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Chapter 11 – Bear With Me?

'If there ever comes a day where we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever.' – Winnie the Pooh

"I do not need a man," Riley Matthews pronounced.

Maya scoffed. "Yes, you do."

Since there was no point in arguing with Maya, Riley conceded to her best friends this round of the beat–to–death subject and returned her attention to her burger.

Maya leaned forward, curiosity twinkled in her eyes. "So?"

"What?"

Maya shook her head. "Do you really want me to spell it out?"

"Peaches—"

Maya winked. "Ah-ha! Something did happened. Spill or I will march to your office right now."

Riley grimaced. "Nothing happened."

Maya cocked her head. "Are you sure?" Her skepticism showed in her tone. "You're lying to me."

Riley rolled her eyes. "I'm not lying Maya. It's just hard to explain okay? Work is busier than ever and I love that but I can't shake this feeling that something big is about to happen."

Maya asked, "Bigger than Lucas' girlfriend working with you?"

"Yeah."

Maya raised her eyebrows. "You're just being paranoid."

Riley reached for her friends' hands. "You think so?" Her tone must have been snippy, because Maya blinked at her.

Riley took a deep breath to tamp down the anxieties, "Sorry."

Maya cleared her throat and said, "No biggie. Just, stop over thinking things. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"Maybe I should tell Lucas the truth about Morotia." Riley murmured.

"Let it go Riles," Maya reassured her. "I think he's forgotten about her. I mean we haven't heard from him or his friend Zay. Unless of course you wanted him to contact her?"

Riley flashed a warning glare in Maya's direction. "It's not that. I don't want anything—"

"Everybody wants something," Maya piped up with, "Don't give me that look. Oh, please, you sooo like the guy."

…..

Riley fought against a rising hysteria. She's already feeling agitated even before her lunch date with Maya and this recent hiccup is sending her over the edge. "I don't know how I'm going to fix this. Do you have any suggestion?" She didn't really expect a reply from Mandy, who wisely didn't give one.

Riley grabbed a tuft of her brown hair. Now she knew what the saying "tearing her hair out" meant. That's just what she felt like doing. "There must be a way to talk her out of this."

But it was already nearing midday. She and Mandy were meant to be heading down to SoHo after lunch to supervise the set-up of their test run for the new collection in one of the exclusive boutiques.

She picked up the hot pink rubber stress ball from the selection on their work table. Rather than squeeze it, she aimed it at the closed door. "Aaargh."

She let fly with the ball just as a tall, dark blonde-haired man shouldered his way into the room. The ball hit him smack on the chin. He dropped his phone with a thud.

Aghast, Riley got up from her chair and rushed around the table. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean—"

Lucas gave a short, sharp curse as he put his hand to his face. Riley stopped in her stilettoed tracks, unable to take a step further. She felt the colour drain from her face, and she clutched the edge of the table for support against a wave of dizziness. "Mr. Friar," she croaked from a suddenly dry throat.

Lucas picked up the stress ball and tossed it back to her. "Miss Matthews," he said with the slightest raising of his eyebrows.

She caught the ball with one hand. Automatically gave it a squeeze before she put it back. If ever there was a stressful situation this was it.

She clutched her hand to her heart in a futile effort to stop its sudden, furious beating. "I'm so, so sorry."

Lucas tried not to stare at Riley but failed abysmally. Her hair had come undone and she looked ruffled and so…so…hot that it kicked his hormones awake.

"Mr. Friar? I — I'm sorry," Riley stammered.

Lucas' brow furrowed. "Good aim."

"Riley here is a Yankees fan," Mandy said with a light laugh as she walked closer to Riley. "Is there anything we can help you with Mr. Friar?"

Lucas cleared his throat to answer Mandy's question. "I need Miss Matthews' assistance with something," he said.

"Assistance? Assistance with what?" Bewilderment flitted across Riley's face, closely followed by suspicion. Her brown eyes narrowed. He didn't blame her for her doubts.

"Not for me," he said, too hastily—perhaps too harshly. "For Zay, I mean Mr. Babineaux."

Her brow pleated into a frown. "I don't know anything about marketing. And Ms. Bradford—"

"You should go Riley. I don't think we'll figure something out in the next hour or so."

Riley stilled. "Why don't you go? I mean...you've known Mr. Babineaux longer than I did."

Lucas gritted his teeth. Riley Matthews doesn't want to be with him. He drew his brows together. "Miss Matthews, this won't take long," he said in his deep voice.

"Trust me—we'll figure this out when you get back." Mandy tried to reassure Riley.

Riley's frown deepened. "But—"

Lucas shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe you'll have a break through once you leave this office."

Slowly Riley shook her head. "But, Miss Bradford, she's—"

"Miss Bradford what?"

"Speak of the devil," Mandy whispered to the shocked Riley.

Riley glanced over at Lucas, who was all ears and gazing in fascination at her.

"So?" Missy gestured with her hands as she spoke. "What were you saying about me before I walked in?"

Lucas took a step towards Riley. That step brought him closer to her. So close Riley was aware of his scent—so immediately familiar it sent her heart thudding into overdrive with an overwhelming rush of awareness.

"She was saying how she can't assist me because she needed to finish something for you. Apparently, Miss Matthews is not aware who the real boss is." Lucas stated.

Missy frowned. "Why would you need her, Lucas?"

Lucas shrugged. "I need her for a project."

"I'm not aware of any new project."

Lucas' eyes narrowed as his gaze went to Missy, "I'm not aware that I should discuss everything with you."

"You don't," Missy said gruffly. "But you can't take Miss Matthews. She needs to be here to correct her mistake."

