Bearly In Love Read online

  “Yes?” Stacy asked.

  “A grand opening gala to be held in the evening with an exclusive guest list,” she replied.

  Sitting back again, Stacy shook her head. “I’m afraid that I’m not really into the exclusive crowd,” she admitted, biting her lower lip.

  “Don’t worry about that,” Dora said. “I have the names and addresses of all the people we’ll need to invite. When you’re ready, you let us know, and we’ll send out the invitations.”

  “Thank you,” Stacy said.

  Shaking her head in approval, Dora extended her hand. “No, thank you,” she said. “I can see that you are going to make a positive difference for the park.”

  Dora’s words touched Stacy’s heart. “Thank you,” she replied sincerely. “That means a lot to me.”

  “Well, my words of gratitude are certainly not the only compensation you are going to receive for your ideas,” Dora said, sliding another piece of paper across the table to Stacy. “This is your new pay rate. It went into effect yesterday, so your paycheck will show the increase.”

  Stacy looked down at the paper and gasped aloud. She would have enough to catch up with her grandmother’s bills and even pay someone to come in and take care of her grandmother during the day.

  Looking up, tears threatening, she took another deep breath and smiled at Dora. “Thank you,” she said, wiping at her eyes and laughing self-consciously. “I guess it’s been a little bit of an emotional day.”

  Dora handed her another tissue. “You’ve had more ups and downs today than any ride in the park,” Dora agreed.

  Stacy laughed. “You’re right,” she said. “And now, all I want to do is get back to work and start planning.”

  Dora stood and extended her hand to Stacy. “Welcome to Adventureland,” she said. “Again.”

  “Thank you,” Stacy replied, shaking the offered hand. “Thank you so much.”

  Closing Dora’s door behind her, Stacy felt that she was floating down the hall instead of walking. She couldn’t believe how the day had finally turned out. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and her future looked wonderful. “I guess I really do have a beary godfather,” she whispered with a smile.

  Entering the lobby, she paused as another woman stood several feet in front of her, waiting at the door. The woman looked very familiar, and Stacy was about to introduce herself when the woman opened the door and Lorraine Mills stepped inside.

  “Lorraine, how nice of you to meet with me,” the woman said. “I suppose I must say that I find myself quite surprised to discover that the staff here knows you are Henry’s fiancée.”

  Stacy’s stomach twisted. She knew her now, although she hadn’t seen her for years. She was Henry’s mother. She turned and met Lorraine’s eyes seeking hers, mocking and triumphant, and felt like she was going to be sick. Henry was engaged to Lorraine.

  The sun went behind a cloud, and Stacy’s happiness went with it.

  Bowing her head and quickly walking around the women, Stacy excused herself and headed back to work.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The next morning Stacy was surprised to see a maintenance truck roll past her when she was feeding George his morning apple. The truck stopped behind her, and one of the men in the truck rolled down a window. He was bald-headed with a bushy, salt-and-pepper walrus mustache that seemed almost too big for his face. His face was tanned and had the lines of someone who had worked outside for most of his life.

  “Excuse me, miss, but I wouldn’t get too close to that animal if I were you,” he said. “He could rip down that fence if he wanted to.”

  Stacy nodded and smiled. “Oh, George and I have an understanding,” she explained. “I give him an apple a day, and he keeps on his side of the fence.”

  “Oh, well, if you have an understanding,” he teased, “then that’s just fine.”

  Laughing, Stacy wiped the apple juice off her hands onto a paper towel and approached the truck. “Hi, I’m Stacy Gage,” she said. “I run the concessionary.”

  “Well, then, you’re the lady we’re looking for,” he said. “My name’s Ed Kuntzleman, and this is my partner, Rueben Standish.”

  “Good to meet you, Ed and Rueben,” she replied. “What can I do for you?”

  “We’re supposed to make some changes to the concessionary,” Ed said, pulling out a sheet of paper with drawings on it. “Looks like a couple new windows, a new porch and an updated façade for the front of the building.”

