Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Finch
"Well, if it isn't my damsel in distress," I said, folding my arms and leaning against the splintering fence that separated the main path from the back of the café.
Of all the things I’d expected to see on my way back from the petting zoo . . .
I’d just been checking our miniature cow’s, Colin’s, abscess, mind still foggy from a late night, when the girl I’d kissed in town appeared at my family’s zoo—my family’s currently closed for the season zoo. She looked equally baffled to see me, as if I were the one out of place, not her.
Frankie yanked herself free from the door handle, her cheeks flushing a shade of scarlet as she looked me up and down. Her eyes lingered on my lab coat, her slender brows pinching as her gaze drifted to the stethoscope around my neck. I could see the wheels turning as she started putting together the missing pieces.
"You . . . work here?"
I laughed down at the Prickle Island Zoo logo across my lab coat. "What gave me away?" I cocked my head. "The real question is, what are you doing here, Frankie?”
Frankie's lips curved like she was seemingly impressed I remembered her name. She hooked her thumb to the door held ajar by a trash can behind her. "I just, uh, got a job here. I was meeting with Evie, Evelyn, well, your mom, I guess? That’s so weird.”
"Wait, you're the new chef?" I asked incredulously, my mind racing to catch up. "You're Francesca Benedetti?"
She folded her arms, making her chest stick out more and the buttons of her sweater stretch in a way that made me swallow and pick a point directly above her head to look at.
"Yes, why?"
"You just . . . don't look like I imagined." I waved a hand at her statuesque height, only a couple inches shorter than me, and her shining waves of blonde hair that made her look more like a Nordic ice princess than an Italian chef.
“Not all Italians have dark hair,” she chided, rolling her ocean blue eyes. "I'm Italian on my dad's side, hence the last name. My mom is Dutch."
"Ah," I said. Hence the hair, height, and thighs that I wouldn't mind choking me. I cleared my throat. This was not what I should be thinking about. Especially now that I knew she'd be working here all summer. I absolutely could not , under any circumstances, hit on her. She was officially off limits. “I hoped I'd run into you again."
Way to not hit on her, Finch!
"Oh," she said, tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear. I couldn't help but study the way her cheeks pinked up, trailing out to her ears and down her neck like a rosy haze.
I laughed awkwardly and shifted my weight side to side. Something about her . . . it put me off balance. Normally, I was smooth and suave and knew exactly what to say, but this girl made me nervous.
I knew she shouldn't make me feel anything. She’d been engaged to a slimy guy like two weeks ago!
I rolled my shoulders as if I could stretch away the thought. "Well, welcome to Prickle Island Zoo,” I said, flourishing a hand like a court herald.
"Thank you," she replied, checking her watch. "I'm just about to head out to the place I’m staying. Your mom organized the accommodation for me. Do you know where the Salty Dog is?"
"My home away from home," I said with a chuckle. "You'll like it there. Kirby and Aya are good people. Aya’s our food prep manager so you could probably get a ride over with her in the mornings. Or walk. It’s only like ten minutes.” Great, I was rambling now. I was starting to sound like Hawk’s girlfriend, Hannah. “But . . ."
“But what?"
"You know the Salty Dog is a bar, right? I hope you brought ear plugs.”
"I might need to go to the store and grab some. Thanks for the tip," she said, fumbling to cross her arms over her chest. Was she nervous too? God, I was calmer bumping into women I'd done all sorts of wicked things with than this. I'd just kissed Frankie once and she had me bouncing on the balls on my feet like an anxious bobblehead.
"Popping to the store might be a problem.” I pinched two fingers together. "The general store doesn’t have them, and the other shops don't open until the first day of summer when all of the tourists start coming over on the ferry."
"Right," she said tightly. "Well, I guess I'll just make do."
"I have some!" I volunteered. Seriously. What the fuck was wrong with me?
"Oh, that's okay. I shouldn’t?—”
"No, no, please, I have a million packets," I said, waving a hand. "We had a flock of cockatoos in the hospital a few weeks ago for their annual deworming and beak trims. Earplugs are an essential."
She blinked at me. "I never thought I would hear that sentence."
“Welcome to life at a zoo.” I waggled my eyebrows. “Prepare for much stranger things, I can guarantee you will encounter them over the summer.” I grabbed out my swipe card. "Come on. The hospital’s just over there.”
She tentatively followed me through the winding bamboo-lined paths and through the staff shortcut to the back gate of the hospital. We walked in stilted silence that I’d normally fill with my witty repartee, but I had no idea what to say. Something about Frankie had me tongue-tied. I wanted to ask about her ex, about the job, about her life. She was the sort of intriguing person who made me want to peel back all the layers and figure her out. I wanted to ask all sorts of things, but instead I just silently wandered up to the glass doors of the hospital, waved my keycard over the door, and ushered Frankie in.
