Chapter 13
13
“ T hanks again for running over here on such short notice.” Sierra held a wiggly yellow Lab puppy against her body. “I assume Taylor told you we want to get these up on our socials before the holiday.”
Geena took another shot of the gray puppy Liz corralled on the table with a bright blue background set up behind it. She lowered the camera and nodded that she was done with that one and ready for the next.
“This is the Memorial Day litter, right?”
“That was S'more. In the back, we’ve got Popsicle, Brownie, Coleslaw, and Firework.” Sierra, the second half of the Saint Martin Animal Sanctuary ownership, grinned as she held up the pup in her arms. Her colorful tattoo sleeve was on full display, exposed by the navy tank top Geena so often saw her wearing. “And this guy is Potato Salad. Liz vetoed Barbecue.”
“That was a step too far,” Liz said, returning with a chocolate brown puppy. Her dark hair was pulled up into a ponytail, since the air conditioning was already struggling to catch up with the late spring heat.
“Brownie?”
“The one and only,” Liz said.
Geena smiled and lifted the camera again. She definitely didn’t mind swinging by on a Tuesday evening after work for this. The puppies were adorable, and she could see why they wanted to get them posted as soon as possible. There was no doubt they’d all have applications before their namesake holiday next week.
After taking more shots of the puppy yawning in what looked like a roar on camera, she got a few standard photos, then motioned for Sierra to replace him with Potato Salad. Liz left the room with Brownie, while Sierra tucked her dark, shoulder-length waves behind one ear and moved her puppy onto the table.
Sierra danced her fingers above the camera to hold the puppy’s attention. “I’m not one for puppies normally, but Tater here might test that if I didn’t already have my hands full with Puck.”
“That’s your dog?”
Geena had gotten to know these women pretty well over the last several weekends of helping at the shelter, but she didn’t know much about their lives outside of there. Or at least she didn’t know enough to keep it all straight in her head. Sometimes too much data was simply too much data to process.
“Yeah, he’s my own rescue. Found him at the park where I work at part-time. He kind of just… stuck with me. Wouldn’t have it any other way now.”
“I can’t imagine life with a dog.” Geena lowered her camera again and smiled at the screen. They were all great shots. “I like animals in theory. It’s the care and maintenance and smells that I can’t get over.”
“Speaking of care and maintenance and smells,” Sierra said. “How’s that dirty bird doing at your place?”
Geena shrugged. “Kind of a mess. But less of a mess than I expected, to be honest.”
“I knew he’d grow on you.” Taylor breezed into the room and leaned against the wall. “My question is, how’s Cody growing on you?”
“He’s not.”
But a flash of him sleeping on her couch that morning, insisting on spending the night to protect her, had slightly shifted her perception of him. He wasn’t as callous as he at first appeared. He cared about Gary. And her safety. It had been unexpected and a bit uncomfortable having him there overnight, but she appreciated the concern he had for them.
Although she didn’t get much sleep, knowing he was just across the house from her. She’d tried every calming technique she knew, but her brain insisted on betraying her.
Cody was not an option. Of any kind. No matter where he slept.
“Didn’t he bring you food?” Taylor’s grin widened. “Again?”
Sierra scooped Potato Salad back into her arms. “Ooh, the zoo guy? Y’all are a thing now?”
“We’re not a thing,” Geena said, her words a little sharper than she’d intended. More because she was struggling to convince herself of that than any irritation with these women. “He’s just helping with the bird. And he feels guilty about dumping Gary on me, so he’s trying to be nice and helpful. So, yes, he brought food.”
“Okay, but did you eat this food together?” Sierra asked.
“They did,” Taylor said.
Liz walked back into the room with another yellow Lab pup and swapped it out for the one Sierra was holding. “Who did what?”
Sierra nodded at Geena. “She’s dating zoo guy now. The one with the bird.”
Liz paused with Potato Salad before leaving to return him to their kennel. “For real? I thought you hated him.”
“I didn’t hate him,” Geena said. “We just aren’t compatible.”
“But you had dinner with him. What… three times now?” Taylor wagged a finger at her sister. “There’s no way you didn’t talk during all that time he spent there. You must be at least slightly compatible if you can hang out together.”
Geena had been trying not to think about that for the past twenty-four hours. Having Taylor lay it out like that was doing nothing for Geena’s logical resistance to the idea.
“Hanging out doesn’t mean compatible. We’re very different and want different things from a relationship.” Geena didn’t understand why she seemed to be the only one who understood this. “It also doesn’t mean there’s an attraction there.”
Sierra put the new yellow Lab on the table. “No, but that flush on your cheeks means there’s something there.”
“She’s blushing?” Taylor leaned to the side to get a better look at Geena’s face. “Oh, yeah.”
“Sure is,” Liz said.
“I’m not blushing. It’s just warm in here.”
At least that wasn’t a lie. It was late May, which meant summer in Louisiana was already in full force, even though the sun was lower in the sky that evening. Of course, it would only get hotter as the months dragged on and hurricane season ramped up. Until then, there were rains and flooding to keep an eye out for.
