Billionaire Chef Bear
By
Natalie Kristen
Copyright © 2017 Natalie Kristen
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the author's written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author's written permission.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are used fictitiously or are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual locales, events, establishments or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
The author does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
Beast Bears
Billionaire Boss Bear (Book 1)
Billionaire Chef Bear (Book 2)
About this Book
Dean Howell literally walks into the woman of his dreams just outside his restaurant. She is wearing a long, heavy cloak and appears to be skulking around in the dark. She just needs to borrow a large soup pot from the kitchen. That’s what she says. But Dean knows there is more to that mysterious, alluring female than meets the eye…
Layla Rivera is painfully aware that she is a good baker but a clumsy witch. Her little bakery, The Magic Oven, is a success, but her spell-casting attempts are much less successful.
She has had even less luck with men, but when she meets that sexy, handsome, protective Dean from Dean’s Kitchen, Layla allows herself to hope and dream a little. Other girls could meet and date nice guys, so why couldn’t she?
As Dean and Layla’s love blossoms, secrets from the past begins to surface. Guilt and remorse darken their future, but Layla is determined to stand by her man and fight for their family.
But can love conquer all this time?
CHAPTER ONE
Layla Rivera glanced at the clock on the wall of her bakery and gave a start. “Oh shit,” she muttered. Just where did the time go? She had to put everything away and close up in a hurry if she didn’t want to be late.
And no, she didn’t want to be late. This was a very important meeting.
Layla whirled round as the door chime sounded and two customers waltzed into her little bakery. “Good evening, welcome to The Magic Oven,” Layla said automatically. She beamed when she saw two of her best and most loyal customers standing in her shop.
“Hi, Layla!” Mrs Chen and her daughter, Celeste, greeted her with similar warm, wide smiles.
Layla grinned. She was always happy to see them. Mrs Chen and Celeste had been supporting her bakery since the beginning of time. Well, since the day she opened, to be exact.
They were her neighbors and her first and best customers ever. Mrs Chen lived with her daughter, son-in-law and seven grandchildren in the two-story house across the street from Layla. Mrs Chen and Celeste worked in the same company, and the two women often dropped by after work to grab buns and muffins for their large family. Celeste’s seven children were huge fans of The Magic Oven. Her colorful cupcakes were especially popular with the younger kids.
“What can I get you today?” Layla asked, glancing at her near empty trays. A big group of tourists had spilled into her shop today and business had been brisk. Those happy, chattering tourists had bought almost everything on the shelves. There were only a few muffins and cookies left.
Mrs Chen looked around, beaming. “Well done, Layla. It looks like you did a roaring trade today.”
“Yeah, it was a really good day. I wish there were more days like today,” Layla answered with a lopsided smile.
“Don’t worry, word will get around,” Celeste said stoutly. “The Magic Oven is the best bakery in the neighborhood.”
“Thank you. You know I couldn’t have done it without you. You’ve helped me so much...” Layla began.
Mrs Chen waved a hand. “My grandchildren love everything you make.” She peered at the remaining baked goods left on the trays and said, “We’ll take everything that’s left. Just pack them all up!”
“Oh, of course.” Layla hurried to pack the muffins and cookies into a nice paper box. “I haven’t seen the kids in a while. They must be busy with their schoolwork and activities. Please send them my love,” she said, handing the box over.
As Mrs Chen took the box, Celeste dug into her bag for her wallet. “How much...”
Layla held up a hand. “My treat.”
“No,” Mrs Chen and Celeste protested together. “We can’t...”
“Please,” Layla insisted. “This is just a box of leftovers really.”
“You’re running a business, Layla,” Mrs Chen said. “You can’t keep giving away...”
Layla winked. “I’m only having this special giveaway today. The promotion expires in...three minutes. You guys got here just in time!”
The two women shook their heads and laughed. “All right then. Thanks, Layla! But just this once.”
Once Mrs Chen and Celeste left the bakery, Layla flipped the sign to “Closed” and scurried to the back of the shop with the empty trays. After cleaning and drying the trays, she turned off all the lights and locked up.
As Layla stood on the street corner, she turned and stared at her reflection in the darkened window of her bakery.
“The Magic Oven,” she said the name of her bakery out loud. It was her mom who had come up with the name.
Layla managed a small smile as conflicting emotions swelled within her.
The Magic Oven would be one year old tomorrow, and Layla wished that her mom was here to celebrate this milestone with her.
Her mom had been her cheerleader, her best friend, her rock. But her mom had passed away six months ago. Endora hadn’t been sick. She had simply gone to bed one night, and died peacefully in her sleep. Her mother departed this life with no fuss, sadness or regret.
Witches viewed life as only one leg of a long journey. To them, death was simply a portal to their next exciting adventure. There were so many different realms to be explored and adventures to be had. Nothing was forever.
