Spirit Bear

by D'Arc, Bianca

“How so?” she asked, inviting him to continue.

  “Well, I own a building on Main Street that’s nearing completion. The inside is ready for tenants, but I’ve got four spots on the ground floor for small shops and only two interested parties, so far. I wanted to set one of the spaces up for art and jewelry from the res, but we want everyone who works in town to be a resident of Grizzly Cove, and the elders don’t really want their people coming up here either. They are respectful of us, but I think there’s a bit of fear, too. They pretty much know who and what we are, though we never speak of it.” He shook his head, and the ghost of a smile passed his lips. “It’s funny, really. Their culture respects shapeshifters, but they’re also afraid of us.”

  “I can understand that,” she told him. “The Inuit were like that with my Pack, sometimes, too.”

  “There are some really amazing artisans whose work is not available anywhere outside their tribe, right now. A couple of them have already approached me about selling some of their jewelry and art in the town during the tourist season, but they want the right person to do the selling. The elders, particularly, want to know the person who will be responsible for the shop. I’ve already told them I can’t do it. I have other responsibilities and can’t spend all my time sitting in a store.” He shook his head, again. “At the same time, I really want to help them out. The excess items they have—if we were to sell them for them—would bring in some much-needed cash to the artists and the tribe as a whole.”

  Laura thought about that for a moment. She could see that she wasn’t the only one with cash flow problems. She understood—better than the tribal elders would realize—what it meant to be penniless.

  “And you think I might be the person to run the store for you?” she asked, uncertain. “Would I have to know computers?”

  Gus chuckled. “No computers. At least not right away, and not if you don’t want them. But, if you want to learn in the future, I’d be willing to help you.” He narrowed his eyes a bit. “Thing is, you’d have to meet at least some of the elders, and maybe a few of the artists. They’d have to approve of you before we could take this any further. Would you be willing to go with me tomorrow? I could set up a quick meeting so they could get to know you a little.”

  “I can’t leave the protection of the ward, right now. I’m still being hunted,” she reminded him.

  “That’s okay. There’s a spot at the back of my land where I meet with folks from the res often. They don’t mind coming there. My property backs onto the res, and the ward runs around the back of my plot, to the ocean. I live on the piece of land just under the southern point of the cove. I look after the stone circle that’s on the point, and my home is just beyond the trees, looking out over the water.”

  “Sounds nice,” she told him. She could just imagine. It sounded divine, but it would be weird if she appeared too enthusiastic.

  “I’m just putting the finishing touches on my building in town. You could come take a look at that today, if you want.”

  She liked the idea of that. Finally, she had hope after a morning of disappointment and worry. She might actually be able to do the job, but she had to learn more first. Seeing the place would go a long way toward easing her anxiety, and she could ask more in-depth questions about her duties.

  “Can we go now?” she asked, hoping she didn’t sound too needy.

  Gus smiled and stood up, holding out a hand to help her in a gentlemanly fashion. “Of course,” he replied. “We can walk there if you’re up for it. My building is the one right next to the place we just finished a few weeks ago.” He pointed to a one of the larger buildings near the apex of the cove on the beach side. “That building has secluded rooms on the lower level where mer can come and go from the water without being seen. They can store their clothing there too. There are rows of lockers, and they’ve worked out some system among themselves for dolling out the space.”

  “Intriguing,” Laura said as they began walking up to the sidewalk. “I’d wondered how they came and went from the water.”

  “We put shops on the main floor and hidden passages down to the lower floor with very private water access,” Gus told her. “It seems to work well.”

  He shrugged as they got to the sidewalk and then turned left, heading past the building he’d just described. Laura took an extra-long look as they passed it, but she couldn’t tell from outside that it was any different than it appeared. It certainly didn’t look like Mermaid Central, though it apparently was. She shook her head as they passed the front door.

  “If you hadn’t told me, I never would have guessed,” she admitted.

  “That’s the general idea,” Gus replied with a grin. “Now, this… This is my building,” he said, stopping at the corner of the building next door and gesturing like a proud papa. “I wanted it to complement the structure next door, though it’s a bit smaller and sits just a bit lower on the horizon. We don’t want to block too much of the view of the cove, but we also need to camouflage the water entry a bit, with other buildings near it, so it doesn’t look too out of place. We want our mer friends to be as safe as possible here.”

  “I never would have thought about that—putting in other buildings to hide theirs among a group of similar structures,” she told him. “This is a lot bigger than I expected. You said there are four smaller shops in the one building?”

  “Yes, and apartments on the top floor,” he told her. “Notice how you have to go up a small flight of stairs to get to the main floor of the building next door? That’s because the upper floor is there to disguise the lower cove access. On my building, the lower floor shops are at ground level, and the upper floor is for living space.” They started walking again, and he brought her to the front door. “I’ve only managed to paint the outside so far. Inside is still a bit rougher and needs some finishing touches, but I’m about ready to let the shop tenants start fixing up their individual spaces.”

