The Bear's Nanny

by Amy Star

  Ainslie slept well that night, with Malik’s warmth spooned up behind her and his arm draped over her middle, heavy and comforting.

  *

  There were three days until the next full moon, and Ainslie’s excitement was growing. Considering that, it was no surprise that Malik managed to surprise her; she was as oblivious as anything that day.

  He shuttled the girls out of the house in the mid-afternoon and told Ainslie that they were going to a sleepover, and that was all he said on the topic. He wouldn’t answer any of Ainslie’s questions after he told her to get dressed in something nice, nor when he was ushering her out of the house and into the car. He kept mum as he drove the car not into Grey Chapel, but into Crestholme, no matter how Ainslie prodded and nagged at him to figure out what was going on.

  She figured it out pretty quickly, of course, when he pulled the car to a halt on the curb in front of a restaurant. The sign read The Hidden Garden in elegant script, and though Ainslie had never been inside it—when would she have been able to afford it?—she had heard rave reviews about it.

  She stared in awe as Malik led her inside and gave his name to the hostess, and she gaped as the hostess led them through the restaurant to the back garden, to where their table awaited.

  It was only once the hostess took their drink orders and bustled away that Ainslie leveled an expectant look on Malik and wondered, “How long have you been planning this?”

  “Oh, not for too long,” he replied easily, waving the question off. “They don’t take reservations that far out; only a few weeks in advance.”

  Ainslie rolled her eyes with good-natured exasperation. That hadn’t quite been the question she was asking.

  “Well, if this place is actually as good as I’ve heard, then those few weeks are going to be well worth it,” she replied, folding one arm on the table. She leaned one elbow beside her arm and perched her chin in her hand, leaning closer to him as she did.

  The food was incredible, of course. She hadn’t expected anything else.

  *

  There were only two days left until the next full moon and when the girls got back to the house in the early afternoon, they were beginning to get excited. Even Andy seemed to be looking forward to it, much of her anger and resentment soothed by the knowledge that she didn’t need to spend the full moon alone, isolated from the rest of her family for a reason she couldn’t control.

  It was good to see them in such good moods. They chattered and laughed as they walked with Ainslie along the sidewalk in Grey Chapel as she led them to the park, because with all three of them being spritely meant that there was no end to their energy and if they kept bouncing off of the walls in the house then Ainslie was going to go insane. Much better, she decided, to let them bounce off the playground equipment.

  She had Paisley’s hand in one of her own and Lily’s in the other. Paisley’s other hand held tight to Andy’s, and every so often they lifted the small girl, her shoes leaving the cement as she whooshed through the air until her shoes touched the ground again. She laughed and laughed each time, as if she really was flying.

  It was a pleasantly cool afternoon and the sun was high in the sky. Leaves littered the sidewalk from the trees that lined the road on either side, and every restaurant and cafe they walked past smelled amazing.

  It was a good afternoon, all things considered, even if Ainslie had to carry Paisley back to the car after they were done at the park.

  *

  There was just a day until the next full moon. Or just a night, rather. Ainslie tried to keep herself busy that day to make sure she had burned off all of her energy by the time she headed to bed, tried to avoid repeating the mistakes of last time when she’d barely slept, but it didn’t work out. Instead she just found herself feeling completely worn out as she sprawled in bed, and yet still too wired to sleep. She stared at the ceiling. Malik breathed deep and even beside her.

  There had been an odd conversation with Maria earlier that day, and it came back to Ainslie then as she watched the way the wind in the trees shifted the shadows over the ceiling.

  From what Ainslie had gathered, Maria had never shown much interest in the were-animal aspects of the Carson family’s life. She had never accompanied them to the farm for a full moon. Considering that, something she had said stood out in Ainslie’s mind.

  “There’s nothing you need to worry about; I won’t be anywhere near the house tonight. Sometimes people other than Mr. Carson and his family have plans on such a night, too.”

  Of course, Ainslie was entirely aware it could have meant nothing. It was just the way she phrased it in terms of the full moon that set the alarm bells in Ainslie’s head to ringing. Warning, warning, be on the lookout.

  She had acknowledged before that she could just be paranoid about certain things. She still acknowledged that then. But even so, she was never not going to worry about Malik and the girls.

  She turned the words over and over in her mind, trying to puzzle some sort of secret meaning out of them. Not that she expected it to do much good; she had already proven that she wasn’t any good at puzzles or codes or mysteries.

  It was late enough that it was early by the time she finally fell asleep, and she supposed she was just doomed to a string of exhausted full moons. She wasn’t too bothered. If the last time was any indication, she would be too busy to notice that she was tired.

  It was a good feeling, in a strange way. Though she knew it would be better if she just got a full night of sleep, she was still looking forward to it, regardless.

  CHAPTER 13

  The car ride went about as smoothly as could be expected with three children crammed into the back seat. The car didn’t crash and no one wanted to kill anyone by the time they were getting closer to the farm, so it could probably be called a success.

