Page 30 of Single Teddy
“He’s a fantastic chef, and in case you missed the memo, he’s innocent.”
I wanted to question her because I was sure I’d have found out if that was the case, but I didn’t want one of my only allies on this island to turn on me. I’d have to wait until I was back at the lodge to Google it.
“I’ll have the triple stacked burger with the loaded fries and Bear…”
I turned to him, and he unearthed himself from behind the menu only to say, “Nuggets.”
I sighed and looked at Autumn.
“I don’t suppose you have any? It’s all he eats at the moment,” I said.
Autumn’s smile deepened, and she put her hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
“‘Course we do. And they’re the best nuggets you’ve ever tried,” she said and winked at Bear.
I added drinks to our order, and she walked away. Next to stop at our table was Asher, who was all too eager to meet Bear, but as soon as he extended his hand, Bear came running into my arms.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said.
I shook my head to tell him it wasn’t anything he did, and he pressed his lips together.
“How are you? How are things at Hwan’s?” he asked with half the spirit he’d started with.
“It’s going great. Hwan is a great boss. And Parker’s…changed.”
Asher laughed before I did and leaned against the empty chair opposite me.
“There must be something in the air because a lot of us change as soon as we get here.” He glanced at the bar, and I followed his gaze to Maddox, Asher’s best friend and now boyfriend.
“Ah, right. I forgot about you two.” Probably the only piece of gossip I was aware of and that was because Ash wouldn’t shut up about snatching Maddox for two months straight before he retired to be with him. “Congratulations, again. How is Mad doing?”
Maddox Shepherd had retired from the Silver Legends after a mission had gone wrong and he’d developed PTSD as a result.
“He’s doing well. Truly. Leaving the Navy was the best decision for him. And for me. I don’t regret it for a second,” he said.
“You don’t?”
He shook his head.
“I would have never started writing if it weren’t for him and this island. I wouldn’t change it for anything. We had our turn saving the world. I’m happy just…being me right now.”
“That’s amazing. I’m glad, Ash. Really,” I said and hugged Bear a little tighter.
Seeing how happy and loved up everyone was around here, even with all the crime and danger that surrounded them, gave me hope that Bear and I would also find happiness here, sooner or later. I just had to persevere. And I would. There was no other way. I wasn’t fighting just for myself and my country anymore. I was fighting for something even more important. Bear.
“Right, let me see if I can get you those drinks. It’s a bit busy today, so it’s all hands on deck, which usually means chaos. Especially with Autumn and Donovan working the same shift.”
“They hate each other?” I asked.
Ash rolled his eyes.
“Yeah. Sure. Hate. Let’s go with that. And don’t you dare say otherwise.” He wagged his finger as a warning but his smirk was impossible to miss.
I chuckled, and Ash walked away from us. I turned my attention to Bear, who looked up at me with wide, innocent eyes, and I smiled at him.
“Are you okay, bud?” He nodded. “Was Ash scary?” He nodded again. “He’s an old friend of mine. We used to work together, you know. In fact, I used to work with a lot of the guys who workhere. They’re good people. I swear,” I told him, but he didn’t say anything. He just returned to his chair, which I took as a win.
When Ash returned with our drinks and Bear only cowered in his seat, I breathed a sigh of relief and took a sip of my soda. Despite the liveliness around us, we sat there quietly, nursing our drinks, and while I struggled to find something to talk about with Bear, I couldn’t shake the idea that someone was watching me. The hairs that stood to attention on the back of my neck were never wrong.
