Chapter 2
2
T he grey parrot ducked its head and wandered from one side of the perch to the other. He kept his gaze on Cody, who peered at him through the gigantic cage.
“How’s he doing?” Lauren entered the room and stood beside him. “At least he doesn’t look too pissed off.”
“He’s definitely not happy about being in here.”
They’d relocated the African grey to the meal prep room earlier that afternoon. While this had been their best option given the circumstances, it couldn’t be a permanent option for him.
Lauren tilted her head, her chin-length brunette waves bobbed to the side with the movement. “Think he knows he’s in trouble?”
“Maybe.” Cody straightened his back and moved his face farther from the cage to assess the situation. “If he does, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t give a shit.”
“Shit stain!”
Lauren covered her mouth to stifle a giggle since that was part of the reason the bird was in there in the first place. Laughter had only proven to egg him on.
Gary the Grey cackled loudly at himself.
“See?” Cody said. “No remorse.”
“Oh, come on,” Lauren said. “You have to admit, it’s pretty funny.”
The five-year-old parrot had only been at the zoo a month since his owner surrendered him to their care. After a brief quarantine period, they put him in with a couple of other birds that were allowed to free-roam in the aviary.
Within two weeks, Gary had taught the other parrots a couple of choice words, and they learned how to get him going with the rest of his extensive vocabulary. Most often when they had an audience. He was quickly turning the zoo into a not-so-family-friendly place.
“I still say we should have a night exhibit for him and his pals,” Lauren said. “Adults only. Cash bar. People would love to hang out with him.”
She wasn’t wrong. But the curator had already shot down her idea.
Lauren covered her mouth as a massive yawn escaped.
Cody grinned. “Didn’t sleep?”
“Shut up.”
With a laugh, he said, “I’m happy for you. I’m laughing, but for real. I’m happy for you. How long have you been seeing her?”
“Two months.” Lauren blushed ever so slightly at the answer. Her pale, freckled skin gave her away.
“That’s a long time. Sounds pretty serious.”
Lauren turned from the cage and crossed her arms. “I understand that two months is probably a lifetime for you, but some of us like settling in with people.”
“I get it,” Cody said. “You’re a nester.”
Lauren’s expression twisted. “I mean, yeah. I guess. So what does that make you?”
“I’m just not a forever guy,” Cody said. “I get too restless.”
“Ever consider that maybe you could find someone to nest-hop with you?” She shook her head. “Never mind. You don’t want to make new nests. By yourself or with anyone else. You want to find new people and crash in their nests for a little while, then move on when things get uncomfortable. I know your type.”
“My type? That’s awfully specific for you to type me like that.” He scoffed. “Besides, you make it sound so… primitive. Like I’m unevolved or something.”
“You are unevolved if you’re doing it because you’re afraid to stick around and put in the work.”
Cody scoffed. “Love shouldn’t be hard. Why does everyone insist it has to be so much work ?”
“Because it is work if you want to grow. As a couple. As a human. As an evolved being.” Lauren’s expression and tone both softened. “Listen, I’m not saying you have to be in a monogamous or long-term relationship or anything. That shit’s not for everyone.”
“Shit stain!”
“Enough, Gary,” Cody snapped.
“But if you’re avoiding it because you’re afraid ,” Lauren continued, “then that’s bullshit.”
“Bullshit!” Gary cackled again.
Cody narrowed his eyes at her. “What do you think I’m afraid of?”
“Personal growth,” Lauren said without missing a beat.
“You say that with such certainty.”
She pointed a finger at his chest. “You, my friend, are easy to read.”
“Am not,” he said with a disgusted grunt. “How do you know what I want when I don’t know what I want?”
“Oh, you know what you want. You’re just afraid of it.” Lauren softened her tone again. “You’re afraid of becoming your dad.”
Cody ignored that last bit.
“I love traveling. Seeing things and people.”
Also dating anyone he found interesting. Men. Women. His last relationship had been with a nonbinary person. After a lot of pondering throughout his teen years, he’d settled into his pansexual identity over a decade ago. It fit. But it wasn’t being pansexual that made him non-monogamous. He just loved meeting new people and being in new places. His dating style matched his living style.
“That’s what I want,” he added. “Variety. And I’m getting that.”
Or, at least, he would be getting that again once he got a bite on his resume.
“Deep down, you want love,” Lauren said. “But you can’t get that if you’re always running from it.”
Cody rolled his eyes. She didn’t know what she was talking about.
Chasing something, maybe. Freedom. Adventure. Fun.
But he wasn’t running from anything.
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
“That must be the rescue people,” Cody said. “The woman on the phone said they’d send someone to take photos of Gary.”
Lauren walked over to feed the bird a treat while Cody opened the door. On the other side, he found a surprisingly familiar face.
It took him only a second to place the blonde bun and green eyes. But the scrubs threw him off.
“Taylor?”
The woman looked at him for a moment, trying to place him as well. It had been ten years since they’d seen each other last.
Her eyes widened with recognition. “Cody? Oh my gosh, it’s so good to see you.”
She threw open her arms and wrapped them around his neck. He hugged her back, then pulled away to examine her better. She looked almost exactly the same as he remembered. But with bright greenish-bluish scrubs now instead of a school uniform.
“I didn’t realize that was you on the phone earlier,” he said.
“I think you spoke with Liz. Or maybe Sierra,” Taylor said. “I’m the vet tech for Saint Martin Animal Sanctuary.”
“Ah. I thought the voice was different,” he said. “Vet tech, huh? So that’s why you were cheating off of me in biology?”
“Yeah, right.” She laughed. “I think it was the other way around.”
“Is it just you? Or do we need to wait for Liz or Sierra?”
“It’s just me,” she said. “I mean, from the organization. My sister’s here to take the pictures. She forgot something back in the car.”
“You have a sister?”
He and Taylor had been casual friends in high school. Sat near each other in several classes because their last names placed them in proximity often enough that they became friendly.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’ve moved a bunch since then, and my memory’s not too hot.”
“She graduated the year before I started high school,” Taylor said. “She was already at LSU by the time I met you.”
“Ah. Then my memory is off the hook.”
“This time,” she said.
“Hello?”
The door creaked open as a tentative voice entered the room attached to yet another surprisingly familiar face.
No.
It couldn’t be.
“The young lady in the gift shop pointed me at this room, and I’m looking?—”
She froze mid-sentence, but not because she saw Taylor. It was Cody her gaze was stuck on.
Yup. It was her, all right.
“Hi, Geena,” he said. “Didn’t expect to see you again quite this soon.”