Love & Geckos (multiple-author collaboration)

Chapter 15: Zoe

This is fine.

Zoe flashed an apologetic smile at the couple sitting across from one another inside the party tent as she scooped up a green gecko from their shared table. They had been doing so well, laughing and connecting during their short five-minute speed date. Until the small lizard had suddenly appeared between them.

This is fine.

If she repeated the mantra enough times, maybe it would come true. Everything had started so well. Together with Billie, she had managed to turn the garish pink party tent into something at least somewhat cosy. Every client had shown up on time and they didn't have a single no-show. The dating had gone off as planned. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and moved to the next person without grumbling. There had been no sign of Mr Grumpy Restaurant Owner.

That one little tidbit made her smile. Mall management obviously had not granted his request to revoke her permits. Ha! Or maybe he had changed his tune when he realised he was getting business, as her clients were all nervous enough to keep buying fresh drinks.

Drinks... She'd kill for one right now. But no drinking on the job. Her frazzled nerves really could have done with a nice strawberry daiquiri right about now. They had been doing so well...

Then all hell broke loose.

Or perhaps the gate of a zoo? She wasn't quite sure, but by now she had been forced to evict two bunnies from the party tent, wrangle a snake from the drinks cart, and scoop up at least four geckos that seemed intent on joining the speed-daters in their quest for love.

Not knowing what to do with the random influx of animals, she'd begun collecting them in their empty boxes. The snake was currently snoozing in an empty wine cooler—kindly provided by a waitress at the restaurant. The bunnies were hopping around in an empty cardboard box—supplied by the same lovely waitress, she'd been a godsend—and the geckos were being collected in a large salad bowl, covered with a colander.

"Zoe!" Billie's stage whisper made her whip around. Her purple-haired assistant stood at the tent flaps with a small animal cradled between her hands. Was that a... hamster?

Hurrying over to her, Zoe put the gecko in her dress pocket, praying he would stay there until she had time to put him—her?—in the salad bowl with its friends.

"I'm running out of places to put these little guys," she muttered. "We need to find out where they're coming from and who we can return them to, but we can't leave until the event has finished. Just another half hour now. We can do this!"

Frantically looking around, she couldn't see anything suitable to put the little furry animal in. "Shit!"

Finding her handbag, she poured the contents out on the drink cart before holding it open to Billie, who dropped the hamster inside. "Don't pee or poo in there," she begged, before handing the bag to Billie.

The assistant stared at the leather handbag. "What do you want me to do with this?"

"I don't know. Just... Just put it aside for now and we will deal with everything as soon as everyone has left." As she turned to leave, a thought struck her. "Don't put it anywhere near the snake."

"Got it." Billie moved away, leaving Zoe to survey the speed-daters.

This is fine.

She forced herself to take a deep breath. They were nearly at the finish line. While somewhat bewildered by the appearance of animals during their short dates, most of their clients seemed amused rather than angry about the situation. And, if nothing else, at least it gave them something to talk about. Hopefully, their reviews afterwards—what her managers truly cared about, other than how many matches they found—would still be favourable. If not, then Zoe could kiss her promotion goodbye.