Loving the Bear (4 page)

Chapter Six

Christopher opened his eyes. The sun was already peeking through the gap where the drapes didn’t quite meet, casting a stream of light across his bed. Barney was awake and looking at him. Christopher had spent Saturday night alone, well that was if you didn’t count the Pomeranian. Christopher had never stayed in on a Saturday night and had never spent it alone,
ever.

Aiden
and Charlotte had invited him over to dinner at their new house, but he didn’t feel in the mood for seeing a couple madly in love and not being able to keep their hands off one another. He wanted some of the same things. At first, he hadn’t because he found it all too sweet and sickening, but then he’d run into Lilly. She’d had a strange effect on him. He’d only known her for a day, but she was already turning him into a person he never thought he’d be.
Hopeless romantic.

He sat up and ran his hands through his hair
. Since he and Eliza had gone their separate ways, on Saturdays he usually went to a local bar, had some drinks and maybe connected with another shifter woman, brought her back to his place and had non-stop sex. Last night that hadn’t appealed to him. In fact, it was the farthest thing from his mind.

Christopher reached across to the check he’d set on his bedside table. The one Lilly had given him for the battery. He hadn’t cashed it. He wasn’t sure if he
ever would. Stamped under her name were her address and telephone number.

Last nigh
t he’d sat staring at it for more than an hour. With his cell phone balanced on his knee, Christopher tried to work up the courage to call her. He’d never been without that sort of courage before, especially where the opposite sex was concerned. Meeting Lilly had certainly done something to him and for that reason alone he guessed that she was destined to be his mate.

For a bear shifter that meant he had to change things in his favor and take control
of the situation.

The $1.99
breakfast special.

He hadn’t realized he’d said that out loud until Barney’s ear’s perked up
and he looked directly at Christopher.

This was Sunday,
he needed breakfast, didn’t feel like making it himself, so he might as well go to the café where Lilly worked. He jumped out of bed with Barney now close on his heels.

“I promise as soon as I get back we’ll go for a nice long run,” Christopher told him. He turned on the shower. Mrs. Nelson’s son would be back tomorrow and he was going to miss the pooch. Another thing that he wouldn’t have believed about himself.

****

Her mother had always said when you were busy, time flew by
, and this morning, Lilly believed it. It was already going on nine and she hadn’t realized that she’d been waiting on tables for over an hour. It was a beautiful sunny day, even if it was a tad on the cold side, and people had turned out for breakfast in record numbers. The waiting list was now over twenty minutes, and she and the other four waitresses, hadn’t stopped since Rose had turned on the open sign on the door.

Lilly noticed one of her orders
being placed on the shelf by the hatch in the kitchen. She walked over to it, scooped up the three plates, and headed out into the café. She stopped suddenly almost dropping everything to the ground when she spotted Christopher sitting reading the newspaper and obviously waiting in line for a table.

“Miss, is that our order?”

She hadn’t realized she’d not moved from the spot until a man spoke to her from a nearby table.

“What
? Yes, I’m sorry, rushed off my feet,” she said heading his way and placing the plates down. “Anything else I can get you?”

“No, looks like we’re good here,” said the man.

She turned and saw she had two new customers at one of her tables. She walked over to them and pulled out her order pad.

“What can I get you?” she asked, not looking at them
, but Christopher. He looked so handsome today. Not that he hadn’t the other day. His dark, wavy hair just touching the top of his jacket. The broad shoulders. She remembered the way he’d so easily kicked in the door. Sort of like a superhero. She’d always had a thing for Superman. Christopher sort of reminded her of him. She hadn’t thought about that until today.

“Two specials and two coffees?”

“What…I’m so sorry. Right, I’ll get those straight away.”

Just as she headed back to the kit
chen she saw Christopher look up and straight at her. Her heart missed a beat. Was he here because she worked here or did he come just for the bargain breakfast she’d told him about? She was overthinking this and it was downright silly.

