Page 17 of Her Embarrassed Bear Mate

While there was a garden, it wasn't fenced in so Princess needed constant supervision for all her pees and poops.

"I'll give her a quick stretch after breakfast," Alix promised, eager to get out of the cottage and have some time to herself.

Dirk pushed his empty plate away. "There's a little park a few blocks away. Veronica can show you."

"Oh, I'm sure I can find it myself," Alix said quickly.

"No, it'll be nice. Gives you girls a chance to bond," her mum chimed in, looking pleased by the prospect.

Alix wanted to protest more and insist that it wasn't necessary but she didn't know how to do that without arousing suspicion. There was no reason why the two of them couldn't go for a little walk together, even if she didn't think it was a good idea to be alone together.

"Trixie, you'll come too, right?" Alix asked, pleased with herself for coming up with a solution to the problem.

It wasn't perfect, but at least she wouldn't be alone with Veronica.

ELEVEN

Veronica

The last placeVeronica wanted to be was on a walk alone with Alix but luckily, the little girl was coming along with them. Still, just to avoid any awkward conversation or accidental temptation, Veronica stayed a few feet behind them all.

Big mistake. All she could look at was Alix's bum. Her hips swayed back and forth and thanks to her short jeans skirt and leggings, her toned legs were noticeable.

Veronica forced herself to look away and shifted her attention to the dog. The Pomeranian was small and walked with little dainty steps, her fluffy tailwagging back and forth. Alix had endless patience with her, stopping every time the Pomeranian wanted a pee or a sniff. Meanwhile, Trixie was running in front of them and picking flowers while waving at strangers.

It had to be nice to still be outgoing and unburdened.

"Trixie! Don't go too far ahead!" Alix shouted at her little sister.

"I'm not far ahead!" the girl shouted back.

Veronica felt herself smile. It was sweet how the two interacted and made her wonder what it would be like to have sisters instead of annoying brothers.

The Pomeranian barked at a dog on the other side of the street, earning herself a little tug on the lead.

"Shut up, Princess," Alix hissed.

"Why is she called Princess?” Veronica asked, deciding that walking in silence was making things worse. And what was the harm in a casual chat?

Alix pulled the little dog along. "It’s her nickname because she’s a total spoiled brat. She’s actually called Snickerdoodle but that's when we thought she was sweet and cute, not a spawn from Satan."

Veronica laughed. "She looks so innocent though."

"Looks are deceiving. I try to teach her manners but my mum doesn't believe that small dogs need as much training. Now we've spoiled her too much and she basically rules the house."

The park came into sight, much to Trixie's delight, and she raced straight to the swing.

"Wow, this park is nice," Alix remarked, looking around with an amazed smile on her face. The morning sun was making her eyes shimmer and drew attention to the gloss on her full lips. The smile Alix had right now was a lot like the one she had on their night out, wide and toothy and carefree.

Veronica couldn't help but stare. She wasn't usually this drawn to someone she just met but then again, Alix wasn't exactly a stranger. They had shared some very intimate moments already which was exactly why all of this was so weird.

Trixie went to climb up the playground house while Alix and Veronica walked through the park, always keeping within eyesight of the little girl. They crossed paths with an older woman walking a sluggish beagle and Princess charged towards the dog, almost strangling herself on her lead.

"No. Leave it." There was a surprising amount of authority in Alix's voice and the Pomeranian relented.

Veronica smiled, temporarily forgotting about who she was walking with and why. It just felt like a quiet beautiful morning at the seaside. Then she saw a man who resembled her dad and it all came flooding back. The irritation, the frustration, the feeling of powerlessness. She glanced at Alix, unsure how she was going to make it through a whole week.

"You're staring," Alix remarked.

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