Endora had accomplished everything she’d set out to do in this life. It was time for her to move on, so she did.
Layla’s mom had always loved exploring new places and meeting new people, and they moved around quite a lot when Layla was younger.
It was only after Layla opened her bakery that her mother realized that Layla had plans to stay put in this sleepy little suburb. She was going to stay and build her business. No more moving for her. She was an adult now and she was going to start building something for herself.
Endora finally saw that her daughter was all grown up and had her own life to live. Layla had her own dreams and plans, and so did Endora. Her daughter was now an independent, capable young woman and Endora was free to embark on her next great adventure into the unknown.
Endora might be spirited and carefree but she wasn’t irresponsible. She made sure that everything was in order before she departed.
Endora left a detailed will, bequeathing all her worldly possessions to Layla. She left her car, all her jewelry and clothes, including her witch’s cloak and hat to her only daughter.
Endora had enclosed a letter with her will. In it, she had expressed how proud she was of Layla. She encouraged Layla to use all her talents and gifts well and
wisely. The letter was imbued with boundless love and joy, and Layla could feel her mother’s deep love and well wishes for her as she read the letter.
In the letter, Endora had also expressed her final and fondest wish for her dearest daughter.
Endora wanted Layla to take her place in the Dumplings Coven.
CHAPTER TWO
Layla pulled up in front of her house and cut the engine of her trusty, hardy little car. It was her mom’s car and the dents and scratches on its body spoke volumes about Endora’s parking skills.
Layla winced as she looked at her watch. She had to get dressed in a hurry if she didn’t want to be late.
Rushing into the house, she skidded into her bedroom and grabbed the cloak from the cupboard. She threw the black cloak over her shoulders with a flourish and fastened the clasp.
As she inspected herself in the mirror, she thought that she was forgetting something.
“Oh yes! The hat!” she cried. “Mustn’t forget the hat.”
Snatching the pointed hat from the cupboard, she jammed the tall black hat down on her head and drew herself up to her full five-foot-three height.
Layla smirked.
She looked like a real witch.
Her smile slowly faded as Layla stared at her reflection. She looked so much like her mother, with her wavy black hair, chocolate brown eyes, upturned nose and full, plump lips. Her mother, Endora, was a beautiful woman, tall, slim and graceful. Layla had inherited her mother’s looks but not her figure. She was round and curvy, and she didn’t have her mother’s grace and flair.
Her mother had taught Layla everything she knew. Endora had been a capable, competent witch, and she had tried her best to train Layla. She taught Layla how to bake and have fun.
Endora always made spell casting look so easy. The first time Layla cast a spell, she’d set the couch on fire.
Her mom hadn’t been too upset though. “You just need more practice, Layla. Don’t be afraid of your magic. You may get it wrong sometimes, but if you don’t practice, you’ll never get it right. Use it or lose it. You have magic in your blood. You are a witch, Layla, and you’ll be a great witch one day.”
But Layla wasn’t so sure. Her spells never seemed to work the way they should and her potions tended to have some unintended and embarrassing side effects. After many more mishaps and disasters, Layla finally decided that it would be unfair and unethical for her to continue inflicting her wayward spells on the world. The world was better off with one less witch and one more baker.
She had to face the hard truth. She was a talented baker, but a talentless witch.
Yet, in her letter, Endora had expressed her fervent hope that Layla would step into her shoes and take her place in her coven.
To be a member of a coven, one had to be a witch.
Layla blew out a breath.
Was she really a witch? She hadn’t practiced magic in a while and it had been ages since she last cast a spell.
Layla touched her mother’s cloak and closed her eyes. “I miss you, Mom, so much,” she whispered. “I know you’ve always wanted me to fulfill my potential as a witch. But...you’ve seen for yourself how clumsy and hopeless I am at spell-casting.”
She sighed and gave a wistful smile. “I’ll try not to let you down, Mom. I’ll do my best tonight.”
She would be going to her first coven meeting tonight.
Endora had explained to Layla that every coven had to have at least three members. There had to be a Maiden, a Mother and a Crone. With Endora’s passing, there would be a void in the coven since the Dumplings Coven had just three members.
If Layla refused to join the coven, it would mean the end of the Dumplings Coven. Aunt Ruth and Aunt Ursa would have to go and find themselves another coven to join.
That wasn’t what Endora wanted. She wanted them to carry on, live long and prosper even after she was gone.
Endora had founded the Dumplings Coven with her two sisters, Ruth and Ursa. “Not every witch needs to join a coven,” Endora had told Layla. “But being part of a coven allows you to grow as a witch and as a person. You learn and laugh together, and you can create so much more magic as a coven. It’s a lot more fun to be part of a coven than to be a solitary witch. I want that for you, Layla. I want you to have fun!”
Fun.
Right. Layla had never felt more stressed in her life.