“You okay L
illy?” asked Rose. “You look a little red in the face.”

“I’m fine, just hot. We’re certainly busy this morning.”

“Just how I like things. By the way, you have an admirer.”

Lilly swallowed. “I do?”

“Yes. The very handsome young man sitting out there in the brown jacket.” Lilly swallowed again. It was Christopher who Rose was referring to.

“I told him
as he was on his own I could seat him straight away in Jackie’s section but he insisted on waiting until something opens in your area. Do you know him or is he a secret admirer?”

“I met him the other day.”

“Lucky you, he’s gorgeous. Only wish I was thirty years younger.” She winked and walked away.

She’d have to serve him. What was she going to say? Was she going to apologize for her irrational behavior?

I should have called in sick this morning.

****

Christopher’s stomach rumbled. He was hungrier than hell, but he wasn’t going to give up. He’d wait until a table was open in Lilly’s section. He watched her taking the order for a table of four guys. One was eyeing her up and looking at her ass.

Hands off buddy. I saw her first.
She’s destined to be my mate.

If
he was in his bear form and outside, he’d been rubbing himself up and down a tree, leaving his fur high up to show he was the dominant bear in this neighborhood. Lilly wouldn’t be anyone’s mate but his.

The second guy at the table was also eyeing her as she walked away.
Christopher glared at him, but he couldn’t blame the guy for looking at Lilly. She had her hair tied up in a ponytail today and looked so beautiful. When he’d first spotted her this morning, she’d literally taken his breath away. He watched as she leaned over a table and wiped it down before placing new flatware and napkins on top of it.

“Renner, party of one.”

Music to his ears. Christopher stood. The party of one thing sounded so sad and lonely but maybe things would be changing shortly. He smiled at the hostess and she walked him over to the table that Lilly had just cleaned.

“Your waitress will be right with you.”

He sat, took off his jacket, and hung it on the back of the chair. The place had thinned out a bit now. He’d waited twenty-five minutes for this table, but it had been worth every second.

Christopher smelled her before he saw her. It was the same perfume she’d been wearing the other day. He looked up when she stood by the
table. He swallowed. He’d been positive he knew what he was going to say, but now the words wouldn’t slip out of his mouth.

Is this what happened to a bear when he found his mate?
Aiden hadn’t mentioned acting like a complete fool when he’d found Charlotte. Damn, his brother should have warned him.

“How are you this morning?” Lilly asked him.

“I’m just great and I’m going to have the $1.99 breakfast special.”

Shit, was that all he could manage to say? Not you look beautiful.
What was happening to Christopher Renner, master of communicating with the opposite sex?

“How do you want the eggs cooked?”

“Scrambled.”

“White or whole wheat toast?”

“Whole wheat, and I’ll have tea and I’d like some honey for it and my toast.”

“I’ll put that order in for you straight away and I’ll be right back with your tea.”

He nodded. This wasn’t going how he’d planned. She turned. He almost grabbed her arm but then remembered how she’d reacted when he’d done that the other day.

Baby steps.

“Lilly,” he called to her.

She turned back
. “It’s great seeing you again,” he said

“You too, Christopher.”

She walked toward the back of the café and he sipped the glass of water she’d placed on the table. Her scent still clung in the air. It wasn’t until he dribbled some water on his leg that he realized his hands were shaking. Lilly’s presence turned him onto a bumbling bear.

He placed the glass back on the table, safely getting it there without any more spills. Lilly
returned with a silver pot of hot water, a blue mug, and two teabags, and a plastic bear filled with honey. He almost burst out laughing when he saw it.

If only she knew.

“The order shouldn’t be long,” she said.

“Looks like it’s been a busy morning,”
he said dumping the tea bag into the hot water.

“Yes, but lucki
ly it’s slowing down. Seems you’re my last customer, well at least for now. How’s Barney doing?”

“Great. Mrs. Nelson’s son called to say he’ll be by tomorrow evening
to collect him.”

