Page 25 of Tiger Queen

He aimed the spatula across the kitchen at me. “Hey now. We’re on the upswing. David Cutcliffe is building a hell of a program.”

“Duke will always be a basketball school to me.”

“Yeah, we do that well. Shit, I didn’t ask how you like your eggs. So I hope scrambled is good.”

I let out a dramatic sigh. “I guess that will suffice.”

We laughed together in the big kitchen.

He brought me the food soon after. The eggs were fluffy and sprinkled with pepper, and the pancakes were dark brown, bordering on black. I thought they were burned until I took a big bite.

“Oh, this is good. Chocolate flavored?”

“They’re made with chocolate protein powder, yep. Apparently that’s what dad ate every morning.”

I took a bite of eggs and swallowed. “I’m really sorry about your dad. Obviously I didn’t know him, but it still sucks. I don’t know what I would do if my dad died.”

Anthony’s handsome face struggled for a moment as if figuring out what emotion to display. A sad smile won. “Yeah, it sucks. I mean, we weren’t that close. I got out of here as soon as I got accepted to Duke and I never looked back. But I still thought dad was invincible.” He stared off. “I still don’t think I’ve accepted it. I keep expecting him to walk downstairs and shout that it’s another beautiful day in tiger country!”

I laughed at his mimicked country accent. “Where are the other two?”

“They set out about an hour ago.”

I groaned. “And here I thought I was getting an early start!”

“That’s David for you. Sets his mind to something and sees it through.”

“Then why is Jake up so early?”

“Because,” Anthony said, “he hates to let David look better than him.”

I finished my food, put the dishes away, and then headed to the zoo. The half-mile walk from the residence was the perfect amount of time to get my blood flowing and mentally prepare for the day. It helped that it was a cool morning with zero humidity, and a beautiful sunrise spreading across the clouds above.

The sound of a band saw led me to the food prep area. David was hunched over the bench, pushing a huge slab of meat through the blade. I paused in the doorway and admired the sight of him from behind. Even if I hadn’t known what he did for a living, it would have been obvious that he lifted weights—and he did not skip leg day. Bent over the bench, I had a perfect view of his ass inside his khaki pants. He adjusted the meat on the table and his cheeks flexed in a way that made my ovaries twitch.

I shook off my lust and moved to where I was within eyesight of him, and waved. He turned off the saw and raised his protective mask.

“Was wondering when you’d wake up,” he said with a smirk.

I glared at him playfully. “I thought this was early. Tomorrow I’ll be up before you.”

“We’ll see. Same deal as yesterday?”

“Pretty much. You prepare, I’ll feed.” I went to the fridge and took out a big plastic bucket. “That reminds me. I wanted to add extra chicken necks to Big Caesar’s food. He had some dandruff that I think is due to lack of fat in his diet.”

He nodded slowly. “Glad to see you’re taking your job seriously.”

I carried the tubs of vitamins over to the Mule. “I’m not here to screw around. I’m here to work. You know where Jake is?”

David rolled his eyes. “Fuck if I know. He insisted on leaving the house at the same time as me, but when I asked what he was going to do he told me to worry about my own damn business.”

I loaded up the Mule with the trays of food and drove out into the zoo. The chimps swung over to the fence and watched me drive by, and then the wolves leaped to their feet to stare me down. Even the birds seemed to watch me. It made me feel like I really was in charge of this place. Like the animals knew I was on their side.

If David is telling me the truth, the voice of doubt said in my head. Ashley’s skepticism had burrowed under my skin and was itching.

I tried to ignore it as I got to work.

13

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