  “Are you kidding me?” she exclaimed, excited.

  Ed smiled at her. “No ma’am, cross my heart,” he replied, mimicking his words with a hand motion. “We’re here to do that work.”

  She jogged over to the fence and unlocked it, pushing it wide open so the truck could drive through. “Well, don’t let me slow you down,” she said with a smile.

  They drove slowly past her, stopped in front of the concessionary and started unloading their ladders and tools. Stacy locked the gate and then joined them at the front of the store. “What does the new façade look like?”

  Ed pulled a table saw from the back of the truck and placed it on the lawn in front of the building. “Well,” he said, scratching his head. “I guess that all depends on you.”

  “On me?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I got a bunch of samples, and I was told you were making the decisions.”

  Stacy shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense,” she said. “I’m just the cashier. I don’t know anything about building.”

  Ed shrugged, walked over to the cab of the truck and pulled out a cardboard box that was about two feet square and about a foot tall. “Well, here are the samples,” he said. “Won’t hurt anything to have you look at them and see what you think.”

  Moving forward to take the box from him, Stacy paused when Ed shook his head. “This box is heavier than you think,” he said. “Why don’t you just show me where you want me to put it?”

  Hurrying across the porch, Stacy quickly punched in the key code and opened the door. She jogged over to the counter that held the cash register, cleared some paperwork out of way and directed Ed to put the box there.

  “We’ll start working on the windows,” Ed said after he put the box down. “And you just take a look and let us know what you like.”

  Thirty minutes later, Stacy was sitting in the middle of the floor with a dozen sample tiles around her. She looked up quickly when the door opened, and she smiled when she saw the giant, bear character enter.

  “Hi, Sam,” she said. “Happy Saturday!”

  “Hey,” Henry answered, looking down at her. “Is this a new yoga position?”

  Laughing, she shook her head. “No, I’m trying to pick the new façade for the front of the store. I’m really afraid I’m going to get it wrong.”

  Coming closer, Henry looked over her shoulder. “So, which one do you like the best?” he asked.

  “Well, I really like the river stone,” she said, pulling the sample closer to her. “I love the muted colors and the natural look of it.”

  “So, choose the river stone,” Henry suggested.

  “But what if I’m wrong?” she asked. “What if I choose it and it looks terrible?”

  “Do you really think anything you choose could look worse than what’s already out there?” he replied.

  She laughed and nodded. “Okay, you do have a good point there,” she said, lifting the sample of river stone and looking at it again. “I really think this could look sharp with the log accents all around it. It would make a great statement and would lighten everything up.”

  “Then do it,” Henry advised.

  Placing the sample back on the floor, she looked at all of her other choices. “I don’t know,” she sighed, biting her lower lip.

  “Stacy, the difference between a cashier and the marketing manager of the concessionary is not their talent, their taste or their intelligence,” he said. “It’s their willingness to take a risk. If you don’t risk, y
ou always lose.”

  “But what if—” she began.

  “What if you’re right?” he interrupted. “If you don’t have faith in yourself, how can you expect others to have it?”

  Reaching over, she picked up the river stone sample and stood up. “Okay, this is it,” she said firmly. “We’re doing river stone.”

  “Good for you,” he said. “Now go tell Ed your decision.”

  She nodded and started to walk to the door, then paused and turned back. “Thanks ,Sam,” she said. “You always know just what to say.”

  “My pleasure,” Henry replied. Sighing softly, he wondered just when he was going to be able to remove the stupid character head and let her know that it had been him all along and not Sam. He was tired of playing this silly game, but he had to admit he was as uncertain as Stacy had just been. Did he really want to take a risk, but risk losing their friendship?

  He waited until she came back in, her face flush with pleasure.

  “So, what happened?” he asked.

  “Ed said he understood why they asked me to choose,” she replied with a broad smile. “He said I had an excellent eye for color and design.”

  “Wow. A compliment from Ed is a rare thing,” he said. “Good for you.”

