Chapter Twelve – Adam

Adam leaned against the wall, looking down over the hotel garden and daydreaming about Frankie. Their world was all kinds of mixed up, but it wasn’t messed up. Not yet.

“You wanted to see me, Adam?” Julius passed him a mug of hot coffee. “I thought you might like one since Hank tells me you’ve been wandering around like a lovesick fool this morning.”

“Did he?” Adam accepted the coffee. “Thank you.”

“Things are going well with Frankie?” Julius asked, looking down toward the Gothic folly.

“They are.” Adam stood up straight and turned to face Julius. “I have a couple of things to ask you, actually. Both directly or indirectly to do with Frankie.”

“As long as she isn’t asking you to leave your job, then I’m all ears.” Julius sipped his coffee, turning his face toward the sun. Summer was within touching distance, the birds were busy feeding their young, or teaching their new fledglings to fly, while the plants in the garden were ready to put on their most colorful display. It was a perfect time to show off the hotel and its grounds to the general public.

“No, she knows I’m married to the hotel,” Adam assured him. They’d talked it over last night after he took her home, and they showered together, before he made love to her in her bed. Twice. Then they’d stayed up talking, Frankie telling him of her plans for the animal rescue center, if Ronni okayed them, while he explained to her how the hotel had given him a lifeline when he needed it most.

“Then fire away.” Julius was in a jovial mood, so different from the man he’d been when Adam first started working here. Then they’d been a matching pair of brooding males, bereft of their mates, and dwelling in the constant shadow of loss.

“Frankie has started to volunteer at the local animal shelter, and she came up with the idea of a dog show. She hoped to draw attention to the plight of homeless dogs and cats.”

“And she asked if we could hold it here?” Julius asked, his voice quiet as he thought over the prospect. Julius never gave a vague answer, he was a yes or no kind of man, and always took his time to think things over carefully, weighing up the pros and cons.

“I would organize it. I thought it would show off the hotel when the gardens were looking their best. Frankie would organize the advertisements, and create a stir on social media. That’s something the hotel lacks, a big social media presence. We rely on word of mouth, but with the right push, I believe we could be booked solid every day of the week.”

“Did you practice that speech?” Julius asked.

“No.” Adam gave a short laugh. “But I do believe I’m right.”

“So do I. So the answer is yes. We can host it, but due to other commitments, as you know, we only have an opening in three weeks’ time.” Julius drained his coffee cup. “If you think you can pull it off, and I trust your judgment as always, then go ahead.”

“Thanks, Frankie will be over the moon.” Adam drank his coffee. The next question might be a little harder to persuade Julius to say yes to. “I’d like to take a couple of days off.”

Julius chuckled. “I remember only a few short months ago, when I was practically pushing you out the door to try to get you to take some time off, and you still didn’t go.”

“There’s something I have to do,” Adam admitted.

“I assumed it must be important. Are we talking right away?” Julius asked.

“Yes, as soon as it’s convenient.” Adam looked down at the ground, not sure what his answer would be if Julius said no or asked for more details.

“Are you in trouble, Adam? Is Frankie in trouble?”

“No, not in trouble. But we both have issues we need to resolve.”

“Does this have anything to do with why you once told me you had no mate? I always assumed she’d died. Or did you meet Frankie a while ago and lose her, in the way I thought I’d lost Catherine?” Julius had met his Catherine thirty years ago when she was about to marry another man. Eventually, he’d walked away, assuming that she would be happy. She wasn’t, and after her husband walked out on her, she’d raised her sons alone.

“No. And yes. I thought I met my mate. She died in a car accident. But she couldn’t have been mine.” Adam owed Julius some kind of explanation, the two men had always been completely honest with each other. “I’d appreciate your discretion in this.”

“Always.” Julius stared at the pond, where a couple of ducks were waddling out of the water, pursued by a half-dozen fluffy ducklings.

“I wish I could say more. But I don’t know anymore.” Adam smiled apologetically. “I could spend a couple of days reorganizing the roster.”

“No need. You go, I’ll figure it all out. Goodness knows you would do the same for me. I’m also thinking of asking Emily to take on more responsibility. She deals with guests in a very professional manner, and I think it would be good to inject a feminine touch into the hotel. We two stuffed shirts have been running the show for so long.” Julius made to leave. “If you agree, of course.”

“I think she’s an ideal choice.” Adam liked Emily, she had a good sense of humor and an attention to detail.

“Then you go. Pack your things and go get that girl of yours. I’ll see you when you get back. How long do you need?” Julius asked. “Take all the time you need.”

“Four days maximum.”

“Four days it is.”

“We can work out the details of the dog show while we’re away.” Adam started making mental notes of what he needed to do. If Frankie took her laptop, she could begin to create a buzz about it and make an online form for entrants to fill out.

“And Adam,” Julius began, “it’s good to see you smiling.”

“Thank you, Julius.” Adam’s smile broadened. “I’d forgotten what it was like to feel this happy.”

“A mate in your life does that to you. And one day you’ll have kids and they’ll make you happy, too. And if ever you need a godfather, you know where I am.”

“I do.” Adam couldn’t think of a better person to be the godfather of his child. If he ever had a child of his own.

We might, his bear told him. If fate allows it.

“Well, go on then. Go find that girl of yours and take her wherever it is you need to go.” Julius entered the hotel, leaving Adam to stare out at the garden and the Gothic folly. Only he wasn’t picturing the dog show, he was picturing Frankie in a wedding dress. This is where he wanted to marry her.

We just need a ring, his bear reminded him.