Lucas watched the thoughts flutter across Riley's face—uncertainty, trepidation, defeat.

"Mr. Friar, I should really stay here. Mandy can help you out."

"That won't do Miss Matthews," he said through gritted teeth. Lucas walked towards Riley grabbed her hand and tucked in his, "She'll be back in an hour."

…..

"Mr. Friar—"

"Lucas," he corrected.

Riley took a step back from Lucas, "Mr. Friar, where are we going? I thought Mr. Babineaux needed my help, isn't his office in 6th floor?"

"Zay doesn't need you. I do." Lucas replied.

"Excuse me?"

"Miss Matthews, can you please stop asking questions and just come with me?"

"No. I have a lot of work to do and I left Mandy alone with Miss Bradford because you told us that Mr. Babineaux needed my help. If your Miss Bradford finds out, she's going to have a fit."

"I'm not worried about Missy." Lucas' expression was dead serious.

"You're not worried about her because you don't work for her. She can't fire you."

A smile curled Lucas' lips. "Consider yourself lucky to be fired. I heard she's more difficult than Chloe."

Riley shook her head and pressed one hand against Lucas' chest to keep him at a safe distance. "Well, I don't want to get fired. I love my job and I like the people I work with. Most of them anyways."

"Let me get this straight. You're worried about Missy getting upset and yet you're not worried about upsetting me. You do remember that I am the CEO, right?."

Riley's brown eyes grew wide. She shook her head as she pulled her lips hard back against her teeth in an attempt to smother the burst of nerve-fuelled annoyance. Then, losing it, "Are you firing me?"

"Do you know that that's the second time you ask me that? Be careful, one of these days I might just do that. But fortunately for you, that's not today." His smile was reassuring, his hand extended like a lifeline.

"Thank you," Riley said, "what is it that you need my help with?"

Then, before she could ask or say anything else, he took her elbow, opened the door for her and said, "C'mon, fresh air first, then we eat," and refusing to take no for an answer, he steered her out into the street.

"You've been working non-stop and you look stressed and you still have a tough afternoon ahead of you. You need to relax and eat."

"I'll pick up a sandwich."

"That's not enough. You need proper food."

She shook her head, "And I will once I figure out what I need to do with that stu—, I mean darn dress."

"Are you always this difficult?"

"Am not." Riley glanced at her watch. "Mr. Friar, can you please tell me what is it that you need me for?"

"Difficult and persistent."

"Takes one to know one," Riley said quietly. She brought her hand up to her forehead and rubbed, pressing her thumb near the crest of her eye socket where the tension seemed to be drilling into her skull.

"I need your help choosing a teddy bear for Stacy."

"Right," Riley muttered. "Why didn't you just tell me that earlier?"

…..

Uncle Luke Tammy and I want a special teddy, Stacy pleaded.

Lucas scanned the shelves of toys, out of his depth. He knew wool from silk and blue from indigo, but he didn't know the difference between a doll that cried and a doll that talked.

Was one better than the other?

Personally, he would have gone with talking over crying. Not that Stacy need another doll. Nope. This time his niece is asking for a bear. A special teddy bear.

Knowing that he needed help, he turned to Riley for assistance. After all, Riley was the one who put the idea of a special bear in his niece's mind. He simply wanted to ensure that he doesn't disappoint and nothing to do with wanting to spend some time with Riley.

The store took him back to his childhood. He remembered shopping for toys with his mother and his sister.

"What colour are we looking for?"

Lucas' mouth flickered at the corners. "Brown?"

Riley stared at him innocently. "Size?"

"That's what I brought you here for Miss Matthews." Lucas stepped closer. Lowered his voice. "Stacy ask for a special teddy bear. Any idea where she got the idea from?"

"A special— ? Well that's—" She swallowed and then scowled. "Stacy got the idea from me."

"Well then Miss Matthews, I suggest you help me find the most special teddy bear in this store."

Riley wish she can leave then remember she was doing this for Stacy.

"Come with me." Riley grabbed Lucas' hand.

Lucas stared at the small brown teddy bear. "What makes this bear special?"

"This bear is special because Stacy and Tammy will be its new friends. This bear is special because he will be keeping Stacy company and will be getting lots of cuddle from a very special girl. This bear is special because he looks like Berry the Bear-bear."

Lucas turned to look at her. "Berry who?"

"Berry the Bear-bear." Riley squared her shoulders. "He's my special teddy bear growing up."

This time Lucas didn't bother holding back the smile. "Now it makes sense."

"What makes sense?"

"Why Stacy won't stop talking about teddy bears. How she needs to have one. My niece is copying you Miss Matthews."

"Oh,"

"It's fine Miss Matthews. The bear I can get, let's just hope she doesn't ask me to bring her to Rileytown."

Crap. Riley lifted her gaze and saw Lucas' mouth still curled in that half smile. The smile that made a woman want to do naughty things to his lips. The smile that made women stupid. Double crap.

…..

"Thank you for helping me out Miss Matthews."

"I'm glad I can help. Hopefully Stacy will love her new teddy bear."

Lucas nod his head. "I'm sure she will."

"Well, I have to go back." Riley fought the urge to turn tail and run. Instead, she deliberately placed one foot in front of the other.

"Maybe next time you can help me find a nice motorcycle."

"I…I'm sorry, what did you say," Riley finally managed.

Lucas shrugged. "Forget it. I lost my mind there for a minute. What can you possibly know about motorcycles. I was just thinking of someone else. Thanks again for your help, Miss Matthews."

Riley nodded and stood silently as she watched Lucas walk in the building; then she drew in a deep breath. Does he know? Riley shuddered.