Page 10 of Her Embarrassed Bear Mate (Crescent Lake Bears #5)

TEN

Alix

Alix didn't like judging people prematurely but she didn't need to spend much time with the Bearsons to discover they had a very different definition of the word 'holiday'.

If it had just been her, her mum, and Trixie, they would've slept in until noon and hung around in the rental property, kind of seeing what the mood would bring. There would be mimosas for their mum, endless cartoons for Trixie, and lots of fast food.

This was different. It was just after dawn and everyone had been summoned for an elaborate breakfast in the veranda. A full English had been prepared by Dirk who seemed proud of himself. For good reason, it was the most extravagant full English Alix had ever seen. There were two types of sausages, homemade baked beans, thick cut bacon, and golden sauteed mushrooms. On top of that, there were rounds of local black pudding, crispy hashbrowns, and the choice of white and brown bread. And if that wasn't enough, a dozen eggs were cooking up in a pan with lots of butter and a pile of oranges had been freshly squeezed.

Alix dreaded to think how much money had been spent on just breakfast. She didn't know if this was a normal thing or if Dirk was aiming to impress but it was extravagant in her opinion.

The clicking of Princess' paws sounded on the tiles as she followed Trixie around, barking for attention. Like a typical Pomeranian, she had a big personality for a small dog.

A stumble came from behind her and Veronica wandered in, looking absolutely meticulous. There wasn't a hair out of place and she had a loose floral shirt that was tied around her waist.

It should be illegal to look this good in the morning.

"Good morning," Veronica said politely. Even her voice was silky smooth but she didn't really engage or smile. Just poured herself a glass of water from the tap and checked her phone.

Alix watched the other woman from the corners of her eye. This was the view that she'd missed out on. As gorgeous as Veronica was, Alix didn't really recognise her though. This was not the same woman that had given her such seductive looks and teasing kisses.

Maybe that had all been an act. Or maybe she needed to be drunk to have fun.

Alix shook the wonderments away. It was none of her business how and why Veronica let loose.

Once everyone was up, they settled at the large dining table. Through the luck of the draw, Alix ended up in front of Veronica again which meant it was almost impossible to avoid her totally.

She dug into her luxurious breakfast while listening to everyone discuss what they should do with the day. Or rather, it was mostly Dirk listing what activities suited the weather. Every now and then, Alix stole a glance at Veronica who wasn't eating much.

Alix didn't know if that was normal or if Veronica was as uncomfortable with the situation as her. There certainly was a tenseness to her body language that implied she wasn't all that at ease .

"Mussels for dinner? None of you have come even close to beating my record." Dirk suggested between big bites of toast, offering an explanation. "We do this yearly competition to see who can eat the most mussels. I always win."

"Not this year, I've been training for this," Levi said, engaging with the conversation for the first time since everyone sat down.

Veronica pricked a tomato on her fork. "We'll probably have to make a reservation considering there's so many of us."

"What do mussels taste like?" Trixie asked, curious as always. She seemed very happy about being here and was swinging her legs back and forth.

"You wouldn't like it," their mum said. "It's seafood. Like shrimp."

"I don't like shrimp."

"Me either, bunny." She looked at Dirk. "Maybe we could go somewhere different?"

Dirk nodded. "Of course, I wouldn't want Trixie to be uncomfortable."

Alix tried not to think about how ridiculous it was to come to a seaside town without liking seafood. It was understandable for Trixie, she was only eight, but her mum was an adult. Not to mention, eating mussels was clearly a tradition for the Bearsons and now they couldn't have them.

"I'm sure the seafood place will have a kids menu or something Trixie will like," Alix weighed in, not wanting to be a disturbance to the holiday they were imposing on.

"We can easily go somewhere else," Dirk said in a tone that made it clear it was final.

The rest of breakfast was eaten in mostly awkward silence and Alix blamed her mum. Not just for the mussel-situation but the entire holiday. Why on earth did she think this was a good idea? The whole thing was way too fast and totally misguided.

Of course, Alix couldn't say any of that. She'd learned a long time ago that her opinion didn't matter when it came to her mum's dating life. It never had.

Princess barked demandingly, as always generating a lot of noise for such a small dog. She even stood up on her fluffy hind legs, sniffing curiously and looking hopeful for any food that might fall to the floor.

"Don't beg," Alix chided, a little embarrassed by Princess' shameless behaviour. The dog was making it look like she was fed from the table which wasn't true.

"She probably needs a walk," her mum said .

While there was a garden, it wasn't fenced in so Princess needed constant supervision for all her pees and poops.

"I'll give her a quick stretch after breakfast," Alix promised, eager to get out of the cottage and have some time to herself.

Dirk pushed his empty plate away. "There's a little park a few blocks away. Veronica can show you."

"Oh, I'm sure I can find it myself," Alix said quickly.

"No, it'll be nice. Gives you girls a chance to bond," her mum chimed in, looking pleased by the prospect.

Alix wanted to protest more and insist that it wasn't necessary but she didn't know how to do that without arousing suspicion. There was no reason why the two of them couldn't go for a little walk together, even if she didn't think it was a good idea to be alone together.

"Trixie, you'll come too, right?" Alix asked, pleased with herself for coming up with a solution to the problem.

It wasn't perfect, but at least she wouldn't be alone with Veronica.