  Arriving at Rose and Jackson’s house was basically the same as it was the first time, leaving Ainslie feeling startlingly prepared for how the night was going to go. Andy seemed to enjoy tracking her father and her grandmother through the woods. Ainslie couldn’t say she didn’t find her own entertainment in it, and she had remembered to bring a water bottle and a supply of her favorite granola bars with her that time. Andy may have been twelve and may have had the energy stored to go all night gallivanting around without feeling an urge to refuel her tank, but Ainslie was not so lucky.

  Everything seemed rather the same as last time when they arrived. Horses to one side, cows to the other, and the lights cheerfully alit within the windows. A few decorations had been added, so wreaths made of dried sticks and cloth leaves in reds and oranges and browns and golds hung from the outside of the front door and from the second story windows, making the house look even warmer.

  Ainslie wondered if Thanksgiving would be happening at the farm or if it would be happening at Malik’s house. In either case, Ainslie decided that coming up with something exciting for dessert would be prudent.

  No sooner did they pull into the driveway and cut the engine than the front door of the house was opening and Rose and Jackson were jogging out to meet them. Once again, Ainslie was enveloped in a pair of equally warm hugs before the group filed into the house once again. Malik led Ainslie by the hand as they walked.

  Rose insisted that Ainslie and Malik didn’t need to help with dinner, and as it was, the girls were demanding Malik’s attention as Jackson took them outside to see the newest baby goat. Ainslie stayed behind though, keeping Rose company in the kitchen and making idle conversation. They didn’t know each other—there hadn’t been a chance to get to know each other—but Ainslie would have liked to.

  She did manage to convince Rose to let her help set the table at least, and once the settings were arranged and the food was laid out, it was Ainslie who leaned out the back to holler, “Dinner’s ready! Get in here or we’re eating it all without you!”

  And just like last time, everyone ate an amount that seemed like it should have fed a small army rather than just a single tabl
e of people. Conversation around the table was cheerful, whether it was Rose and Jackson filling everyone in on the goings-on around the farm, Malik explaining the newest project at work, Lily complaining about the barbarianism that was math class, Paisley rambling at length about anything and everything that came to mind, or Andy explaining the inspiration behind her next song. For her own part, Ainslie was content to simply listen and offer commentary when asked for her thoughts on something.

  And afterwards, Ainslie and Malik dealt with tidying up the kitchen while Rose, Jackson, and Andy disappeared into another room so Andy could offer a sneak peek of the song.

  Everything seemed to be going so similarly to the last visit that Ainslie was taken more than a little off-guard when it finally deviated.

  She didn’t hear anyone return from the other room, and when Rose pulled Ainslie aside just after dinner was cleaned up, she wasn’t sure if she should be mildly anxious or if she should fear for her life. Rose didn’t look angry, but Ainslie also didn’t know how good of an actor she was, so she wasn’t willing to rely on her surface impression.

  With two mugs of apple cider in her hands, Rose led Ainslie out onto the back porch. Handing one of the mugs over, she stated plainly, “You’re more to my son-in-law than just the girls’ nanny.” It was not a question. She wasn’t asking; she already knew.

  Even so, Ainslie nodded stiffly a few times, staring down into her mug and swirling the contents in slow, lazy circles. “Yeah,” she confirmed. “For about a month now.”

  Rose hummed, low and thoughtful, but she didn’t say anything at first. Eventually, she observed, “The girls adore you.”

  A smile ghosted across Ainslie’s face for a moment, unconscious and unbidden, as she thought of the girls.

  Quietly, Rose huffed out a quiet laugh, as if she had already found what she was looking for. “You know,” she sighed gently, “I think my daughter would have liked you.”

  Slowly, Ainslie offered her a lopsided, slightly bewildered smile. She hadn’t even known she was being tested until just moments before, but she still got the impression that it was a test she had passed.

  They lingered on the porch for a short while, drinking their cider and watching the sun sink towards the horizon.

  *

  “Ready to go?” Andy asked, sidling up to Ainslie’s side as Rose and Malik disappeared into the woods in two different directions. She was holding a camera in both hands, its strap looped over her head.

  Ainslie shrugged her jacket on and patted her oversized pockets to make sure she had her granola bars and her water bottle. Upon feeling that they were all there, she nodded once. “Ready.”

  Andy didn’t bother saying anything else. She simply hugged the camera closer to her chest and set off at a spritely lope into the woods with Ainslie trotting after her.

  If Andy had a particular goal in mind or a particular target she wanted to aim her camera at, she said nothing to indicate it. She didn’t slow from her lope until both of them were deep in the woods, though it seemed so much brighter than last time with the lack of leaves. As they slowed, Andy looked around, head craning in every direction. And then her expression brightened as if she was remembering something and she turned on her heel and bounded farther into the woods, Ainslie following close behind.

