Page 10 of Refurbished

Angus was captivating, and there really wasn’t another way to put it. The baked goods, the signs, the rambling when he was nervous. It was cute. I opened the new container he gave me. The scent of cinnamon and oranges made my stomach rumble. He looked at me and snorted.

“They smell really good.” We smiled awkwardly at each other again, and he looked down. I needed to ask about the money, but didn’t want to make it weird. “I see you gave the fox a name.”

“Yeah. Yes. Was that bad? You said it didn’t have a name. I shouldn’t have given it a name. You don’t have to call it Atlas. It seemed like a good name, though. You can name it anything you want. But I think it needs a name.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s fine. I hadn’t named her yet, and I think Atlas is a fitting name.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Her name is Atlas now.”

He gave me a great smile, and it made him even more handsome. I watched as he went over to North and South’s cage. “I thought Atlas was a good name, too. How are my guys doing?”

I walked closer to him. He smelled really nice, clean, but a little bit of a cologne scent. It was woodsy. Cedar maybe? “They’re doing really well. I’ll move them from quarantine to the nursery soon. Once they are moved, you can take them out of the cage. He did a little dance in place. It was possible he didn’t realize he had done it. All I knew was I wanted to see him do it again.

“The check you gave me really helped, but I think there might be some confusion. I received a rather large deposit from the MacGregor Foundation today, which I assume wasn’t intended after you had already made your donation. You are the only MacGregor I’ve ever met.”

“Oh. That wasn’t from me. That was from the foundation. The other donation was from me.”

I heard his words but didn’t understand what he was trying to tell me. “The foundation?”

“Wait. Was it not enough? I can have them donate more each month. We—they—are always looking for good charities to donate to. Places that don’t get the money they deserve are their favorites because the big ones, like St. Jude’s or the ASPCA, are well-known. The MacGregor Foundation is always excited to find an organization like yours. Did I overstep? I am sorry.”

“Angus?”

“Huh?”

“Take a breath. Let me see if I understand. A foundation is donating money to the Sanctuary. Is it a coincidence that your name is the same?”

“Oh, not a coincidence. It’s my family. My mom heard about the raccoons and the animals you have here. She set it up so you get some money every month.”

“Oh.” I really wasn’t sure how to respond. “That’s really nice. The money makes a huge difference to the animals.”

When he smiled at me, my heart beat harder. “I’m glad. Is it enough?”

If what he said were correct, I would be able to greatly improve the lives of these animals. “It’s plenty. I can’t thank you and your family enough.”

He blushed and turned toward the cages. “You’re welcome.”

I turned around and walked out. Once I was over by Orlando the giraffe, I realized I hadn’t said goodbye or anything. He was so cute and made me nervous in a way nobody had in a very long time. Going back would make things more awkward. “Shit. I was rude, Orlando. He seems like… well, he is kind of amazing. Damn it.” I paced back and forth a few times.

I decided it was too late to fix things now. Orlando leaned down, his lips teasing my pockets. Those treats that Angus made would be great for him, too. My stomach growled, and I wished I had brought the cinnamon rolls with me. Instead of going after my pastries, I decided to clean out the area where the bear cubs were sleeping. I carefully moved the door after I noticed cracks near the hinges this morning. The entire thing needed to be replaced. If the MacGregor Foundation were to give me the same amount of money every month, I could start making some repairs around here.

I bet Angus would like to see the baby bears. He brought me and the animals treats, made fancy name tags, and donated money. The least I could do was let him meet the fuzziest residents. Next time I saw him, I would offer.

Over the next few days, when Angus came by, I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. The money helped me get the materials to repair or construct things we needed. The truth was that doing the work landed on me. Every time he came to visit, I would watch him on CCTV. He would visit with the raccoons, then he stopped at the outside enclosures where everyone now had a sign.

Seeing him made me smile, and it wasn’t only the snacks and sweet notes he would leave for me. His thoughtfulness made me feel good. The first few times I felt myself pulled to him, it seemed weird. But now, when he didn’t talk to me and I couldn’t go out to visit, I was disappointed. I wanted to spend time with him, which was a long-forgotten feeling, and I didn’t completely hate it.

He had now been here several times, and like the previous ones, Angus carried a bag with him that I knew had a treat for me. There were probably snacks for the animals, as well, which also made me happy. He had created new flavors for each type of animal, including some with cooked chicken for the carnivores. And he had given me a variety of different cookies and sweets.

I stopped the project I was working on because I needed to get to Angus before he went into the medical room where the raccoons had been quarantined. As I jogged toward the front, I noticed that Rupert the emu, who joined us yesterday, had his foot in his water bucket.

“Rupert. You’re going to knock that over.” As I entered Rupert’s enclosure, I pushed against his chest and tried to get him out of the bucket. Then I heard Angus yelling, and he was obviously distressed.

“Eion! Eion!”

“Shit.” I knew immediately that he had gone to see North and South, and they weren’t there.