And kitten season.
The Memorial Day puppy litter was the current priority, but Geena would have her hands full with kittens to photograph later the following weekend. The shelter was overrun with litters of kittens and mama cats with nursing kittens. And they were coming in faster than Sierra and Liz could find new fosters for them.
“You should have been here last week when the A/C went out for two days,” Sierra said. “It was dog mouth steamy in here.”
Liz waved the comment away. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“Don’t let Geena off the hook,” Taylor said. “That was definitely blushing. Go on. Admit it. You like him.”
Geena lowered her camera and sighed. “Whether or not I like him is irrelevant.”
“Ha!” Sierra lost her focus, then resumed puppy wrangling. “I knew it. She likes him.”
“Leave her alone,” Liz said. “Remember how much you fought us on Marc until you were ready to admit you still had feelings for him?”
“She’s not wrong,” Sierra said with a shrug. “You can deny it all you want, but there’s no telling your heart to shut up. You think I’d choose to shack up with a sportswriter, of all things, if my heart wasn’t running the show?”
“My heart and what it wants are irrelevant.” She snapped a few photos of the puppy. Stalling, mostly. Trying her best to listen to her own logic and ignore her growing feelings. “He has no interest in a serious relationship, and I have no interest in someone who doesn’t want the same things as me. I don’t need another doomed relationship, especially when I’m neck-deep in divorce paperwork.”
She still couldn’t forgive herself for making that terrible decision. She wasn’t about to choose poorly again.
“Okay, but that was because Ricky’s a jerk,” Taylor said. “He never deserved you. Plus, you made the choice to be with him based on your head, not your heart. Didn’t you tell me it was a data decision? Maybe it’s time to let your heart run things.”
Darn her sister and her keen memory.
Ricky had been a data decision. They were a good match on paper, but their connection was always lacking. Even before he started cheating on her. He never seemed invested in her happiness or even their closeness as a couple. It was more like a failed business venture than a marriage.
Cody was the opposite. He was attentive to her feelings and cared about her safety, and Geena couldn’t deny there was some sort of connection there.
Taylor was right. Being with Cody would be a heart decision, not a data one.
But Geena wasn’t ready to make that leap. Especially if ignoring the data meant potential heartbreak when he inevitably left.
Liz shook her head and left with Potato Salad. “She’ll figure it out on her own time.”
Sierra raised her brow but kept quiet for once.
“There’s nothing to figure out,” Geena said. “I’m not interested in a doomed hypothetical relationship. With anyone, but especially with someone who’s made it clear he has no interest in any kind of commitment.”
“We’ll see.” Sierra took her puppy and followed Liz out of the room.
When they were both gone, Geena turned to her sister. “Can we drop this? I’m tired of defending my choices.”
“I don’t want to make you defensive,” Taylor said. “But will you just admit you have feelings for him?”
Geena decided to keep quiet on the fact that Cody had spent the night on her couch. Taylor would run with that and bug her about it every time they were in the same room.
“I will admit that maybe I initially misjudged him on some things,” Geena said. “But that’s all you’re getting from me on the subject. Again, liking him or not is irrelevant. Can we get this litter finished and move on?”
“Fine,” Taylor said. “I just have to add that based on everything you’ve told me so far, I think you two would be good for each other.”
Geena doubted that. People with vastly different personalities rarely worked out as couples. Being with an opposite seemed to be exciting for people in the beginning, but eventually, they realized there was too much friction to overcome.
She was beyond tired of trying to force a relationship. Even though her and Ricky’s lives had at first appeared to match up, their values turned out to be wildly different.
But maybe there was something to Taylor’s theory about thinking with her heart instead of her head. She’d spent so much time making head decisions. Maybe it was time to let her heart have the reins for a bit. If not with Cody, then with the rest of her life.
She wanted to have a different life than she’d been living with Ricky for the past few years. That marriage had narrowed her world so much. If she was reimagining her life now, why not let her heart lead the show? Not with another relationship, but maybe with other things.
Diving back into photography, and with animals no less, had been such a good decision. It made her feel creative, as if she was making a difference in a small way.
Maybe more decisions like that?
Not a Cody decision, of course.
“Noted,” Geena said.
Her phone buzzed with a text. Because the universe had ridiculous timing, it was from Cody.
“Is that him?” Taylor asked.
“Yes, but not for whatever reason you think.”
He was threatening to spend another night on her couch, and Geena wasn’t about to tell her sister that.
Not yet, at least.
And there was only one way she could think of to satisfy Cody’s protective impulse for now.
“Hey, so what do you think about coming over tonight?”
Taylor tilted her head inquisitively. “To check on Gary?”
“Just to hang out,” Geena said. “Like a sister sleepover. We haven’t hung out much lately.”
That part was true. Geena had been busy with work, Gary, and her divorce, and Taylor had been busy with work and Austin. Despite their differences, they’d grown closer, and Geena missed her sister.
