Page 35 of Bear's Heart

“No, it’s not,” she agreed.“It’s probably lonely doing it online.”

“And boring.”He leaned forward a little, his mouth opening and closing, his facial muscles straining with the effort to speak.“I need to get out.Parents making me crazy.”

Josie laughed and kissed him on his forehead.“I totally understand.”

They headed to the dining room for dinner, and it was a pleasant meal, with everyone in a reasonably good mood.Her dad seemed healthier—and happier—than Josie had seen him in a while, and her mother shared that her dad had been getting some physical therapy himself and was discovering that he was stronger than he thought and had even begun to think about some woodworking activities he could do again.

“Rye said he could build your dad a new work bench,” Mom added, “but Dad says he wants to do it himself.He just needs Rye to pick up the lumber and maybe lend a hand here and there.”

Josie’s eyes widened.“Dad, this is fantastic.Remember the jewelry boxes you made for Hannah and me?I still love mine.Maybe you could make one for Ansley for her birthday.”

Her dad nodded.“That’s a good suggestion.It’d be a good first project for me.”

“Don’t start with something too difficult,” Mom cautioned.“You don’t want to get frustrated and give up.”

Dad’s smile faded.“I won’t give up.”

Mom seemed about to protest but Josie jumped in first.“I have some news,” she said brightly.

Everyone looked at her, and Josie drew a breath and gathered her courage.“I’m moving to Marietta.I’ll start moving things in tomorrow, and Rye has promised to help me get everything else on Saturday.”

“You’re going to live with Rye?”Mom said, head tilting.

“No, Rye’s just helping me move.I’m going to be renting a room from Bear Anderson.Since I’m working on his two projects in Marietta, it seemed most practical to stay in Marietta, and he had space, so it’s all arranged.”

Her mother reached for her wine glass and took a sip.“You have a place, Josie.You have a nice place of your own.Why move in with him?”

“I’ve lost my lease.I’ll soon be forced to move out, and Bear is giving me a great deal.I won’t have to pay rent, so I’ll be saving money.”

“I’d feel more comfortable if you’d live with Rye and Ansley.Have you discussed this with them?”

“Yes, and they offered to let me stay, but I don’t want to move in with them.I’m excited to have some independence.I also think it’d be fun to have a roommate.Except for my sister, I’ve never had that before.”

“Say housemate,” her dad interjected gruffly.“Because you won’t be sharing a room, I presume.”

“That’s true.I’ll have my own room and my own bathroom.Well, my bathroom is the one guests would use when they come visit but I don’t know who would come visit at this point other than Rye and Ansley.”

Her mother’s brows pulled.“But, Josie, you barely know the man.”

“I’ve been working with him for the past month, and so has Rye.Rye likes him, and thinks Bear is a trustworthy person.Call Rye.Talk to him.Ask him.You know Rye’s always been a good judge of character.”

“I’d just be more comfortable if you were living with Rye.He and Ansley must be past the honeymoon stage now.I’m sure they’d welcome you with open arms.”

Do not roll your eyes.Do not.No matter what you do…

“Mom, this is about me wanting to do something new, and I think it’d be a fun adventure living in Marietta for the summer—”

“Just the summer?”

“Probably the fall and winter, too, if all goes well.I’m looking forward to walking downtown.They have farmer’s markets every week until the end of September, and apparently Marietta at Christmas is just magical.The whole town decorates, and they have so many festive activities.We never did any of that in Eureka.I’ve been working hard, too.I’ll be graduating soon and I’m going to be working even harder once I’m out of school.Best of all, I’m going to pitch in at Ansley’s gallery, and if I sell her works, I’ll earn commission.”

Josie’s parents exchanged glances.

“But you wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for him,” her mother persisted.“You would still be in Bozeman focusing on you and your dreams, instead of thinking about his.”

“I am focusing on my dreams.I can’t graduate without my design projects, and my advisor was tough to please, but she approved the Farrell Building project and Bear’s house, and if it weren’t for his invitation to join his team, I wouldn’t be graduating in December.”

Her mother just kept shaking her head.“I think this is about Bear.I think you’re taken with him and caught up in his tragic story.”

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