It was nice that he was asking her. She appreciated the vote of confidence. Also, he hadn’t actually fled yet, which was another point in his favor. He was, though, less useful than she’d hoped. Like when she’d been stuck in the hole in the porch.
I got myself out of that. I can get myself out of this.
She returned to contemplating the lizard. It shuffled sideways to face the window. She wondered if it could jump and how fast it could move. Should she worry about it escaping the bathroom? She really didn’t want to get caught up in some cartoon chase all around the bed-and-breakfast. “We need a safe place to keep it until we can figure out where it came from. Ideally, not the guest bathroom. Someplace outside, like a garage or a shed or—”
“How about the greenhouse? It’s kind of a mess, but…”
A greenhouse! Perfect! “It has to be better than a linen closet.” Stepping into the bathroom, Calisa picked up a towel. The lizard regarded her quizzically.
“What are you going to do?” Jack asked.
“Catch it.” That seemed the obvious next step.
“Be careful,” he said. “It could bite.”
“It won’t bite.” She had no idea whether lizards bit or not. She supposed anything would bite if it felt cornered.I would.She eyed the lizard, silently ordering it not to bite.
“You don’t know that. Plenty of lizards bite. Like Gila monsters. You don’t want to be bitten by a Gila monster. Their venom is a nerve poison. Also, Komodo dragons—their bite is fatal.”
“Is it a Gila monster?”
“Um, well, no.”
“Or a Komodo dragon?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Gila monsters are black with pink splotches. And Komodo dragons have thick necks. Also, they live in Indonesia, not Vermont.”
“Are there any venomous lizards in Vermont?” Calisa asked.
“We have newts.”
She kept her eyes on the lizard. “Venomous newts?”
“Just newts.”
“Is this a newt?”
“No.”
Calisa wanted to glare at Jack. He wasnothelping.
“We also have salamanders. Not venomous either. Anyway, it’s not a salamander. It’s a reptile, not an amphibian. It’s got dry skin. Plus scales. Amphibians don’t have scales.”
Shedidglare at him this time. Just a quick glare, and then she returned to watching the impassive lizard. It clearly had dry skin with scales. Jack knew an awful lot for someone who didn’t like lizards. If he hadn’t seemed so genuinely freaked out, she would have accused him of planting it here. “You seem to know a lot about lizards for someone who doesn’t like them. Do you know what it is?”
“Um, no.”
Calisa stared at the ceiling and counted to ten. “Can you tell me if I’ll die if it bites me?”
He peered over her shoulder at the lizard. “I don’t think so? But maybe don’t let it bite you just to be on the safe side?”
“Cool, cool, cool.”Do not strangle the gorgeous, helpless, hopeless boy.
Jack retreated again back into the hall. “This is where I should be manly and offer to catch it for you, because I’m a fearless, outdoorsy type of guy who has no problem with spiders or bats or skunks.”
