Seeing him this excited, this happy, made her heart flip-flop in her chest. Rumpling his hair quickly, she backed out of the way so he could get out of the car, then led him to the main building, where Tyler was supposed to meet them.
The low-slung brown-and-green wooden building nearly blended into the woods around it. Groupings of native plants, many chosen for their attractiveness to butterflies, lined the path to the front door. Set on land designated as part of the Paradise Wildlife Refuge, the rehab center served a vital purpose. Injured animals were treated at the hospital on site, and then released when they were ready. Animals that couldn’t be released were allowed to live out their lives at the center, where they were cared for by the staff and a dedicated team of volunteers including Dani and her sister. Dylan Turner, the director, had become a close friend. Seeing how gentle the big surfer dude was with injured animals had put her at ease around him during a time when her defenses had been at an all-time high.
Opening the door, she spied him sitting at his desk, behind the big reception counter that separated the public area from the staff office. “Hey, Dylan! Working hard?”
Shaking his blond hair out of his eyes, he smiled wanly. “Always. You know how busy spring is...lots of babies being brought in this time of year.”
“Any we can see today?”
“Sure, I’ve got a possum back there to show you two, if your friend there would like to see it.”
“I’m sure he would.” She gestured between them and made introductions. “Kevin, this is Mr. Turner. He runs this place. Dylan, this is Kevin. We are meeting a new friend, and then we’d love a tour, right, Kevin?”
“Definitely!”
Perfect. When she’d talked to Tyler on the phone to discuss possible outings, he’d suggested the ice-cream parlor on Lighthouse Avenue. Which probably would have been fine. But this seemed so much cooler for a kid, and she’d convinced Tyler it was the better choice.
The bell over the front door rang, cutting off her mental self-congratulations. Looking more casual but just as intimidating, Tyler walked in wearing cargo shorts and a plain white T-shirt, dark glasses hiding the piercing blue eyes she remembered from the courtroom. Beside her, Kevin crowded closer. Clearly uneasy, she had a sense that only his pride was keeping him from hiding behind her.
Dylan, picking up on the sudden tension, left his desk and came to stand between Kevin and Tyler. “Everything okay?” His words were for Dani, but his eyes darted between the obviously scared little boy and the man that seemed to be the cause of his fear.
“Everything is fine.” She laid a hand on Kevin’s shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting gesture, and forced a smile. “This is Tyler Jackson, and he’s here to have some fun with Kevin and me, right?”
Kevin made the barest of nods, but Tyler, to her surprise, broke into a grin and crouched down at the boy’s level. “That’s right. As long as that’s okay with Kevin. Can I come with you guys?”
The boy’s eyes widened. He clearly hadn’t expected to be consulted. “Um, yeah, it’s okay I guess.”
“Thanks, I’ve been looking forward to it.” He straightened and offered a hand to Dylan, who smiled and returned the gesture. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too. I’m Dylan, by the way. If you want to wait a bit, I can give you a guided tour myself. Otherwise Dani knows the place pretty well, and I’m sure she can show you around.”
Dylan was famous for getting caught up in his work; if they waited for him they might never get to see anything. “I think we can manage on our own, right, guys?”
“Sure,” Kevin agreed, no doubt eager to get on with it. She glanced at Tyler, who nodded his assent.
“All right then, let’s get started. Dylan, where would we find that baby possum you were telling us about?”
“In the main treatment room, in one of the cages on the back wall. Just don’t take him out—he’s little but his teeth are sharp.”
“We’ll start there then, thanks.” She opened the half door that led to the office, then led the way through the back door into the heart of the rehab center. Kevin trotted at her heels, with Tyler bringing up the rear.
“Wow, this is like a real doctor’s office.” Running over to the long stainless-steel table, he eyed the tubes and dials of an anesthesia machine. “Do they do surgery on alligators and stuff here?”
“Um, maybe?” Dani usually helped with the fund-raising side of things, not the hands-on, messy stuff. “We can ask Dylan on the way out, or I can call my sister later. She’d know. She volunteers here a lot. In fact, she even trained that panther I was telling you about.”
“Cool!”
“That is pretty cool,” Tyler agreed, making his way toward the bank of cages Dylan had said the possum was in. “I’ve never seen a panther close up.”
“Dani says panthers and tigers are cousins. Do you think that’s true?”
“It is. All cats are related in some way, even house cats.” Tyler had Kevin’s full attention now. “My little girls have been begging me for a kitten. Maybe I should ask if they have a spare panther here. What do you think?”
Kevin giggled, his nostrils crinkling. “Not a good idea.”
Tyler scratched his head in mock confusion. “No? Not the same thing?”
“Uh-uh. You had better get them a regular kitten.”
“You’re probably right. Oh, well.” Dylan pointed to a cage just to the right of where they were standing. “Hey, I think I found that baby possum.”
Kevin rushed over, his earlier nervousness forgotten. “Oh, wow, look how small it is! He’s really funny-looking!”
Dani joined them, peering over Kevin’s head at what looked like an overgrown rat with an extralong pink snout. “Whoa, he is pretty unusual. But he’s just a baby. Maybe he’ll get better looking when he grows up.”
“How come he’s all alone in there? Where’s his mom? Is she in another cage?”
Dani winced. “No, it’s just the baby that is here. That happens sometimes. But they’re going to take good care of it, don’t worry.”
“But what happened to his mom?” His voice rose in pitch. “What happened to her?”
“I don’t know for sure, honey, but she—she probably died. Most of the baby animals they get here are brought in because the parents aren’t there to care for them anymore.”
“So he’s an orphan?”
Tears filled his eyes, and Dani felt her own welling up in response. What on earth had she been thinking, bringing him to see orphaned animals? “Yes, he is. But he’s going to be okay. Dylan and the other workers will make sure of it. And as soon as he’s big enough they’ll let him go, back in the wild.” Maybe knowing there was a happy ending waiting for the possum would help smooth things over.
“They’re going to abandon him? On his own? That’s mean. Mean, mean,