  It wasn’t until they got closer to the newly acquired goal that Ainslie could hear the sounds of a stream burbling, and as they got closer, she could understand why Andy had decided that was the goal. With the surface of the water covered in leaves and all sorts of plant life sprouting along the banks on either side of the water, it was quite an impressive sight to behold. Not in the way mountains or a thunderstorm were impressive, but in the way a painting was impressive; in a way that simply meant it was a joy to look at it.

  Andy lifted the camera to her face to peer through it, and she shuffled back and forth for a moment before she found an angle she was happy with. The flash lit up the area as she clicked the button.

  Afterwards, she stared down at it for a moment before nodding once in satisfaction. She held the camera out to the side after that so Ainslie could see it.

  Ainslie peered at it with interest, and… well, photography was not one of Andy’s skills, but the beauty of the stream was still apparent and the memories attached to it were more important than the aesthetic value, anyway. With a grin, Ainslie offered a thumbs up, and with an answering smile, Andy tucked the camera close to her chest before taking off once again, Ainslie bounding after her to keep pace.

  They bounded along at an easy pace, until Andy abruptly stumbled to a halt and Ainslie nearly crashed into her back. If she squinted, she could just see the hulking, slightly rounded shape of Malik in the distance. They watched him for a few moments until he turned to keep walking, throwing himself into profile as he did. Not wasting a moment, Andy lifted the camera to catch a slightly blurry, too hasty photo of his silhouette.

  As Ainslie looked at the photo, she thought the hazy quality worked, making Malik’s shape look almost ghostly in the distance. If nothing else, Andy didn’t seem bothered by it, as she was content to let the camera dangle from her neck as Malik continued lumbering away.

  At least he kept lumbering away until Andy cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Hi, Dad!”

  Malik paused mid-stride before he turned to look at them, head cocked to one side. As Andy and Ainslie both waved, Malik made a low, grumbling noise in their direction in acknowledgement. It looked like he was going to turn the whole way in their direction, until Andy flapped a hand at him, signaling to him that he could carry on with whatever he had been doing.

  He paused for a moment longer before he shrugged as best as a bear could reasonably be expected to and turned to mosey along on his way.

  They watched him go for only a moment before they turned almost as one and kept moving. There was a lot of ground to cover if they wanted to see anything they hadn’t already spotted last month.

  *

  They moved at a leisurely jog, so Ainslie didn’t need to worry about dropping anything and Andy didn’t need to worry about her camera trying to strangle her. They were a few hours into the night when they finally paused, sitting down on a toppled log. Ainslie pulled two granola bars out of her pocket and offered one to Andy, who accepted it, tore it open, and started eating it without even bothering to check what flavor it was. Evidently, she didn’t mind it.

  Ainslie took a long drink from her water bottle before she started eating her granola bar at a more leisurely pace.

  For a few moments, everything was peaceful. Not quiet, since the woods were never quiet, between the birds and everything wandering around, but peace and quiet weren’t necessarily the same thing. Eventually, though, Andy observed, “You make full moons a lot more entertaining than they used to be. I mean, I know I can do stuff like this on my own, but then I would have Dad and Grannie constantly checking in to make sure I wasn’t sitting at the bottom of a sink hole or something.”

  She picked up her camera to begin scrolling through the camera roll, mostly for something to keep her hands occupied. Luckily, she had been busy and there were plenty of pictures to scroll through. “Besides, it’s just not the same without any company.”

  Before Ainslie could think of a reply, Andy evidently decided that the moment had lasted long enough, as she shoved the empty wrapper of her granola bar into her pocket, stole Ainslie’s water bottle to take a swig from it, and then handed it back and hopped to her feet. Ainslie was left to scramble after her as she took off at a lope into the woods.

  Catching up with her was easy enough, and Ainslie could take a hint; she didn’t mention the previous conversation. If Andy wanted to pretend it hadn’t happened, then Ainslie would follow her cue.

  They walked in silence for a time, until Andy once again ground to a halt, though to her credit she wasn’t stopping from a run that time, so Ainslie managed to stop without nearly walking into her.

  As Andy readied her camera,
Ainslie peered through the trees to see what had caught her attention.

  As she looked, a massive canine form ahead of them paused, lifting her head and peering back at them. Her eyes glowed in the silver moonlight as she watched them, and quickly Andy snapped a photo before Rose could look away.

  Rose cocked her head to one side, just before she threw her head back and howled, cocking one front leg off of the ground as she did, clearly posing for her audience.

  Despite how loud the howl was from so close, Andy paid the volume no mind and simply snapped another photo.

  Rose lingered for only a moment longer before she turned and bounded deeper into the woods, fallen leaves, twigs, and underbrush rustling as they were crushed beneath massive paws.

  Ainslie watched her go, but Andy’s attention was elsewhere. As Ainslie glanced over to see what was up, Andy scowled down at her camera’s display screen as she groused, “My card’s running out of space.”