Free Fixer-Upper by Meg Harding Page A

particularly intriguing and animal actions they found endearing.
    It was in the butterfly garden that Dakota became chattier, pointing out the different flowers to Jake and explaining where they came from. He took photos on his phone of the landscaping. For future reference, he said. Jake wouldn’t be surprised if some part of his yard ended up vaguely resembling this garden.
    He loved seeing Dakota like this. His face was wrinkled with his smile lines, his hair was curling at the ends from the humidity, and strands were popping free from his topknot. His clothes weren’t dirt stained and were more formfitting. Jake didn’t think he’d ever seen him looking so clean and neat. He looked like he belonged on some calendar’s June or July section.
    Jake pointed to a blue and white flower with a bright red butterfly hovering over it. “Tell me about this one.”
    Dakota turned his attention from a fancy bench and the stonework behind it, squatting to get a closer look at the flower. He reeled off a list of facts, few of which Jake knew he would actually remember, but that wasn’t the point. Dakota’s voice was buoyant, filled with genuine interest and passion. Jake knelt next to him, able to see what Dakota was pointing at better from his new position. He hummed along, his smile never leaving his face as he listened to Dakota talk.
    Eventually they moved on from the gardens, resuming their hand holding as they wandered through the rainforest, the arctic, and on into Africa. Jake dragged them to the elephant enclosure, pressing up to the wooden railing and gazing out at the magnificent, giant creatures. Two of them slowly meandered their way over the grass, long trunks swinging in the air.
    Jake reclaimed his hand long enough to snap several pictures before tucking his phone away and sliding his fingers around Dakota’s once more. They were pressed together from shoulder to ankle, and they stood there for several minutes, neither of them speaking. As they watched, the elephant on the left butted into the one on the right, trunks intertwining for the briefest of seconds. Their giant ears flapped.
    “One day I’m going to get to pet one,” said Jake. “Just once, and it’s going to be the best thing ever.”
    “Oh, yeah?” laughed Dakota. He nudged him. “Maybe you should become a zookeeper.”
    Jake nudged him back. “Your suggestions for my future career path keep getting more and more ludicrous.” He thought he should probably mind, maybe feel like Dakota was pushing him to figure it out, but he knew Dakota wasn’t pushing. It had become more of a joke between them than anything else.
    The big cat enclosures were next, and they lingered there for some time, watching the tigers prowl around the border of their cage and the leopards play fight, grumbling yowls filling the air as they pounced and rolled. Jake went a bit camera happy, snapping an excessive amount of pictures, but who could blame him? The cats were gorgeous and in a playful mood. Everything they did was adorable.
    There wasn’t much to look at after that, so they headed for the exit. “Do you want me to get you a souvenir?” asked Dakota.
    “No,” laughed Jake, tucking himself in against Dakota’s side. Impulsively he kissed his cheek. “I’m good.”
    On the way home, they stopped for food at a tiny Italian place, splitting a pizza and a basket of garlic bread. Talk flowed freely between them, and their legs tangled beneath the table. Jake spilled sauce down his chin and blushed as Dakota swiped it away with his thumb.
    “I had a great time,” Jake said, not wanting to leave the car when Dakota finally pulled into his drive.
    “I did too.”
    Jake wondered if he should ask Dakota in, who was supposed to kiss who, should he get out of the car? He hadn’t done this in so long he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do.
    Thankfully Dakota didn’t have that problem.
    Dakota pulled him close by the front of his shirt, tilting his head as