Page 48 of Bear Creek Valentine
“Sorry, love. I just think this place is terrific and want to share it with you after it opens. I promise to be good now.”
Frustrated, Dash huffed while struggling to hide his erection. Ryder heard the exchange from across the room and gave his friend some side-eye and a smirk, deepening Dash’s blush. Fortunately, the inspectors were too busy to notice anything,and Dash’s condition eventually corrected itself. It took another forty-five minutes before the team left the building, and Dash dragged Aiden back to his office suite for a hot sixty-nine on one of the comfortable couches. Afterward, they enjoyed some naked snuggling until it was time for Dash’s last meeting of the day.
At three o’clock, they met Ryder in the main conference room for an update from the golf course’s management team. Since the course was open and operational when Dash bought the property, it was the only part of the resort actually producing income. They’d been deep into improvements and upgrades since early spring and the area golfers were ecstatic about the changes. Coupled with a promotional blitz and a recent write-up in the state’s tourism magazine, the new Pocono Ridge Resort and Golf Course seemed poised to be a major destination in northeast Pennsylvania.
The meeting was mercifully brief, and Aiden held Dash’s hand while they discussed budgets, ongoing work, and the idea of creating a country club atmosphere without exclusive memberships. Dash decided to wait another year or two before making further changes, preferring to focus on their already-full plates before adding anything else. Meanwhile, there were a lot of smaller tweaks and improvements available to provide golfers with an outstanding experience.
Dash concluded the meeting by praising the team for their teamwork and dedication.Smiles prevailed as they left the room, and Dash double-checked the next day’s schedule with Ryder before taking Aiden for a walk down Main Street. Many of the shops were being outfitted with fixtures and signage, though the shelves would remain bare until sometime in August. Aiden loved the unique atmosphere and the wide selection of businesses.
“It looks like a fun place to shop, and your guests should be able to find whatever they need under one roof. I haven’t seenthe coffee and snack shop. Wasn’t it supposed to be along Main Street, too?”
Dash forced himself to stay calm until Aiden saw the surprise for himself.
“Oh, I named it the Hungry Bear, and it’s down there on the end. I wanted it near the exterior doors, so everyone walking in and out passed by. Let me show you.”
As they approached the last retail space, Aiden noticed that it seemed divided into two different shops. The Hungry Bear took up most of the Main Street frontage, while a second storefront wrapped around the corner to face all the incoming and outgoing foot traffic. Dash led him around so he could see better. There, Aiden found a miniature chocolate shop, filled with gleaming display cases, shiny countertops, and an exact replica ofDelicious’ oval sign.
“Dash! This is... wow, I never expected... you should have told me! It’s beautiful, and in the best spot where everyone can see.”
Aiden kissed his mate silly, trying to show Dash how much the gesture meant to him. All he’d expected was a few shelves among whatever other goodies the Hungry Bear offered. This... this was almost a second location within the resort, and far beyond the arrangement they’d discussed months ago. When he finally released Dash, the sweet bear was nearly breathless and rumbling softly.
“I wanted you to have a separate identity here and run it your way. You can hire and train your own staff and carry whatever products you choose. My mate deserves the best.”
Aiden glided knuckles along Dash’s bearded cheek.
“I already have the best, and he’s right here in front of me. I love you.”
Chapter 17
June 20th, D2
It looked like an overly soft cow pie left out in the sun.
Hands on hips, Skip Mulqueen eyed his first attempt at producing chocolates. The only thing missing from the slimy pile was a foul odor, and of course, the cow. Granted, Nut Bombsdidhave an undeniable excremental quality, but this mess was entirely too lifelike. Leo noticed his discombobulation and came over to see what was wrong.
Oh my. Hetriednot to laugh, but the runny little turd looked forlorn on the conveyor belt all by itself. Once Skip saw that Leo wasn’t angry, he laughed along with him.
“Sorry. Must have had an ‘oh shit’ moment!”
Leo fired one right back.
“Just cut the crap and get back to work!”
They laughed a little longer, wiping away tears. Still smiling, Leo pointed at the other end of the machine.
“Let’s take a look at the specs and see if we can figure out what went wrong.”
Each item they produced had a laminated process sheet listing the ingredients and the machine settings needed to create the confection. Together, they checked line-by-line, making sure the Nut Bombs were set up properly. Finally, Leo pointed at the machine’s input screen.
“Look here. The temperature was set too high by thirty degrees. Go ahead and change it, wipe down the belt, and then try again.”
Five minutes later, Skip was happily transferring normal-looking confections from the conveyor belt to a waiting rack of trays. According to Leo, Nut Bombs were going to be a Fourth ofJuly “Sparkler Special”—a new promotion Serena cooked up for the shop.
Skip knew that the first few days of a new job were always the worst—feeling out of place and dumb as a rock. Leo was neither uptight nor demanding, easing him into his first day atDelicious. The guy had even helped him move into his old apartment over the weekend, playing musical chairs with living spaces. He was just glad it all worked out and he could focus on getting settled into a new life in Bear Creek.
Skip was excited about living in a mixed community, and it was cool that the owner of the company was mated to a bear shifter. He’d grown up next to a large shifter family, best friends with their oldest son until the eighth grade. Skip lost contact when they moved out of the area, and never found another friend like him. Bear Creek was the perfect place to meet new people, shifter or human, and maybe even find someone special while he was at it.
When the Nut Bombs were finished, Leo moved him to the other candy machine to make bars. Some were granola style, sweetened with honey, while the rest were made with coffee or spices and covered with chocolate. He was allowed to sample the mistakes or imperfect ones and loved them all. Working here was going to mean extra workouts at the gym because there was no way he could resist some of the stuff they made. Both Aiden and Leo were in great shape, but he’d have to ask how they stayed that way.
