Page 2 of Bear Creek Christmas
“No problem. I know you had to rearrange your schedule to fit us in, so give me a call if you don’t have it by the end of the week. It’s a relief to put all the construction behind us and focus on the upcoming term.”
Knox quirked an eyebrow.
“Any new staff this year? I’ve been out of the loop the last couple of months.”
Langtree grinned at the big man, knowing full well there were few secrets in a small town.
“Three, actually. We hired a head Librarian, added another custodian, and welcomed a new vocal music teacher to replace Mrs. Kramer.”
Knox’s irritated growl echoed in the empty corridor.
“It’s about time Kramer retired! Whoever you brought in is going to have their work cut out for them. That woman should have left a decade ago.”
Langtree winced. Like all bear shifters, Knox wasn’t shy about honestly speaking his mind, no matter who might be listening. In this case, he wholeheartedly agreed with him.
“Yes, well, we were fortunate to enlist a very talented fellow from out of state. He’s been busy setting up his classroom in the new addition and has some wonderful ideas. I can’t wait for the holiday concert this year.”
The town always went loopy at Christmastime, though Knox ignored most of it. He took part when asked, usually in bear form, but didn’t bother decorating his home or giving gifts. The season only served to remind him that he had no one to share it with anyway.
Knox gathered up the last of his tools and headed out to the truck. He lurched to a halt in the middle of the parking lot, nose twitching madly with a whiff of the most intriguing scent. Definitely a stranger, male, human, and irresistible. It seemed to be coming from the new Arts addition at the far end, and he drove slowly past with his windows rolled down.
The enticing odor increased until Knox reached a bright red Jeep with an Ohio license plate. The vehicle was drenched in that marvelous aroma, and he resolved right then to meet the owner up close and personal. He and his bear would see to it.
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Levi looked up at asoft knock on the open office door to find a grinning Eden Shaw holding an enormous bag of take-out. His stomach obediently rumbled, and they both started laughing.
“I forgot again, didn’t I?”
Eden nodded vigorously.
“You did. I’ll let it pass this time, but if it happens again, you’re going to end up sitting in Principal Langtree’s office during recess!”
Levi abandoned the enormous stack of sheet music on his desk and joined Eden for a walk to the school cafeteria. He’d met the friendly art teacher on his first day in the building, also preparing her rooms for the beginning of the Fall term. The pretty brunette quickly brought him up to speed on who’s who and how things were run at Tri-County High. She proved to be friendly, funny, and helpful—distracting Levi from his “new school” jitters and quickly became his first friend in town.
All the lunch tables were empty, but they heard noises coming from the kitchen as the cooks put away a mountain of supplies in preparation for the first day. Eden picked a spot near the doors, and they divvied up the lunch special from China Garden. Levi noticed a lime-green bag next to her purse, emblazoned with the scripted word “DELICIOUS” and pointed at it.
“Looks interesting. What’s in there?”
Eden wasn’t ready to reveal her secret quite yet.
“That’s dessert, kiddo. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.”
Eden insisted on using the silly moniker, even though Levi could hardly be considered a kid at twenty-seven. Supposedly, a married mother of three in her forties enjoyed the right to coddle him, but he preferred to think of her as a much older, wiser sister instead.
“Fine, but you brought way more than I can eat in one sitting. Speaking of which, I need to find a local gym where I can work out. Any suggestions?”
Eden rattled off a couple possibilities, one in town and the other closer to Wilkes Barre. They chatted easily about family and other topics during the meal, and after they finished, Eden slid the fancy dessert bag in front of him.
“Prepare to be addicted!Deliciousis one of our downtown shops, specializing in candy and other morsels. Mostly for humans, but some for our shifter friends. My husband, Calvin, would finish off the entire display case in one sitting if he could. The shop is run by Aiden Romero, and the man is a genius.”
Levi slid the heavy chocolate-covered candies onto a clean napkin—each one unique.
“These look good! What are they?”
“Aiden calls them nut-bombs. They’re sort of like turtles, only bigger and with more variety.”
Eden borrowed a butter knife from the kitchen, dividing each of the four into two pieces. Levi could almost feel the sugar and fat plaster itself to his butt as he nibbled and whimpered his way through all the varieties. He pointed an accusing finger at his friend.
