Page 39 of Talk Birdie to Me

She had a point.

Why should it matter what her family called the man she wasn’t dating?

Because it was disrespectful to call him ‘zoo guy’ when he had a perfectly good name, that’s why.

Was that why it upset her?

Geena decided this was a thought tunnel she didn’t want to enter further.

“Never mind. Can we talk about something else?”

“You still haven’t told us why the bird can’t stay at the zoo,” her mother said. “Does he bite? Because you don’t want to catch whatever birds carry if he bites you.”

“He doesn’t bite.”

At least, she didn’t think so.

Surely Cody would have told her if Gary had a habit of biting people. Especially if there was a danger of contracting something. She trusted him that much.

Oh.

She trusted him.

When did that happen?

“He has… an advanced vocabulary.”

“He swears?” Her mother looked stricken.

Austin chuckled softly while Taylor giggled.

“He has quite an extensive collection of cuss words at his disposal from what I’ve heard,” Austin said.

“Lovely,” her mother said. “But that doesn’t explain why they can’t keep him out of the way. Surely there’s room for him away from guests somewhere in that zoo.”

“They did keep him in the meal prep room. Until Friday night.”

Taylor cringed at Geena once the words that flew out of her mouth hit her brain.

They exchanged a knowing look. Geena wasn’t going to slip out of this easily.

Their mother looked between them, sensing they were holding back. “What happened Friday? One of you tell me now, or I’ll find out, anyway.”

With a heavy sigh, Geena said, “Someone tried to steal him from the zoo.”

Their dad screeched the knife on the tray again. “Geena, this sounds serious. Are you sure this is a good idea?”

No. She didn’t know anything anymore. Nothing except she’d accepted this responsibility, and she wasn’t going to bail on Gary.

Her mother frowned. “What is this Cody person doing to ensure your safety?”

Taylor left Austin’s arms to put a hand on her sister. “No one knows Geena has the parrot. There isn’t a paper trail or any reason anyone would suspect he’s at her house. And it’s just temporary until we can find a foster or potential adopter. Geena’s photos of him were great, so we’re going to do social media posts next week to see if someone will step up and help.”

Their mother’s frown set in deeper. “I still don’t like this.”

“I’m sure Gary doesn’t like this situation any more than I do,” Geena said. “I’m sure he misses his owner. And I’m positive I’m a poor substitute for someone who knows what the heck to do with a parrot.”

Cody’s instructions had been thorough, but this was all way out of her wheelhouse. The care was surprisingly easier than she’d expected, but it was still a lot to manage for someone who’d never owned a cat, much less a giant parrot.

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