Treat Me (One Night with Sole Regret #8) (13 page)

From him? From Jacob “Shade” Silverton? He was a badass metal singer with only sex, partying, and rock ’n’ roll on his mind. Didn’t she get that? The rest of the world understood him perfectly.

Honestly, the train ride was entirely underwhelming.

Wooden cutouts of dinosaurs and forest elves stood scattered in the mesquite forest that the train wound through. Or maybe the colorful mystical creatures were gnomes. They definitely weren’t the wild animals he’d expected. Julie got overly excited when she spotted a small shaggy pony housed behind a chain-link fence. What excited Jacob was the ability to casually place an arm on the back of the bench and run the silky strands of Amanda’s hair between his fingertips. And with Julie squashed between them, with one of her hands on Amanda’s knee and the other on Jacob’s thigh, they felt—the three of them—like a family. He had to admit it was exactly what his heart desired—a good woman to love him and his daughter. Someone special to him who could also serve as Julie’s role model as well as her mother.

It was a wonderful dream, but just that: a dream.

A dream he wanted to keep close to him. He pulled out his cell phone and held it at arms-length in front of them. When he had all three of their faces lined up in the shot, he said, “Say cheese!”

“Pickles!” Julie said and laughed at her naughtiness.

As he smiled down at the perfect picture he’d captured he decided they looked good together. And happy. He tucked his phone back into his pocket and gave Amanda’s shoulder a squeeze. She peeked at him over Julie’s head and offered him a flirty wink.

After the short train ride, they checked out a famous goose and some ordinary deer before winding their way to the interior of the zoo where a bunch of small monkeys were housed.

“There you are,” said a middle-aged woman in khaki shorts and an Austin Zoo polo shirt. Her dark hair was streaked with gray, her lean body sinewy and tanned, likely from spending her days working outside. She had a friendly face and gentle brown eyes. Jacob was pretty sure he’d never seen her before, but a lot of people he didn’t know recognized him.

“Excuse me?” Jacob asked.

“Hello, Margie,” Amanda said, offering the woman a brief hug. “This is my niece, Julie, and my . . .” She glanced Jacob. “Uh . . . Julie’s father, Jacob.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Margie said, nodding at them in turn.

“Margie’s one of the head zookeepers here,” Amanda said.

“Do you get to play with the animals?” Julie asked.

“Sometimes,” Margie said. “Most of the time I take care of them.”

“And clean up their poop?”

It was an honest question, but it gave the adults a chuckle.

“Unless Amanda’s here. Then I make her do it,” Margie said with an ornery grin.

Julie gave Amanda a look of pity.

“Do you think Jojo would like a young guest today?” Amanda asked.

“I’m sure she’d love one,” Margie said with a smile at Julie.

They followed the zookeeper through a tall gate marked Employees Only and down a narrow path and then stopped behind one of the monkey cages. Margie took out a set of keys and fit one into a lock. The small dark brown monkey in the cage scurried up a faux tree to a platform and sat watching them with her thumb in her mouth.

Jacob’s heart thudded when he realized they were about to stick his daughter in a cage with a wild animal.

“Amanda,” Jacob said, taking Julie’s hand and keeping her at his side. “Are you sure this is safe?”

Amanda smiled at him. “Would I ever put Julie in danger?”

He didn’t think she would, but then he’d heard stories of apes going crazy and ripping off people’s faces, so while Amanda wouldn’t intentionally harm Julie, he wasn’t so sure the monkey had gotten the memo.

“Jojo has been with us for about a year. I assure you she’s very gentle,” Margie said. “Especially with children.”

“I’m sure you feel that way about all wild animals,” Jacob said.

“Jojo’s not really wild,” Amanda said. “She was a service monkey for a disabled woman and when her owner passed away, they brought her here to live out the rest of her life. She loves people. Her owner had several grandchildren she adored. She gets lonely without a lot of human contact. But if you’re afraid—”

“I’m not scared, Daddy,” Julie said, her eyes locked with the monkey’s. “Can I please hug Jojo?”

She turned her gaze to Jacob’s, and his resolve crumbled. He didn’t know why he had such a hard time telling his daughter no.

“You’re sure it’s safe?” he asked Amanda.

She nodded. “I’ll go in with her. Jojo knows me.”

“Jojo loves visitors,” Margie said. “She’s a little more leery of men. If you weren’t here, she’d already be reaching through the cage for Amanda.”

“Should I leave?” Jacob said, not wanting to upset the creature. Especially since these animal-lover types seemed determined to lock his daughter in a cage with it.

