Page 54 of A Summer Mismatch
Nonna:I will. You’re a good brother, Logan. Your mom would be proud, just like I am.
Logan’s blinked back unexpected tears. Adia watched him carefully. She’d always been the most sensitive elephant to the emotions of the people around her.
“I’m fine,” he assured her, and himself. He put his phone in his pocket, and went to find Kai.
They had decided to hold the event in the multi-purpose room of the equestrian center, just in case any of the animals chose to relieve themselves. Golf cart rides were provided for the residents of The Palms who couldn’t make the journey to the facility on their own.
Kai helped Logan unload the animals from the back of the SFWCC’s van. They’d brought with them a hedgehog, a Burmese python, a chinchilla, a turtle, and a macaw. Additionally, he brought a fox pelt, the tusk of an elephant, the skull of a wolf, the shed skin of a rattlesnake, and the tooth of an alligator for everyone to touch.
All of these items had been donated to the conservation center after the natural death of an animal, and they used them for educational purposes now.
The equestrian center had chairs set up in rows, and the room was packed. At least twenty-five people had shown up. Cameron sat in the front row, and from the corner of his eye, he caught Julia standing off to the side, leaning against the wall, watching him set up. What would she do if he walked over and swept her into his arms?
He made sure to flex a little more than necessary as he lifted the turtle’s cage onto a table.
“Don’t strain yourself,” Kai teased.
Logan ignored him and lifted another cage.
“But thisisgoing in my book,” he mused. “Humans often show off their strength to a potential mate, just as many species of animals do.”
“I thought it was an article,” Logan said with a huff as he lifted the heavy python tank next.
“It was, but you’re giving me enough material to expand my scope.” He held his hands out wide, and then a little bit wider.
“Glad to be of service. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have someone I want to say hi to before we begin.”
“Let me get my pen out first, so I can jot down some notes.”
Logan snagged the pen from Kai’s hand and tossed it across the room before he jogged over to Julia, stopping briefly to give a high five to Cameron, and then a hug. Cameron ruffled Logan’s hair, making Logan laugh. He always ruffled Cam’s hair, but this was the first time the affectionate act was returned.
“You made it,” he said to Julia as he approached her, sounding embarrassingly out of breath. He hadn’t jogged that far, but he knew it was his heart racing from being so close to Julia again. If he closed his eyes, he could feel her sitting beside him on the pier, her hand in his, her head on his shoulder.
“We’re excited. It’s all Cameron’s talked about all week.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” Logan knew he should play it cool, but it was impossible for him to play it cool with Julia. From the very beginning, he had no defenses against her.
“Me too.” Her lips tipped into a half-smile as she looked him up and down, kicking his heart into an even higher gear. “I kind of miss the rainbow scrubs.”
He looked down to see the boring tan SFWCC-issue scrubs that both he and Kai were wearing. They had the logo of the conservation center on his chest pocket. “We’re required to wear these out in the community. For professionalism reasons.” He said the last part in a haughty tone that had the intended result of making her chuckle.
“Well, you do look very professional.” Her fingers brushed his just barely, but definitely purposefully. It was enough to steal the breath from him instantly.
“So do you,” he said. Then he heard the words too late to take them back, and he swallowed. “I mean you look pretty. Not professional. But you could be professional—”
“Thank you,” she said, putting him out of his misery. He was never like this around women. Ever.Way to impress when it matters most, Logan.
“Uncle Logan!” Leo and Amelia burst into the room and threw themselves at his legs. He’d seen them just that morning, but the longer they were away from their mom, the more clingy they’d become with him. Grandpa Smitty walked in next, took one look at him and Julia, and sat down in the back with a grumpy humph.
He hugged his niece and nephew, and when he glanced up to find Julia watching them, her tender expression made his stomach swoop.
“Excuse me! Excuse me!” a woman’s high-pitched, loud voice called out as she traveled down the aisle toward them, pushing a caged parrot in a stroller.
“He’s so cute!” Amelia squealed out.
“This is Chuckles,” the woman with dark red hair said. She turned to Logan, her eyes focusing on the logo of his shirt before she gave him a smile as bright as the lemon-yellow shirt she wore. “Dear, this is so fortuitous to meet you! I’m Shirley.” She held her hand out, and he shook it as her parrot screeched out, “Cheerio!”
“My poor Chuckles isn’t allowed to mingle with other wild animals in the zoo, per their rules“—she saidrulesas though the word left a bad taste in her mouth—”so I was very pleased to hear about your event today. What a joy for Chuckles to mingle with other animals.”
