Chapter Ten

We were right at the start of our most interesting conversation so far. We were all mates…and…

And a car pulled up behind Fyn's. Could their timing be any worse? "I think you have company."

He glanced back and frowned. "Nobody I know…yet. I've been so busy trying to make sense of the chaos of this place, I haven't had time to make friends in the community."

Two men exited the vehicle and started up the drive toward us. One led the way; the other lagged behind but they didn't look dangerous. Could they be potential customers if only we were ready for them?

"Hi." Fyn started down the drive toward them. "We aren't open yet, but we hope you'll come back when we are."

The lead guy chortled. "I'm not a traveler in need of a bed but someone here to make up for a big oversight we've made. I'm Giorgio, and this is my brother Stefano, and we own the Grizzly."

"Oh, I've seen the place. The local watering hole! I haven't been here long, but I definitely planned to come in for a drink at some point." He waved us forward. At least two of us because a certain princess had already fluttered off to the garden. "This is Ripley and Zeus my…anyway this is Ripley and Zeus."

"We saw you picking them up at the train station. We were in town picking up some things for our mates. They arrived by train like that, too, not so terribly long ago." He shared a glance with his brother. "We met them on an app."

The three of us looked at one another then broke out in grins. "Are we that obvious?" I asked. "The Male-Order Mates app by any chance?"

"There are a remarkable number of happy couples in the area who met one another on the app."

"And throuples," put in Stefano who had hardly said a word. It seemed his brother did most of the talking for the two of them.

"That's right," Giorgio continued. "And more babies coming along every day. Is that fairy princess I saw darting into the garden one of yours, or is she really magical?"

"Yes, to both," I told them. "Thia is a real fairy princess and also my daughter. We needed a fresh start, and Fyn was gracious enough to invite us here to help him build up his business. And Ripley is also part of the whole thing. This is beautiful country you have here."

Giorgio said, "My brother here was a chef in a I-forget-how-many-stars restaurant in the big city before I dragged him here to open our own place. I had a dream, and he helped me fulfill it."

Stefano shrugged. "It was a good decision and I'm a little ashamed of having been so reluctant."

"So, then how did you both end up on the app?" Ripley asked.

"That's kind of a funny story." Giorgio talking again. "I am very social, if you hadn't guessed, working the front of the house, but Stefano was back there in the kitchen all day and night, working his tushy off. And I decided he needed a mate. So I tricked him."

"And then I tricked him back," Stefano added with a grin. "And although I don't recommend dishonesty, in both cases it worked."

"Everyone has their own story, I guess," I mused. "So, you're the chef, Stefano? I guess that means the Grizzly is more than a bar? You serve food?"

"We have the best food for five counties," bragged his brother. "And we are definitely more than a bar. We have a separate dining room where people who want a more relaxed atmosphere can come and eat, although we serve food and drinks in both areas."

"Family friendly?" I asked because it would be a long time before I would feel comfortable leaving Thia with strangers to babysit her so we could have a date night.

"You bet. Especially during the day, but into the dinner hours, there are always families there. We are the darlings of the park rangers as well."

"Park?" Ripley asked. "A big one if there are rangers."

"Oh yeah! During the late spring, summer, and fall, we get a lot of tourists here, which will be great for you guys. Also, in winter, we can really let our guard down and shift in all those square miles of forest and mountainside. I'm betting Fyn knew it was here."

Fyn nodded. "It was a selling point, but I didn't realize at first just how much work there would be. I'm not sure we'll be open this summer."

"If you can be, even just a few rooms, I'd go for it," Giorgio said. "You'll be booked all season. There's never enough available space. Heck, add on later if you can. We'll talk you up, and so will the rangers who are just terrific about helping travelers to patronize local businesses."

"Come in and have a meal on us," Stefano urged. "It's good for business but also just for friendships and connections. Your little princess will want kids to play with, and we have the nicest kids anywhere in our area."

"We need to get back to the Grizzly," Giorgio said. "We almost never leave at the same time, but it was just a day when our mates needed stuff and we needed fresh air. So glad we ran into you three. Hope you will come in and see us soon."

We walked them back to their car. "What a coincidence that they saw us and nice that they came by to say hello and invite us to their place." I stretched, tired from all the travel but also feeling great to be here.

"It was," Fyn agreed. "I wanted to stop by at some point, but I didn't realize everything they have to offer. We'll have to get out there and have a meal in the near future."

"Before they forget they offered to treat us," Ripley joked.