Safari Island Shifters: The Complete Collection(64)

“Your best friend was almost killed during your rehearsal dinner, right?” she asked Addison.

“She was,” Addison said. “But I thought we weren’t going to mention that during the segment.”

“We aren’t. I’m just curious,” Joan said quickly. “I read all about the incident and it sounds so scary. I can’t believe anything like that would happen here. The security is so tight.”

“Things happen all the time. Not everyone likes Safari Island being so successful,” Chet said. He was coloring with Will, who was sitting in his lap again. “Usually, our security team stops it before anything serious happens. We had an ‘almost’ when Addison and I first met, too, but the culprits were stopped quickly. That was one of the very few times someone got through security.”

“I see. You don’t ever worry about violence happening on the island?” Joan asked.

“Not really,” Addison said. “We can leave our doors open at night if we want. The town is bigger than when I moved in but it’s still safe.”

Will was starting to close his eyes. “I need to go put him down,” Chet said. “It was nice meeting you, Joan.”

“I’ll get out of your hair. I’m sure you guys could use a little nap yourselves,” she replied with a smile.

When Joan got to the bus stop, she looked over her notes. Nothing earth-shattering here. Two very much in love people with an adorable baby. They’d gotten their wedding paid for by a giant corporation and had had a scary rehearsal dinner but they were pretty normal. Not a lot of story for her to dig into there.

She was happy for them and knew Mitch would love their segment. That was the kind of thing people tuned in to see. Still, she hoped the other interviews would be a little grittier. Even if she couldn’t use anything dark for the special, it could be fun to do a companion piece for the website.

So far, it looked like that was a pipe dream. Safari Island was about as gritty as vanilla pudding.





Three


Ward ran across the plain with the rhino fast at his heels. When he reached the edge of the big open space, he darted behind a bush and shifted back to human. Panting, he came out with his hands up. “I give up.”

The rhino shifted back to human form too. Chet laughed. “You need to get out here more. How long has it been since you let your gazelle run?”

“More than a year,” Ward admitted shamefully. “I didn’t realize it had been that long until this weekend. I’m paying for it now, though.”

He felt like he had run a marathon. He and Chet had gone out for a run after a nice afternoon BBQ. He’d thought about saying no—he had to get back to work the next day—but Chet was heading out already, and Ward figured his animal could use a little exercise too. He hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to get back in the swing of it. He ran as a human frequently; it was his favorite form of cardio. He was going to have to start scheduling time to run shifted too.

“You’ve been working too hard,” Chet said as they walked back across the savannah. “More relaxation would do you good. You’re not a machine.”

“I know. It’s just hard to take the time off. Especially since I work where I live.”

“I work where I live too, but I make time for myself. All work and no play makes a really bad worker.”

“Once the celebration is over, I’ll start taking more breaks. Maybe I’ll even start taking weekends off.”

“Whoa, don’t get crazy,” Chet joked. “You might want to start slow and take one day a week off. See how you like that.”

“Ha ha. Easy for you to say. You have a family to answer to. I’m sure it’s a lot easier to take days off when you’ve got a little boy and a beautiful wife waiting for you.”

“I like having free time. If you remember, I’ve taken my days off since I started working here. But if you want a family, you can get one. Shoot, you can borrow Will anytime you want. How about next weekend?”

“Nice try. I love the kid, but I’m not letting that little tornado in my house.”

“I wish I didn’t have to let him in mine, either,” Chet laughed. “I’ll be glad when he’s over this little phase.”

“The being a kid phase? That’s just what kids do.” Ward shook his head. “I’m in no rush to have my own Tasmanian devil. If it happens, great, but I can wait.”

“What about a mate?”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that either, but I can’t make it happen. If I can’t find the girl, I can’t find her.”

They were at Ward’s golf cart. He poured his bottle of water over his head to cool down faster. He couldn’t believe how out of shape he was. Chet was right; he needed to take more time for himself. This couldn’t happen again.

“You can find her,” Chet said, handing him another bottle of water. “Take time off work and it’ll be easier. I doubt you work with your mate. You would have known by now if you did.”

“That’s true.” After drinking half the bottle, Ward was ready to start driving. “She isn’t at my job, but I doubt she’s on the island, either.”

“Maybe not yet, but she could be,” Chet countered. “You know how many people are finding their mates here.”