Page 35 of The Grizzly Situation
“My team and I did. Mr. Flynn will be arriving this evening.”
And I would be in the way of this reunion. I didn’t like that. “Can I go back home?”
“If this is about Chaim?—”
“It isn’t. Not exactly. I know how much Brent—Mr. Lockhart—has been looking forward to seeing him again. I don’t want to come between them.”
“Rest assured, Chaim is aware you’ll be a guest this weekend. He and his husband will take their children out fishing to allow you and Mr. Lockhart time to have your conversations. It’s perfectly fine. Plus, Mr. Lockhart told me he’d really like you to meet his best friend.”
I didn’t understand why. I was no one special. “Really, I’d rather go home.”
A deep sigh and Cullin took out his phone again. The press of a button later and he was handing it to me.
“Hello?”
“No, you are coming here and that’s final. Take your seat and strap in. Have a drink, eat something, and you’ll be here before you know it.”
“But you have Chaim coming.”
“Uly, Chaim is the one who insisted on me seeing you. Which I can’t do if you don’t sit your ass down and get here. If I have to, I’ll have Cullin tie you to your seat, then drag you to my office. Now, wouldn’t it be better if you simply did as you were told?”
I wanted to laugh, because this was so weird. “Fine, but I’m staying at an inn.”
“Actually, you’re not. I have a huge favor to ask of you so I have time to deal with Chaim.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, but we can discuss that after you’ve arrived. Now, eat that fish with the tartar sauce you love. It’s caught from our lake, so you’ll know how fresh it is.” He paused a moment. “And Uly? Thank you for coming. I really look forward to seeing you.”
“Me too.”
He disconnected and I handed the phone back to Cullin. “He said he’d have you tie me down if I didn’t sit.”
He reached into the overhead compartment and took out some thin ropes. “I was ready for it.”
We laughed and I took a seat. The lady who’d been at the door came over, eyeing me warily and I hated that I’d made her nervous.
“I’m really very sorry,” I told her. “This is just so far outside of my depth, and I got freaked out and got snappy with you. I promise I won’t do it again.”
She smiled. “I understand. We all had that experience when we started working for Ursine in general and Mr. Lockhart in particular. Now, can I get you something to eat or drink?”
I nodded. “Do you have orange soda?”
“Six different types, including Jarrito’s Mandarin Orange.”
I’d never even heard of that one. “What is it?”
She smirked. “Only the best tasting orange soda I’ve had. I strongly encourage you to give it a try. Not too fizzy, not too sweet. It’s like the perfect blending of flavors.”
And based on her recommendation, I said I’d give it a go. She poured a bit in what seemed to be a crystal glass, then handed it to me. I was an instant fan and made a note in my phone to look for it in the store.
When the cart was rolled out with my dinner, I marveled at the smell, the look, and the flaky texture of the fish. I reached for the tartar sauce, but then decided I wanted to taste it without anything masking the flavor. Was I ever glad I did. Even without anything more than salt and a bit of pepper, it was sweet and rich. It was the first fish I’d ever had that I couldn’t see having tartar sauce on. Maybe a bit of lemon, but nothing else. It was perfect.
After the cart was cleared away, I snuggled into my seat. So warm and comfortable.
That was the last thing I remembered until they woke me and said we were landing.
I was expecting to be arriving at Portland International, but instead we were touching down on a much smaller airstrip.
