Page 13 of His Determined Bear

She nodded, “Yup. I can’t wait to get set up in there. There’s even a firm in town that might be looking for someone part-time. I may have to take the CPA exam for Montana, but I don’t mind. I can still work remotely with my clients from back home. It would be nice to get something part-time and meet some people around town. I want to fit in.”

“I’m sure you will. I bet the next time I come to visit, you’ll have all these new friends. You probably will be so busy you won’t have time to call me,” I teased.

“That, my dear, will never happen.” She reached out and took my hand, squeezing it until I looked at her. “Never.” Her voice was insistent. “I wish—” she sighed and shook her head.

“What?” I asked, curious about what she had to say.

“Nothing,” she said, waving it off. “Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

I raised my eyebrows and held her gaze. She sighed, “It’s just me being silly. I guess I kind of wished….” I nodded encouragingly, “that you would consider moving out here.”

She blurted and bit her bottom lip. My eyes widened, and I sat back. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t,” I replied and shook my head.

“Of course, I know,” Mom nodded. But then she added, “Technically, you can work from anywhere too. You’re working freelance with the magazine reviews. Your Instagram is your biggest platform, and you kind of just go wherever you want with your camera anyway. And you could go from here, couldn’t you… and Aaron has that whole section of the house you’re staying in. You could have your own room, office…” she snapped her mouth shut. “Ignore me. A mom can dream right.” She stood, “Don’t forget we have a guest coming over at noon for lunch.” She glanced down at my clothes.

“I get the message, no PJ’s and hoodie to welcome the guest. I can’t have them thinking I was raised by wolves,” I teased.

She chuckled, “Might have made you less of a picky eater,” mom shot back as she made her way back inside.

“You only have yourself to blame,” I called after her. Before she had me, mom might have been a chef in another life. I think she kind of used me as her taste-tester since I was young enough to remember.

She’s done everything for you. The least you can do is make sure that she’s not getting hitched to a creep.

I stood and went to get ready for this guest with that in mind. Maybe if I was quick, I could poke around while they set up lunch.

Gathering my laptop and phone, I hurried to my bedroom on the ground floor that I had to admit was really quite lovely. And thankfully, it was nowhere near mom and Aaron’s room. Mom was right, though. The space I was in had two big guest rooms, with one that could be easily converted into an office. She also wasn’t wrong about the point that I could work from anywhere. Sure, California had way more cool eateries. I could drive up to San Francisco or Napa Valley for content and be back home the same day if I wanted to.

I wasn’t sure Montana had the same variety to offer.

But I could be wrong. I stopped in the middle of pulling off my clothes when I realized what I was thinking. Was I actually considering moving out here?

Then again, I wasn’t sure that Aaron would really appreciate having me underfoot. I was willing to bet if he’d made the offer because he thought there was no chance of me saying yes. On the other hand, maybe it would be a good way to take his measure. You could only learn so much about a man in a week…

I had to turn this line of thinking off for now, and I would figure that out later. Now I had to get showered and dressed. With Mom and Aaron in the kitchen, this was a good time to snoop a little to see what I could find.

I stripped quickly and hurried into the bathroom. Man, I would move here just for the bathroom alone. It was huge and had both a walk-in shower and a huge tub. I could just imagine myself soaking in there, candles lit, with a glass of wine and a good book.

Even the shower had water coming from so many different places, I felt like I’d just been through a car wash and came out squeaky clean.

Instead of lingering in it like I’d done the night before, I rushed through my shower and got dressed in some jeans and a nice t-shirt that would have to do for any guest we were having.Even though I didn’t shave, I put on a little cologne after brushing my teeth and hair. I liked the look of stubble on a man. The feel of it rubbing against my face or my balls during a blowjob was a huge turnon for me. With no time or sexy man around like that nosy hottie from the grocery store, I sighed and took one last glance in the mirror. Yep, that would have to do.

Once I was ready, I followed the sound of laughter to the kitchen. I stopped in the doorway, and I couldn’t help smiling. Aaron and mom were slow dancing, mom’s cheek pressed against his chest, her eyes closed. There was no music, but it didn’t look like they needed it.It made my heart happy to see her so happy.

I backed away slowly and leaned against the wall. Aaron really did seem like an okay guy. I’d never seen her like this with anyone. She occasionally dated after I started high school, but no one like Aaron. And boy, did she deserve it.

I moved towards the main part of the house, my resolve firm even though a small twinge of guilt tried to rear its head. I reminded myself it was for a good cause.

I found myself looking around in the study at the large desk there. It was solid wood and ornately carved along the drawers. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, so I just opened drawers. Luckily the man seemed organized, so I didn’t have to ruffle through anything.Truth be known, there wasn’t anything in there other than office supplies a teacher might have.

I moved the mouse attached to the computer to find that the screen popped right up. The computer didn’t even have a password on it. What kind of person didn’t put a password on their computer?

Someone with nothing to hide, a voice supplied.

There were more pictures of Aaron with his students and one framed picture of the man from yesterday in the supermarket—the very one you’ve been doing your best not to think about— in front of the bakery in town.

Satisfied that there was nothing to find in the office, I left. I casually went through a couple more of the rooms downstairs, but there was nothing to find. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, maybe a room filled with torture gear, tarp, and bin bags? Or maybe just a suspiciously locked door. But there was none of that.

I ended up back in the living room and was opening some of the cupboards under the large shelves when a voice said, “Find what you’re looking for?”

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