Grizzly Cove Volumes 1-3 Box Set

by Bianca D'Arc

  Naughtiness ensued, and pretty soon, she ended up back on the bed, her legs in the air. He was careful of her stiff leg, but he definitely let her know how much he’d enjoyed her attentions, in the most delicious way possible.

  When they were done, they had to hop in the shower again, but neither of them minded. Tina had a permanent smile on her face as she took her time finishing up in the shower, and Zak went on ahead to raid the kitchen, searching for breakfast.

  Chapter Eleven

  Zak looked perfectly at home in front of the stove, wielding a spatula like the knights of old probably wielded their swords. In other words, he was the consummate professional, with multiple pans filled with different enticing dishes, all going at once. There were scrambled eggs, laced with finely chopped chives and peppers freshly picked from the rooftop garden, seasoned potatoes that smelled divine, bacon cooking to perfection with a hint of maple in the air, and it looked like chocolate chip pancakes as some sort of dessert.

  Dessert with breakfast? She wasn’t going to argue. She knew from being around her brothers-in-law that bear shifters ate an awful lot. Zak would probably pack away most of this feast, but she wouldn’t mind tasting at least a little bit of each of the dishes he was preparing.

  She walked up to him, and he turned with a smile, leaning down to kiss her.

  “Mmm. Good morning,” she said, still a little sleepy. “Wish we didn’t have to get up so early today.”

  “Sorry. Have to. I’m on duty at nine. I hope you don’t mind I took a look around up on the roof then helped myself to some of the produce you grow up there. It’s really amazing what you’ve done with the garden.” He seemed so wide awake—bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as the saying went—that she couldn’t cultivate her usual morning grumpiness.

  Especially not after the night before. He’d shown her things she’d never known existed about pleasure. If their interlude in the grass had been hot—before being disrupted by a sea monster—last night had been explosive. Chernobyl-meltdown explosive, but in a good way.

  His lovemaking was powerful, but not harmful in any way, except maybe to her heart. Yeah, after what they’d shared last night, she was well and truly in love with the guy. Bear. Man. Bear guy. She shrugged. Whatever.

  She was still groggy when Zak stepped away and poured her a cup of coffee. He placed it in her hands with a smile, and she sipped.

  Heaven. Somehow, Zak had a talent that even made regular coffee beans taste better. He was some kind of genius in the kitchen, she was quickly discovering.

  They sat down to breakfast side by side at the kitchen table, spending the time together just enjoying each other’s company. Tina wasn’t a morning person as a rule, but just being with Zak improved her disposition. She couldn’t seem to stop smiling, and everything he’d cooked tasted out of this world.

  “You ever think of opening a restaurant?” she asked between bites of the fluffiest, tastiest eggs she’d ever eaten.

  “All the time.” He looked almost shy as he answered quietly. “I love to cook. Always have. But my life’s path hasn’t always been of my own choosing. Being a shifter limits you in some ways.”

  She contemplated his words as she nibbled at her small serving of spicy potatoes. “But the trade off is pretty awesome.” She smiled at him and was glad to see the humor return to his expression. “I think you’d be a great restaurateur. I’d help. And the bakery could supply all the bread you need. Unless… You don’t bake, do you?”

  He chuckled. “No. I don’t have the patience for it.”

  “Okay then. So what’s standing in your way?” She sensed a problem she could help solve. She’d already been through the creation of two new food businesses—the one here and the original in Portland. She’d learned a thing or two.

  “Mostly, it’s a matter of money,” he revealed. “I don’t have enough to build my house and start a business at the same time. I thought maybe after I got the house built, I’d begin saving up for the restaurant, but I don’t have the kind of funds some of the guys do, and I don’t really want to be indebted to any of them. I’ve run the numbers, and it’ll be years before I could even think of turning a profit in this remote a location, even with the projections Big John has on increasing tourism in the summer months.”

