Chapter 20
ALEX
“Can we see some polar bears? And maybe pet the dolphins while we’re here?” Dolly held tight to my hand, dragging me away from the ticket counter.
“I don’t think they have polar bears at the aquarium.” I tried to check the map in one hand while she tugged and pulled at the other. “First we need to find the penguins.”
“Can we watch them feed the sharks, Uncle Alex?” Frankie pulled on my shirt. “Please?”
“Yeah, we’ll have time for all of that. But first, we have to find the penguins.
” I lifted my head from the map, doing a headcount.
Ever since the night I’d left Dolly at home, losing one of the girls was my greatest fear.
Char would never forgive me if I came home one short.
The smell of popcorn filled the air. It had been years since I’d been to a place like this.
“Can we get ice cream?” Jordan spoke up from behind me.
“Yeah, sure. Here, get your sisters an ice cream while I figure out where we’re going.” I pulled a twenty out of my wallet and watched while the girls joined hands and made their way over to the ice cream cart. “Gramps, do you want ice cream?”
No response.
I turned around, trying to locate my grandfather in the sea of strollers and kids. The old man sat on a bench about twenty yards back, fanning himself with the baseball cap he’d pulled off his head. I kept an eye on the girls while I made my way back to him.
“You okay?”
“It’s hotter than Hades out here. Aren’t there any exhibits inside? Who visits a place like this on the hottest day of the year?” Gramps pulled his short-sleeve button-down shirt away from his body.
I glanced up to where the sun hadn’t even reached its peak yet. A hint of a breeze blew by. “It’s not even noon. You sure you’re okay?”
“Aren’t we going to go inside?”
“Yes. The whole reason we came out here was to see the penguins. Come on, let’s get you out of the sun. How about an ice cream to help you cool down?”
Gramps nodded and let me take his elbow. We walked back to where the girls stood in line. After ten minutes of waiting and five minutes of Dolly changing her mind on what flavor she wanted, we found a place to sit and enjoy our cones before heading inside.
“Thanks for the ice cream.” Izzy smiled as she licked at her cone. It had already started dripping down her hand.
“Yeah, thanks, Uncle Alex.” Jordan, Frankie, and Dolly echoed the sentiment.
Dolly’s shirt already held more ice cream than was left on her cone.
Char might not be thrilled when I returned her daughters much messier than when I’d taken them, but hopefully a day of “me time” would lessen the reaction.
As I sat at the table, surrounded by family, I wondered what it would be like to have kids of my own.
The thought hadn’t crossed my mind before.
I’d always figured I’d be happy being an uncle and leaving it at that.
But after spending the night caring for a basket full of puppies, I considered the possibility.
Having someone, or something, so dependent on me made me want to step up and meet their needs.
I’d always been a one-for-one kind of guy.
This one-for-all and all-for-one never resonated with me before. But what if it could?
I glanced over at Gramps. He’d had a son and look where that got him. Alone with no one but two bitter grandkids to look after him. What would life be like if my dad hadn’t passed away? If my mom had stuck around?
I shook the thought right out of my head.
Didn’t do any good wasting energy thinking about what might have been.
The best course of action was to focus on the here and now.
And the future. That meant putting all of my attention and efforts into making sure Munyon’s daughter had the best freaking wedding money could buy.
“Y’all done yet? There’s a penguin show in a few minutes.
” I wondered what the show would consist of.
I’d worked around penguins for a while now, and while they were smart birds, they were also stubborn buggers.
Beyond their flapping their flippers for a fish, I wasn’t sure what kind of tricks they’d be willing to perform.
With the ice cream polished off, I picked up the napkins from the table and tossed them in the trash. I waited while Jordan took her sisters into the bathroom to wash off hands and cheeks and chins, and then we all headed indoors to find the penguins.
The theater was half-full with only a minute to go until showtime. I got the girls situated, just as the show started. It wasn’t really a show, more like a training session. The birds swam through the water, rang a few bells, and ate a bunch of fish.
The girls clapped along with the crowd at the end of the display. “Now who wants to go meet the penguins?” I asked.
“I do.” Frankie skipped down the concrete steps toward the tank.
“I have to go potty.” Dolly’s mouth screwed into a precocious frown.