As we walked into the brightly lit hallway, the waft of chemicals and cleaning solutions filled the air. It was a unique scent, like acid and urine mixed with perfumed soap and iodine and the sharp tang of metal. The lights buzzed overhead, my eyes sharpening as we walked down the echoey, tiled hallway.
As we passed the surgery room, Frankie whispered, “Am I allowed to be back here?"
I arched my brow at her. “Why are you whispering?”
“I don’t know,” she said a little louder. “It just all seems very important and official, like a real hospital.”
“It is a real hospital,” I countered. “Our patients just aren’t humans.”
“Well, it feels like the sort of place random new employees aren’t allowed to go. I don’t want to get in trouble on my first day.”
“Trouble? I'm the veterinarian," I pointed out, tapping on my name embroidered on my coat. "You're allowed wherever I say as long as you’re with me, okay?”
"Right, okay." Why was she so adorable? I felt like we were two kids sneaking around in here instead of me showing her my very boring and sterile office.
"Hey, Finch,” Dove called as she turned the corner. "Where did you put the restock of syringes for—oh!" She pulled up short, staring at Frankie and then glowering at me. "I thought you were going to cool it on boning girls at the vet hospital."
"Dove—”
"If Mom sees you've brought another random girl?—”
"Dovey—”
"I mean, she's stunning.” She waved Frankie up and down. “I don't blame you, but?—”
"Dove!"
"What?"
“Dove, meet Frankie Benedetti, the new head chef of Prickle Island Zoo.” Like a kid displaying an art project, I held up my hands to display Frankie, who was trying very hard to contain her laughter.
"Oh." Dove looked between us. "Oh!" She launched forward to shake Frankie's hand as Frankie bit her lips together. "Dove Lachlan, rainforest walkthrough and bird keeper. Sorry about that. I'm one of Finch's annoying little sisters.”
“You’re the only annoying," I muttered.
The twins, Crane and Heron, seized that opportune moment to waltz into the vet hospital carrying Matilda, the boa constrictor.
"Finch, are you?—”
Dove jumped in between us and loudly proclaimed, "This is the new chef, Frankie!" before my other siblings could make more snide comments about my dating habits.
I rolled my eyes.
"Wow," Frankie said, looking between all of us. “There’s a lot of you.”
I gestured to the twins. "Meet Crane and Heron. They are both easily bribed with baked goods should you ever need to."
“Ah, right,” Frankie said with a chuckle. “Evie warned me about you two.” She put a hand to the side of her mouth and whispered, “I make a mean banana bread."
Heron shoved Crane to the side and rushed up to her. "Have you ever wanted to pet a giraffe?"
"Whoa there, team," I said, hooking a finger into Heron’s khaki collar and yanking them backward. "Let's let Frankie settle in here before we start trading food for animal encounters, okay?" I pointed at Crane. “And no surprise tarantulas.”
Frankie’s eyes bugged as my little brother rolled his eyes. “You’re no fun.”
“You’re twenty-one now, wrecking ball,” I said to him. “No more pranks.”
“Especially if you want to enjoy my baking,” Frankie added. “And I promise you it’s the best you’ve ever had.”
Crane’s expression tightened at that threat. “Okay, fine, no tarantulas.”
I flashed Frankie a grin. She already knew how to wrangle the twins, it seemed.
Taking her gently by the elbow, I steered her through the labyrinth of my prying siblings. The Lachlans could be a lot when we bombarded people all at once. I fished in my desk drawer and pulled out a sealed packet of foam earplugs. "Here," I said, passing them to Frankie. “These should get you started."
"Thanks," she replied. "Uh." She looked around at all my siblings, who were now all lingering in the doorway to my office like circling lemurs waiting for grapes. "It was nice meeting you all!"
They all said their pleasantries over the top of each other and waved her off as she headed, bemused, back out of the vet hospital. She stole one last look my way as she went, giving me a quick wave. I waved back a little too enthusiastically and felt all of my siblings’ eyes land on me at once. Curse them, they missed nothing.
"Ten bucks says Finch hooks up with her by the end of the week," Crane murmured to Heron.
"No more bets," I said, pointing between them. "I'm not like that anymore." They both erupted into laughter, and I scowled at them. “I am this close to swapping Bart’s castration for yours. Now tell me why you’re here or get out of my office.”
Their reply was cut off by my phone beeping. Lark's message popped up: Describe her please!
My eyes found Dove, who was smiling down at her phone. “You already messaged the family group chat about this?” I raked my hair off my face. "The devil works fast, but Lachlans work faster,” I muttered.
By now, all of my siblings had been informed of Frankie's presence in my office. I didn't know why, but I didn't like the idea of all of them talking about her, even if it would inevitably be complimentary.
"What do you two want?" I sighed, pointing at the boa constrictor still happily draped across Crane’s neck.
Dove grinned at me and started dancing down the hall. "I think I'm going to name the new chick Frankie!"