Page 117 of Pucking the Team

“Bye.”

“Thank you.”

“Au revoir.” Eduardo held up his hand, and we walked to the elevator.

We traveled up to the top floor and stepped into a long, quiet corridor with leopard-print carpet and pictures of various African animals on the walls.

“Ah, this is the room,” Eduardo said. He tapped the key on the door that had a big wooden shield shaped like a tear attached to it. It was at the very end and faced the corridor. “I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will.” The floor was polished wood, the soft sofas a gaudy zebra print, and the walls were adorned with glossy jewel-colored dinner plates. The four-poster bed was enormous and the drapes around it diaphanous, reminding me of mosquito nets.

“Come this way,” Eduardo said, tugging me toward the balcony. “This is what I really want you to see.”

His childish enthusiasm had me giggling. “I’m sure the view is wonderful.” I eyed the bed. “But you know…”

He flicked the lock on the huge glass sliding doors. “Believe me, I know I haven’t made love to you yet, I know that with every breath I take, and it will happen soon, but first…ma choue,what do you think of that?” He swept his arm over the huge Florida savannah stretching before me. It was like being dropped in Africa.

“What…is that?” I rushed forward and gripped the railing of the rustic wooden balcony. “Are they…?”

“Oui, they are.”

I blinked in the sunshine, my mouth hanging open. “They…they can come right up to us, can’t they?”

“And then you can feed them.” He held up a box that hadGiraffe Treatswritten on the side.

“You remembered.” I rushed to him and slipped my arms around his waist. “You remembered giraffe are my favorite animal and you booked this…thank you, thank you so much. I didn’t even know it was a thing. A room with giraffe right outside.”

“You do not have to thank me, seeing your smile is enough.” He swept his lips over mine. “Now come, let’s see if any will come over for a treat.”

Within minutes, two graceful giraffe wandered from the skinny trees and were at our balcony. I was face to face with them as I offered forward half a lettuce.

“Have you seen their eyelashes,” I said. “So long. It’s like they’ve got false ones on.”

“And their black tongues,” Eduardo said, also holding out lettuce. “Wow, I never realized.”

“I love them.” The one I was feeding let me gently stroke its neck, over a large brown splodge. “This is such a treat.”

“Want your photo with one?” he asked.

“Oh, yes please, I’ll send it to Aunt Mary. She’ll love it.”

He went to get his phone and left me alone with the two huge, gentle creatures. For the second time that day my heart swelled with joy, there was nowhere else on Earth I’d rather be.

“Smile.” Eduardo held up his phone.

I posed, not my model pose, my natural pose. Aunt Mary could tell the difference.

“A selfie.” Eduardo turned and snapped a shot of himself with the two giraffe and me in the background.

“You’ll have to send me those.” I handed out the last of the lettuce. “They’ll be great.”

“I agree.” He nodded to the left and right. “This is the only room in the hotel you can do this from. And they don’t even need to advertise it, it’s always fully booked just from word of mouth.”

“So how did you manage to get it?”

He laughed. “I am very persuasive.”

“True statement.” Realizing the treats had all been consumed, the giraffe wandered off in their lazy, long gait.