Page 11 of Bear

Chapter Eight

Winnie added anotherbook to her basket then walked over to join Sarah. Sarah was standing in front of the bookshelves with a list.

“What’s the list?”

Sarah turned and smiled. “It’s Jesse’s list. Beth said she was good because she would be doing surveillance this week and would grab books. Remington said she had a stack and would just borrow from me. Jesse, however, had some specific books she wanted.”

Winnie glanced over the list then smiled at Sarah. “Hmm, little sis has gone down the dominant male rabbit hole it looks like.”

“Yep. I’ve found two of them but not seeing this one she wants.”

“If they don’t have it, she could always order it and read the others first.”

Sarah shook her head. “Nope, they’re missing the first in series. These are later books.”

“Maybe we can ask the clerk before we leave. I’m going to grab a coffee so we can sit and chat. Your usual?”

Sarah nodded and turned back to the shelves. Her sisters were all avid readers and since they rarely got to browse bookshelves, Winnie didn’t mind Sarah’s divided attention.

Getting their drinks, she sat down at the table and texted Sarah to join her. She’d grabbed them both a pastry. Book shopping deserved a little sweet. Winnie sipped her coffee and cut off a bite of the flaky pastry. White drizzles of frosting covered the turnover. She’d grabbed her favorite—an apple one—and had a cherry one waiting on Sarah.

Sarah sat down, dropping her basket with a clatter. Sipping her coffee, she hummed at the taste.

“Hey, we’re in a bookstore. Let’s keep the sex sounds to a minimum.”

Sarah’s eyes popped open. “Seriously? I’ll have you know I sound way better than that when I have sex. At least, I think so. It’s been such a dry spell I might be remembering wrong. I guess I’ll just have to live vicariously through you.”

Winnie grunted. “Yeah, if I was having any right now.”

Sarah ate a bite of her pastry then swallowed. “Bear not falling in line?”

“No. Regina said I need to break through his layers but he’s still avoiding me. How the heck do I show him I’m here no matter what?”

Sarah ate another bite, staring off over Winnie’s shoulder. She loved her sisters but she was closer to Sarah and Remi. Sarah had that whole earth mother vibe going on. She was usually in sandals and skirts, sometimes heels if she wanted to feel pretty. She was their computer guru but also the woman that loved to cook and sew. Winnie was hoping her sister could help her come up with a plan for Bear.

“Okay, listening to what you’ve shared about what Bear said and watching him over the years, I think the biggest problem you have to overcome is Bear’s lack of hope.”

“Lack of hope?” She wasn’t sure what Sarah meant.

“Bear has been let down his whole life. From the small amount I’ve gathered, his mom wasn’t anything more than a vessel who gave birth to him. Rascal took him from her after neighbors called him when they heard crying from her house. She’d left him alone to go party. She’d left him with no food. I can’t remember if he was three or four. They heard crying from the house. How hungry and scared would a four-year-old have to be to cry incessantly? It breaks my heart thinking about it.

“I think the only person Bear has to rely on is himself and probably the MC guys, or at least that’s what the little kid inside him thinks. We all carry trauma from our childhood and adult life. Think how Mom’s death affected each of us and we were adults. I think you have to be the aggressor and show him you’re not leaving because he pushed you away. In the books we read, the guy showers the girl with gifts that mean something to them. Maybe you need to send or deliver some special things for him. He needs to know even though you’re not with each other, he’s on your mind. I can guarantee he’s thinking about you.”

Winnie thought through what she knew about Bear and what might make an impression on him while she and Sarah finished their coffee. Winnie wasn’t running but she hadn’t shown Bear she was still thinking about him. The more she considered how to heat things up and break through his armor, the more she liked Sarah’s idea.

“Okay, I want to stop by the Harley Davidson store and one of the cake decorating stores for some cookie cutters. I might need your help frosting some cookies because you know mine look like a three-year-old frosted them.”

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