  He opened the door, and they entered the wide, central hall that had four doors leading off of it, right in the center. The back wall had a huge window, overlooking the water with a bench seat beneath. “That’s for those who are tired of shopping and just want to sit while the rest of their party goes through the shops.”

  “What a great idea,” she complimented him. “And the view is lovely.”

  “The two back units will be for mer shops. I have two different tenants already lined up who want to do sea-themed art, jewelry, and gifts. They’re eager to get their spaces set up,” he told her. “I was going to offer one of the front units to the tribe, but as I said, they want me to man it, and I just don’t have the time. I’m talking with another resident about the other unit—a widow and her child. She may need a place for their existing shop while she remodels. She’s not happy with the way the workshop area is set up, right now, and may take this smaller space for a few months. She does mostly bamboo art. She’s from China, originally. Our one and only adult panda shifter. Her daughter is absolutely adorable in either form.”

  “I bet.” Laura was enchanted by the idea of a tiny panda cub running around the town.

  “If Lin doesn’t take it, I’m sure I can find someone else to put in the place, at least for the grand opening. After that, we’ll see,” he went on.

  “When is the grand opening?” Laura hadn’t realized there was a deadline.

  He opened the door of the rooms on the left and let her in. She looked around, taking in the workmanship and how much was left to do.

  “I’d like to open as soon as possible, actually. As you can see, it needs paint and a bit of finishing, not to mention the displays need to be set up and arranged. Merchandise has to be brought in and marked with prices. Inventory needs to be taken and some sort of inventory control system set up. I’ve done some of the preliminary filings with the state and county, so we’re getting our paperwork in order, but a lot still needs to be finalized.”

  “Sounds like a big job.” She spun slowly in a circle, taking in the en
tire space. “It’s a very nice design,” she said. “I assume that door leads to an office or store room?”

  “Go take a look,” Gus invited.

  Laura went over behind the only counter that had space behind it and opened the door. As she’d suspected, there was both an office area and a small store room.

  “I don’t anticipate holding a lot of stock in the store room, but I figured there should be some accommodation for duplicate items and supplies,” he told her. He’d stayed in the main room while she’d investigated the back room, and she was very aware that he was being the perfect gentleman. The more she was around Gus, the more she liked him.

  “It’s perfect,” she told him, coming back into the main area. “Now, what kind of cash register are you going to have? And what kind of inventory control? Is it some kind of computer stuff that I won’t know how to use? Or will good old pen and paper work for you?”

  “We can certainly start off with paper books for accounts, but at some point, if you want to move to computer bookkeeping, I’d be happy to help set it up and get you get the proper training. I won’t rush you, though. I understand this is all very new to you, and as long as we have a system that works, I don’t really care if it’s longhand or database.” That was music to her ears. “Now, would you be willing to help me paint? I haven’t decided on a color scheme, and to be honest, I’m kind of hopeless at decorating. I can design and build the framework, but the finer points of making it look really finished are a bit beyond me.”

  “I’d be happy to paint. And I can help with some of the trim work, too. I’m not hopeless with a hammer, though I do need a bit of instruction if you want me to do anything fancy,” she told him truthfully. “What do you think of a creamy white on the back wall? If you’re going to have Native art in here, I’d stick with earth tones and keep it lighter so the room looks bigger. You only have natural light from the big front window in this shop, so you need to keep it bright in here to avoid the walls closing in.”

  “I like what I’m hearing,” Gus told her with an easy grin. “Would you like to see the apartments up top? They’re pretty much ready, except for the paint. But everything else is in and working.”

  “Sure, why not?” Laura went with him out the door of the shop and back toward a door that was mostly hidden in the hallway.

  It opened onto a staircase that wound upward. When they reached the top, she was in a smaller hallway with four doors roughly matching the shops below. He opened the one on the back of the building, and they went in.

  Laura stopped short in the doorway. The living room, which was the first room they entered, was dominated by large windows that looked out over the cove. The view was stunning from up here. There was furniture already in place. A sectional couch in neutral gray tones sat in front of the windows, with smaller chairs arranged beside it in a conversational grouping.

  Across from that was an open kitchen area, with white cabinets, gray tile, and stainless steel appliances. Just big enough for the size of the apartment. Not too small, not too large. A breakfast bar with stone countertops and high stools made the area cozy.

  “The bedrooms are back here,” Gus said, leading the way back past the kitchen area. “Two bedrooms and one bathroom in each unit,” he said, giving her the grand tour. “I figured one bedroom could be used as a guest room or office, if the renter is single. We have a lot of single bears in town, still, even though quite a few of our brothers have found their mates. Mated pairs usually want their own lair on their own territory, so the apartments are meant for bachelors, mostly. And mer. Some of them like to have places on land, as well as in the sea.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Laura peeked into the doorways of each of the three rooms in the back. The bathroom was done in that same light gray and white theme, and only one of the larger rooms had been done up as a bedroom. The other was empty. The bedroom needed finishing. There was a large bed there, but little else. No curtains, for example, though Laura noticed packages on the bed that looked like grey and white curtains and silver rods. They just had to be put up.

