Page 74 of Bear Creek Valentine
“Don’t worry about it. I owed Michael a favor, so no payment is necessary. I’m just sorry I wasn’t able to stop her sooner. The P.I. doesn’t always get the bad guy like they do in the movies. You’re a good man, Aiden Romero, and I’m glad to have known you.”
They shook hands again and Aiden asked one more question.
“Do you like chocolate? If so, I’d love to send you home with a box.”
Wahl couldn’t say no.
Chapter 27
Sunday, December 11th, Bear Creek Amphitheater
Last year, Levi McCoy had single-handedly transformed the tired and well-worn public Christmas concerts. By adding fun music and live bears to the mix, the show was widely covered by the media, and downtown businesses raked in the holiday cash like never before. Aiden heard great things about this year’s concert, too, and was grateful to catch a performance on his only day off.
He and Dash arrived early to save enough seats so all the employees ofDeliciouscould sit together. The concert served as the entertainment portion of the company Christmas party, followed by a lovely meal and a white elephant gift exchange at the resort. Ginger and her two part-time helpers, Chet and Hayley, were running a little late, but arrived and took their seats just before the stage lights came up.
Levi took his position on an elevated platform, dressed in a long black coat with a bright red sash across the chest. At the same time, the community choir filed in, all sporting festive scarves plus a set of bear's ears and bear-paw gloves. The actual stars of the show, the famous dancing bears from last year, shuffled onstage as the music forIt’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Yearbegan.
Two quartets interacted with the wandering bears as they sang along with the choir. Based on the lyrics, jingle bells, marshmallows, and mistletoe all made appearances. Unfortunately, Rowan’s bear was intent on gobbling up all the marshmallows instead of doing his thing with the others. Aiden made a mental note to tease him the next time he waited on them at the pub. The audience thought it was all part of the script and simply laughed at his antics.
More classic holiday songs followed beforeRockin’ Around the Christmas Treestarted up. The crowd went wild with laughter and applause as the bears stood and gyrated, danced together, and growled along with the lyrics around a microphone. An enormous screen mounted above the stage allowed for closeups, enabling everyone in the crowd to see the action as it happened. The short concert ended on a cheerful note soon after, with everyone—including the bears—waving goodbye.
As the pleased crowd broke up, Aiden and Dash huddled with their team to make sure everyone knew how to reach the resort and where to meet. A half-hour later, they were gathered in the glass-domed main lobby. Dash led the way to the private party room off the main dining area. It was decorated with twinkle lights, a small Christmas tree, garland, and shiny gold bunting. As instructed, each partygoer placed their wrapped gift under the tree until after the meal.
Two large, round tables sat in the center of the room, adorned with festive tablecloths and holiday centerpieces. Once everyone was seated, the meal was brought in and served. Aiden had purposely mixed up the nameplates so that those who didn’t work together became acquainted during the meal. Since he didn’t want to leave anyone out, even his temporary employees were invited to the party. Along with a top-notch meal, the mix of ages and backgrounds prompted lively discussion and laughter around both tables.
Being the only shifter in the room, poor Dash was terribly outnumbered. He was used to situations like this, but Aiden scooted closer so their thighs were touching under the table. The contact soothed his bear but also excited a certain body part. Dash leaned over during a lull in the conversation to whisper in Aiden’s ear.
“You’re my present. Gonna unwrap you when we get home.”
Aiden flushed at the sudden jolt to his libido, fully aware they were being watched, which just made it worse. He gave Dash a tight smile and replied under his breath.
“Behave, darling, or you’ll get aspankingwhen we get home.”
Dash growled and threw an arm around the back of his mate’s chair. The heat faded as someone asked a question about the resort, and Skip began telling Toby about the chocolate turd episode. They were still laughing when the staff came in to clear the tables and reset for dessert. First, though, was the white elephant gift exchange that Blanche had suggested. The gift item was to cost five dollars or less, and no exchanges were allowed until all the gifts were opened. Aiden and Dash got up and walked over to the tree to get started.
“All right! Are we ready for gifts? On the backside of your nameplate is a number, and Dash will choose a gift at random. Who has number one?”
Cooper raised his hand, and Dash promptly handed him a rectangular box wrapped in newsprint. He tore it open to find a jigsaw puzzle of a basket of kittens. Cooper’s eyes practically popped out of his head.
“Oh man, I’m allergic to cats!”
To everyone’s amusement, the group knew how to pick gifts for maximum impact. Blanche received a hideous clown ashtray. Leo got a pair of argyle socks. Dash, of all people, opened a lumpy package to find a teddy bear coffee mug. There were various knickknacks, an old forty-five record, a hubcap, a medicine bottle full of safety pins, and other creative gift items—some of which needed to go directly into the trash. Aiden received an old corset, eliciting whistles and ribald comments, especially after Serena gave him instructions on its use.
Next up was dessert, and the guests were given a choice of Chestnut Caramel Torte or a White Chocolate and GingerbreadMousse. Dash wasn’t the only one who asked for both, though his preferred choice of sweets was chocolate. Aiden had specifically asked the kitchen for something totally unlike anythingDeliciousmight produce. He figured his employees deserved a break from the sight and smell of his recipes, and their choices certainly fit the bill.
As dessert wound down and conversation returned, Dash hand-delivered a sealed and addressed envelope to each employee. When he finished, Aiden stood to address the group.
“The envelopes contain a little something from us to brighten up your holiday. We’re grateful for you and your contribution to the success ofDelicious. This has been an extraordinary year in many ways, with both pleasant and unfortunate surprises. Your dedication and loyalty have made all the difference, and we look forward to even better things in the coming year. Thank you all, and we hope you have a wonderful holiday.”
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The Cub House, one week before Christmas
Orrin finally got the last of his charges cleaned up and presentable, though they wouldn’t stay that way for long. He glanced in the hallway mirror and frowned at his reflection. He saw a dried smudge of cake batter on his chin, and his hair was a snarled mess. While the little ones were coloring at the table, he slipped into his room to repair the afternoon’s damages.
He'd learned the hard way to move quickly whenever the cubs were out of sight. Three minutes later, he’d washed his face, donned a clean shirt, and tied his hair back in a ponytail. His expected guests wouldn’t care one way or another, but he didn’t want to look like a slob in front of friends or provide a poor example for the cubs. Orrin heard the car pull in and called the children over to stand near the front door.
“Now remember—be polite to our guests and on your best behavior.”