“You can stay out here and observe,” Margie said. “It’s not that Jojo is upset by men. She’s just a little shy around them.”

Jacob squatted down and captured Julie’s shoulders between his palms. “You mind your aunt and do whatever she tells you to do.”

Julie backed away and lifted a hand to Amanda, eager to start her adventure.

“Promise you’ll mind her, Julie,” Jacob said firmly, “or you won’t be allowed to see the monkey.”

“I promise I’ll do whatever Aunt Mander says,” Julie said, her gaze locked on Jacob’s. “Even clean the poop.”

Jacob chuckled and gave Julie’s slight form a hearty squeeze. Even though he trusted Amanda to keep her safe, he still found it difficult to let Julie go.

Margie opened the cage, and Amanda stepped inside, ducking her head through the small door. “Wait there for a minute, Julie,” Amanda said to the eager child.

Julie wrapped her fingers around the cage door, but did as she was told and didn’t enter the enclosure.

“Come, Jojo,” Amanda said to the monkey.

“What kind of a monkey is that?” Jacob asked Margie as the small dark brown animal climbed down from her perch and settled at Amanda’s feet. Jojo curled her long tail around her body. She looked up at Amanda and then glanced at Julie before finding the tip of her tail uncommonly interesting. The monkey began to pick at her fur with tiny black fingers.

“She’s a capuchin. They’re very intelligent.” Margie patted his back. “And friendly.”

Amanda sat on a cement step inside the cage and Jojo climbed into her lap, immediately settling into Amanda’s arms and snuggling into her chest for a hug. Amanda stroked her thick fur and murmured to her in soothing tones. “Do you want to meet Julie?” Amanda asked the monkey.

As if the animal could understand her, she lifted her head and peered at the child waiting just outside her cage. She reached toward Julie with a paw that looked remarkably human and vocalized softly. Julie smiled and mimicked the sound. “
Ooo
.”

“You can come in now, Julie,” Amanda said.

Margie helped Julie through the cage door and shut her inside.

Amanda kept a soothing hand on the back of Jojo’s shoulder as Julie took timid steps in her direction. She didn’t fear that the monkey would bite or scratch, but she might get excited enough to jump in Julie’s arms and accidentally knock her over.

“Come sit beside me,” Amanda instructed as she patted the patch of bare cement next to her hip. She glanced at Jacob, who’d stepped forward to stand just outside the cage, watching his daughter walk closer to where Amanda sat with Jojo on her lap. She could sense his anxiety even though she couldn’t see his eyes through his sunglasses, but it meant a lot to her that he trusted her with Julie. She knew how much Julie meant to him and how important it was that she was safe and happy. If not for his desire to make Julie happy, Amanda wasn’t sure Jacob would have allowed her into a cage with a baby bunny.

Julie sat on the cement step, her blue eyes wide and fixed on Jojo, who had shifted away from Amanda so she could examine the newest intruder in her dwelling. Julie lifted a trembling hand toward Jojo, and the monkey scurried onto her lap. Julie’s eyes widened when Jojo wrapped both arms around her narrow chest and hugged her. Jojo’s fluffy cream-colored eyebrows rose expressively, as if to ask Amanda, “Am I doing this right?”

“You can hug her back,” Amanda said. “She likes you.”

After a lengthy embrace from Julie, Jojo scurried up her tree and grabbed something from her platform. In an instant she was back on the ground and dropping a slice of apple on Julie’s lap.

“She’s giving you a gift,” Amanda explained.

“Don’t eat it,” Jacob warned as Julie picked up the slice of apple and eyed the browning piece of fruit with disgust.

“Jojo, get your ball,” Amanda said.

Jojo had been trained to retrieve lots of objects while caring for her human in her former role. She ignored all the other objects in her enclosure and picked up a small red ball, racing back toward Amanda on her hind legs as she carried it between her front paws.

“Give it to Julie,” Amanda said. Jojo paused and glanced at the child who was watching intently. “Yes, that’s Julie.”

The monkey vocalized a soft
ooo ooo
, and deposited the ball in Julie’s lap.

“Good girl!” Julie said.

Jojo moved to stand behind Julie and began grooming her pale-blond hair. Julie giggled and scrunched up her neck. “What is she doing?”

“She thinks you have bugs in your hair,” Jacob said from outside the cage.

The sound of his voice danced along Amanda’s nerve-endings. God, the man had an amazing voice. She couldn’t wait to get him alone later.

“She’s picking them out.”

“I don’t have bugs in my hair, silly.” Julie lifted her face to Amanda’s, the corners of her mouth drawn down. “I don’t, do I?”

