Page 49 of Moon Tamed

“Yes, and?”

“I was just confirming we have the same condition. Let’s go get my SUV, get all the crap needed for these bunnies, and then I will show you my library. Like my living room, it has a fireplace. Most importantly, it has books. There are even two chairs and a sofa there. I’m sure you can find something to read while I make you dinner.”

“That sounds like a plan.”

ELEVEN

They’re for petting and loving.

I guided Calden through the murky waters of bunny care, making certain he got everything his ex needed to have happy pets. The store, much to my dismay, had a bunch of the fluffy critters on display, and I pointed at the one breed I knew people bought because they were prestigious, soft, fluffy, and loving. “That is the specific type of bunny she probably wanted.”

Calden regarded the animal with open suspicion. “It doesn’t look like it would have a whole lot of meat on it.”

“Well, it is a baby. But no, they’re not for meat. They’re for petting and loving.”

The bunny in question, a brown one with white ears, nose, and tail, stared at us in expectation.

“It wants something.”

“Attention.” I pointed at the sign, which welcomed people to pet the bunnies if they sanitized their hands first. I obeyed the sign, put my arm into their enclosure, and giggled as the entire lot of them came over for some love. “These are not like the meat variety. The meat variety are evil monsters who deserve their fate. These guys just want you to love them for all eternity.”

“Obviously, we’re buying the brown one. Dad promised two friendly bunnies, so we can just make sure there’s enough supplies for three.”

As Calden had gone overboard on the selection of the hutch, which was two hutches designed to be linked together, his ex would have no problems fitting three bunnies in them comfortably. Better yet, the hutches came with two boxes each, so bunnies could get space if they wanted some alone time.

We’d have to get an extra litter box to account for the third animal, but we’d be done within ten minutes.

I caught the brown bunny, picked it up, and made eye contact with one of the store employees, who came over.

Calden stared at me, stared at the bunny, and then eyed the furry bodies waiting for more attention. “You have to keep that one. There’s another one of that breed. It’s white. She can have a white one.” Calden pointed at a tiny black bunny off on its own. “What’s wrong with that one?”

“Nothing’s wrong with her. She’s just a little shy,” the store employee said, and he picked up the white bunny Calden had mentioned. “These ones are seventy-five each. The black one is fifteen.”

“When my father laughs at me for owning bunnies I can’t eat, defend me, Coraline,” Calden stated. “She hadn’t told me these were cute.”

I recognized a lost cause when I saw one. “That was foolish of her. Had she taken you into the store like a smart woman, she would have had an army of bunnies with a single visit.” I petted the bunny I held, smiling at its tendency to nuzzle. “Is this one a boy or a girl?”

“These are all girls. We have the boys in a different enclosure.”

“Her name is Latte,” I informed Calden.

He laughed. “And the other one will be Espresso?”

“That seems like a good plan to me. We don’t have enough things now.”

“Do you have a carrier?” the employee asked.

We shook our heads, but before I could say anything, Calden said, “We’ll take two carriers if they can be transported together. The white one is a gift for a friend, and Latte and Espresso are for us. We’ll also need help loading the SUV.” He winced. “I hope it all fits, or I’m going to have to call for help. I am never going to live this down.”

“And this time I wasn’t even trying to goose someone into the ownership of animals.”

“It was a known peril. I just hadn’t expected this sort of peril tonight.”

I snuggled with the bunny. “I’m just glad I’m able to readily distinguish between animals I keep as a pet and animals that I keep as food. Latte and Espresso are not food.”

“On that, we are agreed. These fluffs are not food grade. They’re cuddle grade.” Calden introduced himself to the black bunny with some help from the store employee. After a few minutes, he ended up with the small animal cradled in his arms while the employee went to get a pair of carriers for us. “Why didn’t she just tell me what these were? Or take me to the pet store and show me?”

“I have no idea. It seems like the problem could have easily been avoided with some basic communication.”

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