  “I’m impressed. It sounds like you’ve really looked at this seriously,” she said, meaning every word. She hadn’t dreamed there was such depth to her deputy. “But if it’s what you really want to do, there’s got to be a way to figure out how to make it happen. Like I said, I’ll help. In any way that I can.”

  “I appreciate that, Tina. I really do.” He held her gaze for a moment before returning to the project of demolishing the huge portion of eggs and bacon he’d dished up for himself. That, it seemed, was the end of that.

  Tina decided to let the topic lie. She’d heard the disappointment in his voice when he’d talked about the realities of the situation. She had learned something important about Zak in this brief exchange.

  He had a dream, but he didn’t have the resources to make it work just yet. Maybe he never would. But Tina was no slouch when it came to business. She resolved to quietly look into things. Maybe there was something she could do to help.

  As it turned out, when the mail arrived just after Zak had left for work, a potential solution presented itself. Master Hiram had sent a thank you letter—along with a very fat check. His note said the money was to cover any clean up or inconvenience his recent visit might have caused.

  She snorted at the euphemism. It would have been really inconvenient if he had killed someone in his blood-starved state. Zak had explained what he knew about vampires and the dire straits Hiram must’ve been in when he arrived, bleeding, on her doorstep.

  Tina couldn’t accept such a large check from the Master, but his letter did give her an idea. She just had to call John to run it past him first, since the Alpha bear might object to getting the Master vampire involved any further in the doings of Grizzly Cove.

  Later that evening, after speaking with John, and just before Zak usually arrived at the bakery to keep watch over her for the night, Tina had a window of opportunity. She placed the call to Hiram’s private number just after dark.

  “Master Hiram? This is Tina Baker in Grizzly Cove.” She was nervous, but she would do just about anything to help Zak achieve his dream.

  “What can I do for you, Miss Baker?” If the vampire was surprised by her call, his urbane manner hid it well.

  “I wanted to thank you for the wine and let you know that, while I appreciate the gesture, I cannot accept the check that arrived today.” She didn’t pause to let him argue but forged right ahead. “However, I do have a proposal I’d like to put forth, with Big John’s agreement.”

  She drew breath while, it seemed, Hiram thought over her words. Finally, he broke the silence.

  “I must admit, I am intrigued. What do you propose, Miss Baker?”

  “The deputy, Zak Flambeau, is a close…uh…friend of mine.” Darn it. She could’ve phrased that a little better. “It turns out, he has always dreamed of opening a restaurant, but he doesn’t have the capital yet to both build his new home on the property he just purchased and build a restaurant. If you’re willing, the Alpha has agreed that the money you so generously offered to give me could be put to better use building a new business here in Grizzly Cove, in which you’d be a silent partner. You can work out the political details with John, but when I spoke to him, he liked the idea of a closer alliance between his people and yours and thought this might be a good first step.”

  She skipped the part about John thinking it was hilariously ironic that a vampire who couldn’t eat food would be part owner of a restaurant.

  “Does your…friend…know about your ideas yet?” Hiram sounded amused.

  “Zak? Um, no, not yet. He should be arriving here in a few minutes, and I wanted to talk to you first.”

  “My dear, I admire your pluck.” Hiram was chuckling quietly
on the other end of the line. “By all means, lay out your plan for the deputy and let him know that I can easily double the sum, if needed. I will, indeed, call John Marshall to confirm and clarify all points of this arrangement, but I, too, like the sound of an alliance. Everything I’ve seen of your little community impresses me, and I think it’s important for those of us on the side of Light to band together at this time.”

  She didn’t understand everything he was implying, but she shivered, realizing the vampire Master had confirmed some of the exact thoughts John had shared with her. This was more than a business partnership. This was going to be the beginning of an alliance between the Master vampire—and those under his command—and the shifters of Grizzly Cove. Tina hadn’t realized it when she’d come up with the idea of how to use Hiram’s money, but apparently, she was brokering a diplomatic deal here, even as she tried to help Zak start his business.

