She turned back and returned to feeding the elephant.

“If you're busy, you can leave. It's okay," she remarked.

“Of course, I'm not busy. I'm on vacation." After a moment's consideration, he added, "Let me take you out to have the special Lunch of this place Later. We go to the Elephant Valley this afternoon. I promise to drop you back at the guesthouse by sunset.”

That startled her.

When she used to go out with Calvert Sanchez, her ex-boyfriend, he was like this, making decisions for her all the time. She had hated it and never hesitated to show it.

Sheffield had just done the same thing. But to her surprise, she sort of felt good about it.

He waited for her response. When she neither nodded nor spoke, he assumed that she got upset about his suggestion.

“You don't Like it?

What's on your mind? We can make some other plan."

Evelyn quickly came back to the present.

"No, it's fine," she affirmed.

Knowing that she had been preoccupied, Sheffield didn't dwell on her brief daze. He switched baskets with her.

"Don't stand too close to it," he cautioned.

The twigs and leaves were Longer, and she could stand farther away from the elephant to feed it. But to feed it the berries, she had to stand close enough so that the elephant could suck the food from her hand.

"Huh?" Evelyn didn't know why he was so worried now. They had even taken a ride on it.

“I'm worried that he might kiss you," he explained earnestly.

“Aren't you worried that he might kiss you again?" she asked with a small smile.

Sheffield grinned.

"Rather me than you."

Evelyn nodded, "True."

From outside the pen, a group of women were watching the two.

Just then, Horace Ramirez walked over and asked the crowd, “Where the hell is Sheffield? He isn't answering my calls and is ignoring my messages. Is he missing? I'm calling the police.”

One of the women cast him a sidelong glance.

"Sheffield has ditched us and is feeding the elephants with that pretty woman. He doesn't have time for you." Her voice was filled with jealousy.

These women worked with Sheffield at the hospital. He kept a strict, professional relationship with them, and had never gone out with any of them after work. But now, he had ditched all of them to follow this woman from the guesthouse.