Page 5 of Refurbished

Clearing my throat, I ignored my body as he answered my question. “North here has this solid line on his forehead.”

I looked at the two faces and could easily identify which raccoon North was. Great, now I was calling them by their ridiculous names. “Okay.” It was all I could say since my brain wasn’t firing properly. It had been years since I felt any kind of way about a man, and this man shows up with a couple of raccoons, talks to my bear, and suddenly parts of my body that have been sound asleep wake up. It was obviously a lack of sleep, too much work, and worry over the baby bears. Sounded legit to me.

“Okay. Well, I should let you do your thing.” He headed out of the room and turned toward his car. Impulsively, I pulled up the video feed and watched him walk toward the gate. The man had a very fine ass. Those thoughts should be shut down. I didn’t even know if he would appreciate the attention from a man.

At his car, he pulled out what looked like a business checkbook. Then pulled out what looked to be a check and jogged back toward the building. I put my head down and talked to South like that was what I had been doing the whole time. He didn’t need to know I was creeping on him by watching the camera.

“Oh, hey. You never gave me an amount to care for them, so I guessed. He set the check down on the exam table. If you need more, let me know. See ya in a couple of days.” He wiggled his fingers at me and then left again. This time, I watched him drive away. I wasn’t being creepy at all.

Once I had the new residents settled in a cage for quarantine, and their bellies were filled, I picked up the check Angus had left. To my surprise, it was for five thousand dollars, and in the corner next to his name was a rainbow flag.

Well, isn’t that interesting?

Chapter three

ANGUS

“You’re home late.” My mom called as I ran up the stairs.

“Let me get ready for work, and I’ll fill you in.” I was covered in dust after sitting in it for hours. There was no way I could spend the evening working when I was afraid a cloud would show up if I shook my head.

North and South were now safe and would get the care they needed. I had a trail cam and went through the footage for thirty-six hours. Sadly, there was no sign of Storm after she moved them into the shed, and the kits needed food. I knew that taking them to the sanctuary was the right thing to do. Eion seemed—I really couldn’t come up with a word. Efficient? Certainly not nice, but he did handle the little guys carefully and cared for all the other animals. I heard him talk to his residents while he was in their enclosures. I was confident that he would take care of my boys, and I hoped I had left him enough money to give them everything they needed for the month. How much does it even cost to care for a single raccoon for their life? I'd better make sure I send money each month so North and South live long, happy lives with him.

I took a quick look in the mirror before I went downstairs. Today I wore a red velvet vest over my black shirt. My coworkers say I am a walking thirst trap for the bar, and half our guests were there only to get a good look at me. I didn’t get it, but I was happy to be me, the geeky guy who worked at a bar, rescued raccoons, and built LEGO as his hobby.

“Mom, how much does it cost to feed a raccoon for a year?”

She turned and looked at me, narrowing her eyes. “Son? How would I know the answer to that question?” I walked over and tried to grab a piece of meat out of the pot she had on the stove. Her wooden spoon slapped the back of my hand. “Mind your manners. Why are we looking at the financial needs of raccoons?”

“I took those kits to the Sanctuary in the next town over. I want to make sure they are cared for during their lifetime.” She smiled at me.

“Do they have more than the two you dropped off?”

Eion had mentioned something about several acres for them. “I think so. The person you talked to didn’t give you specifics?”

“The guy I talked to barely gave me his name, and I had to ask for that. I get the feeling he doesn’t like people, but he was nice to the animals. There was a bear I talked to for a long time. I think her name was Bethany, but I wasn’t introduced.”

“Why don’t we put them on the foundations’ donations list? What’s the name of the Sanctuary, dear?” She was looking down at her phone, obviously texting.

“Second Chances Sanctuary and Rehabilitation.”

“What a lovely name. Okay, starting tomorrow, they will get fifteen thousand dollars a month for the raccoons.” She looked up and smiled. “If they need more, let me know. Do you have time to eat?”

“Yeah, I have a few minutes.” Ramsey came over and begged for love. He didn’t get to go out with me today, and I felt a little guilty. “I promise we will go for a long walk tomorrow.”

“Here. Eat.” A plate was set in front of me with two peanut butter sandwiches and some apple slices. “You feed me like I am still five.”

“Do you not like this food suddenly?”

“Besides the point. Should we get a chef and make you something fancy for every meal? Is what your mother makes not enough?”

“Calm down, Mom. This is perfectly fine, and thank you.” I ate quickly. Then, I gave Ramsey a few bites. “Can you take him for a walk?”

“Of course.” She handed me a stuffed tote bag. “Your dinner. Pulled pork with macaroni and cheese. There is enough there to share with Spark, West, and Tyler.”

I took the tote and headed to my truck. As I got settled in, I took a few minutes to breathe. My life was charmed, and I knew it. I had an amazing job, great friends, and a mother who loved me. Plus, I had enough money that there was nothing in life I would ever need. My mother's great-great-great-grandfather invented a life-changing piece of medical equipment, along with several other medical gadgets. That money was then invested in assets like oil, real estate, and stocks, creating a dynasty. Each grandchild had a trust fund, but there was a general family foundation that my mother currently controlled. That being said, we lived frugally by choice, donated as much as we could, and didn’t talk much about our money.

When I walked into The Dapper Duck, I ran into my boss, who was also my best friend.