  “Thank you so much,” she said, realizing Zak’s dream was well on its way to coming true with Hiram’s backing.

  “You’re very welcome, my dear. Now, I heard you had a run-in with a mini version of what attacked my yacht,” Hiram said, surprising her.

  She told him what she could about the tentacle that had come out of the cove to grab her leg, comparing notes with him on his own experience. They arrived at the scary conclusion that whatever had attacked Tina had, indeed, been a much smaller version of what had chomped on Hiram’s yacht and injured him so grievously.

  “I think it’s best that we all stay far away from the water for the time being,” he concluded. “Until we figure out what, exactly, is down there, lurking in the depths, it seems we are all in danger. I will talk more with John about this, but thank you for sharing your experiences. Now, about the restaurant—I’d be obliged if you told Zak that I can arrange for the best vintages from the Maxwell Winery, if he’d like. Similar to the cases I sent you. Atticus Maxwell is an old friend of mine, and he owes me a favor.”

  Tina had an inkling of what a coup that would be for Zak’s business, since the Maxwell Winery was one of the very best in the world and had limited distribution. To be able to count on serving their wines in Zak’s restaurant was a very exciting prospect.

  “Oh! I’ll tell him. Thank you so much, Master Hiram. I know he was really impressed with the bottles we opened last night. He told me all about the awards Maxwell had won and how hard it was to come by some of his best vintages.”

  “Please, my dear, call me Hiram. I sense your discomfort with my title, and to be frank, you are one of the first mortals I have spoken to casually in a very long time. I’d like it if you might consider me a friend.”

  Tina thought about that for a moment, then smiled. “Then please call me Tina, Hiram. I’m glad you found my bakery when you needed help, even if I was a bit confused about the situation at the time.”

  “Confused is much better than frightened, I assure you,” he admitted in a quiet voice. She got the feeling he didn’t confide in anyone, and her heart went out to him for what must be a very lonely existence. “Zak is a very brave individual, and I think you will find great happiness together. I’m glad to be part of building your future, even in this small way. Please feel free to call anytime, Tina. I find I have enjoyed talking with you.” He seemed almost surprised by his last statement.

  “When we open the restaurant, I hope you can come to the party.”

  “I’ll discuss that—and many other points—with the Alpha, but I think this marks a new era of cooperation between our communities. I confess, I am somewhat amazed that this has all come about due to your generous thoughts and actions. I did not know mortals still had hearts so big that they could accept and even want to help those of us who are so different.”

  “I don’t think you’re that different, Hiram,” she said softly. “You can still be hurt, even with all your power. You still feel. You still have hopes and—like Zak and his restaurant—dreams. What I’ve seen since I learned shifters were real, and now knowing that your kind exists as well, tells me that we’re not all that different inside, where it counts.”

  “You are very wise for one so young,” Hiram said after a moment’s pause. “I look forward to seeing what you and Zak build together, and I wish you all the best.”

  “Thanks, Hiram. I’m sure Zak will want to thank you himself when he learns of my scheming, but I know he’s going to be so very grateful. He really is a genius in the kitchen, and I think he’s felt as if he hasn’t contributed any art to the whole artists’ colony concept here. If he has a kitchen of his own, there will be artistry, I can assure you. And the whole town will benefit. Thanks to you.”

  “Mostly to you, my dear,” he corrected her. “Without your generous heart, this project would never have been devised.”

  They hung up after a few more words, and Tina couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Zak was going to get his restaurant a lot sooner than he thought.

  Chapter Twelve

  Zak couldn’t really believe how fast things started moving once Tina decided he should open his restaurant. Not only had she figured out a plan to make it happen, she’d cleared it with John and Master Hiram even before telling Zak about it.

  Nobody had ever gone so far out of their way for him before. He felt…loved.

