as old as Grandma?"

Amanda laughed and touched her hair. "This tortoise is even older than Grandma."

While Julie reached over the wall, trying to get a hand on the mossy green back of the land tortoise, Jacob took the opportunity to move in close to Amanda. He was enjoying her company so much. It didn't seem fair that he couldn't openly display his affection.

When she turned to look at him, he couldn't resist stealing a kiss. Her hand moved to his shoulder and instead of pushing him away as he'd anticipated, she drew him closer.

"Daddy, I can't reach him," Julie said with a grunt of exertion.

Amanda pulled away, but not before Julie spied their unusually close proximity.

"What are you doing?" Julie asked, her slim blond eyebrows drawn together.

"Amanda . . . uh . . ." Jacob racked his brain for a plausible explanation. Amanda is utterly delicious didn't seem like a good enough reason.



       
         
       
        

"I had something in my eye," Amanda said, rubbing at one lid with the back of her hand.

Jacob was glad the woman was brilliant. "And I was helping her get it out."

Julie pursed her lips and shifted them to one side. Jacob didn't know if she'd actually seen them kissing or had just seen them standing inappropriately close.

"Can I pet the tortoise again?" she asked.

Jacob scooped her up airplane style and made zooming noises as he shifted her over the wall. She giggled, both arms extended, and managed to skim a hand along the tortoise's back.

"Is it okay to do this?" Jacob asked Amanda as an afterthought.

Amanda nodded. "Just don't drop her in there. Tortoises like to nibble on little girl toes."