The Impossible

Chapter 1

Patience O’Leary

Have you ever woken up one day and felt like you shouldn’t get out of bed or leave the house? Unknown forces telling you that your best bet was to stay inside, where everything was in your control?

I didn’t listen to that little voice. I didn’t know what, but something was begging me to stay home and tend to the million plants I had accumulated, but I couldn’t.

I needed to get to work at the sanctuary so I could care for the tiger cub we’d just taken in.

While a few of my coworkers wanted to put him on the zoo side of Meadows, I didn’t feel like he was ready yet, given he had no mother and was just settling in and getting over pneumonia.

The last thing I wanted was some happy go lucky handler to mishandle him.

With all of that in mind, I got up and prepared to leave the house, ignoring the feeling in my chest, like something was about to take place and change my life.

The entire ride to Meadows, I ignored it, mentally forcing myself to focus on all I needed to do today besides guarding the tiger cub with my life.

I was the Director of Animal Care and Big Cat Curator at Meadows Animal Zoo and Sanctuary.

It had been my favorite place in the world since I was just a wee lass.

Then I grew up and decided the dream of caring for the wellbeing of animals wasn’t a dream but actually my purpose.

I went through several extensive years of schooling and certifications to get where I was.

I loved it here, even though it was a ploy for my family to keep me close to them.

Patience O’Leary, granddaughter of the infamous Shamus O’Leary and oldest daughter of Titus O’Leary.

Long story short, my last name carried years of history I wanted no parts of.

Too bad taking on my mother’s maiden name would have made it worse.

No part of me was ashamed of my family, but some of the things done to survive would forever taint the O’Leary name.

While my brother attempted to live up to our last name, my sister and I avoided it… well tried to. It was inevitable.

“Good morning, Patience.” Miley, one of the senior keepers, greeted me as I walked through the doors of Meadows.

“Morning.” I smiled, taking a sip of my coffee right after.

“Your boy is up bright and early looking for you.” She grinned, referring to Zar, the tiger cub.

I laughed. “Has he eaten?”

“Yes, and he’s had his medicine too. You gonna go see him?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I just have a meeting with Cromwell about a potential breeding and I should be down there soon.

“How is everyone else?”

“Good, Ellie is doing well and still not letting people near those damn pups.”

I laughed. “She will. Give her time.”

We made more conversation during the walk to my office, then she had to cut out to check on one of our mammals.

What made Meadows unique was the plan I’d devised to not only keep the zoo open, but also rehab and create a sanctuary for animals through various programs and grants.

Currently I was working on creating an exchange program between here and a few other sanctuaries to bridge gaps and open up more spaces to care for endangered species and animals confiscated from smuggling and other unique situations.

I cut the TV on in my office and moved to my computer to check my emails.

I was glad I did, because as soon as I opened them, an email from the director at Cromwell asking if we could reschedule our meeting was waiting on me.

That was good because I needed the time to iron out a couple wrinkles in my proposal and I really wanted to check in with Zar.

I wasn’t the best with people, but with the animals, everything made sense.

There I was able to come up with my best ideas and plans.

I wished I could take all of my Zooms and work calls from the habitats.

“All charges were dropped against the alleged head of the Carter crime family, a family believed to trace back to the reign of not only Senior Carter, but even before, with the merging of the Bethune and Carter crime families.

The news coverage had me looking at the TV.

The last name Carter rang bells for me, reminding me of the very person whose picture was on the screen.

Hondo Carter. I had the biggest crush on him when I was fifteen and he was seventeen.

As a matter of fact, I was so freaking nervous around him that when our families had dinners and planned events I didn’t speak much.

Our families were really close before my mother died, having dinners and even joint vacations.

At one point, every time I looked up, I saw him, but we didn’t talk a lot.

Then if we ever did, he never called me by my first name, but always my middle name. Nicolette.

He hadn’t changed a bit from back then, I mean besides growing into that big ass head and maybe looking much more menacing. He was still handsome, still facially vague to a point where one could never tell what he was thinking.

