Chapter Six – Adam

“Adam. Can I have a word in private?” Julius asked discreetly. Adam had worked his shift, ensuring the hotel’s guests were happy and well catered for, even though his mind was fixed on Frankie. Her lips, her smile, her eyes. Everything about her consumed his thoughts. Last night, spending those precious hours with her had been electrifying.

“Certainly.” Adam followed Julius to his office, reminding him of when he first came to work here. He’d needed something to fill his waking hours and to tire him out so he could sleep at night in an exhausted, dreamless sleep.

“I hear congratulations are in order,” Julius said as soon as Adam shut the door of the large office the hotel owner hardly used anymore. Since meeting Catherine, and moving into a house nestled on the lower slopes of the mountain, Julius spent less time at the hotel that once consumed him.

In so many ways, Adam and Julius were kindred spirits, both living without their mates. Both offered a second chance.

“Thank you. I assume you mean Frankie?” Adam sat down in the chair opposite Julius, who pulled open his desk drawer and took out a bottle of the finest whiskey and poured a shot into two glasses.

“I do. Here’s to your happiness.” Julius raised his glass, and Adam did the same.

Despite the early hour, Adam drank his whiskey in one gulp, the alcohol sliding down his throat, leaving a warmth in its wake that reminded him of Frankie. Not only because she made his head spin, but because she left him with a warmth inside, ignited by her fingers trailing across his skin.

“I never expected this.” Adam placed his empty glass down on the desk, while Julius sipped his whiskey, savoring the taste.

“None of us do. That’s what makes the mating bond so incredibly exciting and yet soul destroying.” Julius picked up the bottle and offered Adam another drink.

“Not for me, thank you, I have some errands to run.” Adam sat back in his chair and crossed his legs. The two men had often sat like this, talking over business, their plans for making the hotel a success. Adam may only be the manager, but he loved the place nearly as much as Julius. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“The future.” Julius cut straight to the point as always.

“Are you firing me?” Adam asked openly.

Julius snorted. “I hope not.” He sat forward and assessed Adam. “Things will change, though. They have to. I don’t want you to sacrifice your happiness for the hotel.”

“I won’t.” Adam ran his finger around the rim of the empty glass. “I’ll work my shifts as usual and fit in my time with Frankie around the schedule.”

“But eventually, you will need to ease up on your workload. Since I met Catherine, you have shouldered much of the work. Now it’s time to look for someone else to take on more responsibility and free up your time. You’re young, you and Frankie are going to have children running around in the not too distant future.”

“Let’s not jump too far ahead.” Adam shuffled in his seat. “We’ve just met, and Frankie has a career, and she might not want to start a family too soon.” He didn’t expand on the other reason she might not want to start a family. Her heart transplant might mean complications.

“I want you to know we can work it out. Whatever you need, we can figure out a way to make it work for us all.” Julius drained his glass. “All I ask is if you want to leave, you give me plenty of notice. Finding your replacement is never going to be easy.”

“I’m not leaving, Julius. I promise you. My heart… I love this place, and I could never find a boss as good as you. Who else would offer his manager such good whiskey?”

“True.” Julius put the bottle back in his drawer. “You should go and get your errands done, and I’ll get back to work. I hear we have a rock star staying for a couple of nights.” Julius raised his eyebrow. “I hope he isn’t a room wrecker.” Julius stood up. “Anyone who hurts my hotel will feel the wrath of my bear.”

“I’ll listen out for the roar of wrath.” Adam pushed himself out of his chair. “She’s changed me.”

“The Catherine, or Frankie?” Julius asked with a twinkle in his eye. Adam smiled at his words. Only a few short months ago Julius had been in the same position. Mired down with too much work and a broken heart as he thought his true mate was out of reach. Now he was happily married to the woman of his dreams and changed forever.

“Both. The Catherine gave me hope. Frankie’s given me dreams.” Adam gave Julius a lopsided smile. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good dream to cling to.”

“Hold on to it, Adam. But don’t suffocate it. Let it breathe and grow.” They left the office together, Julius pulling the door closed behind them. “I always thought I’d turn this place over to you one day. Adam, I want you to know…I see you as a son.”

“Thank you, Julius. You have been like a father to me. And you mean more to me than my real father.” With a nod, he left Julius and walked toward the elevator. However, nervous energy filled him and he took the stairs instead, running up them two at a time until he reached the floor where his empty apartment waited for him.

Opening the door, he went inside. The view from the large windows was amazing. It looked out over the mountains, mountains he’d explored when he moved here. Yet exploring alone had soon lost its appeal. That was going to change, he would explore them with Frankie. Side by side, they would walk the trails, swim in mountain lakes and stand on tall peaks and look down on the world below them.

Turning from the view, he headed to the bathroom where he showered, before changing into casual clothes. Taking the stairs, he went down to the ground floor, slipped out the back door, and walked to the parking lot.

The air was crisp, a light breeze had picked up, bringing with it the scent of rain. Adam got into his car and drove away from the hotel. Usually, he spent all his time here. With nothing and no one in his life, he would often work on after his shift. A sense of betrayal filled him as he watched The Catherine Hotel grow more distant in his rearview mirror.

“I still love you,” Adam told the turreted building. “But I have a new mistress now.”

A mistress who held his heart in her hands. As he drove, Adam mulled over what Frankie had said last night. Was she right? Could she carry the heart of the woman who was his true mate, a woman who was dead? It was almost as if Frankie was being haunted by this woman. A woman he had only caught a fleeting glance of. Even if he closed his eyes and conjured up the scene exactly, he couldn’t make out her features, only the sense of who she was, what she was.

The only image he had was from a newspaper article cataloging the accident, and the two people involved. He hadn’t looked at it for so long, it was too painful.

Arriving in Bear Creek, Adam visited the post office and mailed the hotel correspondence. Then he walked along the main street through town and visited the bakery, where he placed an order for the hotel kitchens. Finally, he visited Bear Creek News, the local newspaper, and handed them a copy of the advert for a wedding exhibition the hotel was hosting in two weeks’ time.

Perhaps he could invite Frankie along and they could begin their own wedding arrangements. That would be putting the cart firmly before the horse. His bear chuckled at his turn of phrase.

Hey, we need a ring, Adam told his bear.

We do. So let’s go get one.

Adam checked his watch. They had a couple of hours or more to spare before he was due to meet Frankie. They were having lunch at the local diner, which served the best food in town, but not as good as the hotel of course.

Always loyal, his bear observed.

Always. Adam made his way along the street. If he remembered correctly, there was a jeweler on one of the back streets. With a sense of purpose, he set off to find a ring for the woman he loved.

Half an hour later, he stood back on the main street, empty-handed. The jewelers had a large range of rings, but nothing he liked. That wasn’t true. There was nothing right. No ring he could put on Frankie’s finger.

A shiver ran down his spine. A sense of anticipation filled him. The same sense of anticipation he’d felt that day in the store when he thought he’d met his mate.

Perplexed, he headed for the diner, he would sit and drink coffee and work on his iPad until Frankie came to meet him. Or maybe he could browse rings online. But there was nothing like gripping a ring between your finger and thumb and holding it up to the light to check the color of the diamonds. Then a closer examination with a loupe would reveal the clarity of the gems. For Frankie, the stones should be as clear as her eyes. Depth and symmetry must also be assessed.

His bear chuckled. What do you know about diamonds and rings?

A lot, but I have no idea where I learned any of it from, Adam replied, perplexed at his newfound knowledge. I need coffee.

A lot of coffee, his bear replied.