“I’ll send some sausage links home with you, a little something from me to Barney.”

Christopher smiled. “And the van’s been running okay?”

“Perfect. I’ll go see if your order
’s ready.”

She left and Christopher squir
ted some honey into his tea and gave it a stir just as Lilly carried two plates over and placed them in front of him. He could smell the seasoning in the sausages and the smokiness of the bacon. His nose twitched.

“Anything else I can get you?” asked Lilly.

He had so many things on that list.

“Food wise, no, but I’d like to talk with you before I leave.”

She nodded and headed back to the kitchen.

The food was better than delicious. Maybe he’d come here every Sund
ay now that he knew Lilly worked here. He squeezed some honey on the toast and even that was heavenly. As he ate he watched Lilly clear and then wash down the empty tables around him. As she leaned over he couldn’t help but look at her legs as her uniform rose up her thighs. Curvy and lovely. He felt himself getting excited. He quickly threw the napkin over his lap just in case anyone saw the tell-tale bulge in his jeans.

Her ponytail swung from side to side as she wiped down another table. He could sit here all day and
just watch her go about her work. He took a sip of tea and then ate the last of the sausages.

She turned around and looked at him. Yeah, he wasn’t going to let her get away. He could tell by her eyes a
nd body language she liked him just as much as he liked her.

Chapter Seven

Lilly had kept herself busy all the time Christopher had eaten his breakfast. He’d
now finished and she’d already cleared away his plate.

“Anything else I can get you?”
she asked him.

“I think that’s all I can eat right now,” he said patting his belly.

“Yeah, it’s filling isn’t it?” She put the bill down beside the mug.

“When do you get off work?”
he asked.

“I
have a break coming up before my lunch shift starts, and then I finish at three.”

“You want
to take a walk on your break. In case you’re wondering what it’s about, I want to apologize for the other day.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“I think I do.”

She nodded. “I’ll meet you outside in five minutes.”

She turned and went to the back for her jacket and the promised sausages for Barney. On the way to his table, she noticed he’d already left and $10 dollar tip sat on the table. She shook her head, but she wouldn’t say anything to him about it. She’d overreacted once and she wasn’t going to do it again.

She walked outside and pulled her coat
collar up around her neck and face. Christopher was already out there.

“Let me start with my apology,” he said.

“Christopher you don’t have to. I’m the one who should be doing that. I was rude and I know you didn’t mean anything by your suggestion of paying for the battery. I guess I’m not the sort of woman who likes to be in debt to a man.”

“I can understand that. Maybe I’m a bit old school.”

“You look my age so I can’t see how you could be.”

“I’m a young head on old shoulders.”

She laughed. A very good looking head on some sexy, muscular shoulders. The Superman image came into her head again.

“How would you fee
l about us doing a barter deal?” he asked.

That had caught her off guard.
“Barter?” she asked.

“I won’t cash the check if you clean my condo. You probably saw I’m
a typical man and throw socks and things around the place.”

She hadn’t because she’d been too busy looking at the s
ketches. And if she was honest, he’d been the main focus of her attention.

“Sure, that I’d be more than willing to do.”

“In fact, I probably can find you some more customers.”

He really was a nice guy and it made what she’d done and said the other day, seem even more irrational. Borderline bitchy and she never wanted to be that. She had to make it up to him somehow.

“That would be great, but you really don’t have to.”

“No problem because
some of my shif…some of my buddies need their places cleaned, believe me. Oh, and if you need a reference about my character you can call Trent Burgress, he’s a cop I often hang out with. Also, my brother and sister-in-law, who I might add is a doctor,”

“I think I know a good person when I see one.”

Christopher looked down at the ground. “I’ve never been tongue-tied, so I’m going to need to do this right now before I lose my nerve. Would you go out on a date with me?”

She was honored, she’d love
to, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for dating, friendship, yes, but not a relationship. She had to rebuild her life first.

