Red's Bear (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales) (6 page)

“Thank you.” Rena sat in the seat and dried her feet,
rubbing them vigorously until they were warmer. She slipped them back into her
shoes that sat neatly at the side of the chair.

“How was the water? Good?”

“Cold.” Her teeth did a little chatter, but Rena still
let the smile rise. “But good.” She wrapped the shawl tightly around her
shoulders.

“Here, have a little tea. It’s my own special blend.” Her
grandmother poured her some steaming hot beverage and passed her a cup and
saucer.

“Wow, that’s some kettle, it is still warm.” Rena held
the cup up to her face and allowed the steam to remove the slight chill from
her skin.

“It’s the hot plate.” Her grandmother tapped the metal
plate below the pot. “Octavia got it for me a few Christmases ago. She and I
love sitting out here and watching the snow melt as spring sets in.”

“Ah, how is your friend?” Rena recalled numerous phone
conversations she’d had with her grandmother about her friend and the things
the two women were up to. If someone had overheard their communication they
would probably believe Rena was talking to a teenager. Her grandmother went
swimming in the lake, out for long hikes, caught salmon with her hands, camped
in the mountains and went berry picking. 

“Octavia is very excited about going away tomorrow.”

“Her family’s okay with her leaving on a trip? I
remember you telling me she is close to them. Isn’t her husband mayor or
something?” Rena sipped her tea. It was syrupy sweet just as she liked it. A
custom she’d gotten from her mother. She’d watched her mother over the years
add extra sugar or agave nectar, saying ‘it’s never quite sweet enough’.

As if something was missing. However, this cup was
perfect. Soon, Rena consumed that one and poured another while her grandmother
slowly drank her own.

“Benat previously was mayor… some time ago. Now their
son, Jasper, holds the position. Benat doesn’t deny Octavia anything that she
wishes.” A shadow crossed her grandmother’s face and Rena wondered if it was
brought on by loneliness of her friend having family around her.

Going out on a limb, Rena asked, “Are you thinking
about grandpa? I’m sure you miss him. Will you tell me about him?”

Her grandmother sighed, stared off into the distance as
she held her teacup steady. “Osborne,” she whispered reverently. “He has never
left my side.” She drank from her cup, and as if it had never been there, the
shadow cleared and she smiled as she glanced at Rena. “But that is a
conversation better saved for later…perhaps when I return.”

Allowing her grandmother the privacy of her own
memories, Rena returned her smile. “Then will you at least tell me how much
sweetener you used to get this tea so delicious.”

“You don’t have to add any extra when it is brewed. I
cure it when I buy it from the store in town. Simply allow it to bake in the
summer sun then store it in a canister.”

“You make it sound so simple. I may have to extend my
stay just for this. When mom or I do it, it is never quite this tasty. Like
something is missing.”

“I’m sure. Your mother was raised making my tea when
she was younger.” Her grandmother exhaled, the sound heavy and strong as she
slouched just a little in her chair.

Rena could imagine the weight of the dissension between
her and her daughter had worn on her grandmother, even though Genma tried to
deny it.

“A lot of things Lillian has pushed aside. Shunning her
very nature. The order of things.”

Frowning, Rena pondered her grandmother’s words. “You
mean not being a part of her family? Keeping me from you?”

“That and so much more. There is always time for such
weighted conversation.” Lifting the small basket, her grandmother said, “It is
more important now to get you rested and well. Have a muffin. They’re my
sticky-glazed pistachio recipe.”

“Oh, Grandma, this tea is working wonders on me, but I
think a muffin would be too much.” Rena hadn’t lied. The tea was having a very
soothing effect on her stomach. From the first sip it had warmed her insides
and immediately settled the nausea. By the time she completed the first cup she
felt more alert and her limbs less shaky. Rena wondered if she consumed the
whole pot if she’d be able to run five miles on the treadmill again.

Working out had been one of the first things she’d had
to cease almost a year ago. She just didn’t have the stamina or energy to get
through more than five or ten minutes. Her grandmother should think about
selling her recipe to pharmacies and clinics. It was better than anything her
doctor had given her.

“Try one and if it causes you to become green about the
gills again then you don’t have to finish it.”

Tilting her head, Rena eyed her grandmother. “How do
you know I’m not still feeling as sick as I was when I arrived?”

With a sly smile that curled up on one corner, her
grandmother said, “Oh, Red, a grandmother knows.” Stretching her arm further,
she went on, “Besides, your face has color in it now, not so pale.”

Rena was glad to hear that. She got tired of seeing her
own ashen brown reflection peering back at her. “Just a bite or two.”

Looking at the muffins with their shiny, sticky, nutty
topping, Rena couldn’t help but lick her lips. She’d always had a sweet tooth
and staring at the muffins and trying to decide which one to pick was doing a
great job of re-awakening it. Selecting one of the smaller ones from the
basket, she took a bite. Like the tea, the first thing she tasted was the
sticky sweetness. Her insides seemed to be dancing as she swallowed it. Unable
to resist the moist, fluffy goodness and the nut crunch, she took a second and
third bite. If it made her sick she would have to deal with it.

“Oh goodness, Grandma, it is soooo good.” Rena’s eyes
rolled up and she leaned back against the rocker. She was in a delectable heaven
between the tea and the muffin.

“See, I told you. No one in Den can resist them.” Her
grandmother chuckled. “Another?”

As the last bite disappeared down her throat, Rena
opened her eyes and peeped at her grandmother. “Maybe one more small one. I
don’t want to push it. It seems like it has been months since I’ve been able to
eat and keep anything down. I’m sure I will pay for this later.”

“One never knows.” Joining her, her grandmother ate a
muffin too. “Tomorrow, Greta from next door will be by to pick up the
containers for Lola Shardik that will be sold at the festival next week.
They’re in a plastic container in my pantry. But, I have a tin in there with
your name on it. The other beside it is for the landscaper…he likes his extra
sticky.”

