Page 15 of Talk Birdie to Me

He should know, since he’d checked the bird’s food before sitting down to feed himself. Gary’s training and health were part of his care, but Gary’s general caretaking was another keeper’s rotation. Cody cared for the large cats each morning in addition to giving visitor talks during the day.

“Rat bastard!” Gary squawked.

Lauren entered the room in the middle of Gary’s mini-tirade. “Ah, having a nice, peaceful lunch, I see.”

“Jealous?”

“Of you and Gary?” Lauren made a pouty face. “Maybe a little.”

“You can always take him home, you know.”

“Prince would love that.”

Lauren had a gigantic Maine Coon that she’d adopted as a kitten. They could tell by his paws that he’d be big, but she never guessed he’d grow up to be that big. And he was somehow grumpy and needy at the same time. She treated him like a prince, and he lived up to his name.

She sat on a stool across from Cody at the big table they used for meal prep. “Any word on placing him with someone who doesn’t have a spoiled Prince?”

“Not unless you’ve convinced your girlfriend to take him.”

“That’s a no go,” Lauren said. “She’s apparently allergic to birds. Something new I learned about her.”

“New is good,” he said. “I figured you two would be as close as an old married couple by now.”

Despite Lauren insisting that things were still new after only a couple months together, Cody knew how deeply she dove into relationships. But he guessed it was reasonable that a bird allergy wouldn’t have come up until now.

“So, no word from the rescue?”

Cody shook his head while he swallowed a bite of sandwich. “Haven’t heard anything yet. They said it might take a while.”

“They?” Lauren raised her brow and smirked.

“Taylor,” he said. “And whoever I talked to at the shelter.”

“Not Taylor’s wildly attractive older sister?”

“I don’t see Geena talking to me ever again if she can help it.” He shrugged and wiped the crumbs from his hands over the empty plastic bag. “No sweat off my back. I’m not everyone’s taste. Besides, she seems like a forever kind of person. I’m not planning to stick around here, so better to not start something I don’t plan on finishing.”

“Any word on that front?”

“What’s the word, bird?” Gary shouted.

Lauren and Cody both ignored him. They’d learned that any acknowledgment egged him on and only led to worse language.

“Not since Phoenix passed on me.” That had stung, but he didn’t let it bug him for long. He’d gone home and submitted resumes to three other zoos after that blow. “If you ask my mom, it’s a sign.”

“Maybe she’s right?”

“Despite what she thinks, not everything is a sign.”

“No, but this particular thing could be.”

Cody gathered his trash and dropped it in the huge garbage can along the wall behind him. “Things just happen. They don’t have to be connected or mean anything more than they are.”

“Speaking of, how’s your mom?”

“Same as always. ”

Cody’s mom had been thrilled when he moved back to Louisiana. Even better, he was working in the same town as her. But she was quickly disappointed when she realized her only son wouldn’t be stopping over for dinner every night.

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