Bear Minimum

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Ray

My co-worker Enid and I step back from the haunted linen closet as it rattles and smokes from the spell bomb we tossed inside. It’s amazing what a simple sage and salt magic ball can do in a pinch. Well, simple for the witch who makes them for our company.

As the smoke turns to white, my partner claps her hands together, saying, “That should do it!”

We swing open the closet to the sweet sound of silence, instead of the weeping Gold Rush maiden who had been haunting our client for months.

After many years of working as a paranormal investigator, it takes a lot to freak me out now.

But her crying was so incredibly heartbreaking, I struggled to listen to it while we set up for her release.

“I’m starving. Did you bring lunch or do you want to stop at the cafe before heading back to the office?”

Enid looks up at me when I say this, rolling her eyes and laughing.

“Well, how can I say no to such a pitiful look, dork?”

Because Corvid Valley Cafe is near our offices, the staff greets us as regulars when we arrive. Nattie, our usual waitress, waves us over to our favorite booth.

“It’s cold out there, huh? Want something hot to drink?” she says as a greeting.

We order and settle in, looking out the window at the late December day.

“I cannot wait to be in Hawaii in a couple of days,” Enid says, wistfully.

Her comment makes me smile. We have worked together for Golden State Ghost Whisperers for several years now and I see her like a little sister. She has had a whirlwind of a year, meeting her now fiance, falling hard for him, and is about to get hitched on the sunny beaches of Maui.

“Brag,” I tease.

She sticks her tongue out at me as our hot teas arrive.

“But, seriously, I bet you’re excited. I hope you have the best time.”

“Thanks, Ray. How about you? This will be the first time we won’t be at the same New Year’s Eve party in a long while. What are your plans?”

“Actually, with my grandma’s failing health, I am just going to be sticking around Corvid Valley for now. Although Trevor is insisting I spend New Year’s Day in Branwen Beach with him and Dom, and I’m sure more of his posse.”

Enid blows on her tea, looking up at me from the edge of her mug.

“Good. I mean, I get it. Mae needs you around. But you should start the year off doing something nice for you.”

Nodding, I know she is right, but I worry about my grandmother.

I don’t want her to feel alone or abandoned, ever.

She raised my brother Trevor and me from a young age.

She was always a vast support system for us.

A fighter for us. Hell, she even took the school superintendent to task when Corvid Valley Unified tried to deny Trevor the right to take his boyfriend to the prom.

That was never again an issue for a student here after Mae Peters stepped up to the plate.

Lunch devoured, we head into the office. Our co-workers Mo and Josie are working at their desks.

“How did it go?” Josie asks, not looking away from her computer screen.

“Pretty cut and dry. What are you two up to?”

Mo looks up and gives us a big grin.

“We are off work through the new year once we finish our monthly reports. And, Enid! You must be so excited!”

While they chatter away about the upcoming wedding, I get started on the paperwork for the job we just closed. It’s hard to focus, listening to the three of them talk. Sitting back, I look at Enid. She is absolutely glowing. I really love this for her.

When I start typing again, Josie grabs my attention.

“Have you ever dated a shifter before, Ray?”

“Huh?”

“We’re just talking about how Bernie is a bear shifter. And both Mo and I have dated shifters before. Let’s face it, shapeshifters are hot. How about you? Ever date one?”

“Just a bird shifter in high school for like three days. I don’t know if that counts.”

Josie starts going off about the animal magnitude her shifter dates always have, so I tune out and get back to my closing report.

Before heading home for the day, I stop by the retirement home to visit Grandma. I find her resting in her room, looking paler than she did two days ago.

“Hey, Grandma. How are you feeling?”

“It’s my Ray Ray. Come sit by me,” she says, her voice weak.

Grabbing a chair, I pull it to the side of her bed. Taking her hand in mine, I stroke it, feeling her paper thin skin under my thumb.

“You look beautiful today, Grandma. Did someone come in to do your hair?”

“Yes! What a sweet boy to notice.” She says, lightly squeezing my hand. “Is Trevor with you?”

“Not today, Grandma. He and Dominic are in Branwen Beach through the new year. I know he’ll visit you as soon as he is back, though.”

Beaming at me, she firmly squeezes my hand.

“I am so glad he found Dominic. It’s important for me to know my two boys are happy and loved before I go.”

I squeeze her hand back. I hate hearing her talk about dying, but I know it's her reality.

“Ray Ray, I would love to see you happy and in love before I leave this planet.”

I try not to tense up. Grandma has brought this up in the past, but now it’s a daily request from her. I, too, wish I was madly in love like Enid and my brother. But life hasn’t brought me down that path. At least, not yet.

How I would love to show my grandmother that I, too, am happy and in love before she leaves us.