Amanda tugged one of her silky curls. “I don’t think so. Jojo’s just checking to make sure.”

Julie giggled, melting her Aunt Mander into a pile of sappy goo. “Monkeys are silly.”

Julie certainly enjoyed Jojo’s silly antics as she retrieved the items Amanda and Julie requested. The capuchin watched them put objects inside different compartments of a small box. Amanda closed all the doors of the box, and Jojo had no problem opening the correct door to reveal whichever item she requested.

“She’s so smart,” Julie said. “I want to take her home.” She turned to her father. “Please, Daddy!”

Before Jacob could deny his daughter her request, Margie spoke up. “She has to stay here with us, sweetheart. But you can come with your aunt and visit her again. How does that sound?”

Julie’s lower lip quivered, but she pressed it against her upper lip and nodded. “We have to come here to be with Jojo
all
the time, Aunt Mander. She wants me as her best friend.” Julie reached her little hands out to the monkey, and Jojo dashed into her arms to give her another hug, picking imaginary nits out of Julie’s hair over her shoulder.

“We’ll come visit when we can. School will be starting soon.”

“I love school,” Julie said.

Amanda glanced over her shoulder at Jacob. She had yet to bring up Leah’s class to him. She wasn’t sure if he’d be grateful or annoyed that she’d weaseled him onto the roster. He looked kind of lonely outside the enclosure without them. Or maybe he was just interested in what they were doing. How could she tell with his eyes hidden behind his shades? Those things needed to go.

“Jojo,” Amanda said, “go get glasses.”

Jojo knew this command well since her previous owner had often requested her glasses. Jojo hopped off Julie’s lap and looked around for the requested object. Amanda pointed at Jacob, who was standing against the fence, clinging to the wires with both hands. He was so close that the tip of his nose was actually inside the cage. Jojo dashed toward him, climbed the cage, and before he could stop her, reached through the fence and pulled the sunglasses off his face.

“Hey,” Jacob protested.

Jojo offered a sheepish grin and raced off holding his sunglasses over her head. She promptly dropped them in Amanda’s lap.

“Good girl, Jojo!” Amanda said, stroking her head. “He looks much better without them.”

Julie laughed. “She took Daddy’s glasses.”

“Little thief,” Jacob accused, but he was smiling.

It took them a long while to coax Julie out of the cage. She didn’t want to say goodbye to her new friend. “I will miss her so much,” Julie said.

Jacob swung her into his arms and tugged her against his broad chest, one strong, masculine hand gently cradling the back of her head. Amanda tripped over her feet as she watched them. What was it about daddies protecting their little girls that Amanda found so irresistibly sexy? When Julie had been an infant, Amanda’s ovaries had practically exploded every time she’d seen the man with his baby in his arms.

Suddenly, music declaring life in plastic as fantastic blared from Amanda’s cellphone and she scowled at the sound of her sister’s ringtone. It was as if Tina knew Amanda was coveting her family and needed to put a stop to such thoughts at once.

“What’s up?” Amanda answered.

“Brenda can’t make it to lunch, so I thought maybe you’d like to join me. Get out of the house for a while.”

Tina was under the impression that Amanda left her house only to jump at Tina’s whims or, during the school year, to go to work.

“I can’t make it. I’m busy today.”

“Is that Mommy?” Julie asked. She must have recognized the “Barbie World” ringtone. Crap!

Amanda grimaced and cupped her hand around the bottom of her phone to muffle sound.

“I want to tell her about Jojo!” Julie squealed excitedly.

And when Julie did tell told her about Jojo, she’d undoubtedly mention she’d been with Amanda. And that Jacob was with them both.

“Is that
Julie
?” Tina asked.

Amanda’s grimace deepened. She wondered if it would be better to come clean now or to convince Julie to keep a secret. Amanda was sure the child would try, but Julie was much too excited about the monkey to keep her trip to the zoo from her mother for long.

“Yeah. I was volunteering at the zoo today.” Amanda decided on the fly that a partial lie would be best. “And Jacob just happened to bring Julie by. I think she wants to talk to you about the monkey she saw. I’ll put her on.”

She handed the phone to Julie, who told her mother all about her adventure with Jojo, but didn’t—thank God—mention that Jacob and Amanda had arrived at the zoo together. Or that her aunt had a strange way of getting dirt in her eye whenever her daddy was near.

“You know,” Jacob said quietly to Amanda. “I don’t give a shit if Tina knows we’re together. She’s going to have to come to terms with it eventually.”

“I know,” Amanda said, deciding
eventually
would be best a few years into the future. “I think we should break the idea to her very gradually. It’s enough that she knows I saw you today.”