  She shook her head. “No, good for you,” she replied. “Thanks for giving me confidence.”

  “Hey, that’s what beary godfathers are for,” he replied with a laugh. “And, speaking as your beary godfather, are you taking a date to the grand opening gala?”

  Shaking her head, she bent over quickly, picking up the other samples so Sam couldn’t see the trace of sadness on her face. “No, I just thought I’d come alone,” she said. “I’ll probably have so much to do that night; it wouldn’t be fair to bring a date.”

  “I think anyone would be happy just to get a few minutes of your time,” he replied.

  She smiled up at him. “Yeah, but that’s because you’re my neighbor and my beary godfather,” she said. “You have to say those things.”

  “Why don’t you take Henry?” he asked.

  “Yeah, well, Henry and I really don’t mesh all that well together,” she said with a soft sigh. “He’s nice and all, but I think he’s got interests elsewhere.”

  “Interests elsewhere?” Henry asked. “He didn’t mention anything to me.”

  “Well, really, it’s not my place to say anything,” Stacy said.

  “Stacy, he’s my grandson,” he said. “I think it would be okay.”

  She shrugged. “After I met with Dora, I overheard his mom and Lorraine Mills talking about Henry’s engagement to Lorraine,” she said. “I mean, if his mother knows, it sounds like a done deal.”

  “I’m not—” he froze and then cleared his throat. “I’m not sure I like the sound of this. Lorraine doesn’t seem like the kind of girl Henry would pick.”

  “Well, I’m sure she’s very nice once you get to know her,” Stacy choked out. “Besides, we don’t get an opinion. That’s up to Henry and Lorraine.”

  “Yeah, it sure seems like it should be,” Henry mused softly. “Well, I gotta go and prowl through the Big Woods for a while.”

  “Bye, Sam, have a great day,” Stacy said.

  “Yeah, you too,” Henry replied. “And don’t forget. You’re a risk taker now.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Henry hurried through the Big Woods area of the park, occasionally greeting guests and taking a few photos with families, but focused on getting back to the office area. It took him about an hour to finally get back to the employee lockers. A few minutes later he had changed out of the bear costume and was heading to the office, hoping he wasn’t too late. But when he saw Lorraine walk out of the main building in costume, he realized his timing was perfect. Apparently his mother hadn’t been able to fire her.

  Jogging towards the building, he called out, “Lorraine, could I speak with for a moment?”

  Lorraine stopped in her tracks, turned and sent Henry a sultry smile. “Why, of course, Henry,” she purred. “I always have time for you.”

  He compared her practiced sensuality to Stacy’s open and honest charm and wondered how he ever could have been fooled by Lorraine’s act. “Let’s meet in my office,” he suggested.

  Hurrying to his side, she slipped her arm around his and smiled up at him. “I would love meeting with you in your office,” she whispered. “With the door closed and locked so we can have a little privacy.”

  Pulling his arm out of her hold, he shook his head. “No, that’s not going to happen,” he informed her. “We need to have a conversation.”

  Setting her face into a pout that she’d practiced many times in front of a mirror, she put her hand on his arm to stop him. “Henry, you’re scaring me,” she replied, making sure her voice quivered. “Don’t be so cross with me.”

  Henry lifted her hand from his arm and stepped away. “Lorraine, I don’t want drama,” he said. “I just want to be sure we understand each other. So, let’s just get inside and have a conversation.”

  They entered the building, and Henry escorted her to his office. He opened the door and indicated a chair next to his desk. “Have a seat,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

  Walking back down the hall, he knocked on Dora’s door. After receiving an invitation to enter, he opened the door and peeked in. “Hi, Dora, would you be willing to come into my office for a few moments?” he asked. “I have an employee issue, and I need a witness to be there.”

  “Ms. Mills?” Dora asked with a little smile.

  Henry nodded tersely, not returning the smile.

  The smile left Dora’s face, too, and she picked up a yellow, legal pad and a pen. “Is she there now?” she asked.

