Accidentaly Divine by Dakota Cassidy (books to read romance .txt) 📕

his neck. “Yes, ma’am. It’s my favorite part of the day.”

Her heart warmed at how clear it was this boy loved animals, and coming to Furry Gates allowed him the chance to immerse himself without interference. What a great program Dex ran.

“The animals sure seem to like you,” she commented, staying vague and focusing on Susan.

He looked at his hands, folded neatly on the table, his eyes shy. “I like them, too.”

Leaning on her elbow, she smiled at him. “Do you have a pet at home?”

He shook his head, tucking his hoodie around his neck to keep Blip warm. “No,” he said softy. “I…I’m not allowed…er, not right now.”

“So you get your fix here, huh?” she asked, forcing herself not to focus on how sad his tone had grown in order to keep things light and pressure free.

“Yeah. But someday, I hope to be surrounded by animals.”

She cocked her head and smiled in understanding. “Vet?”

“Zoologist. I want to study wildlife conservation.”

She sighed a dreamy sigh. That was an amazing ambition. “How cool! What’s your favorite zoo animal?”

His eyes were bright and shiny when he answered. “Probably the giraffe, and a close second is elephants, for obvious reasons.”

“So you have a little Steve Irwin in you, huh?”

Now he nodded, more animated than she’d seen him all night, and when his face lit up it was a sight to behold. “Maybe. I’d love to go to Australia and see the zoo his kids work at now. It’s my dream.”

“What an awesome dream. So do you have any colleges in mind?”

He shrugged. “My first pick is the University of Hawaii. It’d be so cool to go to school and maybe learn how to surf on the side, but…”

But he had a mother who was breaking his spirit. “That’s a long way from here.”

He stared at her dead on and she knew what his reply would be. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.”

She gathered that was the point. “You know, I’ve never been to Hawaii, but I’ve always wanted to go, too. If you get there before me, will you send me a postcard?”

He chuckled and gave a small but still defeated smile. “Sure.” Then his phone rang, ending their conversation.

Rising from the table, Justin quickly moved to a corner to block out the ruckus the kids and the OOPS ladies were making as they played a rousing game of Jenga.

Dex slid into the chair beside her, his smile warm and, as always, devastatingly handsome. She found herself having to catch her breath around him these days.

“I see Susan has deserted me for greener pastures.”

“Am I greener pastures, sir?” she teased, watching Nina finagle another Jenga piece like a pro, making all the kids cheer in laughing protest at her game prowess.

He chuckled. “In my book, you are. Hey, we still need to have that talk. Think we can do that when the kids go home? Maybe you could stay and help me tuck the animals in?”

Her heart chugged in her chest. She was worried about what he wanted to discuss. “Of course I’d love to tuck the furbabies in, but can I have a preview of what that chat might be about? Is it going to make me cry? Laugh? Please say I’m going to laugh. With everything going on, like Effie and my roadblock with what kind of help she needs when she’s so ornery, I could use a win.”

Dex winced. “I guess it depends on if you think irony is funny.”

“Irony? Hasn’t this all been ironic? I mean, me as an angel. If that’s not irony, what is?”

He grabbed her hand, using his thumb to smooth her skin, sending ripples of awareness along her arm. “It’s so much less ironic than you think, George. In fact, it’s not ironic at all. Your heart is huge, nothing makes for a better angel than a big heart.”

Her cheeks flushed and her eyes fell to the tabletop, leaving her unable to say anything. Thankfully, Justin saved her from having to respond.

He held up his phone, handing little Blip to Dex, his eyes shadowed. “I have to go.”

Dex snuggled Blip’s tiny black and tan body in his arms, asking casually, “Everything okay?”

He nodded his dark head, reaching for his patched jacket from the back of the shabby dining room chair and shoving his arms into it. “Everything’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Bridger?”

Dex held out his fist to knock Justin’s. “You bet, buddy. Thanks for all your help with Hans today.” Hans being the sweet but active husky with something called megaesophagus, making it necessary for him to have to eat sitting up. And, to top it all off, diabetes.

Nodding curtly, he began to head out. “Anytime.”

As the front door closed behind him, George looked at Dex. “Why did that feel all wrong?”

Follow him, a voice in her head whispered.

Nina strode over to them and leaned down to whisper, “Because the kid’s got trouble.”

Dex cocked his head in her direction, sitting up straight on the wobbly white chair. “Trouble? What kind?” he asked softly.

She sat on her haunches between their chairs and nodded. “Yeah. My vampire hearing tells me somebody named Lonnie called him and told him his mother’s in some kind of fucking mess at the Rusty Red Barn.”

“The bar?” George asked as she frowned.

The shitty, dirty biker bar? Oh, damn. That couldn’t be good.

Go! the voice insisted.

She hopped up on her feet, setting Susan on the ground with one last pat to the head, her stomach a sudden knot of nerves. “Something’s wrong, Dex. I feel it. We have to follow him. Did Justin drive here?”

“He rode his scooter over,” Gaffney offered from the coffee table, where he sat on the worn rug. “You know, the one he found in the woods and we fixed up so he’d have reliable transportation?”

George shook her head, appalled. “It’s freezing out! He’ll catch his death on a scooter. Not to mention it’s snowing and the roads are probably dangerous. We have to go find him,” she