Page 5 of Bear with Me
I pointed to the old-school phone on the desk beside the door. "Let's call Branson and ask."
"You do it," he said. "Please. After the day I've had, I would only fuck it up."
"Sure." Talking on the phone was my least favorite thing in the world, but my bear would do anything to make this man happy.
The phone had a red quick-dial button for the main desk. I pushed it and listened to it ring. Three times. Five times. Seven times.
"No one's answering," I said. "Do you want to walk over there?"
"Hello! Branson here, room 123!" He sounded out of breath.
"Hi. It's Ollie Beaman again. I'm here with …" I still didn't know the guy's name.
"Blake Stokes."
I repeated his name into the phone, and my bear rumbled with appreciation. "We both have keys to cabin 123."
"You do?" His voice broke. "I mean … let me check on that for you."
He placed me on hold. Tinny instrumental music filled my ear.
He was back a moment later. "Yes, you've both booked the cabin. Single bedroom with a full bath, king-size bed, and galley kitchen. I can comp you both another day's stay, free of charge?"
I wanted to ask him what good that would do. Instead, I repeated the question to Blake, who squinted at me and shook his head.
"No? Well, we could change your vacation dates to any time on the calendar you'd prefer."
"I prefer these dates," I said without relaying the message to Blake.
He must have heard it, or gotten the gist from my answer, because he said, "Same."
Branson cleared his throat. "I won't be able to book you another cabin until January fifth. I'm so sorry."
"Is this couch a pullout?" I asked. It looked more like a loveseat. It wasn't long enough for either of us to be comfortable.
"Let me check!" Branson sounded cheery for a moment, but when he returned from placing me on hold again, his tone was even more dejected. "I'm sorry, it's not. It's just a two-seater sofa."
Blake snorted. "No shit."
"Do you have cots available?" If the loveseat and cot were around the same height, I could use both to make a single, albeit uncomfortable, bed.
"We do," Branson said, "but someone checked out the last one for the night. I'll call and let you know when someone checks a cot back in!"
That wouldn't be necessary. I could sleep in the woods in my bear form, except he was furious with the idea. He wanted to stay in the cabin with Blake, even if that meant one of us scrunched onto the uncomfortable loveseat all night.
"It's fine," Blake mumbled as he sank onto the offending piece of furniture. "I'll take it tonight. Maybe we can switch tomorrow, or something?"
"Did you need anything else?" Branson's false cheer grated on my last nerve. I hung up the phone without saying goodbye.
CHAPTER 4
BLAKE
"I'm sorry,"Ollie said. "I shouldn't have hung up on him like that." He frowned at his phone.
I sank further into the loveseat's cushions. If he thought hanging up on someone was bad, I hated to think what the big man thought of my behavior over the past few hours. I'd been a complete asshole on the plane, and then I'd blown up at him for stealing my cab. Instead of meeting me at my level, he'd remained calm and kind.
Kindness was rarely the response I received when I lost my temper or freaked out. Vic had done his best, but even he was fed up. He'd decided to move out, after all.
