Christmas, Pursued by a Bear

by Ryann Fletcher

  “The new—listen, man, I’m not asking for the moon here. I just wanted to ask someone about a rent increase on a property.”

  The door opened and closed behind her. “Is there a problem here?” A woman asked, dressed in an expensively tailored skirt suit. “I’m supposed to collect a photographer before the open house today.”

  “Yes, that’s me,” Andie said, tugging on her camera bag. “I was just asking—”

  “She wanted to make an appointment to discuss a commercial property, but I informed her that there were no appointments available.”

  “Well, which property was it? Maybe we can take a drive by it on the way to the job.”

  “The coffee shop on main.”

  The agent checked her phone. “That unit is currently occupied.”

  “No, I know, I just wanted to ask why their rent was being jacked up so high.”

  “Jacked up?” the agent asked, her blinding white smile almost painted on. “I think you’ll find that we are simply bringing it in line with current market rates.”

  “But half the buildings on that street are empty. That coffee shop is one of the few things pulling in a profit!”

  “With the speculative investors looking at those properties, it won’t be long before the market rates increase alongside demand for those properties. We’re just doing our jobs, it’s not personal.”

  “It really doesn’t seem fair to increase it that much in one fell swoop,” Andie argued.

  “Well, when you own a property, you’ll be free to do with as you like, as is your right. It’s the very essence of freedom.”

  Andie gawked at her. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am serious, yes.”

  “How is tearing away someone’s dream freedom? You could at least give her more notice.”

  “If she doesn’t want to lose her business, then she should consider branching out, selling some franchises, getting the branding out there.”

  “A business that small doesn’t have the money for all that, not right now.”

  The agent shrugged. “Maybe she should consider finding some venture capitalists.”

  “Right. Well, I guess that answers my question. Should we head to the on-site location now, at least?”

  “It’s down by the reserve, for the new build there.”

  “Oh. I thought it was a property, given that the sheet said there was no lock box.”

  “It is, it just hasn’t been built yet.”

  “But the new build is much further up,” Andie said, reexamining the work schedule with a critical eye. She should have done it the day before, truth be told.

  “No, that’s the sport center and gym for the new build. The actual residences will be where part of the reserve is now.”

  “What?” Andie shouted, incredulous.

  The agent stared at her with a quizzical expression. “Well, yes, that’s all in the planning documents. The twenty new luxury condos will have access to their fully automated, twenty-four-hour gym and lap pool. I wish I was moving in there!”

  Andie felt like the agent was trying to sell her one of the new condos. “What about the reserve?”

  “Well, some of it will have to go, won’t it? Fences can be rebuilt, and it’s not as though a big empty plot of land is the city’s best use of premium real estate.”

  “Since when is Applefield premium real estate? Have you looked around? There’s nothing here!”

  “That’s what people want! A break from the everyday grind, to work from a balcony with a beautiful view instead of a high-rise office surrounded by smog.” She gave another sparkling grin. “And it will be your job to make those spaces look as inviting as possible! That’s why today, you’ll be taking photos of what the view might look like.”

  “Is that before or after you bulldoze half the reserve?”

  “Trees are trees, my dear. We don’t need to be quite so prescriptive.”

  Andie shook her head. “I don’t think it’s right to be cutting down so much of the park. What about the animals that live there? I happen to know for a fact that some very rare plants can be found in that reserve…” She trailed off, thinking of Cat. No wonder she’d been so upset. She saw this coming a mile off.

  “Are you going to come with me and do the job you were hired for, or not?”

  “I just don’t see how you people can sleep at night.”

  “Comfortably.”

  Anger burned in Andie’s stomach. The nerve of it. “I don’t think so,” she said, her voice sounding far more sure than she really was. “I quit.”

  The receptionist snorted. “You can’t quit, you’re a contractor.”

  “I’m aware, thanks.”

  “And don’t think you’ll be eligible for unemployment, either. You ask me, you’re giving up a great opportunity here.”

