A Beary Merry Christmas

Chapter One

TEDDY & GEOFF

Teddy paced in the kitchen, talking to Mr. Silva on the phone. This was the fifth call this morning, and his stomach churned.

“I understand, Mr. Silva,” he said.

“Please, I’ve told you, call me Bernard,” Bernard said.

“Okay, Bernard.”

“We’re sorry we have to cancel. We’re going to miss you guys.”

“We’re going to miss you guys, too.”

“You can hold our deposit for the next trip,” he said. “You know we’ll be back.”

“I’ll put a note. Thank you. We look forward to seeing you again. Have a wonderful day.”

He closed his flip phone and sat at the table with a heavy sigh. Opening the reservation book, he wrote CANCELED next to Bernard Silva and Rory Sinclair. He flipped through the book, looking at page after page of cancellations.

The news reported heavy storms approaching the area around Thistle. The weather report didn’t specify how long it’d last, or even when it would hit Thistle. Their small town in the mountains wasn’t a priority for most travelers.

Teddy and his partner, Geoff, ran a gay bed-and-breakfast outside a small mountain town in Washington.

Teddy did the bookings and bookkeeping for their business, as well as the cooking.

Geoff handled the cleaning, repairs, and yard work.

This year would produce the worst storm they’d seen in years, and that scared tourists away.

They made most of their income in the winter and summer when tourists traveled for vacation.

The lack of tourists would affect the entire town.

“Hey, Teddy Bear.” Geoff wrapped his arms around him from behind and kissed his head. “Another cancellation?”

“Yeah, Bernard and Rory had to cancel.”

“That’s sad,” Geoff said. “They’re good guys.”

“That’s it.” Teddy closed the reservation book. “We have no one staying for the next three weeks. We’ll just have to close until this storm passes.”

Geoff squeezed him. “It’s going to be okay. We’ve been through worse.” Geoff kissed the back of his neck.

Teddy stood and turned to look up into his partner’s eyes. Geoff’s positive outlook gave Teddy hope. It’s one of the many qualities he enjoyed in Geoff.

“You’re right.” Teddy laid his head against Geoff’s soft chest, breathing in his cologne. “We have enough savings thanks to Bernard and Rory’s wedding last summer. That was a blast.”

When the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, Bernard and Rory threw a bear-themed wedding. They wore matching Bear Pride Flag vests.

“Yeah,” Geoff said. “That was an amazing wedding.”

“I’m guessing our current guests have left as well?”

“Yes,” Geoff said. “I told them we’d refund the rest of their stay.”

They had three couples staying with them. Two were scheduled to leave the next day, and the other was scheduled to leave on Friday.

“So, what do we do?” Teddy pulled back and looked at Geoff.

“We’ll just have to hunker down,” Geoff said. “Get whatever supplies we need and close up the cabin.”

“I’m going to update the site and make sure all the reservations are refunded, update the spreadsheet, and then I’m going to head to town to shop.”

“Can I go with you?” Geoff asked.

“You want to go grocery shopping with me?”

“Sure,” he shrugged. “Nothing else to do.”

“Okay, let me take care of business, and I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”

“Great. I’m going to chop some wood and make sure we have enough for a storm.”

Teddy sat down at his desk, turned on his computer, and began issuing refunds.

“Twelve cancellations, and the three couples who left,” he mumbled to himself.

These cancellations would cost them a lot. They charged two-hundred-and-fifty dollars per night for a room. Teddy and Geoff didn’t spend money outside caring for the bed-and-breakfast, so they’d been saving up for a vacation next summer. That was out the window now.

Sighing, Teddy completed the refunds, cleared his calendar, and emailed those who reserved after January 1st, informing them that their reservations would be canceled if the storm hit Thistle and the roads weren’t cleared in time.

Geoff stacked the wood under the awning outside the front door.

“There,” he grunted. “All set.”

He headed inside and took off his boots before collapsing into his chair and wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Now, for a little rest.”

Teddy walked out of his office. “Ready to head into town?”

“No rest for the weary. Let’s go,” Geoff grunted.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Geoff smiled.

They got into Teddy’s truck and headed down the long road into town.

Their bed-and-breakfast was twenty minutes from Thistle, which made it a wonderful place for people to rest and relax away from the bustle of a busy city.

Not that Thistle was a bustling metropolis.

With a population of three hundred, it could barely be called a town.

It was quaint and quiet, which Teddy and Geoff appreciated.

