“Zander said if I saw you, I was supposed to tell you he really thinks you both need to grow up a little bit and figure out how to play darts without tequila,” Fiona said. She shook her head. “The guy looks like crap. Still hot, don’t get me wrong, but like crap.”
Jordan nodded. “Zander is one thousand percent correct, and we will be having that conversation when I see him next.”
Fiona laughed. “Okay, so what do you think about red pandas?”
“I think red pandas are amazing and I can’t believe that we’re actually talking about this,” Jordan said. She glanced at Charlie. “But I also don’t remember taking the position as educational director.”
“Oh, you’re going to take it,” Charlie said. “If I can talk you into streaking across William DuPont’s backyard during Fourth of July fireworks, I can talk you into this.”
Jordan groaned at the memory. Charlie Landry was trouble. “In my defense,” she said quickly for the other two women, “William was supposed to be having a party that night in his backyard, but I knew it had gotten moved to Landon Bassett’s house.” She had streaked across an empty, dark backyard. And she’d insisted that Charlie still pay her the twenty dollars she dared her. The dare hadn’t included how many people would be in attendance at the party. “And it wasn’t full on streaking, I had a bra and panties on.”
Charlie laughed. “Still, you know you can’t resist me.”
Jordan did in fact know that. It seemed no one could.
“I can only assume that you knew the parrots you were bringing us would cuss like sailors.”
All four women turned to look at the man who had just approached the table.
From where Jordan was seated, she had to tip her head way back to look up at him.
“Hey, Knox,” she greeted.
Knox was tall. And big. With his wide chest and shoulders, big muscles, long hair, and scowl, he looked like a bad boy member of a rock band or motorcycle club.
Jordan knew him well. He’d moved to Autre in high school and had taken every high school defensive football award for the next three years. But underneath all of that bad boy exterior, he was an even bigger nerd than Fletcher or Zeke. He’d been their valedictorian and he was now Autre’s city manager.
His eyes flickered to her and he gave her a slight nod, but he clearly hadn’t come over here to talk to her. His gaze bounced right back to Fiona.
“Why do you think I brought them to you? I can’t have parrots saying, ‘you’re a motherfucker’ at my animal park,” Fiona said. “We run a clean family attraction.”
“And Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild is going to be what?” Knox asked. “An R-rated animal park?”
Fiona grinned. “Wow, you’re hot and nerdy and a prude. I have no idea why that’s attractive.” She tipped her head, studying him. “Maybe it’s because I like the idea of making you do naughty things.”
Knox ignored that. “I’ve gotten phone calls. And emails. I assume the tourists complain to Sawyer and Charlie and the rest. But the locals complain to me.”
“About the parrots?” Fiona asked. She didn’t seem apologetic. “What do they expect you to do? You don’t work for the petting zoo.”
“No, I work for Autre. When people in Autre have problems, and they’re not sure where else to go, or they’re not getting satisfactory answers”—He cast a glance at Charlie—“I get to hear about it.”
“Hey, we dealt with the parrots.” Charlie sat up a little straighter, looking offended. “They don’t swear unless they’re together, so we spread them out. There are two up by the barn, one in the otter enclosure, and two over by the lemurs and the sloth. They’re behaving well now.”
“We have swearing parrots?” Jordan asked.
Fiona laughed. “Only two. The others just mimic them. Those two only swear at each other. And when they have an audience. They do it, get laughs, and it eggs them on. When they’re separated, everything is fine.”
Jordan glanced up at Knox, knowing he would not appreciate what she was about to ask, but still asked, “What all do they say to each other?”
“One of them will say, ‘you’re a motherfucker’ and the other will respond with, ‘shut the fuck up.’ Then the rest will repeat it.” Fiona grinned. “They obviously don’t know what it means. They’re just going for the attention.”
“I can’t believe you brought those to us,” Knox said.
“They were a special request from Owen Landry.” Fiona sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. The move caused the skirt she was wearing to hike up on her thigh. Then she inched it up a bit more. “I can’t say no to men begging me for things with a Louisiana drawl. I’m weak. I’ll say yes to almost anything.”
Jordan looked up at Knox. Fiona’s body language, and tone of voice, indicated clearly she was flirting with him. He seemed unimpressed. Though he did check out her thigh.
“You’re a problem for me,” he informed her. “The first time I ever saw that gigantic purple truck, I knew you were going to be.”
“It’s funny how every time you see that big purple truck parked out front of Ellie’s, you head straight in here though,” Fiona said. “Seems if you wanted to avoid me, it would be quite easy. Instead, it’s like a bat signal or something.”
“But if I avoid you, I’m not able to inform you of the problems you’re causing for me.”
“And how many times has you informing me of something you don’t like resulted in me stopping?” Fiona asked.
Knox sighed. “I keep hoping that the more times I express myself, the more pause it gives you when you’re back in Florida thinking of ways to make this petting zoo even crazier.”
Fiona gave him a sly smile. “If that’s your way of trying to find out if I think about you when I’m back in Florida, the answer is absolutely. And I love knowing that you’re thinking of me even when I’m not here.”
“You love knowing that I’m cursing your name?”
“I don’t consider Oh God, Fiona, exactly cursing but you can call it whatever you want.”
Knox’s jaw tightened. “Huge. Problem.”
Fiona just batted her eyes at him. “By the way, it would make it easier for me to ‘curse’ your name, if I knew what it was.” She used air quotes with her fingers around curse.
“Knox.”
She shook her head. “Online it says your name is F. Knox. What’s the F stand for?”
Jordan looked up at the big man. She didn’t even know this. He’d always just gone by F. Knox. Even teachers had referred to him as Knox. When his name had been announced at football games or read off in class it had been simply, “F. Knox.” She supposed at some point or another they all knew Knox was his last name, but no one had pressed for his first. He was just Knox. He also never really had been a guy you pressed for information he didn’t want you to have.
“It’s just Knox.”
Fiona shrugged. “Okay, play hard to get. I work with wild animals all the time. It doesn’t intimidate me. It just makes me more intrigued.”