“On a Tuesday night?” Taylor narrowed her eyes at Geena. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Geena lied. “Just want some sister time.”
Taylor’s narrowed gaze remained glued to Geena. “Only if I get to pry more about Cody.”
Geena let out an exasperated sigh, but said, “Fine.”
Taylor’s expression perked up. “Then I’m in.”
Geena sent a quick text to Cody, telling him she would be fine, and he didn’t need to babysit her because Taylor would spend the night.
She’d worry about the rest of the week later.
“I’ll let Austin know, then I’ll pick up some clothes before heading over after I’m done here.”
“Great,” Geena said. “Looking forward to it.”
Taylor’s grin grew wider. “And I’m looking forward to grilling you about your feelings for a certain zookeeper.”
Geena rolled her eyes. This was beginning to sound like a big mistake.
“Go get another puppy for photos and save the grilling for later.”
“ O kay, I’m here.” Taylor dropped her duffel bag on the couch and put her hands on her hips. “Now tell me why I’m here.”
Geena had been rehearsing how to explain this the whole drive home. And now she was making clucking noises at Gary. Stalling.
“Can’t I have my little sister over for no special reason?”
“You could. If you were someone else.” Taylor frowned, but her eyes displayed a deep concern. “I’m worried about you. Tell me what’s going on.”
Geena opened the cage door so Gary could stretch his wings. She put the paper on the coffee table like Cody had told her to the night before. Then she sat beside her sister on the couch.
“Okay, but don’t freak out.”
“That’s my line,” Taylor said. “Just tell me. Please.”
Geena couldn’t stand the concern in Taylor’s voice. She was supposed to be the one looking out for her little sister. Not the other way around.
“Cody’s worried someone might come after Gary. That they were specifically after him at the zoo. His was the only room tampered with.”
“Right. We knew that. Or at least that he wasn’t safe there. That’s why we brought him here.”
“Well, now Cody’s afraid someone at the zoo tipped off the potential thief.”
“But no one knows who you are or that Gary’s here.”
It was Geena’s turn to frown. She’d been grateful for Cody’s help with Gary, even though he’d been the one to drop him on her doorstep. But he hadn’t thought it through, and now she was in a bigger mess than bird droppings.
“Someone could have been watching Cody at the zoo. They could have followed him here.”
“Crap.”
Gary squawked from his perch on the unmoving ceiling fan. “Crap on a cracker!”
“That’s new,” Geena mused.
“We can discuss Gary’s vocabulary later,” Taylor said. “You’re telling me you could be in danger now?”
Geena shrugged. “Maybe. But probably not. Cody just didn’t want me to be alone, and I wasn’t about to have him sleeping on my couch again.”
Taylor’s eyes widened as she turned her head completely to face her sister. “Again?”
Rats.
Geena had been trying to hide that fact all evening. She couldn’t think of a single way to spin this or roll it back now.
“He was worried last night that someone might have followed him, and he refused to let me stay here alone.”
“So he slept on your couch,” Taylor said. “And you’re just now telling me this juicy piece of information?”
“There’s nothing juicy about it,” Geena insisted. “He slept on my couch. Then he left this morning after insisting that I let him install a security camera later this week.”
“That’s not a terrible idea. Even without this Gary stuff, you’re here alone most of the time.”
“I don’t have a problem with it,” Geena said. “I had a problem with him not wanting me alone again tonight, so I promised to ask you to spend the night so he wouldn’t have to.”
Her problem, however, wasn’t that she didn’t want Cody around. It was more that she did want him around and didn’t know how to deal with those feelings.
Taylor narrowed her eyes while Gary booped and beeped before plopping himself to poop on the paper in front of them.
“Let me get this straight. You’ve eaten with the guy three times now, and spent the night with him once.”
“Stop saying it like that.”
Taylor ignored her. “At what point are you going to admit there’s something between you two?”
“Never. I can share a meal with someone?—“
“Three times,” Taylor repeated.
“—without it meaning anything more than two people eating food because humans need to eat.”
She almost sounded like she believed that.
Almost.
“Stop minimizing,” Taylor said.
“Stop blowing it out of proportion.”
Taylor took a deep breath as her expression softened, and her tone lowered. “Seriously, I just care about you, and I want you to be happy. It sounds like you make each other happy. Or at least, you enjoy each other’s company.”
Geena blew air up into her bangs as she counted backwards from five. Struggling to remember all the reasons pursuing things with Cody was a bad idea. She wasn’t even sure how he felt about her. Not to mention he’d been pretty clear about moving soon.
“I enjoy his company. Good enough?”
“For now.” Taylor grinned. “Speaking of food. Are we ordering pizza and streaming something to make this a real sleepover?”
“If we can drop this subject, and you can find a movie, I will place the delivery order right now.”
Geena put a few blueberries in Gary’s food bowl and waited for him to fly into his cage to shut the door. She’d let him out again later while they watched TV.
Taylor nodded. “Deal.”
Gary squawked before diving into his treat and shouted, “Let’s fucking eat!”