Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
“Vet?” Quinn turns back to Serena.
“Vet?” I wonder who that is. “Hudson’s a doctor.”
“Of animals.” Serena winks. “I heard him talking to Mason, the lawyer with the skinny legs. Mason asked Hudson why he did so well on the obstacle course today, and Hudson said it must be all the big animals he carries around for work.”
Quinn actually leans around me to get a better look at Hudson. I squeeze the handle of the small knife tightly in my fist. She’s a sanctuary rescuer. Hudson’s a vet. Binnie probably had them paired up before either of them stepped foot on this island.
“Well,” drawls Penelope, “seems like he would be perfect for you, Quinn.”
“A vet,” Quinn repeats like it’s a holy word.
“Go and talk to him,” Penelope urges. “I bet you two have so much in common.”
“She’s helping me devein shrimp.” I don’t let go of Quinn’s hand.
“Why doesn’t Quinn decide what she wants to do?” Penelope raises her eyebrows and tilts her head toward the vet. “Talk about saving animals or cut out their guts?”
CHAPTER 10
QUINN
Leo keeps his hand locked on mine. His hold is possessive. It should annoy me, but a small thrill runs through me. He wants me to stay with him. Penelope is eyeing him up. All the girls are except Serena. I think she’s enjoying poking at Leo to get reactions out of him.
Penelope’s eyes narrow on me, waiting for a response. She is rather beautiful. Everything about her is delicate and soft. She’s a tiny thing really.
“I think I’ll stick to the gutting for now. I’m hungry and pretty good with a knife.” If Penelope is trying to make me squeamish, guts and blood aren’t going to work. “You have no idea how much red meat I chop up every day. One tiger can eat eighty-eight pounds in one sitting.” That should set the record straight.
Penelope’s face turns to one of horror. “How many animals do you kill a year to keep your little cats alive?”
“Is she vegan? Someone tell me she’s not vegan.” Serena feigns her own horror.
“Storm can eat around forty deer a year.” I give her straight facts because I know it will irritate her more than me saying something sarcastic. I’ll leave that up to Serena.
“And you think that’s a fair trade-off?” Penelope challenges, not ready to let it go. She’s like a dog with a bone. For a second, I almost forget cameras are capturing every second of this.
“The circle of life.” Leo cuts in to defend me. It’s sweet, but I don’t need it.
“Here in the States, we have an abundance of deer. They reduce economic value, ecological stability, and species diversity of forests, in addition to reducing tree growth, which, in turn, diminishes protection from erosion and floods.” Once again, I take the high road and bombard her with knowledge. I’m not going to let her ruffle my feathers or make me look bad on TV. I’m here to raise awareness for my rescue. Nothing is going to stop me from doing that.
“Well—”
I cut her off and keep going. “For example, the white-tailed deer directly affects many aspects of our lives. Hunters, farmers, foresters, motorists, gardeners, and homeowners are all impacted by their overpopulation. Whether you like it or not, our government takes steps to stop that from happening. I merely put to use what would be tossed away.”
Penelope's face flushes, but she tries to brush it off. “If you say so,” she sing-songs.
“I know so,” I reply, refusing to let her get the last word in. “You ready to get to work?” I turn my attention toward Leo, letting Penelope know I’m done with this conversation. I think she finally gets the hint.
“So, Penelope was way off base.” Leo smirks down at me. “A cat that can eat that much doesn’t sound little at all.”
I smirk back at him. “We have thirteen big cats at the moment.” I flick a glance toward Penelope, who is stewing with anger. “And twenty-eight that we classify as small.”
“Which ones are considered small?”
I take the knife from Leo’s hand to show him how to gut the shrimp. “A leopard or a lynx.”
“Those aren’t small.”
“More so when people try to keep them in their homes.” Unfortunately, at the rescue we see this happen more than I’d like to admit. People think they can keep these animals as pets.
“People really do that shit?”
“I find people often think they can handle more than they truly can.”
“By people, she means men,” Serena chimes in.
“Undoubtedly,” Leo agrees, making me laugh. While we cook and all through dinner, Leo asks me a million questions.
“There are two of you?” Leo’s eyes rack up and down my body. I’d changed into denim shorts and a top that ties around my neck, not allowing me to wear a bra. It’s not something I’d normally wear, but from the way Leo’s eyes are eating me up, I send a small thank you to Laura. We’re all supposed to go to a party thing and have drinks. A giant bonfire lights up the beach as we make our way toward it.