  “Yes, she’s waiting for us,” he replied. “Although I don’t think she expects you to be there.”

  “Well, I always enjoy a good surprise,” Dora said.

  This time Henry did allow himself to smile. “Thanks, Dora.”

  The two of them entering Henry’s office did, indeed, surprise Lorraine, and the sexy slump she had positioned herself in quickly changed to sitting upright with her feet flat on the floor. “Henry, I had no idea that Mrs. Fitzenbottom would be needed for our little chat,” she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. “I wish you’d told me.”

  “It is customary for me to be present whenever there is an employee and management conversation,” Dora responded. “It protects both the company and the employee.”

  Lorraine leaned forward, placing her well-manicured hand on the edge of the desk. “Well, Henry and I are much more than just employee and management,” she corrected, and then she smiled at Henry. “Aren’t we, darling?”

  Henry slipped around the desk to his chair, but before he sat down, he waited for Dora to take a chair. Sitting down, he leaned forward over his desk. “Actually Lorraine, no, we aren’t anything more than employee and employer,” he said. “And that is the crux of the issue here.”

  Shaking her head in shock, Lorraine dramatically threw herself back in the chair. “Henry, what’s going on?” she asked. “We had an understanding.”

  Henry shook his head. “No, Lorraine, you had a fantasy,” he said bluntly. “There never was a romantic relationship between the two of us. I have never even hinted to you about a relationship of any kind, much less one of a permanent liaison.”

  “But…but…your mother…” she stuttered.

  “My mother does not speak for me,” he said. “And since I am not privy to any conversations between you and my mother, I cannot speak to that matter. To be blunt, Lorraine, there is no us.”

  Her face hardened, and she grasped the arms of her chair tightly. Glaring at him, she lifted her head slightly and sat up in the chair. “Stacy Gage put you up to this, didn’t she?” she snarled. “That little bitch has been sniffing after you for years.”

  “Stacy has nothing to do with this,” Henry said, trying to hold back his anger. “Don’t blame someone else because you are
lacking, Lorraine.”

  “Lacking?” she sputtered. “You will find who’s lacking when you hear from my lawyer.”

  She began to stand when Dora reached over and placed her hand on Lorraine’s arm, halting her. “Just one more thing before you leave,” Dora said. “At my request, the lab that performs our drug testing looked over the tests from yesterday with greater scrutiny. We have proof that the labels on two urine samples were switched. One of the employees had already left the building when the other employee was providing the sample, so that employee could not have switched the labels. The sample that had been tampered with showed traces of drug use, and the label switch was meant to implicate the other employee. I have procured, from the testing lab, a signed affidavit stating that they noted the obvious attempted fraud and the name of the employee who obviously instigated that fraud. Would you like me to get a copy of that document for your lawyer?”

  Lorraine sat back in her chair, closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. “No, you don’t have to get me a copy,” she said.

  Dora smiled. “Good,” she said. “Now if you’ll change from your costume into your own clothes and then bring everything back to my office, we will have you sign your dismissal papers.”

  “I’m fired?” Lorraine screeched.

  “Yes, you are,” Dora replied calmly. “You have twenty minutes to report to my office.”

  She stood up, slipped behind the chairs and lifted her arm towards the door. “After you, Miss Mills.”

  Lorraine jumped up, knocking the chair on its back and then, with her hands on the desk, leaned towards Henry. “You will regret this, Henry,” she said. “No one makes a fool out of me.”

  Henry calmly crossed his arms over his chest. “Good-bye, Lorraine,” he replied. “Don’t bother using us for a reference.”

  After Lorraine stormed out of the office, Dora turned to Henry. “You did that very well,” she said.

  “Dora, did Lorraine really switch her drug test with Stacy’s?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yes, she did,” Dora replied. “And nearly got Stacy fired. After you and your mother left my office, I made the call to the lab and asked them to check the samples. They verified what your mother had suggested.”