Page 72 of Just Like That

‘Are you sure about this, Gwen?’ Nick shakes his head, denial already setting in.

‘I’m sorry, Nick.’ Her eyes glisten on meeting his. ‘I’m just exhausted by this constant fight for survival. It’s not fair on any of you, and it’s not fair on the animals.’

‘It’s also not fair on you,’ I say.

‘No, I guess not.’ Gwen’s now glassy eyes meet mine, then Lauren’s and Nick’s. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t make this work.’

Lauren throws back her chair and leaps on her mum with an enormous protective bear hug. ‘It’s not your fault. You did everything you could.’

‘You did.’ Nick now looks like he might even cry, which sets me off.

We both pile on top of Lauren and Gwen and hug it out, all too aware that there’s a payroll full of wonderful dedicated staff who, after throwing everything into today, are about to lose their jobs and their beloved animals.

Chapter 33

My ‘dinner, bed and breakfast’ arrangement with Nick goes a bit differently to how I expected following Gwen’s heartbreaking decision – especially as she decided to tell the park staff right after making her decision, rather than stringing things out. They were all there for the fundraiser, so it was an easy way for her to make the announcement to everyone together at once. Seeing their hopeful faces crumple after all that hard work was just too painful. Nick’s team took it especially hard, which made it all the worse for him. The only saving grace for them was that the fundraiser hadn’t been a complete waste of time.

I make it clear to Nick that we can have our evening together another time (though I don’t have any idea of when that might be), but he’s adamant that we continue with our plans in an attempt to lift our spirits. The mood is obviously not one of jubilation, so instead of ripping each other’s clothes off and enjoying a saucy pre-dinner aperitif, we opt for a more customary drink in the hotel bar.

‘How are you feeling now?’ I ask Nick, who’s sitting opposite me, looking utterly deflated. ‘I notice you’re on round four hundred and twelve of rotating your whisky glass.’

He stops turning his tumbler and rubs his unshaven chin instead. The stress and turmoil he’s feeling is evident, but he tries to put on a brave face.

‘I’m fine.’

‘You don’t need to pretend you’re OK for my sake,’ I continue. ‘You’ve just found out you’re losing your job. Anyone would be worried about that.’

It would appear that this statement is all that’s needed to get Nick to open up. He looks at me with mournful eyes.

‘It’s not just a job though, is it? It’s my life. Those folk are like family, I’ve told you that before.’

‘You have.’ I nod, just relieved that he’s finally talking.

‘They mean the world to me, and so do the animals.’

‘I can imagine it’s like losing a much-loved family pet, only magnified times a thousand.’

‘I suppose you could say that.’ He almost smiles at this, but it swiftly turns into a grimace. ‘I don’t think of the animals as pets though. It’s a different relationship, even with Rana, despite the fact she sees me as her play buddy. I have a respect for them that’s difficult to describe. They’re all magnificent; wonderous creatures of nature that have evolved over millions of years to survive in some of the most unfriendly or dangerous habitats in the world. They’re so much more than pets. They’re miracles. I mean, in our whole universe, this is the only planet we know to be inhabitable, and on top of that, able to support the diversity of life that we have here. That’s so special. Those animals should be cherished and protected at all costs, and what does the human race do? It lets them die, brutalises them to the point of extinction, because of our own selfish and materialistic pursuits.’

‘You know I’ve never thought about it like that before.’ I feel the weight of his words settle on me like an iron blanket. ‘You’re right, they are miracles. Every single one of them. They absolutely should be cherished.’

Nick disappears back into his whisky glass reflectively, so I excuse myself to the ladies, my mind relentlessly ticking over his words. This is so wrong. The park is too important to let go, but what’s the answer? I’m no expert on rescuing a failing business. Feeling hopeless, I unlock my phone and quickly draft an Instagram post with my favourite picture of Rana and Nick. I lay bare my sorrow over the fate of the park and then add some relevant hashtags, before posting it. It’s my way of channelling my feelings so I can stay strong for Nick and the others.

Returning to the bar, my eyes land on a despondent Nick, and I realise I need to do something to distract him from the misery he’s feeling.

‘Hey, you.’ I slip into the seat beside him, draping my arm around his neck. ‘Can I kiss it better?’

‘Kiss what better?’ He gives me a puzzled look.

‘I don’t know. I was going for a figure of speech, but I’m not sure that was the right one.’

I wrinkle my nose, feeling a little daft, but at least I’ve succeeded in creating a temporary distraction.

‘Well, a kiss from you is going to make anything feel better.’ He slips his arm around my waist and kisses me deeply, sending tingles to every extremity of my body.

‘Is that right?’ I nibble seductively on his bottom lip, pinning him with my best sultry look. ‘Then how about we push our dinner reservation back an hour and go upstairs?’

The suggestive nature of my question seems to finally shake Nick out of his funk. His eyes flicker with lust and I know he’s feeling everything I’m feeling right now. The unquenched sexual chemistry that’s been building between us finally reaches boiling point, and we hot foot it out of the bar so fast, we almost forget to sign for our drinks.

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