“Please don’t think it’s you
, because I think you’re a great guy, but I’m not really interested in dating right now. I’m sort of getting a few things sorted out in my life.”

She hoped she hadn’t offended him again.

He nodded. “Okay, so how about we just hang out together and then when you’re ready you let me know?”

It sounded fair enough and she was in need of friends in this new to her town.

“Sounds good to me.”

“You want to clean my place tomorrow and then we can talk about what we’re going to do for our first non-date?”

Lilly smiled. She was now non-dating someone. “Okay.”

“How about 10
:00 a.m. tomorrow?”

“Works for me.
Oh, and here are Barney’s sausages because I have to get back to work soon.” She handed the foil wrapped food to him.

“I’m sure he’s going to love these.”

“Oh, and give him a hug for me.”

****

The bit about her cleaning his condo had sprung into his mind at the last minute. It had worked and so had the bit about them non-dating. He’d break down the barrier she’d obviously built around herself and her heart. Something had happened to her. He wouldn’t pressure her into telling him. She’d do that in her own time.

He gave Barney the sausages and then felt like running. Not in human form but as a bear. He wondered if Barney would get scared if he took him along. Guess they’d be only one way to find out.

He put him into the car and headed out to his favorite spot on Flathead Lake. It was secluded and he and Aiden had found it many years ago when they wanted to get away from it all and let their bear halves emerge without anyone seeing them. Barney barked as he got him out of the car.

“Now Barney, you can’t tell anyone about what you’re about to see
happen. And don’t be scared little guy because this big bear wouldn’t hurt you okay.”

Christopher relaxed, feeling his
muscles gradually giving way to his inner bear. Barney barked as his transformation took place. Christopher went down on all fours. He began running, then stopped and looked behind him. Barney hadn’t moved. He looked at the tiny dog then flicked his head and the dog came bounding to him and Christopher took off running again, the Pomeranian barely keeping up, but at least he knew to run with him and he clearly wasn’t scared or intimidated by his appearance or size.

Christopher
loved this area. He’d loved running with his dad and Aiden. The three of them together as a family. Now his dad was dead. Aiden had Charlotte, so he and his brother didn’t get to spend asmuch time together. Christopher hadn’t thought of himself as lonely, but now that he’d meant Lilly he felt like one half of him was missing.

If he was going to pursue her, then one day he’d have to tell her the truth about him being a shifter. Barney barked and almost caught up to him and nipped at his paws.

Christopher ran faster, feeling the dog trailing behind, obviously enjoying being with a bear.

He ran faster thinking about Lilly and seeing her again tomorrow.

****

Christopher managed to clean Barney and brush his fur before Mrs. Nelson’s son arrived. Barney had concluded their run by going into the lake and then through some mud.
He’d just turned off the hair dryer where he’d managed to fluff up Barney’s fur, and make him look half respectable again, when the doorbell rang.

He’d been reluctant to look after Barney but now
that he was about to leave, Christopher knew he was going to miss having the little guy around. He opened the door to see Mrs. Nelson’s son standing there with a small carrier for Barney.

Christopher swallowed the lump in his throat. Maybe he’d let him visit Barney from time to time.

“Hi, come in,” said Christopher.

“Thank you. Hell
o Barney. I hope you’ve been a good dog.”

Barney barked.

“He’s been no trouble and we went for a long run earlier today so he’ll probably just sleep now.”

“Great and thanks so much. Now all I have to do is find him a permanent home.”

Had Christopher heard correctly?
“A home? But I thought he’d live with you?”

“No, I travel a lot for my business and it wouldn’t be fair to him to be left at the kennels all that time.”

“I’ll take him.”

Wow, that was me who said that
?

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I like having him around and I work from home so he won’t be on his own that much.”

“That’s wonderful. I know Mom would be happy to think he found a good home and just a few doors down from his old one.”

“Glad I can do that for him.”

“Well, you might as well have this carrier for him.”

