Zip the black footed ferret was next, his bright eyes and twitching nose always a crowd-pleaser. When Tate finished telling the children about the ferret and his habitat, he handed him over to Beth. She held the rambunctious animal in the crook of her arm.
Finally, Tate waited until everyone had quieted down. “We only have one more animal to show you. Now, Tilly may be large, but she can be shy. We have to use our inside voices. Do you all think you can do that?”
Lots of nods and hushed affirmations filled the room. Tate reached into the last cage and carefully lifted the albino Burmese python eliciting excited gasps from the children.
Tate told them facts about Tilly while the snake curled around his arm. “Believe it or not, Tilly here is still young. That’s right, when she’s full grown, she may be twice as long as I am tall.”
Zip had settled into the warmth of Beth’s shirt and looked ready to doze. The little guy was nocturnal and probably more than ready to get back to bed.
“Now,” Tate continued, “if you’ll listen to your teachers and make two lines, you can come up and pet either Tilly here or Zip.” It was no surprise that there were more girls in the line for Zip, and more boys in the line for Tilly.
Beth instructed each child on how to pet Zip as they came to the front of the line. Five minutes in, Meg appeared, all smiles. “I was so excited to see you, Beth! And Zip is soooo cute! I’m going to tell Daddy that we have to get a pet ferret.” She put a single finger out and ran it along Zip’s back. “His fur is so soft.”
“Isn’t he, though?” Beth tilted her head toward Tilly. “You didn’t want to see the snake?”
Meg wrinkled her nose in the cutest way. “No. I’m not a snake fan.”
Beth lowered her voice. “Me, either. You know what? If you want to ask your teacher for permission and then wait right over there by the blackboard, you can help me put Zip back in his cage when we’re done.”
Meg’s eyes widened right along with her smile. “Okay!” She skipped off to one of the adults standing nearby.
The rest of the kids finished petting the animals and were led, single file, from the room. A teacher stayed behind to wait for Meg and the boy Tate chose to help him get Tilly settled into her cage.
Beth beckoned to Meg. “Do you remember how Tate said ferrets are nocturnal?” Meg nodded. “That means that poor Zip here is tired and probably ready to go to bed.” The ferret seemed content to remain in Beth’s arms.
“I wish I could hold him.”
“I’d let you if I could. But what I need you to do is open the cage. I’ll put him in, and then you close it again before he can sneak out. Do you think you can do that?” Meg gave another enthusiastic nod.
Zip was more than happy to climb right in and curl up in the hammock hanging across the bottom of the cage. Meg closed the door, Beth made sure it was secure, and then covered the cage with a dark cloth.
“That was awesome! Thanks for letting me help you, Beth.”
“You’re welcome, Meg. Now you’d better run, it looks like your teacher is waiting.”
She threw her arms around Beth in a big hug. “I hope I get to see you again soon.”
“I hope so.” And Beth meant it. There was something about the sweet girl that made Beth’s day brighter. “Work hard today.”
“I will. Bye!”
“Bye.” Beth waved and watched as the teacher escorted both students from the room.
~
For whatever reason, Thursday tended to pass much slower at the zoo. As a result, Beth had that day and Sunday off every week. Some people said they were sorry when they heard she worked on Saturdays, but Beth didn’t mind. She liked having Thursdays off instead. It meant she could go shopping when the stores weren’t as busy, and it was easier to make appointments.
It also meant she had the opportunity to have lunch with her sister, Avalon, and Beth’s young niece, Lorelei. Ever since Avalon and her husband, Duke, moved back to Kitner almost two years ago, Beth had made a point of visiting her sister for lunch at least once a month. Out of her four siblings, Avalon was the closest to Beth in age, and they’d always gotten along well. It was a huge bonus to get Lorelei all to herself during their lunch dates instead of having to share her with their large extended family.
