Page 17 of Bear In Mind

The problem then was getting back home.I didn’t have a phone to call anyone.

As if he read my mind, he said, “I have a few errands to run for a job site.How about I drop you off, let youdecompressand pick you up in an hour or so?”A smirk curled the edge of his lips, lighting his eyes as he teased my word choice.This was progress.

I gave him a small smile, relief washing through me.Maybe having a bodyguard wasn’t so bad after all.“That’d be great.Thanks.”

He motioned towards his black pick-up truck.It wasn’t quite as large as Bear’s, but everything seemed big when you were used to a beat up, two door Saturn.How I’d survived with such a small vehicle in the mountains, where four-wheel drive was a must, I would never know.I was just grateful my hunk of junk had lasted.

Hopefully, if I passed all of my classes and graduated, I could get a better job, which would make a new vehicle fit in my budget.Financially, I wasn’t sure how I would survive until then.I had one more check coming to me fromMugs,if Stuart didn’t pull any dodgy crap, but, because the pay was only a dollar more than minimum wage, I didn’t make enough to pay my bills and save money.The money was better atJane’s Diner, but they were never hiring.Jane’s staff knew what a good deal they were getting: minimum wage – and not server’s minimum wage – plus tips.Because of her contract withMugs, Jane couldn’t hire me to do the coffee in house, and if she broke the contract to do so, she could lose quite a bit of money.Her baked goods sold well inMugs.

The only thing I could do was attempt to collect unemployment while applying for every available job in town, even the ones I didn’t qualify for.Either I’d get lucky or I would be forced to move, though I didn’t know how I would, monetarily speaking.

Suddenly, I felt trapped.The weight of my situation hit me.I stood outside Jake’s truck, gawking at the vehicle’s glossy finish.Tears wet my eyes.I would go toJane’sbut I wouldn’t spend any money.I would see if she was hiring, by chance, and then check in with the businesses around hers.I would just have to make sure I was back at the diner in an hour for Jake to pick me up.This was better than sitting in a booth and drowning my sorrows in unnecessary calories.If I got a job, I would feel comfortable applying for a credit card and putting the repairs on that.Then, with my first check, I’d buy a phone.

A phone!Crap.How were potential employers supposed to get a hold of me?Email?Quite a few businesses in town were old fashioned.

With a sigh, I let it go.I couldn’t make a phone appear.All I could do was try and pray for a miracle.Maybe I could get a ride from Tiff or Jake to follow up on my applications in person in a couple days.

Taking a deep breath, I realized a lot of my anguish had fallen away.All it took was conquering my emotions with a devised plan of attack.

Chapter Thirteen

Bear

Stepping into the diner, I immediately sought her out.It was instinctual, something I did anytime I knew she was near.I especially wanted to see her now.I needed to make sure she was alright before I killed a man and his business.I’d been specific, and he hadn’t followed through.Instead, he hurt her.

I barely squashed a snarl.My bear was pumped and ready, prepared to make the asshole pay for what he’d done to her.When we were through with Stuart, he’d wish he’d never crossed me.

“Bear.”He rushed around the counter to greet me, thrusting a hand out towards me.

Studying the rail thin man before me, all I could think about was what Tiffany had relayed.My bear growled, shoving at my surface.“Hi.”I took his hand, delivering a strong shake.I bit back a grin as the man winced, shaking his hand a bit as he pulled away.“We need to talk.”

He frowned.“Of course.Is something wrong?Was your order made incorrectly?Just tell me who messed up and I’ll take care of them.”He was in service recovery mode.

“It’s nothing like that.”I stepped away from the general gathering space, seeking a bit of privacy and waited for him to follow.“I’ve been coming here for years now and I’ve never seen Bryn take a day off or call out.I’d like for you to give her a week off.”

His shoulders tensed.His beady eyes slit.His lips tightened.Oh, he was irritated alright.“I’m afraid I’m not able to accommodate your request.The schedule is made a month in advance.All requests for time off must be written and submitted a month in advance.Bryn is aware of procedure.”

The way he said my mate’s name told me everything Tiffany had said was true.There was something he didn’t like about my mate, and it pissed me the fuck off.“Let me put it this way, Stuart.This isn’t a request.If you refuse to give her this week off, I will stop doing business with you, and I will make it mandatory that all of my employees boycott your shop as well.”

He scrutinized me.He was trying to decide how to respond.Based on the tick in his jaw, he wanted to tell me off, but he was a businessman.He knew what that would spell for him.“When you’re down a man on a job site, does it not affect progress?”Hesighed.“You’re asking a lot.Frankly, I’m disappointed that Bryn would manipulate you into doing this for her, and I’m dismayed that you followed through and put me in this position.”He ground his teeth, forcing a small smile.“I can’t make any promises, but I will see what I can do.”

It was my turn to pierce him with my gaze.Standing at my full height and crossing my arms over my chest, I allowed my bear to peek through at him.How had I never sensed his disdain for my mate?Better yet, why the hell did he have a problem with her?She hadn’t done anything to deserve it.“That’s not good enough for me.Tell her she has the week off because if I see her in here any sooner than seven days from now, I will follow through on my threat.”I embraced my bear’s power, letting it radiate off of me.I wanted him to piss his pants.“Thank you in advance for accommodating my request, Stuart.”Turning away from him, I casually strolled out.I would replace her wages from the week, and maybe the man would realize how big of an asset she was to him and his business.

Fisting my hand around the handle of the bag with her phone in it, I scanned the room again, but I didn’t see her.Jake said he dropped her off forty-five minutes ago and had promised he would pick her up in an hour.I was hoping to talk to her and would offer her a ride.If she refused me, then Jake would honor his word.

Jane walked out of the kitchen with a tray full of food.Spotting me, she threw me a smile.“Back for more, Bear?”She kept moving towards her table.

Stepping up to the counter, I waited for her to finish her delivery.My bear was ticking me off.His anxiety upped my own.He was making me the erratic mess I was.

It wasn’t like Bryn to run off, and Jake didn’t lie.We’d been best friends since middle school.A bully had picked a fight with the wrong bear.I lacked self-control back then.If Jake hadn’t stepped in, the secret would have been out, and I would have been expelled.He’d saved my ass.I owed him, especially now.He was guarding my mate like she was his own.There was no one I trusted more than him.

Fuck.I rolled my shoulders.The stress was getting to me.I’d dealt with natural disasters, vandalized work sites, the death of my parents and kid brother with ease compared to the potential loss of my mate.I was desperate to see her, to inhale her scent and ensure she was safe and not the wreck that I was presently.

For the first time in my life, I felt unstable.I felt like a junkie crashing hard, going fucking insane as he sought his next hit.

Jane sauntered over to me.“What can I get for ya, handsome?”She set the circular carrying tray on the counter and focused on me.She was a forty-something woman who carried more weight than she ought to with all the running around she did.She was like my mate in that sense.

“I’m looking for Bryn.Jake said he dropped her off here.”I unclenched my hands.I didn’t want to send the wrong message.

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