Page 11 of Her Embarrassed Bear Mate (Crescent Lake Bears #5)

ELEVEN

Veronica

The last place Veronica wanted to be was on a walk alone with Alix but luckily, the little girl was coming along with them. Still, just to avoid any awkward conversation or accidental temptation, Veronica stayed a few feet behind them all.

Big mistake. All she could look at was Alix's bum. Her hips swayed back and forth and thanks to her short jeans skirt and leggings, her toned legs were noticeable.

Veronica forced herself to look away and shifted her attention to the dog. The Pomeranian was small and walked with little dainty steps, her fluffy tail wagging back and forth. Alix had endless patience with her, stopping every time the Pomeranian wanted a pee or a sniff. Meanwhile, Trixie was running in front of them and picking flowers while waving at strangers.

It had to be nice to still be outgoing and unburdened.

"Trixie! Don't go too far ahead!" Alix shouted at her little sister.

"I'm not far ahead!" the girl shouted back.

Veronica felt herself smile. It was sweet how the two interacted and made her wonder what it would be like to have sisters instead of annoying brothers.

The Pomeranian barked at a dog on the other side of the street, earning herself a little tug on the lead.

"Shut up, Princess," Alix hissed.

"Why is she called Princess?” Veronica asked, deciding that walking in silence was making things worse. And what was the harm in a casual chat?

Alix pulled the little dog along. "It’s her nickname because she’s a total spoiled brat. She’s actually called Snickerdoodle but that's when we thought she was sweet and cute, not a spawn from Satan."

Veronica laughed. "She looks so innocent though. "

"Looks are deceiving. I try to teach her manners but my mum doesn't believe that small dogs need as much training. Now we've spoiled her too much and she basically rules the house."

The park came into sight, much to Trixie's delight, and she raced straight to the swing.

"Wow, this park is nice," Alix remarked, looking around with an amazed smile on her face. The morning sun was making her eyes shimmer and drew attention to the gloss on her full lips. The smile Alix had right now was a lot like the one she had on their night out, wide and toothy and carefree.

Veronica couldn't help but stare. She wasn't usually this drawn to someone she just met but then again, Alix wasn't exactly a stranger. They had shared some very intimate moments already which was exactly why all of this was so weird.

Trixie went to climb up the playground house while Alix and Veronica walked through the park, always keeping within eyesight of the little girl. They crossed paths with an older woman walking a sluggish beagle and Princess charged towards the dog, almost strangling herself on her lead.

"No. Leave it." There was a surprising amount of authority in Alix's voice and the Pomeranian relented .

Veronica smiled, temporarily forgotting about who she was walking with and why. It just felt like a quiet beautiful morning at the seaside. Then she saw a man who resembled her dad and it all came flooding back. The irritation, the frustration, the feeling of powerlessness. She glanced at Alix, unsure how she was going to make it through a whole week.

"You're staring," Alix remarked.

"Sorry. I was just thinking this is so weird."

"What is?"

"You, me. This ridiculous family holiday. Even if your mum is marrying my dad, you're not family. No offence."

"None taken. I agree with you. It's all way too fast. And it's not that I want my mum to be single forever but she has a tendency to fixate on the man she's dating instead of looking after her children." Alix gestured to her little sister. "I don't mind looking after Trixie but sometimes, I feel like I'm the parent."

Veronica hummed to indicate she was listening. She didn't have the same experiences, there wasn't a big enough age gap between her and her youngest brother for that, but she felt for Alix. From the few interactions she'd had with Alix'ss mother, she could tell that it all seemed to be about what Dianne wanted. On that front, Dianne and Veronica's dad were a good match. Selfish and self-absorbed.

They stopped walking while the Pomeranian dropped a poop in the grass and Alix picked it up with a bag. She scanned the area, presumably looking for a bin.

"Can I ask something strange?" Veronica asked.

"The poop feels warm and squishy but you get used to it. It's just part of owning a dog," Alix said with a little grin.

Veronica snorted. "That's not what I was going to ask, but good to know."

"What do you want to ask then?"

"When did your mum and my dad start dating?" Veronica asked, trying to ignore the queasiness in her stomach. She wasn't sure if she was ready for the answer but she had to know if this relationship had gone on longer than her dad said. If that was the case, it would explain why they were getting so serious so fast.

It would also mean her dad had likely cheated, but that was a whole different problem.

Alix was quiet for a bit. "She first told me she met someone new about a month ago. That was after she'd just been to that speed dating event."

"And had they been chatting online before that? Did they know each other already?"

"No, I don't think so."

Veronica felt deflated. "So they really went from zero to a hundred in a month?"

"Sounds like it." Alix studied her. "Why are you asking? Did you think it has been going on longer?"

"I wondered. My parents only separated two months ago."

Alix's eyebrows almost lifted off of her forehead. "Wow. That's... wow."

They continued walking in silence. Princess did another poop and made intense eye contact with Veronica while she did so. After they picked that up and threw it in the bin, they returned to the playground where Trixie was trying to climb on the roof of the playground house.

"Trixie! Get off! That's dangerous!" Alix shouted, quickening her pace. Princess barked along and tried to run in the opposite direction.

As expected from a child who would climb a playhouse, Trixie didn't listen and climbed even higher, giggling with her height advantage.

"Get down!"

"But this is fun! I can see the whole world!" Trixie stretched her arms out .

Alix squealed, clearly panicked. Princess only barked louder which sounded like she was challenging Trixie.

Veronica observed from a slight distance. The whole thing reminded her of her job. The sick kids weren't usually the ones causing trouble though, the ones acting out were their neglected siblings who were dragged along.

"Oh no, we should go back or they're going to eat all my ice cream," Veronica shouted up. She hoped she wasn't overstepping but as long as she could get the little girl down, she was sure it wasn't a problem.

"What ice cream?" Trixie shouted back.

"My brothers messaged that they're eating all my ice cream. I need to go back to the house so I can stop them or there won't be any left. If you help me, I'll share it with you."

Trixie's face lit up and she clambered down with the agility of a monkey. "I can help!" She didn't wait and raced back to where they came from, whooping loudly.

The relief and gratitude on Alix's face was worth a picture. "Thank you."

"No problem. I'm used to dealing with kids. The trick is misdirection and distraction."

"I'll remember that. I'm always bargaining or begging." Alix cracked a smile as they set in motion. "So do we need to buy some ice cream on the way back?"

Veronica chuckled. "No, there should be loads in the freezer."

"You're clever."

They returned, walking much faster now that Princess had done all her pees and poops. Once they reached the front garden and Trixie was safely inside the house, Alix placed her hand on Veronica's arm.

"Thank you again. And for what it's worth, my mother doesn't keep anything about her dating life a secret. I wish she did, but I know far too many details. She won't have been dating your dad for longer than a month. I don't know what your dad was up to before that, but if he was cheating, it wasn't with my mum."

For some reason, Veronica believed Alix and it reassured her slightly. It didn't take away the absurdity of the whole situation but at least she didn't have to worry about this being an affair. It was a good thing because her opinion of her dad was currently at an all-time low and she really didn't want it to sink any further.