A Daughter's Legacy

Casper fixed Jason with a shiny black eye as he spoke into the radio. “If Kelli Jackson arrives before I get back to the office, tell her I’ll be there shortly. Give her a new hire packet and let her start filling out forms while she waits.”

A short pause met that news. Then, “You mean Lil’s daughter? She’s coming to work here?”

Jason allowed a smile to creep onto his face. The news would make the rounds faster than a cheetah chasing a rabbit. “That’s right. She starts work as an assistant keeper today.”

Angela was silent as she digested the revelation. Then, “There’s a story behind that and I want to hear it.”

Jason shook his head. Of course Angela would itch to hear all about it. And as soon as she knew, everyone else would, too. Nice girl, but chatty. Well, Jason didn’t intend to say a word about the conditions outlined in Lil’s trust. Let Kelli handle that however she wanted.

“Just have her fill out the paperwork and tell her I’ll be there shortly.”

“Will do.”

As he clipped the radio back onto his belt, Jason stopped beside a macaw cage. Bongo, a beautiful blue and gold, continued grooming beneath a wing and ignored him.

“She’ll just be another employee,” he told the bird. “If she thinks she’s going to get special treatment because she’s Lil’s daughter, she’s wrong. She’s going to clean enclosures like everyone else.”

Only, she wasn’t like everyone else. For a second last night when he’d pulled Kelli close to his side, he’d felt something. Like a warm breeze had blown through the cold, empty space inside him. For one moment, he wondered how it would feel to really hold Kelli in his arms.

He swiveled from the cage and strode away quickly, as though he could leave the thought behind with Bongo. He had a lousy track record with women, proven by the fact that Aimee couldn’t stand to be near him. Better to stick with something easier to handle, like porcupines.

Kelli signed her name at the bottom of the I-9 form and clicked the pen shut. There. She was now an official employee of Cougar Bay Zoological Park.

Are you happy, Lillian?

Her mind echoed with her boss’s angry words on the phone last night when she called to request a six-month leave of absence. The only way she’d managed to calm him down was to agree to continue to work part-time for him at night. Actually, she’d been relieved at the arrangement. Stepping away from her life as an accountant was a huge move, a little too final for her comfort. This way she could keep her long-time clients without worrying that whoever Gary hired to take her place would mess things up for the more complicated accounts. And besides, the work would give her something satisfying to do in the evenings. Working in a zoo certainly wouldn’t tax her mental energies.

Jason came into the zoo office as she handed the completed paperwork across the desk to Angela.

“All done?” He nodded toward the packet of papers.

Angela fanned the forms, eyeing each one quickly. “Everything looks good.” She smiled up at Kelli. “Welcome to Cougar Bay. I’ll get your name tag ordered and it’ll be here in a few days. Here’s a couple of the shirts everyone in Animal Care wears. Will a medium work for you?”

Angela picked up two folded tan shirts, identical to the one Jason wore, and extended them across the desk.