She swung by Daisy Belle’s Diner to pick up some soup, salad, and rolls then headed for Duke and Avalon’s house. She reached the door, her hands full of food bags, when Avalon opened it.
“Hey, Beth. Come on in. You’re a life saver. It’s been one of those days, and I’ve been looking forward to this all week.” Avalon shifted giving Beth enough room to slip inside.
“Me, too.” Beth set the bags down on the kitchen table. “My car’s been making a funny sound. I need to take it in and get it checked out.” She kept forgetting about it except for when she was actually driving the car. An excited baby squeal came from the other room and brought a grin to Beth’s face. “Where’s my niece hiding?”
“I’m getting her. I had to vacuum and this little one can’t stay out of trouble for more than thirty seconds.” Her voice faded before Avalon appeared again with Lorelei in her arms. The moment the sixteen-month-old cutie saw Beth, she threw her arms wide and nearly squirmed away from Avalon.
Beth laughed. “Come to your favorite aunt, Rory.” She hugged the little one to her chest and patted her on the back.
“You know you’re still the only one who calls her that.”
“It’s my pet name for her.” Beth shrugged. “Besides, you know one of my favorite shows is ‘Gilmore Girls’, what did you expect?” She tickled Lorelei’s tummy and was rewarded with giggles. “Are you hungry? I got that bread you like.” She set Lorelei down on the floor and watched as the little girl ran to her highchair and proceeded to climb up and into it like a champ.
Avalon gestured to her daughter and then buckled her in. “You see why I can’t turn my back on the girl?”
“No kidding.”
They got settled with some lunch. Avalon took a bite of her salad and released a happy sigh. “Gotta love Daisy’s homemade ranch dressing and her soup. You know, her diner was one of the things I missed the most while living in Arizona. Outside of family, of course.”
“Of course.”
Avalon had gone to school in Arizona, met and married Duke, and then the couple moved back to Kitner when Avalon was about halfway through her pregnancy with Lorelei. Beth couldn’t have been happier to have them local again.
They ate in comfortable silence for a few moments before Avalon spoke again. “So, what’s new in your life? I haven’t seen you much since the last time we had lunch.”
It didn’t seem like Beth ever had much in the way of news to report. Sad, right? She shrugged. “Work. They have me leading tours now.”
Avalon’s grinned. “That’s great! Any idea whether they’ll be letting you help with the zoo classes?”
“Nothing yet. I’m going to lead as many tours as I can and hope they’ll consider letting me serve as an aid during the summer camps.” Beth used a finger to swipe a drip of dressing from her plate and licked it off.
“Any news from the illustrator?”
Beth shrugged. “No. I should hear back soon, though.” She smiled at Lorelei. Maybe one day Beth would read the picture book to her.
“How about guys? I don’t suppose that’s why we haven’t heard as much from you, is it?”
Beth held her breath for several heartbeats. She hated it when her family asked her about men. There’d been a lot of reasons why she didn’t like to discuss the topic, and Carl was right there at the top. Her family knew about him and how horrible the relationship had been. It didn’t matter that Beth was sure she’d rather be single for the rest of her life than risk a repeat performance; her family insisted she needed to put her fears aside and start dating again. They meant well, but she wished they’d let the whole subject drop.
“Sorry to disappoint you. The closest I’ve come to a date is eating lunch w
ith the jaguars.”
Avalon didn’t look happy about that. “It’s been what? Six months since Carl? You can’t let a creep like him dictate the rest of your life. It’s time you started dating again. You’re not getting any younger, you know.”
“Gee, thanks for that.” Beth took another bite of her loaded baked potato soup. “You know I don’t like talking about Carl. I’m good with my life right now, Avalon.” Mostly. “Don’t push things.”
Her sister held up both hands in surrender. “Okay. Just be prepared for the third degree at Dad’s birthday. You know Marian. She’s got to make sure everyone is experiencing happy-ever-after like she and Jason are.”
“I know.” Beth hoped having all the family together would take the spotlight off her. If only she could be that lucky.
