Safari Island Shifters: The Complete Collection(67)
A very pretty redhead opened the door after her first knock. Joan was struck by how much prettier Maura was in person than in the magazines. Her pale green eyes were wide and clear. Joan could see immediately why the elephant shifter had loved the environmentalist at first sight.
“You must be Joan,” Maura said. “Please come in. We’ll need to be quiet, though. Branch is putting down the baby.”
Joan nodded. “Of course. Thank you for inviting me into your home.”
Maura waved her hand. “Oh, please. It’s an honor to be on your show. I’ve been watching the Travel Channel for years. You have so many fascinating animal documentaries.”
“We do. This is my first on-location job, but I hope to get to do more field work. There are a lot of beautiful animal sanctuaries.”
“We’re going to visit a chimp sanctuary this winter!” Maura said dreamily. “It’s so nice being married to a tour guide. Branch knows the best places around the world, and he knows the guides too.”
“Are you talking about me?” A tall, blond and very deeply tanned man came into the living room. He kissed Maura on the cheek and shook Joan’s hand. “I got Ian down after only four readings today.”
Maura chuckled. “That’s an improvement.”
“He’s obsessed with this stupid book,” Branch explained to Joan. “It has to be All My Friends Are Dead a million times a day. We buy the kid all the books in the world and he has to read only one.”
“I’ve been there,” Joan said. “How old is Ian now?”
“Almost twenty months,” Maura said. “Just old enough to understand that he can shift and young enough that it’s still scary as heck.”
“I can imagine.” Joan could imagine the fright of going into her child’s room and being greeted with an elephant calf. It was both an adorable and terrifying thought. Baby elephants were so cute, but having one in the house might not be as cute. “How long will it take until he can control himself?”
“I would say years,” Branch said. “I couldn’t control myself very well until I was eight.”
“Eight?” Maura turned to him, surprised. “You said you were five.”
Branch held up a hand. “I said well. I was able to control myself when I was four or five but I didn’t do a good job. I would get upset over things and shift uncontrollably.”
“That must lead to a lot of problems,” Joan said. She was imagining all the broken chairs, torn clothes, and smushed classmates. She was starting to see why schools used to ban shifter children in the past.
Maura shook her head. “Not at all. Once you get the hang of it, there are no more dangers than for any human child.”
“Shifter parents have been dealing with this since the dawn of time,” Branch reminded her. “There are lots of tricks and products that help minimize the risk.”
“There are clothes that snap off so they won’t get ruined,” Maura said. “And there’s lots of furniture that’s made to hold up under the weight of large shifters.”
Joan scribbled in her notebook quickly. This was interesting. She was going to have to do some research on shifter children when she got back to her room. It wouldn’t make the special, but it would be a great pet project. She wondered how many humans knew about all the issues that shifter parents dealt with and how they managed their kids. If she was this curious but clueless, there had to be others out there. Maybe she could do a quick write-up about it one day for a newspaper or blog or something. She could see the potential.
Joan turned the interview back to its intended purpose. “How have things been since the wedding?”
Maura and Branch told her all about their lives on Safari Island. It was just as cute as their wedding specials. Their lives sounded very charmed, and by the end of the conversation, Joan was beginning to wish she could stay on Safari Island. It sounded perfect as Branch described days spent working at a job he loved and nights spent with his mate and child. Maura worked part-time at the school as a lunch lady but spent most of her days at home. They were trying for baby number two and then Maura would become a stay-at-home mom.
It all sounded so picturesque and they seemed so happy. Joan almost regretted having to bring up the PFA incident, but it was going to be part of the special. “Can we talk a little bit about the People For Animals plot?”
Maura sighed. “Of course. We’ll have to talk about it for the cameras. I got roped into a plot by an animal rights group to expose Safari Corp.”
“Only there were no secrets, and the guy was a total crackpot.” Branch rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why you guys are still talking about this. You can’t even call it a plot, really. That Jimmy Tony guy had no plan and he wasn’t going to hurt anyone. You’re giving him way more credit than he’s due.”
“I know,” Joan smiled. “It’s a good story, though. I mean, it seems like it’s pretty easy to sneak onto Safari Island.”
“Not really,” Branch said. “We haven’t had any real incidents in over eight years. And all the people who did anything got onto the island like any other tourist.”
“The pamphlets?” Joan asked.
Branch nodded. “Exactly. We have a great security team.”