  They hadn’t talked about their feelings since he’d dared to ask her to see him exclusively. He was trying to go slow, to win over her human sensibilities, but then she went and did something like this…

  He didn’t know what to think. He was touched. Humbled and touched so very deeply. He couldn’t voice his feelings. He only knew how to show her. And he did his best to show her each and every time they made love after that amazing night when she’d gone out of her way to help him make his business dreams come true.

  Zak spent every night in the apartment above the bakery with Tina and almost every moment off-duty with her. She was helping him plan the restaurant, and Big John had given him the empty lot next to the bakery to build it on. With Hiram’s money, they were able to fast-track the project, getting architectural plans prepared sooner than Zak would have believed.

  About a week after she’d surprised him with the business proposal for Hiram’s money, she was seated beside him as his building plans went up before the town council for consideration and approval.

  The process wasn’t overly complicated, but even though Brody and John had seen the plans, the rest of the top lieutenants would get a chance to comment and make suggestions before the project could get started. John ran the group that way. Always had. He was a lot more democratic than many shifter leaders. Then again, bears were a lot more independent than most other groups of shifters. And this group was made up of many different kinds of bears.

  John was the kind of leader who could hold such a diverse group together. Few others had the kind of charisma and patience it took to deal with this crazy band of shifters and the social experiment they were all engaging in by building this new community.

  “Up for consideration next is Zak and Tina’s new restaurant,” John said, catching Zak by surprise, finally turning the agenda to Zak’s big moment.

  Copies of the plans were spread out on the big table around which the town council was gathered. A few of the guys leaned in for a closer look at the blueprints, and Zak held his breath until he saw them nodding as they examined the plans.

  “Financing for this deal is something special,” John went on, regaining the attention of the rest of the group. “The lovely and talented Tina Baker has brokered a deal with Master Hiram of Seattle. He’s fronting the money to build the restaurant and will be a silent partner.”

  “Is that wise?” one of the men asked. “Do we want to be that deeply entwined with the vampire master?”

  John sighed deeply before answering. “I think we have no choice but to embrace a closer relationship with anyone who’s on the right side of things. Hiram is sworn to the Light. As are we. If that sea monster and its ugly friends are on the other side—whi
ch I tend to believe—we might need all the allies we can find. Plus, with what’s been going on in the wider world—all the strange and troubling events of the past few months I’ve been briefed on by the Lords—I like the idea of having an ancient and powerful vamp to call on if we need help out here.”

  “This arrangement also helps Master Hiram keep up his façade of mortality. We can all swear to seeing him eat, right? And he gets to be a restaurateur in a town that will back him up, no questions asked,” Tom added.

  “Hiram has good contacts too,” Tina put in, doing her best to help. “He’s arranging for the Maxwell Winery in Napa to provide some of their rarest and best vintages for the cellar. That might bring in more of Hiram’s people who want to spend an evening at the seaside, which means more revenue for the town. From what I understand, most of those vampires are loaded.”

  Zak had to chuckle at Tina’s enthusiasm. He put his hand over hers on the table, and she beamed over at him. With her on his side, he couldn’t help but come out on top, right?

  “What it boils down to is this…” John said, taking over the meeting once more. “We all know how good Zak is in the kitchen. Food prep is his art. It’s what he can contribute to the community, even more than being the deputy sheriff. Frankly, if we keep growing—and I think we’re on a good path for growth right now—we’re going to need to expand the police force anyway. More than that, we’re going to need more businesses for the townsfolk and all those tourists we hope to attract down the road. We have the bakery, but as hard as the sisters try, they can’t offer three meals a day for everyone in town, and a lot of us bachelors still don’t know how to cook much more than steaks on the grill. Am I right?” Nods all around greeted the Alpha’s rhetorical question. “Zak’s place will offer an alternative. Something a little heartier than the sandwiches and sweets at the bakery. Something we can enjoy for dinner that we don’t have to cook ourselves or hunt in our fur. What do you say?”