Page 50 of Moon Tamed

“With her, no conversation was basic. It was more of a field full of word-based mines.”

“But were her words bigger than your words?”

“No. She just sharpened hers before use.”

“Well, view this as an elaborate sense of closure, one where you learned something new, got a pet you can’t eat, and you no longer have to worry about it. Of course, I’m going to insist on visitation rights on these bunnies. They’re wickedly cute.”

“I understand why people want them now.”

The employee came back with a pair of carriers, and we put our chosen bunnies in one and his ex’s in the other. Thirty minutes later, we escaped the store with a packed SUV.

“When I tell my father what just happened, he’s going to laugh at me.”

“Then I’ll tell him what happened, and he’ll laugh at me. You’ll be safe. You just saw the light around the same time you saw a bunny. These are not the vicious, wicked beasts we like to eat.”

“But do they taste the same?”

“Don’t know, don’t care,” I admitted. “I won’t be finding out, because unlike my parents’ doves, the bunnies will get vaccinations and other things that don’t make them suitable for eating. We don’t eat the doves we take to the vets, either. They get little funerals. Those are the true pets.”

“Ah, I see. Some aren’t pets but some are, and the actual pets don’t make their way to the dinner table.”

“That is the general rule, yes. We put bands on the doves we won’t be eating. There is a bird graveyard in the backyard somewhere, I’m sure. There’s one rule we all agree on, though.”

“What rule?”

“We always eat the turkeys.”

“That seems like a sensible rule.” Calden started the SUV, hooked his phone into the vehicle, and dialed his father.

“Wasn’t I just texting with you?” Calden’s father asked.

“You were, but Coraline has something to say.”

“Should I be concerned?”

I giggled. “Only if you don’t like cute little bunnies. I’m now responsible for the adoption of yet more animals, and my target this time was Calden. He saw the bunny I picked up and decided that was his bunny. Then he saw a cute little black baby hiding by herself, and she had to come home with him, too. And he got a bunny for that ex of his, to make up for being a little less than considerate regarding the bunny versus rabbit issue. We have an SUV loaded with stuff for the bunnies and their new empires.”

“We’ll set the bunnies up in her office. She’s already left for the day, and I’ll make sure security knows you’re supposed to be back and give you access to her office. Will they be all right overnight? I have the two I selected for her.”

“They should be all right. I have dry rabbit food and a grocery list of what her pets would prefer to eat, which can be acquired at any grocery store.” I marveled at how often people fed their pets the wrong things.

Bunnies wanted leafy greens, not dry food. The bags I’d gotten from the pet store would tide them over for a day.

Calden’s bunnies, at the very least, would eat like they were furry royalty.

“I’ll meet you at her office. Do bring your new children up with you, Calden. I want to meet my grandbunnies.”

I bit my lip, so I wouldn’t giggle at the older man’s eagerness.

“Dad, you’re something else.”

“I really am. How’d you sucker him into bunnies, Coraline?”

“I didn’t actually do anything. I just suggested he make peace with that woman and suggested he get her a bunny to make up for the misunderstanding. Then I took him to the pet store to help him with that and picked up one of the bunnies. She’s absolutely precious, so I can understand why he wanted to take her home with him. And the black one seemed so sad because she stayed by herself when the other bunnies wanted attention.”

“You are such a sucker,” Calden’s father stated in an amused tone. “Will they be headquarter pets or home pets?”

“Home. I’m thinking I’m going to go with something smaller for my office. Maybe some fish? We don’t have enough aquariums at work yet.”

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