And luck rarely was on her side. She’d have to deal with dodging the boyfriend questions until everyone found some other family news to grab on to.
When she was around her family and saw all her siblings happily married, most of them with children of their own, she had to fight against the sadness. She’d love to have what they did, if only her next relationship was guaranteed to work out. But heaven knew there were no guarantees where love was concerned.
~
“You’ve got to be kidding.” Beth let her forehead rest against the steering wheel of her car. She’d been trying to get the engine to turn over for the last fifteen minutes to no avail. This is what she got for putting off taking her car to a mechanic.
Monique was already gone, and it was Friday evening. That meant her brother, Lance, was home with his wife, Lexi. Duke, Avalon, and Lorelei were probably sitting down to dinner. And Beth didn’t want to interrupt Mom and Dad to ask them for help.
Besides, what were they going to do if the car wouldn’t run? She’d still have to have the vehicle towed anyway. She’d do that first, then she could call for a ride home.
She stared at her purse for several moments before finally reaching for it and withdrawing her wallet.
Yes, she’d kept the business card Tyler Martin had given her. Why shouldn’t she? Obviously having the phone number for a local mechanic was going to come in handy. She’d nearly thrown it away at least a dozen times, and it’s a good thing she hadn’t. Beth almost felt validated in her weird need to keep the card tucked into one of the back slots of her wallet.
She dialed the number and waited through two rings before someone answered.
“Martin Mechanics, this is Bill, how can we help you?”
This man sounded older. Didn’t Tyler say he ran it with his dad?
Beth filled him in on her situation. “The car needs to be towed. If you guys can handle the repairs there, that would be awesome.”
“We have a tow truck and would be happy to repair your car.” There was some shuffling of papers in the background. “Let me get all of your contact information, and someone will be there with the tow truck in the next thirty minutes.”
Beth relaxed against her seat. She hadn’t realized until then how tense she’d been. “Great. Thank you.”
She gave him all her information and then waited for the tow truck. Once it got there, she could call Avalon or Lance and have someone give her a ride home.
Bill was true to his word. Less than twenty minutes had gone by before a tow truck pulled into the zoo parking lot, the headlights bright in the dimming daylight. She’d convinced herself to expect Bill or someone else from the shop she didn’t know. She stepped out of the car, slipped her hands into her pockets, and leaned against the door.
The tow truck stopped in front of her vehicle. Beth couldn’t quite make out who was sitting in the driver’s seat until that door opened and the man stepped to the ground. She sucked in a breath as Tyler’s familiar face appeared, complete with that smile she hadn’t been able to get out of her head since she first met him.
Come on, Beth, keep it cool. He’s here to tow your car, no need to come off looking like an idiot.
~
Tyler couldn’t count the number of times he’d thought about Beth since he’d last spoken with her. It’d been a week and a half, but her face and soft voice entered his head when he least expected it.
He’d resigned himself to never seeing her again. The last thing he’d expected was for Meg to hop into his 4Runner on Wednesday raving about how Beth had come with the man from the zoo, and she even let Meg help with the ferret. Tyler wasn’t real clear about what happened, but it was obvious it’d made a huge impression on his daughter.
He’d been trying to decide whether he should take Meg back to the zoo again soon or not. They normally only visited a couple of times a year. To go twice in one month would put Dad on the alert, not that he wasn’t already.
That’s when Dad had broken through Tyler’s reverie and handed him some paperwork.
“There’s a woman at the zoo who is stranded and needs a tow. A Beth Davenport, I believe,” Dad had said, one bushy eyebrow raised and a twinkle in his eye. He insisted he’d get Meg ready for bed if Tyler would take care of the call.
Now Tyler was on his way to the zoo. If Beth called the shop, did that mean she’d remembered the name of their place? Or had she hung onto the business card he gave her? Part of him hoped it was the latter, and then he immediately wanted to kick some sense into himself.