Christopher took it and Barney barked. “It’s okay little guy, you’re staying her permanently.”

Barney jumped up
in the air and spun around. Christopher hoped it was a sign he liked the news.

“Well, I must be running along as I have Mom’s funeral to prepare for at the end of the week. I hope you’ll come along to the service.”

Christopher hadn’t given it any thought. He didn’t know Mrs. Nelson that well, just to say hello to if they meet in the hallway.

“Some of the other neighbors said they’d attend.”

“Sure, let me know the time and place, and I’ll be there.”

Not the sort of thing he liked to attend and especially on his own which made him think that maybe Lilly would accompany him.

****

Lilly carried the vacuum, mop, and bucket with her supplies, out of the elevator. It had been nice of Christopher to offer her the chance to clean his condo. Her bank account was low this week so he didn’t know how much she appreciated it.

The whole thing made her feel
guiltier about the crappy way she’d treated him when he’d offered to buy the battery. She never used to be that sort of person. Guess now she was bitter about being bitter, if there was such a thing.

She rang and doorbell and was surprised to hear Barney barking
inside.

Christopher opened the door
and she immediately felt tongue-tied. He was even more gorgeous today. His sweatshirt pulled tightly over his chest muscles and biceps, and his jeans stretched across nicely defined thighs. Non-dating him was going to be tough, but she knew she couldn’t rush into anything after the whole fiasco with Matt.

Barney pounded out
of the condo and jumped up as high as her waist.

“Hi Barney, what are you still doing here?”

“You want to come in, and here, let me help you with the vacuum,” said Christopher.

“That would be great.”

Lilly walked in behind Christopher. “Barney is now officially my dog,” he said.

“Really, how did that happen?”

Christopher set the vacuum down in the living room where she now saw new plaid dog bed with Barney’s name embroidered upon it, and three squeaky toys that weren’t there before.

“Mrs.
Nelson’s son travels a lot so he was going to have to find a new home for Barney. Whose knows where the little guy would have ended up so I decided to take him?”

“That’s so sweet of you.”

Any guy that liked animals this much had to be okay.

“Oh Barney, aren’t you lucky finding a new
home?”

Barney barked and then chased his tail
. “That’s his way of saying thank you for the sausages,” said Christopher.

“Anytime, Barney. Now where would you like me to start cleaning?”

“I think the kitchen needs the most attention. You’ll see that I’m really bad about cleaning up after I cook.”

At least he was honest.

“Let’s see what I can do.”

She followed Christopher
through to the kitchen. He wasn’t lying because it was a mess, but nothing she couldn’t handle.

“Let’s start with getting all these dishes into the dishwasher and turn it on.”

He stood nibbling on an apple, leaning up against the doorjamb watching her as she rinsed some dishes under the tap. She glanced his way every now and then, hoping he didn’t see her, hoping he’d go into the other room.

Christopher was one of the most attrac
tive men she’d ever met. She wished that he’d hang around, hold on long enough for her to be healed and back to the person she was before the horrible mess with Matt. But he wouldn’t wait forever. No man could be expected to do that. He might tolerate non-dating for a little bit but like any male, he’d eventually want proper dates, someone who wasn’t afraid to be held and kissed, and yes, have sex. Bottom line was he was a guy and they had needs.

“How are you sketches coming along?” she asked him, hoping her mind could focus on something else.

“They’re all done and I sent them off so I should hear within the next week.”

She turned off the tap and began loading the plates into the dishwasher.
“That will be so exciting. I mean if you get the job.”

“I know and it co
uld be the start of more work for the company.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you,” she said closing the dishwasher’s door.

“I’ll just wash down the countertop and mop the floor and then how about I dust and vacuum all the condo?”

“Sounds great to me. I’ll be in the living room working on some sketches if you need me.”

She nodded. Glad that he would be out of the way and she wouldn’t be drooling or thinking about what might have been had she had met him before Matt waltzed into her life.