I shook my head, removing him from my thoughts and focusing on everything I had going on.

For about two hours, I powered through paperwork and a few painful phone calls with donors.

That was the part I hated, because there was always an overtaking human with deep pockets, but I fully understood everything in this world ran off money.

Once I was finished, I prepared to go check on Zar and a few of the other big cats.

During the walk, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket, then Siri announced I had an incoming call from my father.

I declined to answer, deciding I’d call him back later.

The last thing I needed was to be irritated around my animals.

They sensed that sort of stuff. My relationship with my family wasn’t the best, given that I tried my hardest to steer clear of them, and they didn’t give a shit.

They were in reference to my father and grandfather as my mother and my grandmother died when I was younger.

“About time. He has had Ralf chasing him for his booster shots for the last hour. Watch him run up to the glass,” Miley said as soon as I entered the enclosure.

Sure as she said it, Zar came from under a fake tree branch, running toward me at full speed. His little paws were in front of my feet in seconds as his little tail wagged. He was adorable.

“See. Ralf, here he is. He came out for boss lady.”

In seconds I was on my knees and he threw his little body against me.

Zar trusted me because I was one of the first faces he’d seen when he got off the plane.

Not to mention I made sure I saw him almost every day, keeping his routine strict with only small deviations.

It was important to keep a routine with all big cats.

“You think you could give him his shot, boss?” Ralf asked, standing as far away as possible. He was newer and still hadn’t gotten the hang of any of the cats. Not only were they fickle but they didn’t trust easily.

I laughed. “Yeah, hand it to me. Remember, even this young, they can sense your fear and apprehension. When you step in here, you have to be extremely confident or they’ll chew you up and spit you out.”

I successfully gave Zar his shots and spent a while longer with him before I left to go back to my office. I had just cleaned my hands and exited the enclosure when I heard a voice behind me.

“Nicolette,” a male voice called out

Hearing my middle name had my brows raised. No one ever called me by my middle name, other than my grandmother and him. He only did it because he heard her once and it stuck for him and his need to get on my nerves.

I halted my steps in complete disbelief before turning around. There he stood, as if I hadn’t just seen him on my TV, as if he was supposed to be back here. “Um, what are you doing here?”

“You still love these animals, huh? You looked like you were in pure fucking bliss in there with a whole predator in your arms,” he mused, eyes focused on Zar now lying on his back asleep.

“That’s because I was. Now what are you doing here?”

“What, you’re not happy to see an old friend, Nic?” he asked, arrogance oozing from his being. He looked good, so freaking good for a man who just skated charges.

“It’s not that. I just don’t understand why you—”

“Came to check on an old friend. Still beautiful as fuck, I see.” His eyes traveled my frame before they landed back on mine.

“Um, thank you.” I’d be lying if I said that compliment hadn’t sent heat down my spine and warmth to my cheeks. He said still beautiful, like back then he thought I was beautiful as well. Shit, he did!

“Come to dinner with me tonight.” There was no question in his words, instead a statement.

“Um, I don’t th—”

“It’s dinner, Nic.”

I didn’t mean to smile, but I did. “Why can’t you call me Patience like everyone else? After all these years you still insist on calling me by my middle name.”

“’Cause I’m not everyone else and you’ve always known that. So… dinner. What time?” He leaned against the wall.

“I didn’t say yes.”

He laughed, eyes glossing my frame once again. “You leave here at five, right?”

He caught me off guard. “And how do you know my schedule?”

“Are you still a pescatarian?” He didn’t answer my question but instead asked one of his own. It was at that moment I realized he had paid attention to me back then. When I was younger I went through this weird phase refusing to eat certain meats, therefore making me a momentary pescatarian.

“No.”

“Aight, bet. See you around five, Nicolette.” He turned to leave and I hadn’t even accepted the dinner date. It was like my answer didn’t matter.

“Don’t waste your time, Hondo. You’ll come here and I’ll be gone.”

He stopped, then turned and faced me again. “Still stubborn too, but nah you’ll still be here.”

“And how do you figure?”