5 Big Bunny Bump Off Read Online Free Page B

, the Casanova of Ashton Falls, has been living the single life?”
    “Well , I haven’t been a monk. I’ve dated, just not the same person more than once or twice.”
    “I see. Maybe being single for a while will be good for you. Have you heard from Barbie?”
    “No. After we broke up and she moved away, she seems to have cut all ties with Ashton Falls. I even asked a few of her girlfriends if they’d heard from her, and they said they hadn’t.”
    “I guess that’s good.”
    “Maybe, but she left on such a strange note, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
    The rehearsal was over and the actors were beginning to disperse. I waved to Ellie , who acknowledged my gesture with one of her own, putting up a finger to let me know she’d be just a moment.
    “What do you mean?” I asked Levi.
    “I don’t know exactly. It’s probably just my imagination, but I have this feeling I haven’t seen the last of her, and that when she does show up again, it’s going to be like the sequel to a really bad horror flick: twice as bad as the first.”
    “I wouldn’t worry about it. I doubt she’ll be back , and if she is, I’m sure she will have moved on.”
    “Yeah, I guess. I’ve been thinking about asking out Carly Wilder again. We had a great time togethe r at our birthday party, but at the end of the evening, when I mentioned getting together again, she seemed sort of evasive. I don’t suppose you know her story?”
    Levi had first hooked up with Carly Wilder at the Sweetheart Dance on Valentine’s Day, when they’d both shown up alone. They hadn’t seen each other again until the joint birthday party Zak had thrown for Levi and me a few weeks ago. My birthday is on March 10 and Levi’s is on March 8, so we often celebrate together. Ellie had invited Carly, who’d seemed thrilled at the chance to renew her friendship with Levi, although the two hadn’t hooked up since. Although Carly is two years younger than Levi and me, she’s mature and settled, whereas Levi tends to focus on having fun and mixing things up. In my opinion, the two aren’t really suited, and I think Carly realizes that.
    “I don’t know Carly really well,” I answered. “I do know that she recently graduated with a nursing degree and is looking for a job. I imagine she’ll leave the area once she finds what she’s looking for.”
    “ I’m just looking for a date, not a wife,” Levi reminded me.
    “Maybe you should ask Ellie about her. They took the same dance classes for years, so Ellie knows her better than I do. And I suppose if all you’re looking for is a date, it couldn’t hurt to ask. All she can do is say no.”
     

Chapter 3
Monday, April 7
    It had been a long and labor-intensive weekend, but Mom and Dad were moved into their new home and Zak and I finally had some privacy. Not that I hadn’t relished the fact that having Mom living with Zak had given me the opportunity to really get to know her, but it had also thrown off the equilibrium we’d just begun to establish before she arrived. I love Zak, and I assume that someday we’ll discuss the idea of a permanent living arrangement, but for now the ability for each of us to have our own space and share as we choose seems to be the best option.
    “Are we expecting a delivery?” I asked my assistant , Jeremy Fisher, after I arrived at Zoe’s Zoo, the wild and domestic animal control, rescue, and rehabilitation center we run.
    “Bunnies,” Jeremy answered as he clean ed one of the larger pens we normally used for wildlife. “Lots of them.”
    “Lots as in how many?” I was afraid to ask.
    “The woman I talked to made it sound like there were hundreds. The county is shutting down a breeder in the valley for refusing to adhere to regulations regarding cleanliness and odor control. The Bryton Lake animal control facility is booked to the gills as usual, so they’ve asked us to dispose of the livestock.”
    “Hundreds?” I paled. “How are we going to