took a trip to Omaha to the zoo and we spent half our time there with just the penguins.” She could still get misty-eyed thinking about working in the same zoo she’d frequented as a child with her grandfather. “So they were special to me because of him, too. He died when I was fourteen and about that time, I read a book by Jane Goodall. Do you know who she is?”
“The lady who lived with the gorillas, right?”
“Chimpanzees,” she corrected. “But yeah, that book really hit me. After that, I read everything I could find by and about Jane. She was this force that didn’t just go in and provide for the things she cared about, but made other people care about them too. I guess that, combined with all of the books about finding a way to make the world a better place and finding what you are especially good at made me realize that I wanted to do for penguins what Jane did for the chimps. That stuck with me all through high school and college. I was looking into different ways to work with penguins and realized that one of the paths was veterinary medicine. Now, I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
“So how did you meet A.J.?”
“He was just a nice little old man who came to the zoo every Thursday during the penguins’ feeding hour. We just clicked. One project he was particularly passionate about was constructing a man-made island off of the Galápagos that could be protected from invasive species and tourism. He was working on that the entire time I knew him. But I had no idea that he actually owned penguins. These private investors are trying to keep that on the down low because there are groups that would probably have issue with penguins being kept in private captivity. But I’m incredibly touched and flattered by him leaving them to me.”
“Why wouldn’t he leave them to you? Who else would he possibly leave them to?”
“In retrospect, now knowing the whole story about when he got the penguins and when he was diagnosed, I feel like maybe he agreed to be a part of the program knowing that I would eventually take it over.”
“And you’re feeling the pressure,” Zeke said.
“Huge pressure.”
“You’ll be great. You know everything you need to know, and have this great place to keep them. Everything will be fine.”
She studied him. Griffin had given her a mini pep talk as well, and she knew that the other investors in the group were confident in her capabilities. But there was something about Zeke believing in her that hit her differently.
Maybe it was because he didn’t actually know what he was talking about. Or because he didn’t know her. He didn’t really know her credentials and even if he did, they wouldn’t necessarily mean anything to him. The investors in the group knew her experience and education level. So did Griffin. And Griffin knew her history with penguins and her work ethic and her enthusiasm from being up close and around her in a work environment for a year.
Zeke didn’t know any of that. He just knew what he’d seen so far. Either he was a little naïve and incredibly trusting, or he was trying to make her feel better. Either way, it was sweet. And it was making her feel better.
“Thank you for that.”
“Anytime. Again, I don’t know anything about penguins except they’re cool as fuck. But I do know that beautiful women who are enthusiastic about doing good in the world are hot as hell.”
She laughed softly. “You run into a lot of those?”
“Surprisingly, several here in Autre.” He gave her a grin. “There’s Tori, and Charlie has gotten all enthusiastic now. Jordan is really into the petting zoo, and how alpacas and other animals can help kids learn about disabilities and grief and depression and anxiety.”
Jill felt her eyebrows rise. “Really?” That sounded incredibly interesting.
“Yep. And then there’s Fiona. She gets excited about anything with four legs, fur, feathers, or fins. They’re all beautiful women, of course, but I’ve definitely seen how much more gorgeous they all are when they get enthusiastic about these projects.”
He tipped his head studying her face. “You’re definitely no exception. Last night I was incredibly attracted to you and we had one of the hottest nights I can ever remember. But today, finding out all of the stuff you’re into and all of the things you do, watching you light up when you talk