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“I get my own room?” Jack said with excitement, rushing to open his door. “Wow, this is so cool.”
They followed him inside, where the décor had a masculine flair and minor details of stingrays.
“What’s this?” Jack quickly noticed a lighted terrarium on the dresser.
“He’s a bearded dragon.”
“He’s for me? Seriously, I can have my own pet?”
“He’s all yours.”
“I don’t know.” Ava took a closer look at the lizard, whose one eye followed her movements.
“Thanks! I’m going to name him Goliath, like our neighbor’s dog. He’s a Great Dane.”
“We can’t keep him,” Ava grumbled. “What if he’s dangerous?”
Wesley shook his head. “Bearded dragons may look rather fierce—which makes them so cool—but many actually have very mild personalities, like Goliath here. The breeder assured me this little guy loves to be carried around. He’s social.”
“Pets are a lot of responsibility.” She knew Wesley’s heart was in the right place, but this wasn’t practical. And by her saying so, it would make her the bad guy. Parenthood was hard enough without some do-gooder trying to win her son over. “And we don’t know anything about bearded dragons.”
“Don’t worry. A beginner can take care of him. Goliath is one of the easiest lizards to handle. C’mon. Every kid wants a pet dragon.”
“Can I feed him?” Jack asked with awe lacing his voice.
“Sure. Jorge can give you some fruit and veggies for him.”
“I’ll be right back.” Jack dashed off, leaving them alone in the room.
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
“Oh, it was no problem. I wanted him to feel at home, have a pet to help him acclimate.”
“No.” Ava sighed with aggravation. “I mean, you shouldn’t have because it implies we’ll stay here.”
“You can take Goliath with you when the contract is over.”
“What if we move and the apartment building doesn’t allow pets? Finding this thing a new home would be a hassle. And Jack would be devastated.”
“I didn’t think of that.”
“How long do these bearded dragons live? How big do they grow?”
Wesley’s forehead wrinkled. “Lifespan is up to ten years.”
“Ten years!” She smacked her palm to her forehead. “And? How big?”
“Up to two feet.”
“Great.” She crossed her arms over her tight chest.I really don’t want to be the bad guy.
“If you can’t take him with you when you leave, I’ll take responsibility for Goliath. I didn’t mean for this to upset you.” He tossed his hand up. “Just the opposite. I’m trying to make this transition easier for you. I want you to be happy here.”
Everything he’d done had been great—amazing, even. Giving her and Jack this opportunity for the summer to earn excellent money while she found a permanent position came just at the right time. Deep down, she busted with excitement for this gig; flying for the private sector was a cake job. But all this was temporary.
The way Wesley made her feel when she saw him again frightened her. The powerful attraction hadn’t waned. On the contrary, it heightened. Battling her feelings for this guy wasn’t going to be easy, but she never shrank from a challenge, no matter the pressure or the size of the mountain. She refused to let her guard down, using her ire to protect her feelings like she usually did.
“If you had kids, you’d understand,” she said. “They get attached.”