  “This place is lovely. I know you said you weren’t good at decorating, but I love this gray and white motif. It’s very calming,” she told him.

  He shook his head. “Urse picked out the finishes. I needed all the help I could get picking colors and styles of tile and fabric. She picked out the furniture, as well.”

  “Well, she has great taste,” Laura replied as they walked back into the main area. “This place is gorgeous.”

  “Look, I know you’re staying at the hotel,” Gus said, looking a bit pained as he brought up a subject that was a bit irritating to her at the moment.

  She didn’t like being a freeloader at the hotel, but there was simply no place else for her, right now. Her daughter was newly mated, but they’d only just purchased their own property, and the house wasn’t even built yet. They were both still living in the hotel, too.

  “I am,” Laura said, bristling a bit.

  “This place is empty, and if you wanted to move in here, I’d be grateful. I need someone to oversee the building. You’re a level-headed woman. I think I can trust you to be sort of the den mother for those who will be renting from me, both up here in the apartments and down in the shops. I would give you the apartment rent-free as long as you were willing to run interference for me with the tenants.”

  “Seriously?” That slipped out before she could censor her response.

  It seemed really too good to be true, but by the same token, he was a busy man with responsibilities to both the town and the nearby Native tribe. He probably did need help, and she certainly needed to be earning her own way. Maybe this was meant to be.

  “I mean…” She tried again. “If it’s really worth that much to you, I suppose I could at least give it a try. You know, my daughter and King might want to rent one of the apartments from you while they’re building their house. Would it be all right if I mentioned that possibility to them?”

  “Certainly,” Gus replied. “I know what the motel charges, and I’m friendly with the owner. As tourist season draws closer, he’s probably going to need as many rooms as he can clear for transient guests, so it might be a good solution all the way around.”

  He went on to name a sum for monthly rent that wasn’t too high, and not too low to be insulting. It was a fair price, and she thought it was also fair to count that as her compensation for taking care of his property. They were basically doing a trade, which was something she was very comfortable with. She would keep his property running smoothly and help all the tenants in return for a roof over her head. This could really work.

  Gus was pleased with the way things had turned out. Laura had agreed to move to the apartment and take care of the building. She would also run the shop, contingent on her approval by the tribal elders. Gus left her, feeling as if he’d accomplished a great deal, and went on to schedule a meeting for the next day between the elders and Laura. As long as they gave her the nod of approval, his plan to get her where he could keep an eye on her more easily might actually work.

  He felt a little strange about essentially conning the woman into moving into his building and running his business, but he knew it was ultimately for the good of the Clan. Big John didn’t often ask for favors, and Gus liked to accommodate him whenever possible. John was a good Alpha, a good leader. He had identified Laura as a possible threat to the stability of the community. Gus might disagree, but he had to admit, John had a right to be worried. It was, after all, his job and his vocation to worry about every soul that came under his protection.

  That’s why, against his better judgment, Gus had agreed to keep an eye on Laura. Better him than anybody else. At least Gus would try to be kind if it turned out that she was some sort of sleeper agent. He knew her, and her circumstances, well enough by now to truly believe that she was a good person at heart. She would not knowingly try to hurt anyone in this town.

  She might have good reason to wa
nt to rip the heads off of those who had kept her prisoner for so very long, but those evil beings were out of her reach for now. At this moment in time, her first task was to heal and mend the unavoidable rift from her only child. This was time for quiet reflection, soul searching, and getting to know her grown daughter. Reestablishing family ties that should never have been broken in the first place.

  Gus arranged the meeting with the tribal leadership, and they all agreed to come around to his place the next day. Gus called Laura at the hotel to give her the good news and tell her what time to expect him. He’d offered to pick her up at the hotel and bring her out to his place, since she didn’t have her own independent transportation. Sooner or later, she’d have to get something. Even a bicycle would make getting from one end of the town to the other much easier on her healing body. He’d have to look into what might be available. Maybe he’d talk with Ace and King. Perhaps they had something in mind for Laura, and if not, as the town’s new mechanics, they would be the most likely to be able to get something for her quickly.

  Perhaps they hadn’t thought about it. If not, Gus was going to put the bug in their ears and get them to start considering what the new womenfolk in their lives might need in the way of transport. Their spouses, of course, and the extended family—namely, Laura—as well.

  Gus would be happy to pay for a car for Laura, but he wasn’t sure how that would be received. She’d accepted the possibility of the apartment, only because he had convinced her that her presence in the building, as den mother, was a fair trade. He would pay her for her work in the shop, though they hadn’t discussed a salary yet. But he wasn’t sure how he could justify giving her a car in such a way as to not make her feel beholden to him.

  It was important to let her keep her pride. She was literally a stranger in a strange land. She came from a more primitive culture and had been imprisoned for over twenty years. Whatever skills she might have had were dated and probably not readily applicable to modern life. He’d have to tread carefully, so as not to insult her.