He drove into the zoo’s parking lot. It was nearly dark, and Tyler didn’t like the idea of Beth out there alone. Thankfully, it looked like she’d stayed in the car until he arrived. By the time he got out of the tow truck, she was standing outside.
Tyler waved with a smile. “Hey! I hear you’re having some trouble.”
“I am, thank you for coming.” Beth motioned to her car. “It won’t start.”
“Has anyone tried to jump the battery?”
She shook her head, her blonde hair catching some of what little ambient light was left in the day. “No.”
“Let’s give that a try first. If we’re lucky, it’ll start right up, and you won’t have to have it towed.”
Beth gave him a nod, the stress on her face easing a little at the suggestion.
He got the cables out of the back seat but charging the battery made no difference. “Well, it was worth a try. Towing it is. You can sit in the truck while I load your car if you’d like, and I’ll give you a ride back to the office.”
“That’s great.”
Tyler held the passenger door open for her, waited for her to get settled, and closed it again.
He had the car loaded and ready to go as quickly as possible. When he got into the cab of the truck himself, there was no missing the combination of a scent that reminded him of tropical fruit, yet had a completely unique undertone. Something wonderfully feminine that all but erased the usual traces of motor oil. He put the truck in gear and steered them through the empty parking lot.
“I should be able to look at your car tomorrow. As soon as I know what’s going on with it, I’ll give you a call. Hopefully it’ll be something minor. We won’t make any repairs until we’ve spoken with you first and given you an estimate.”
“I appreciate it.” Beth pulled a phone out of her purse. “Let me call my brother and have him come pick me up at your shop.” After withdrawing her wallet, she took the Martin Mechanics business card out, probably for the address.
Well, the business card answered his earlier question. And her brother? Tyler tried not to assume it meant she wasn’t seeing someone. He suppressed a smile. “I’m going to secure your car in the yard and head home. I’d be happy to drop you off at your place on the way. Where do you live?”
Beth looked less than certain. “Off Oak Street.”
“I’m serious—that’s on my way home.” Would he normally offer a customer a ride to their house after towing their vehicle? Absolutely. Did it usually matter this much whether the customer accepted the offer? Not really.
She hesitated. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to delay you getting home to Meg.”
“I’m sure. She’s with her grandfather and probably thrilled to have bedtime pushed back a little.” He chuckled.
“All right. I appreciate it.”
Her acceptance of his offer left him feeling happier than it should have. They got to the shop, Tyler secured her car in the fenced-in lot, had Beth fill out her contact information, and then led her to his 4Runner. He glanced at her and began their trek to her place. “You know, Meg can’t stop talking about your visit to the school. I’m not sure if she was more impressed with the ferret or you.”
Beth chuckled. “I always enjoy the opportunity to go with Tate to schools. It was sweet of Meg to go out of her way to say hi. Inviting her to help me put Zip back in his cage was the least I could do.”
“Well, first you rescue her at the zoo. Then you swoop in and make her day. I think you may be her super hero.” Meg didn’t get a lot of female attention and was desperately in need of it. It meant a lot to Tyler that Beth was taking the time to include Meg and make her feel special.
The ride to Beth’s place was going way too fast; they’d be there in another minute or two. “I saw an ad about the trick-or-treating event at the zoo. I’ve never taken Meg to it before, but we were hoping to do something different this year. What do you think about it? Does it get crowded?”
“It does. But the event runs from ten in the morning until six that evening. If you go before one, it won’t be nearly as busy. I like this event for trick-or-treating because it takes place during the daylight hours. Makes it easier to keep track of the little monsters.”
Tyler could barely see the amusement in her eyes and laughed. “Yeah, daylight is definitely the way to go with Meg.” He paused. “Will you be working that day?”
“I will.” She looked at him and then back at the lights going by her window. “I’ll be handing out candy at a station near the giraffes until about two.”
Finding Grace Page 3