“At random,” Jacob said flatly.

“Exactly.”

“Okay, Mommy. I love you!” Julie shoved her phone into Amanda’s hand and skipped ahead to peer at another capuchin monkey through the wires.

“What have you done?” Tina said accusingly.

Amanda’s stomach dropped. “Um, we just— I thought— He invited—”

“Now she wants a goddamned monkey,” Tina interrupted Amanda’s disjointed stammering. “A
monkey
. You’d better get that idea out of her head before you send her home. Jacob will go out and buy her one. You know how stupid he is. I had to put her fucking birthday present in a lockbox at the bank.”

Amanda’s spine straightened, and her jaw hardened. “He’s not . . .” She glanced around to make sure he wouldn’t overhear. He had lifted Julie into his arms so she could see into an exhibit and wasn’t paying Amanda any mind. “. . . 
stupid
,” she whispered harshly into her phone.

Tina snorted. “He has a brick for a brain, that one. He’s lucky he’s attractive.”

Jacob had so much more going for him than his looks. Even more than the vocal talent that had made him successful and rich. Yes, even more than his exceptional skills in the bedroom. As far as Amanda was concerned, Jacob’s best trait was his big ol’ heart, and Tina was the stupid one for discarding it.

“I’ve got to go,” Amanda said. She didn’t think she’d be able to stay civil with Tina for another second. She didn’t care if Tina was her sister.

“Rain check?”

“Yeah, fine,” she said, although at that moment she doubted she’d ever want to go to lunch with her again. “Bye.”

She hung up immediately, so she didn’t know if Tina had anything else to say. And frankly she didn’t care. How dare she turn Julie’s joy into an excuse to belittle Jacob?

“Look, Aunt Mander,” Julie said, pointing to the cage. “This monkey looks like Jojo, but he has blond hair like me.”

Amanda took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face. “He does look like you.”

“Wanna know how I know he’s a boy?” Julie asked slyly.

The monkey was naked and letting everything hang out, so it was obvious that he was a male. “Uh . . .” Amanda bit her lip and glanced at Jacob, who was laughing silently, his lips pursed, face reddening by the second.

“’Cause he has big eyebrows,” Julie said. The monkey did have wild, bushy eyebrows going on. “Girls have to pluck theirs.”

“Oh,” Amanda said, deciding it was best to leave the boy-versus-girl anatomy discussion for a later time and a more private location.

“And he has a penis,” Julie added knowledgably.

Jacob snorted and then burst out laughing. Julie leaned back in his arms and gaped at him.

“Is a penis funny?” she asked.

“Nope,” Jacob said, blinking back tears and touching the back of his hand to each eye in turn. “I was just laughing at these crazy monkeys.”

Those crazy monkeys were currently sitting quite docilely in their enclosures.

“You’re a boy,” Julie said. “So you have a penis. But me and Aunt Mander are girls, so we don’t have one.”

“You are correct,” Jacob said, “but we don’t talk about private parts while we’re out in public.”

“Penis is a secret?” Julie asked, glancing around for eavesdroppers.

“Not a secret,” Jacob said, obviously struggling to find the right explanation.

“It’s a bad word?”

“No, we just don’t talk about certain things in public,” Jacob said. “If you want to talk about private parts, you can ask me or Aunt Mander about them when there aren’t any strangers around. They might get offended.”

“What’s offended mean?”

Jacob paused for a moment as he thought up a child-friendly definition. Amanda didn’t interfere. She didn’t want to come to his rescue.

“It means—sort of—that they don’t like what you’re saying, so they don’t want to hear it.”

“But penis is just a fact of life,” Julie said.

Amanda pressed her lips together so she wouldn’t laugh. Jacob was holding it together quite well now.

“You’re right,” Jacob said with a shrug. “I just didn’t want you to get into trouble for talking about something that many people think is inappropriate.”

Julie squished his face between her palms. “I don’t want to get into trouble. I hate time out. I’ll just talk about penis to you later.”

“Good.” Jacob’s smile was a bit false—he probably didn’t want to talk about penis to his four-year-old daughter
ever
—but he gave her a tight squeeze and set her on her feet.

“Are you ready for lunch?” Amanda asked. “Your dad made all sorts of good things to eat and packed them in your bag.”

Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, actually Tammy knew I had Julie this weekend, so she stocked the fridge with sandwiches and stuff. I just tossed them in the bag.”

“You did good,” Amanda said and patted his arm. Her pat turned into a light touch and then a caress. And then she was leaning in closer, longing for him to wrap her in his arms and kiss her.

“I want to see more animals,” Julie said.