Perhaps we’ll find one while we’re away. Adam turned away from the image before him and entered the hotel, going straight to his room to pack. If he intended to be back in four days, they needed to leave now, it was a four-hour drive, so they should reach Reaminster before nightfall. They could crash at a hotel for the night, and then go to the hospital in the morning. If they were lucky, and fate truly was on their side, they might have the information they needed by this time tomorrow.

What then? If they found proof Delia wasn’t the donor, where did that leave them?

Taking an overnight bag from his closet, Adam packed enough clothes for three nights and added in his toothbrush and anything else he might need. He hadn’t told Frankie they were leaving today, he planned to head on over to the animal shelter where she was volunteering today and tell her about the green light for the dog show. Then they could head back to her place and pack, before setting off on their road trip.

Five minutes later, he entered the lobby, where Julius was talking to Emily. “Everything okay?” Julius asked.

“Yes, call me if you need anything,” Adam told his boss.

“We can manage, go and forget about this for a few days. Come back refreshed and ready for work.” Julius nodded as Adam thanked him. “You deserve it. Now go.”

“See you soon. Bye, Emily.”

“Bye, Mr. Painter,” Emily replied, looking pleased.

“I know I’m leaving The Catherine in capable hands,” Adam told her.

“Thank you, that means a lot to me.” Emily smiled brightly, looking more confident in herself. Julius had made the right decision, he had a knack for bringing out the best in people. Just as he’d brought out the best in Adam at a time when he needed someone to believe in him.

Unlocking the car, he went around to the trunk and put his bag inside, before closing it. With one last look at the hotel, he got in the driver’s seat and switched on the engine, reassured when it hummed quietly as he backed out of his parking place and drove off into the unknown. As he followed the road toward Bear Creek, he looked up at the mountain, it always comforted him to see the high mountain peaks that had stood watching over the valley below long before men and shifters settled here. So much they had witnessed, a little like the stars above.

The animal shelter was midway between Bear Creek and the hotel, and he turned off the main road and drove the short distance to the small parking lot, where he left the car and strolled to the reception area. Before he even opened the door, he sensed Frankie close by and sure enough, when he opened the door, there she was, seated at the desk with another woman hovering behind her.

“Hello!” Frankie was up out of her seat and coming around the desk to greet him before he’d had a chance to close the door.

“Hi there.” Adam wrapped his arms around her and hugged her, watched over by the other young woman in the room who grinned happily at the display of affection.

“It’s good to finally put a face to a name,” the woman said.

“Hello.” Adam looked at her over Frankie’s head. “Are you Ronni?”

“The one and only.” Ronni came around the desk and stood leaning back against it.

“I’ve got news,” Adam told them as Frankie let him go and stepped back.

“What kind of news?” Frankie asked.

“Two kinds.” He caught her eyes and raised an eyebrow. “First, Julius has given us the go-ahead to host the dog show at the hotel. Second, I have four days off work.” He looked at his watch. “But the time starts now, is it possible you can leave?”

“Oh, I have a couple more chores to do,” Frankie said excitedly.

“No, you should go.” Ronni hid her worry, but not before Adam had seen her expression. “That is great news about the dog show. Frankie told me all about it. I’d love to get some of these dogs in front of people and let them know they are good family pets who just want to be loved.”

“We can start organizing it while we’re away.” Frankie turned toward Ronni. “Can you manage without me for a couple of days?”

“Yes, I added you as an extra to the roster for the first few days.” She picked up a piece of paper from the desk and studied it.

“Except Hilary didn’t come in today.” Frankie gave Adam an apologetic look. “Would you mind if I helped feed all the dogs before we go? We were just about to start when you arrived. I slowed us down by showing Ronni the Facebook page I’ve made, and how I’ve updated the website.”

“I’ll help you,” Adam offered.

“Good, because then I can introduce you to Fingal.” Frankie’s eyes lit up. “He wagged his tail at me today.”

Fingal meant a lot to Frankie, even though they’d only just met. Although Adam had never been a dog person, he was coming to realize that depending on where they lived, Fingal might be moving in with them. He couldn’t deny Frankie anything, he realized that. She’d won his heart and his soul.

“I’d love to meet him,” Adam told her.

“This way.” She beckoned to him and he followed her out through a door at the back of the reception room and into a feed room, that was stacked from floor to ceiling with bags of kibble. “We received a new delivery today.”

“Did you move these bags?” Adam asked.

“I helped, yes.” She gave him a look that was not difficult to read. “I am capable of lifting these bags, and I do know my own limits.”

“Just checking, I didn’t want you to overdo it to impress Fingal.”

“Oh, now you’re a funny man?” she teased right back at him.

“Am I interrupting a domestic argument?” Ronni asked as she joined them in weighing out and measuring the food for all the different animals at the shelter.

“Adam likes to show he cares,” Frankie explained.

“There is nothing wrong with that. As a single woman, I like nothing better than to see shows of affection and concern so I can spend my life being envious.” She grinned at Frankie’s shocked face. “I’m only joking. I like being on my own, it means I can devote all my time to this place and the animals in it.”

“You do an amazing job,” Frankie told her, before passing a bowl to Adam. “Here, this is Fingal’s, let’s go meet him.”

They walked along a row of kennels, with Frankie placing the bowls inside the door of each one as they moved along. All the dogs were excited about their food, all except an old yellow Labrador who barely lifted his head as the door opened and Adam walked in. “Hi there, fella.”

“He’s so sad,” Frankie said. “I hate seeing him so sad.”

“Here, fella.” Adam set the bowl down in front of the dog, who lifted his head and sniffed it, before placing his head back down on his feet.

There was something about Fingal that stirred up emotions inside him, memories that he couldn’t quite grasp. But as he picked up a handful of food and offered it to the old dog, Adam knew, this old boy would be theirs. So he could live out his life lying in the sun, while Frankie and Adam’s little bear cubs played by his side.