Geoff and Teddy were Thistle’s open secret. Everyone knew they were a gay couple, but no one said anything. Everyone treated everyone with respect, at least to their faces. Gossip ran rampant, as with any small town, and they were no exception.

Teddy’s barber told him he’d heard they ran a sex club for married men on the weekends.

They laughed at this. Teddy and Geoff ran a clean establishment for guests who wanted to spend time with their spouses, partners, or even to be alone.

His barber didn’t believe the rumor, but thought it was amusing.

Main Street was lit up with decorations for the holidays. Lamp posts sported red ribbons wrapped around the pole with an angel, candle, star, or gift at the top. Every small shop had lights and decorations. The town loved the holidays.

Teddy parked in the crowded grocery store lot.

“Did the whole town come out to shop?” Geoff asked as he locked up the truck.

“A storm is coming,” Teddy said. “They’re preparing just like us.”

“What do we need?” Geoff grabbed a shopping cart and followed Teddy in.

“I have a list,” Teddy smiled. “We just need enough to get us through three weeks at the worst.”

Customers packed the aisles, and shoppers emptied the shelves of their products. Geoff followed as Teddy maneuvered through the crowd, avoiding collisions.

“We should have done this earlier,” Geoff said. “Are we even going to find what we need?”

Geoff came to the grocery store when he wanted snacks, or Teddy asked him to pick up a few things, which wasn’t often. He’d never seen it packed like this.

“I think it’ll be okay.” Teddy shifted. “I’m sure they’ll have prepared for this.”

His words did not convince Geoff.

Geoff followed Teddy to the produce aisle. It held very little. The workers frantically placed items back on the shelves and in the bins, the shoppers immediately grabbing them.

The scent of fresh produce mixed with sweat from anxious shoppers lingered in the air. Geoff worked up a sweat often, especially on his hikes. This smell was…different. He couldn’t put his finger on it.

Teddy filled the cart with whatever vegetables and fruits there were and motioned for Geoff to follow him. A woman rushed past Geoff to grab the last kiwi on the shelf and moved on.

“What is wrong with people?” Geoff glared at the woman.

“Panic shopping,” Teddy said. “They do this every year. I think this year is worse, though, because of the news.”

“I don’t see how people don’t plan for this,” Geoff said.

“That’s why I keep plenty of non-perishables at the house. We only need a few things.”

They found themselves in a sea of people in the bread aisle.

“Grab some bread,” Teddy said. “We get Sun Valley whole grain.”

Geoff grabbed two loaves and placed them in the cart. He reached for a third, but Teddy grabbed his hand.

“I think we should leave that one,” Teddy said. “We don’t want to be greedy. Let someone else have it.”

Geoff nodded and put it back. A woman in a flowery dress snatched it up the instant Geoff put it back.

Teddy stopped in the baking aisle to grab baking chocolate, flour, and some extracts.

“Should we get stuff to make s’mores?” Teddy asked, looking over at Geoff with a smile.

“Do you want s’mores?”

“Yes,” Teddy said with a grin.

“Then you shall have s’mores.” His smile melted Teddy’s heart.

They grabbed marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars.

“I think that’s everything,” Teddy said, scratching off the last items on his list.

“What about Christmas dinner?” They were closed for the three days surrounding Christmas to celebrate, but it seemed they’d have even more time to spend alone now.

Teddy usually went all out with ham, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

“I already bought what I needed over the weekend,” Teddy said. “Which we’re lucky I did. There are no hams, turkeys, or anything left.”

“Smart.”

“Why, thank you.”

They paid and loaded up the truck.

“Do we have enough?” Geoff asked.

“I think we have plenty,” Teddy said. “We could have three other people with us and still have enough for three weeks.”

Geoff laughed.

They headed up the dirt road home, leaving the picturesque village behind them.

“I think I want to take a hot bath with a glass of wine when we unload everything,” Teddy said.

“Why don’t we relax in the hot tub instead?” Geoff said. “Then we can cuddle up.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Teddy faced forward when he saw a car parked in their driveway. A burly figure stood at the door, bundled in a white sweater and a tan beanie.

“Who’s that?” Teddy asked.

“I don’t know,” Geoff said. “You said everyone canceled, right?”

Teddy turned to Geoff, eyes wide. “I think this is the guy who reserved one night. I could have sworn he canceled.”

“Well,” Geoff said. “Let’s go say hello.”

“What about the storm?”

“He’s only here for one night, right? If he leaves after breakfast, he’ll be out of the area before the storm hits.”

“You’re right,” Teddy said. “Let’s greet our guest.”