  “What, to grovel on my belly for scraps?” Andie sniped. “No thanks. You can all go straight to hell.”

  Before the door even slammed behind her, panic held her firmly in its grip. It was hard to pay rent from an empty bank account.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “Luke, what did you find at the county clerk’s office?” Cat shouted down the hallway.

  “We can enroll Dee from the start of the year,” he answered through the closed door of the bedroom he shared with Felix, the yellowed white paint flaking at the rusted hinges.

  “Good. Anything from the rental agent?”

  “No. Might not hear until after the holidays.” He opened the door, wearing his work uniform. “Any news about the development?”

  Cat shook her head. “Unfortunately, no.” The worry about where they’d shift, where they’d live, if the reserve got cut in half was becoming more pressing by the day.

  “Mind giving me a lift? It’s effing cold.”

  “Sure, I’ll get my keys.” She padded to the kitchen door and shoved her feet into her worn boots, shrugging on her thick parka, feeling glad that she’d had the foresight to take if off before that last shift. Coats were expensive to replace, especially now the fashion gurus had discovered thrift stores. “Ready?”

  “Yeah. Closing shift tonight.”

  “I’ll pick you up, just text. I don’t want anyone walking home alone while poachers are still out there somewhere. Better to be safe than sorry.”

  “Can I come?” Delilah asked, standing in the doorway. “I promise I won’t get in the way or anything.”

  “Hop in the back. I’m warning you, though, it’s a boring trip.”

  “That’s okay!” the teenager replied brightly, putting on the same clothes she’d worn in the woods.

  Cat frowned, making a mental note to try to get the kid something else to wear. It was only going to get colder as the winter settled in, and no doubt she wanted something other than the boys’ borrowed sweatpants on wash day. “Anita!” she shouted. “We’re going!” When there was no response other than the muffled slamming of a door, she unbolted the door, taking off the chain lock, too.

  They all piled into the truck, but Delilah looked absolutely thrilled to just be sitting in the back seat. “Seat belts, everyone,” Cat announced, twisting the key in the ignition. The last thing any of them needed was to get pulled over for something as minor as a traffic violation. She didn’t feel like explaining what a missing foster kid was doing in the backseat of her truck.

  “Thanks for the ride,” Luke said, scrolling through his phone, the screen cracked in several places.

  “You know I’ll always offer when I can.”

  “Got much work on tonight?”

  “Eh.” Cat shrugged. “Same old. Deliver some food, deliver some people. Might take a double shift tonight, make up some extra cash.”

  “I’d stay away from the reserve tonight, if I were you.”

  “Why?”

  Luke looked out the window, tracing little designs in the fogged window. “I heard there’s some kind of ground-breaking ceremony for the new build, or a party, or something.”
/>   “Assholes.”

  “Yeah.” He leaned his head against the glass. “Do you think we’ll have to move again?”

  “Maybe. I don’t see a way forward with five Bears running around in the woods every moon cycle.” She saw Delilah in the rear-view mirror, looking concerned. “But it would have been the same problem with four Bears, too.”

  “And the newest one is just too cool to not have as part of the den, am I right, Cat?”

  “Heck yeah you are!”

  Delilah cracked a smile. “You don’t have to say those nice things just because I’m here.”

  “We say them because we mean them. You have a place to stay, as long as you want it.” Cat tapped on the gear stick. “You’re a good kid, Dee.”

  “You coming in?” Luke asked as they pulled into the parking lot.

  “Yeah. I wanted to—never mind.”

  Luke wiggled his eyebrows. “You wanted to see if Andie’s been in, don’t you?”

  “Shut up. Don’t tell Anita.”

  “Why, afraid she’ll harass you about your double standards again?”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly why,” Cat replied with a laugh. “I know I’ve been hard on you three over the years, but…”

  “But this is different?” Luke finished.