“Again?” Jordan asked. “I just took you.”
Dolly shrugged.
“Jordan, can you take your sister to the bathroom? Gramps, go with them and make sure they come back? Izzy and Frankie can stay with me.” I didn’t want to split up the group, but I had to get a few words in with the penguin trainers while I had the chance.
“Fine.” Jordan took Dolly’s hand and stomped off in the direction of the bathroom.
“Gramps? Keep an eye on them, okay?” I nudged my chin toward the girls.
“Yeah, okay.” Gramps shuffled off behind them.
“Now let’s go meet those penguins, shall we?” I pointed down the steps.
Izzy took off toward the tank, leaving me to follow.
Taking care of some penguins for a couple of weeks had to be easier than trying to corral four girls and a grumpy old man.
On the way down to the front, I noticed a few cracks in the concrete and a couple of places where the tank of water had been patched up.
No wonder the director was willing to make a deal with Munyon.
His penguin amphitheater was in massive need of repairs. The habitat probably matched.
I stood at the edge of the tank until one of the staff came over. “Do you have a question?”
I held out my hand. “Hi, I’m Alex Sanders.”
“Nice to meet you. What can I do for you?”
“I’m taking a handful of your penguins for a couple of weeks.”
“That’s right. The wedding. You’re the scientist from Antarctica, right?”
I didn’t bother to correct him and tell him I was just a grunt who’d happened upon the job. “Are you in charge here?”
“Supposedly. What do you need?”
“I was told I’d be able to pick the penguins that would be coming to Ido for the wedding?”
The man’s mouth turned down into a frown. “Don’t you think you’re a little late for that?”
My chest tightened. “What do you mean?”
“We sent them over this morning. I was told the habitat was ready and the director needed them over there as soon as possible.”
“But I haven’t even met them yet.” My heart thumped. “You’re telling me a half dozen penguins left here this morning and are on their way to Ido?”
“A half dozen?” The guy’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve got twelve of my birds on their way to you. I’d like to know what you’re doing here and who’s going to be there to meet them.”
Twelve birds? I took a moment to let that information rattle through my head. “What time did they leave?”
The guy checked his diving watch. “I packed them up right before the show started. Maybe a half hour ago, tops.”
“I’ll handle this.” I reached for the girls’ hands. “Come on, we’ve got to go.”
“You mess with my birds, and you’ll be hearing from our lawyer.” The trainer’s voice bounced off the concrete, following me down the stairs as I tugged my nieces toward the bathroom where I hoped to find Gramps and the others.
I wanted to yell back that the guy could get in line.
By the time the wedding was over, there would probably be a long list of people who wanted to sue me.
As I shuffled the girls to the truck, I tried to call Zina.
She’d be at the warehouse. She could stall the driver and give me enough time to get back and figure out what was going on. There had to be a mistake.
Zina
I had almost finished setting up for the adoption event. Alex said he’d be there to help, but I hadn’t seen him yet. I should have known better than to get my hopes up that he might come through for me.
At least my volunteers had shown up, along with a small crowd of people thanks to Lacey making some last-minute calls.
It would be bittersweet to see the pups go.
I always felt a little bit of a loss when one of them went off with their new owners.
But it was for the best. All of the dogs deserved new homes—somewhere where they could get the unconditional love they deserved.
Maybe someday I’d finally get to see for myself what that felt like.
I shook off the mood that had settled over me, and made the rounds, checking on the dogs and volunteers to make sure everything was in order.
The last time we’d tried to hold a big event like this, a group had shown up to protest having pit bulls around town.
Things had settled down since then but thanks to the brick that had gone through my front window, I was prepared for just about anything.
“Hey, Zina, I’ve got a guy interested in Buster.” One of the regular volunteers approached.
“Really?” My stomach turned over at the thought of Buster leaving. But it was for his own good. I tried to act nonchalant as I walked toward Buster’s kennel. The “guy” was Jasper Taylor. We’d gone to high school together, but I hadn’t seen much of him since I’d moved back.
“Hey, Zina.” He gave me a smile as he leaned toward Buster’s crate. “Long time no see.”
“Jasper, what are you doing out here today?” As far as I knew he still lived outside town. His family ran a huge commercial pecan orchard or something like that.