“Bless you.” Rena held the last bite of her second
muffin with one hand and picked off the chopped pistachios one at a time, just
to prolong the devouring of the last piece. The sappy glaze clung to her
fingers. “What is this glaze…cinnamon and brown sugar?”

“All kinds of spices and decadent goodness.” Reaching
over, her grandmother placed her hand on top of Rena’s and squeezed. “Let’s go
in, so you can get some rest. I’m sure you’re tired.”

Popping the last piece into her mouth, Rena licked the
sweet residue from her fingers and hands like a child who didn’t care. Rising,
she collected the tray with all the items on it, before her grandmother could
get it. She didn’t come here to be waited on hand and foot, something that
would make her feel more like a frail invalid.

“I feel fine, Grandma.”

“You probably do, but you should lie down for a moment.
Not overdo it. Besides, it will give me time to make some nice vegetable
chowder for you.”

Following her grandmother into the house, Rena moved
through the beautifully decorated family room. There was a television mounted
on the wooden wall between two tall movie cases. Before it was a long, plush
couch and a glider rocker with a foot stool. Out of all the furniture, the
glider appeared the most used. Along one wall there was floor-to-ceiling
bookshelves, jam packed with books. That was something she knew about her
grandmother. She loved to read, especially in the winter months when Den County
practically shut down. In the corner in front of the living room window was an
easel, a representation of her grandmother’s second love, painting. A blank
sheet of paper fastened to the top awaited her grandmother next creation.

In the wall across from the bookshelf was a fireplace
with logs stacked neatly in a metal box beside it.

Rena had no problem seeing the room filled with
children and adults, opening holiday gifts and curled up before a fire. There
was a jab of guilt in her heart that her grandmother’s life had been so void of
family. Yes, Genma had her friends, but they weren’t family and her family had
abandoned her. Rena made a promise to herself that her relationship with her
grandmother would be different from here on out. There wouldn’t just be letters
and a monthly phone call. She would visit Genma often. Hopefully, she would get
better soon and meet a great guy and fill the remainder of her grandmother’s
life with grandchildren.

Once they were in the luxurious, fully equipped, modern
kitchen, Rena set the tray on the counter. There wasn’t a single appliance that
she could think of that wasn’t in her grandmother’s kitchen. Rena was
impressed.  “Where do you want me to put the rest of the muffins, Grandma?”

“Shoo shoo, Red.” Her grandmother flapped her hands up
and down in the direction of the entrance that would lead back into the living
room. “I can take care of that. Come on, let me show you to your room.”

“Okay.” Rena laughed at her grandmother’s persistence
as she followed her back into the main room of the house. She couldn’t be mad
at Genma because she had come here not only to watch out for her grandmother’s
house, but also to rest. It was just hard to think about lying down when she
was beginning to feel so much better.

“As a refresher to the layout of the house, this is my
room.” Her grandmother pointed to the first door they passed down a long
hallway from the kitchen.

Rena peeped inside and saw the orange and navy blue
comforter and decoration in the room. A queen-size bed with a wooden headboard
was clearly seen.

The next rooms indicated were across the hall from the
master bedroom. They were dual doors that her grandmother told her had a Jack
and Jill bathroom between them, a painting of a blue jay on the wall above the
towel rack. Both rooms had full-size beds: one brown and green and the other
sky blue and white.

“I remember sleeping in the blue and white room, but
not the one with colors.” Rena stood at the entrance of the room. She could see
a budding teenage girl, skinny with long legs and thick unruly hair, lying in
the bed. At the same time her memory became flooded with muted words and
voices. Her grandmother and mother arguing in the front room. Rena recalled
wanting to crack the door and eavesdrop on what was being said, but having no
desire to incur her mother’s wrath.

“You and mom argued a lot that last summer we were
here.” Rena looked at her grandmother, now standing before the closed door at
the end of the long hall.

Genma’s expression was a blank mask. “Lillian and I
have butted heads since she was a little girl. She likes to have things her way
and she doesn’t always understand that there may be a bigger picture she isn’t
seeing.” Falling silent, her grandmother pushed open the other door. “I think
you are old enough now to have a more comfortable room.”

“It’s beautiful, Grandma.” Rena walked passed her grandmother
still standing at the door. Moving deeper into the room, Rena took in the mango
and cream decorations: comforter, piles of pillows, curtains and the large
thick area rug under the bed. She noticed that even the bathroom matched the
room’s color scheme. Her suitcase and carryon were sitting beside the closet.

“I hoped you would like it.” When I saw the items last
week at the cabin décor shop in town I knew it would be perfect for you.

“Oh, it is. You didn’t have to go through all this
trouble. I’ll only be here a short while.”

“Who knows, maybe you will come to love Den as you did
when you were younger and stay…longer.”

Glancing over at her grandmother, she saw the twinkle
in the older woman’s eyes.

“No promises.” Rena would at least visit more.

“None asked.”

Rena sat on the queen-size bed with its thick wood
posts. The bed looked as if someone hewed it from a tree and left the bark on
it. It was rugged and homey at the same time. The mattress was soft, but firm
just like she liked it. “I think I could use a nap on this bed.”

“Good. You need your rest. The soup will be ready in a
couple of hours. No rush, just rest. I have some final packing to do for my
trip.”

“I only need a few minutes.” Rena slipped her shoes off
and curled up on her side, facing the door. A yawn swelled up in her chest and
came out louder than she expected. “It’s been such a long and agonizing year,
Grandma.”

Coming to her, Genma grabbed a blanket from the end of
the bed and pulled it up over Rena. “Everything will be better soon. Just you
wait and see. Things will all start to make sense.”