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But it was time for me to go. At least, I’d get to see her again in a few days. But then, after that, she’d go back to Seattle, and she’d just become the star of a couple of funny memories trapped in my mind.
Back in my truck, I headed home. Normally, I would’ve spent more time at the bar and then walked the short distance home, collecting my truck the next day. I wasn’t even a little tipsy, though I kind of wished I was. Being drunk might make the sting of Georgia choosing that shitty hotel over me a little easier to tolerate.
I’d just pulled into my driveway when my cell phone began to ring. I thought it was probably Ryan apologizing for being a dick and standing me up, but when I glanced at the caller ID, I saw that it was Georgia. My heart stuck in my throat as I fumbled to put the truck into park and answer. “Hello?”
“There is a fucking bear looking through my window!”
The terror in her voice had me gasping for air, not sure what to make of that. A bear? Looking at her?
“Oh, uh, that’s really not that unusual,” I replied. “He’ll probably go away in a little while.”
“Beau, it’s a bear! A fucking bear! It’s at least six feet tall! And he’s salivating, like he knows I’ve got plenty of fat on me to make my meat nice and juicy!”
Swallowing back the laugh that insisted on erupting from my throat was impossible. She was so fucking funny, I just couldn’t help it. “Um, okay,” I said. “Well, what do you want me to do?”
“Well, I’d rather be a lampshade than be devoured by a bear for dinner!”
I couldn’t help but smile. Maybe it wasn’t the best way to get her to come over to my place, but it was better than not seeing her any more for a couple of days. “Would you like for me to come and get you?”
“Yes, please,” she said quickly. I had already thrown the truck into reverse and was backing down the driveway.
“All right. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Just don’t open the door, and you should be fine,” I assured her.
“But how am I going to get into your truck?” she asked.
It was a legitimate question if the bear really was as big as she said it was and still standing directly outside of her door when I arrived. “I’ll figure it out.”
That didn’t seem to completely put her at ease, but she said, “Okay,” and we hung up.
I drove with a purpose, making my way back to the hotel in record time without breaking too many laws. Pulling up right outside of the hotel room where I’d walked away from Georgia a few minutes ago, I saw the bear. It was no longer right in front of her door. Rather, it had moved on and was down by a dumpster about twenty yards away.
Dave was standing with one foot inside of the main building, his other foot out as he threw beer bottles and other pieces of trash at the bear, shouting at it to get away. “You’re scaring away the customers!”
Chuckling under my breath, I quickly got out of the truck and opened the passenger side door before going to knock on Georgia’s door. The chain lock was still in place as she pulled it open. “Is it gone?” she whispered.
“He’s down there quite a ways,” I assured her. “Come on.”
I could see the fear in her eyes as she tried to look, but she couldn’t see the bear. He hadn’t stopped rummaging through the trash to come after me, but he was ignoring Dave’s pleas.
She shut the door to slip the chain out and then opened the door just enough to stick her head through. Just then, the bear turned around, and the two of them locked eyes. For a moment, I thought Georgia would duck back inside, but she didn’t. Instead, she let out a little yelp and ran toward my truck, leaving the hotel room door standing open.
I pulled it closed and then moved to the driver’s side of the truck as the bear decided he was interested in Georgia again. Spinning around, he began to lumber toward the truck at a good clip.
Inside, Georgia screeched. “Hurry, Beau!”
I wasn’t worried, knowing I had plenty of time to get inside before the bear arrived, but I rushed so as to appease her and climbed in quickly, closing the door and locking it in case Georgia thought that bears could work door handles.
“Thank you,” Georgia said as I backed out of the parking lot. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not,” I told her. “I’ve got a lampshade that doesn’t quite match a room.” I turned and smiled at her, watching her eyes widen before she burst into laughter.
It didn’t take long for me to return back home. My disposition was much happier now than it was the last time I’d pulled into the drive—alone.
“This is your house?” Georgia said as the two of us got out of the truck. “Wow.”
“Yeah, I like it.” I never knew what to say when people reacted that way. “Come on in, and I’ll show you to a guest room with lovely views. But don’t worry, it’s far away from the master.”
She shook her head slightly, as if to say she wasn’t worried about that anymore.