  “Okay, fine, you’ve made your point,” she said, steering Delilah by the shoulders towards the door of the cafe. “Andie really is different, though.”

  “I’m just saying, don’t be surprised if Anita starts bringing loads of boys back to the house.”

  “She’d better goddamn not, I need my beauty sleep.”

  Jazzy Java was bright, warm, and welcoming, just as it always was, but now, festooned with decorations to fit the season, and the scrumptious scents of cinnamon and chocolate drifting through the air. A hell of a lot better than the usual coffee smell that turned Cat’s stomach, that was for sure.

  “I’ll text you when I’m done,” Luke said, hanging his coat on a hook by the door and tying an apron around his waist. “Hey, Mara, is it okay if I gift my free shift drink to Delilah over here?”

  “Of course!” Mara replied, popping up from behind the bar with a tray of freshly baked red velvet cupcakes with delicate green sprinkles strewn across the snowy white frosting. “What can I get you, sweetheart?”

  Delilah’s eyes were as big as saucers, reading the menu line by line. “I don’t know,” she said. “Everything sounds so wonderful.”

  “Take your time.” Mara nodded at Cat. “I have something for you, but you’ll have to give me a minute.”

  “For me? Has Andie been in?”

  “She has, but you didn’t hear that from me.”

  Cat felt a nervous little jolt in her stomach knowing that Andie had picked up the gifts Cat had left for her. Still, she hadn’t texted yet. A bad sign. “Did you…?”

  “Yes.”

  “And?”

  “If you just take a seat in the squishy chair over there, I’ll be right over.” Mara raised an eyebrow at Delilah. “Do you know what you’d like?”

  “Can I have the caramel eggnog gingerbread latte?”

  “My personal favorite! Coming right up, little lady.”

  “That sounds terrible,” Cat said with a laugh, sinking into the chair. “But I’m sure you’ll love it.”

  “I’ve never been in a place like this.”

  “A coffee shop?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Your foster parents never took you?”

  Delilah sat in the adjacent chair. “They said caffeine would stunt my growth.” She picked at her fingernails. “And then they kicked me out when I… when I shifted.” The last part was said in a voice barely above a whisper.

  “How much did they see?”

  “Not much. Enough to start swearing up and down that I was a demon, sent by God.”

  Cat leaned over and squeezed Delilah’s hand. “I’m sorry. That must have sucked.”

  “They never went to the papers or anything. I think they probably thought people would assume they were on drugs.”

  “That’s usually what happens, yeah. But it’s not fair that happened to you.” Cat lowered her voice. “You’re a Bear! You deserve better than some shitty foster parents!”

  “I never really said thank you. For letting me stay.”

  “I wasn’t about to turn you out on the street, what kind of monster would that make me?”

  Delilah smirked. “If that’s all it took to make a monster, then the world is full of them.”

  “Pff. Ain’t that the goddamn truth.”

  “Okay,” Mara said, emerging from the kitchen with a proud smile on her face. “I hope you both love this. Delilah, this is for you, and yes, the cookie comes with it. Fresh baked.” She set the tall mug and accompanying cookie on the table next to her. “And this was a special request, but if it’s good, we might decide to add it to the menu.” She handed Cat a thick green mug topped with a veritable heap of marshmallows. “I was told that it had to be the good stuff. I hope it measures up.”

  Cat blew on the mug, feeling the warmth emanating through the ceramic meld into her skin. The smell of deep, rich chocolate wafted into the air. Andie, she thought with a grin. “Are you going to stand there and watch me?” she asked Mara, laughing.

  “I need to see if it passes the test.”

  “Alright, alright.” She brought the mug to her lips and inhaled, breathing deep the aroma that reminded her of safety and excitement. When the hot chocolate flooded into her mouth, she sighed contentedly. “Mara, this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my whole goddamn life.”

  “Yes!” Mara shouted, punching the air. “Alright, well, we need to add this to the menu, right?”

