Page 14 of The Grizzly Situation
Eddie frowned. “We tried to be,” he assured me.
Sandy Bishop, our housekeeper, often doubled as the babysitter if I had to be out of town. In fact, she’d been doing more of it in the last few years. She took care of them during the day, which allowed me to be certain everything was done so I could be there in the evening. Sandy adored the boys, and told me privately that even their antics were hilarious, though she had to pretend to be stern with them.
“I’m glad you’re home, Daddy,” Eddie said, as he wrapped his slender arms around my neck and kissed me on the cheek.
“No happier than I am to be here,” I replied, giving both kids a squeeze. I looked up at Sandy, who stood with a smile on her face. “Thank you for bringing them down. I was expecting Gregory to be here with the car, but this is much better.”
She beamed at me. “When they found out you were coming in, they were so excited, they couldn’t focus on the play. I let Gregory know you’d be driving tonight.”
“Well,” I said, “seeing as how I’m a bear, I suppose I should eat these two sweet things up.”
I gave a playful growl and leaned in close to nudge my head with theirs, delighting in their giggles. These were the moments I lived for. I knew the boys would grow up far too soon, but I planned to be involved in their lives as long as they’d have me.
“Do you have your costumes?” I asked, though I knew if they were here now, Sandy had to have packed them.
“They’re in the trunk,” Sandy told me. “Will you be okay with the boys by yourself?”
“Hot date?” I teased. At sixty-five, Sandy was happily married for forty-three of those years.
“In fact, yes. Tom is taking me to see a movie at that new drive-in and then we’re going for a nice dinner. He says he wants to talk to me about something.”
“Well, now. Do I need to have a heart-to-heart with Tom about proper date etiquette, and a reminder to have you home at a decent hour?”
Her cheeks pinked. “I’d really rather you didn’t. He would take you seriously.”
Tom was the ultimate people pleaser, especially when it came to making the leader of the sleuth happy. He’d bend over backward if I asked him, which would be impressive, considering he was a pretty hefty guy.
“I hope you have a great time.” I put the boys down. “Give Sandy a hug and say thank you to her.”
Both kids rushed to her and grabbed a leg. She would be a perfect grandma if she’d ever had kids of her own. Pleasingly plump, with an ample lap to sit on, a chest to cushion you as you lay against her, and a voice that made stories an event, not just listening to someone plod through it. Admittedly, I often found myself mesmerized when I listened to her as she put the boys to bed, regaling them with stories I hadn’t heard since I was their age.
When the boys let her go, I held out my arms, and she slid in, putting her head on my chest.
“I’m glad you’re home. I hope everything went okay.”
“It did,” I assured her. “The place won’t be closed, but we’re going to be doing their books, plus all the other divisions, from now on.”
She leaned back, her eyes wide. “Oh?”
So I gave her the quick rundown, letting her know about Uly and the question that got the whole tangled mess undone.
“He sounds like a good boy,” she said. “I hope he takes the job.”
“I don’t know if he will. He’s very skittish, and believes he’s too accident prone to be of use to anyone.”
“Surely you told him that wasn’t so.”
“Yeah, and don’t call me Shirley.” I gave her one last hug before letting her go. “It’s up to him if he wants to call. I can’t force him.”
She gave me the eye. “Really?”
I held up my hands. “Hey, he’s not part of the sleuth, so even my numerous charms have no effect on him.”
That made her snort. “Please. It’s nothing to do with being the leader of the sleuth, even though you could sell ice to the Inuit. It’s the fact that you care so deeply. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t follow you off a cliff, if you asked it.”
I arched an eyebrow at such a broad statement. “They’d say they would, and then watch as I walked over it, then sit back and laugh about how gullible I am.”
Before she could give what would no doubt be a smart aleck reply, the boys saved me by employing their most lethal weapon. Puppy dog eyes. They were extra devastating on bears. “Daddy, we’re hungry.”