She had spent almost every night memorizing and revising all her spells and formulas to prepare for her first coven meeting. She wanted to do her mom proud and impress her aunts.
Layla took a long breath and checked herself in the mirror one last time.
It was time to go.
CHAPTER THREE
Aunt Ruth and Aunt Ursa had texted her the venue for their coven meeting. They changed their meeting place every few months just for the heck of it.
Aunt Ruth and Aunt Ursa were her mother’s younger sisters. They lived just a town away, in Springlake but the three sisters always gathered at the agreed venue for their monthly coven meetings. The venue could be a bar, a club or a new restaurant one of them had been dying to try. Layla thought that the coven meetings were really just an excuse for the sisters to meet up and paint the town red.
But Aunt Ruth and Aunt Ursa seemed to have decided on a more solemn tone for this meeting. This was their first official coven meeting after their sister’s passing.
For tonight, Aunt Ruth and Aunt Ursa had insisted that they all don their cloaks and pointed hats, and meet in the clearing of the woods under the full moon.
“There’ll be a cauldron too,” Aunt Ruth had informed Layla. “You know, like in the old days. And maybe thunder, lightning and rain.”
“No, no. No lightning and rain, Ruth,” Aunt Ursa had retorted sharply. “There’s no shelter in the woods.”
“Good point.”
Layla had simply listened and agreed with everything her aunts said. Her aunts were experienced witches, while she was merely a novice witch. What did she know about coven rituals and practices?
She would just go along with the older witches and try not to trip up. Her aunts wouldn’t ask her to cast a spell tonight, would they?
They might. Just to test her.
She really hoped she wouldn’t forget all those incantations that she had been cramming into her head for the past few months.
Layla jumped into her car and sped towards Haywood Park. The park was at the edge of the neighborhood, and there was a forest just behind the park.
Layla looked up at the moon and saw that it was shining really brightly tonight. Good. The woods would be well-illuminated.
As Layla drove down the narrow street and neared the park, she saw a long line of cars parked at the side of the curb.
“What the...” She frowned. “What’s everybody doing here tonight? Is someone having a party in the park?”
A small but very crowded restaurant came into view. “Oh right,” Layla muttered. “Dean’s Kitchen.”
Dean’s Kitchen was a very popular restaurant that was just beside the park. The little restaurant was always bursting at the seams at dinner time.
She’d heard that the food was really good, but the restaurant was perpetually fully booked. Besides, Layla didn’t really have the time to eat out. She was too busy with her bakery in the day and working hard on her forgotten magical knowledge in the evenings.
Finally, Layla managed to wedge her car between two shiny, swanky cars. She arched her brow at the expensive-looking cars. Apparently the patrons of Dean’s Kitchen were well-heeled folks who had traveled all the way from the big city.
Layla’s phone rang as she locked her car doors.
Patting her cloak frantically, she located her phone in one of the many hidden pockets and pulled it out. “Hi, Aunt Ruth,” she answered breathlessly. “I’m on my way. I’m just in front...”
“Hey, Layla.” Aunt Ruth’s cheery voice came on the line. “Do you happen to have a cauldron with you?”
“A
cauldron?” Layla started. “No, I’m afraid...”
“Darn! What about a soup pot?”
Layla blinked. “What...”
“We need a pot, preferably a very large one,” Aunt Ruth went on. “Would you be a dear and bring the pot with you?”
“You want me to bring a soup pot to our coven meeting?” Layla’s eyes rounded.
“Yep. Ursa’s grandkids sneaked into her basement and banged a hole in her cauldron.”
“Oh...”
“So, we’d just have to do with a pot.” Aunt Ruth huffed. “Hurry, Layla. Ursa and I are already at the clearing. See you in a while. Oh, and don’t forget the pot!”
Before Layla could respond, the line went dead.
Layla sputtered and gaped at her phone. She hadn’t heard wrongly, had she?
A large pot? Aunt Ruth said to bring a large soup pot because their cauldron was broken.
Made sense.
In a strange, bizarre way.
Layla pocketed her phone and looked around in confusion.
Where was she going to get a large soup pot? There wasn’t enough time for her to race home and grab a pot from her kitchen. Her aunts were waiting for her.
Layla chewed the inside of her cheek furiously, trying to come up with a solution. She was pacing to and fro, scowling at her polished black boots when the sound of laughter and cheerful voices floated towards her.
She jerked her head up to see a group of people spilling out of the restaurant. They were laughing and talking as they strolled to their cars.
Layla blinked rapidly as she stared at the cozy restaurant, the answer coming to her in a rush. That’s it! A restaurant would have pots and pans in its kitchen.
They could spare a soup pot, couldn’t they? She would ask the staff very nicely if she could please borrow one of their pots. Just for an hour or so. For a coven meeting.
Billionaire Chef Bear: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Beast Bears Book 2) Page 1