  “If you want me to blow every cent I ever make in here, yes. This is delicious.” Cat took another sip, savoring the flavor in her mouth. “Much better than that coffee crap.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Delilah said, dunking the cookie into her latte. “I love this. Coffee is my new favorite thing.”

  “Come back when you’re sixteen, I’ll give you a job,” Mara said with a wink. “There’s nothing that thrills me more than coffee enthusiasts! And hot chocolate, now, too,” she added. “Well, enjoy, ladies. I’ve got some stuff to finish up in the back, and I need to make sure Luke isn’t burning tomorrow’s muffins.”

  “I’m not!” he shouted from the back.

  “So, you like it?” Cat asked, once she was alone with Delilah again.

  “I love it. Thank you for bringing me.”

  “It’s not always this eventful, just so you know. Usually it’s just to drop off Luke and head back home.”

  “Do you really think she’d give me a job when I’m old enough?”

  Cat shrugged. “Probably. But let’s focus on getting you back into school first, yeah?”

  “Deal.”

  “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

  Delilah slurped at her drink. “I dunno. I like decorating things. Maybe something artsy.”

  An idea sparkled in Cat’s mind. “That gives me an idea. Do you want to help me with a project?”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  When Andie got home that evening, there was a tiny evergreen tree, with three spindly branches and wrapped up in a battery-powered string of lights, leaning against her door, blinking. She smiled and picked up the scraggly thing, carrying it inside and placing it in the window. There was a note with this one, too:

  “A decoration, as promised. Don’t know how long the batteries will last.

  The hot chocolate was amazing.

  I’m sorry, again.

  -Cat”

  She checked her phone, but there were no messages. Twirling it in her hand, Andie debated whether she should text Cat first. She was sorry, and besides, Andie quit her job with the development company. Seeing the stack of bills on her table made her stomach feel like she’d been eating rocks. It wouldn’t be long before things were coming due, and there was barely enough
in her account to pay for the next tank of gas.

  Despite her financial woes, the thought of Cat at her door made Andie tingle with anticipation. The night they’d spent together just cuddling and watching movies had been one of the best evenings in recent memory for Andie, her arms around Cat as she slept, breathing deeply with calm reassurance. All she wanted for Christmas was more of that.

  Cleaning out Daisy’s cage, Andie hummed to herself along with the radio, that was playing the terrible mash-up remix Christmas song that she didn’t quite want to admit she liked. She turned up the volume and sang to her chinchilla, who stared back, looking vaguely embarrassed. Andie responded by singing louder.

  Setting Daisy back in her cage, she sat back and admired her work. “Not bad, right, Dais?” she asked, before belting out another tuneless chorus.

  A knock at the door pulled her from her jam session, and she opened it to find a concerned looking Cat.

  “Was that… you?”

  “Was what me?”

  “That… you know what, never mind.”

  “Singing? Yeah, that was me.”

  Cat kicked the snow off her boots onto the welcome mat. “It was very… enthusiastic.”

  “I like that song.”

  “That much is abundantly clear.”

  “Did you… want to come in?” Andie asked, opening the door wider.

  “If that’s okay.”

  “Of course, I was just thinking about you.”

  Cat raised an eyebrow.

  “You know, because of the tree you left me,” Andie gestured. “I love it.”

  “Delilah helped.”

  “Do you want something to drink? I have tea, coffee… wait, you don’t like coffee. Er… there’s some orange juice, maybe.”

  “I’m fine, thanks,” Cat said, slipping off her boots and stopping by the cage to coo at Daisy. “I wasn’t sure that I’d hear from you. I thought maybe you’d text, but when a few days went by, well, I assumed that might be it.”

  “I didn’t hear from you, either,” Andie said, standing in the kitchen with a tea, absorbing the warmth through the thick ceramic.

  “I’m not very good at resolving things through text. I’m much better at creepily leaving gifts and hoping for the best.”