Page 15 of Bear with Me
"Merry Christmas," she said with a wave.
"Merry Christmas!" The words rolled off my tongue without a single grief-filled thought. I tucked the bag and the tree box into the hatchback with the rest of our packages.
On the highway to the lodge, my thoughts drifted back to her cheerful farewell. My mind strayed to my parents, and I didn't crumble beneath the crushing weight of their loss. They were gone, yes, but I wasn't alone.
Not only that, but Ollie looked downright terrified when I mentioned I would make chocolate chip cookies with applesauce. I couldn't wait to bake him the best cookies he'd ever tasted.
It took two trips to get everything from the lodge back to our cabin. Then, we danced around each other in the kitchen, putting everything away. Unlike when my roommate and I had gotten groceries together back home, Ollie and I moved in tandem. He seemed to sense my every move, and I grew attuned to his, too. It filled me with warm fuzzies, as my mom used to call them.
Ollie started a fire in the fireplace, stubbornly using his paper towels instead of one of our many paper bags. Then, he disappeared into the bedroom. I had our cookies baked and the veggie lasagna ready for the oven when I heard a muffled, "Shit."
A moment later, he walked into the little hallway between the kitchen, back door, and bathroom and bedroom doors. "I forgot about our bed situation while we were out shopping."
"I didn't."
He frowned, but I didn't want to read too much into it. Did he want to spend another night together in the same bed? I kinda did, but not if it would annoy him.
"I found an air mattress at the general store, but it looked pretty shoddy. I doubt it would have held either of us for a night."
"I can walk to the lodge. They might have cots today."
I didn't like the way Branson had ogled Ollie when he checked in. "You could call him again."
"Better idea." He looked relieved, like he didn't want to see Branson in person. Unfortunately, the phone rang and rang with no answer.
"We'll go together." I turned off the oven and slipped the lasagna into the fridge.
Ollie disappeared back into the bedroom, returning with a thick flannel shirt with oversized buttons down the front and a sweatshirt hood. Inside, the lining was quilted. He held it open, a wordless invitation for me to borrow it.
"You don't even have a winter coat," he said when I tried to refuse his generosity.
"Don't you need it?"
"I have my coat." He pointed to the thick and glorious down-filled ski parka with a faux-fur-lined hood he'd worn on our shopping trip.
I sighed. I'd never been a fan of handouts, but his jacket would keep me warmer than my windbreaker alone. I slipped my arms into it and buttoned it up. Then, I bundled up in my mittens and hat, even for the short walk, and we were off.
I couldn't tell if the walks were heated, or if someone had shoveled recently. Either way, they were clear of snow.
The lodge was packed with twice the amount of people I'd expected for Christmas Eve. "Is something happening tonight?" I whispered in Ollie's ear. "Did we miss a party invite?"
"Okay, everyone," Branson shouted. The crowd quieted to a duller roar around us. "I'm really sorry for the inconvenience! We don't have any vacancies until the 5th. Unless you want to rebook for another time or leave early, please exit the lodge. I need to get home to my family, too! It's Christmas Eve." The last three words were more of a mutter to the couple standing in front of his desk.
"What's going on?" Ollie asked the man beside him.
"Every cabin is double booked." He frowned and folded his arms across his chest. "If my roommate wasn't the hottest man I'd ever seen, I would have found a hotel in town."
Ollie thanked him for the information. Then, he led me back to the hallway and turned to face me with his back to the room. "Do you mind sharing the bed with me one more night?"
"Not at all!" My over-enthusiasm wasn't as noticeable in the din of so many people talking at once.
The corners of Ollie's eyes crinkled when he smiled. "Good." He grabbed my mitten-covered hand and pulled me toward the door.
The crowd had gotten even louder as we walked away. I thought I was safe to whisper, "It's never an inconvenience to share a bed with a sexy bear."
Ollie turned around so fast, I walked right into him. "You mean that?"
"Yes?"
