Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“What? Nooo.”
“You’re trying to soften me up using this poor creature?”
“Nooo.” He eyes me. “Is it working?” I stare back at him, cold and dead. He turns innocent again. “Nooo, I’d never stoop so low.”
“I’ve seen Luigi. You have, too. Is he okay? Can we go?”
“I swear, you don’t know what you’re missin’ out on.” Samuel brings the rabbit up to his face, cuddling him tighter. “Hey, little guy! Aww, aren’t you the cuuutest. Are ya done bein’ shy, Luigi De Magistris Baldassarre? You wanna meet my friend Malckie here?”
I wrinkle up my nose at the nickname. “Malckie …?”
The bunny’s ears twitch. He lifts his head a bit to peek out.
“Ooh, bunny-wabbit does wanna meet Malckie!” sings Samuel.
Now I know where Samuel gets that singsong voice from. I wasn’t far off from my guess when he talked to me like that back at the Christmas tree.
After a moment, Samuel shrugs. “Really, though, it’s alright. If you aren’t comfortable, I won’t force the little guy on you. Besides, you were brave enough to come in here and get up this close. That isn’t nothin’.” He smiles as he cuddles the bunny once more before gently setting him back in his sizeable cage and closing the top.
I still haven’t uncrossed my arms. “He’s cute,” I remark.
“Right?” Samuel chuckles as he leans in to check a few other things, like the water and food, then nods. “Good. Everything is good to go.”
“Has … Has he been here by himself all day while you were at the Strong ranch?” I find myself asking.
“No, no. Jill was here most of the day, and I think Omar was in this afternoon. Jill likely closed up half an hour ago. Just wanted to make sure my little friends are okay before they rest for the night. A decent manager always follows up!” he adds like a training video slogan, then makes a face. “Except I’m … not really the manager. Vet tech, like I said.”
“What is this place, exactly?” I gesture at Luigi’s cage. “Clinic or boarding shelter?”
“Ah, uh … both? Sort of? This is Spruce you’re talkin’ about. If you own a business, you become whatever the town needs. That’s what this clinic is. Personally, I would love to take on more responsibility around here, learn about the big-boy animals. Omar is probably gonna be at this for quite a while longer, so I sure don’t look to replace him someday once my schooling’s done, but … I mean … he will need a replacement someday, so …” He shrugs. “A boy can dream, right?”
“So you dream about Omar getting too old to work and you grabbing his position out from under him?”
Samuel frowns. “Jeez, Malckie. Why you gotta make things sound so dang awful? And in front of our kids, too,” he says with a gesture at the little bunny, who seems to be intently staring at us.
I roll my eyes. “That is not a nickname that’ll catch on. Let it die a quick death within the four walls of this room.”
He chuckles, then shakes his head. “Anyway, I can’t really do a lot of what Omar does, not without some more schoolin’ under my belt. First step isn’t quite enough. Looking at several more years. I sure won’t be Omar anytime soon.” He takes a breath, then smiles at me. “That’s my life story in a nutshell. Got anything to share with me about yours? When are you going to become a great chef like your dad?”
“Is ‘never’ a good answer?”
“Really?” He gnaws on his lip as he studies me. “No desire to follow in his footsteps?”
“My sister was the one with all the ambition. I’m just …” I look down at my hands, annoyed at how I sound. I clear my throat and let my mind settle. What do I want to do with my life? It’s been the big question for years. “Don’t know what I am. I do have a degree.”
“Really? In what?”
“Business management. But I haven’t decided what to do with it. I think the plan straight out of high school was to become a tiny version of my bigger-than-life dad. The older I get, the less I seem to fit that picture. It feels more like my dad’s dream. Not mine.”
He inches closer to me and crosses his arms. “What’s yours?”
“I don’t know if I have one.” I turn to the window and gaze out of it. “Sun’s almost down.”
Samuel stands next to me, peering out, too. “It’ll be dark by the time we get back.” Silence passes. He nudges me. “Hey, don’t worry, Malckie. You don’t have to know all the answers. Especially not around me. Just be yourself, whatever that is. Lost. Curious. Experimental. Bored. You don’t gotta be a dang thing when you’re around me. Got it?”