Grizzly Flying Free (Air Bear Shifters Book 2) by Sloane Meyers Page A

of the doubt because we don’t really know their story. But here he was, being rightly accused of judging a woman whom, truthfully, he didn’t know.
    “Sorry,” Anderson said sheepishly, avoiding Silver’s questioning look. “Maybe I overreacted a bit.”
    Lexi shrugged. “It happens. A lot. I’m not even a celebrity really. I just dated one, and didn’t realize how much doing so was going to sweep me up into that world. Live and learn, I guess. Anyway, thanks for helping me with my bags. I can’t believe that guy in there was so unhelpful.”
    “Yeah, no problem,” Anderson said. “Looks like you’re planning on doing some serious gardening.”
    “Yeah, well, I don’t have any students for the next few weeks, so I figured I’d spruce up the garden around the studio and house a bit. Nothing better to do. It’s hard to make friends here. Everyone only sees me as the crazy celebrity.”
    Anderson felt a pang of guilt. Lexi looked genuinely lonely. And, if he were to be honest with himself, he probably had overreacted quite a bit to seeing her take a swig from the whiskey bottle. After all, she hadn’t been responsible for watching any children at that moment. And she hadn’t been drunk. She really had just taken one or two sips. It’s not like he’d never been in a situation where he wanted to escape and enjoy a quiet moment and a drink.
    He also couldn’t deny that seeing her here in old, dirty clothes, without makeup and with her hair all messed up, didn’t fit his perception of her as a spoiled celebrity. She was a real person, and didn’t seem to be afraid of work. Anderson felt waves of guilt washing over him as he slowly realized that, despite telling himself he wasn’t a gullible person, he had allowed sensational celebrity magazines to cloud his judgment of Lexi without really knowing her. That wasn’t the kind of person he wanted to be.
    Without thinking about it, and before he fully realized what he was saying, he found himself asking Lexi to dinner.
    “We’re in town for another day,” he said. “If you’re feeling lonely, you’re welcome to join Silver and me for dinner tonight. There’s a café down on the waterfront we really like. They have the best grilled salmon you’ve ever tasted.”
    As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. What the hell was he doing? Asking a beautiful woman who turned him on out to dinner. It didn’t matter that Silver would be there, too. His bear was going to be going crazy inside of him all night long. But it was too late to take the words back. Lexi’s face flooded first with a look of surprise, and then relief.
    “Really? I’d love to. Thank you.”
    Silver started jumping up and down and clapping her hands, and Anderson knew he would have to act happy and composed during dinner, at least for Silver’s sake.
    “Meet you there at seven?” he asked, wanting to get the hell away from Lexi before he said or did something else stupid, like signing his daughter up for more ballet lessons with her.
    “Sure, see you then.”
    Anderson grunted in response, and then turned to walk away from Lexi’s truck as quickly as he could. A startled Silver scurried to keep up with him as he made his way toward his own rental truck.
    This was going to be an interesting night.
     
    * * *
     
    Lexi nervously hopped from one foot to another as she waited for Anderson and Silver to arrive. She hoped she wasn’t overdressed. She was wearing a simple, knit dress in a bright royal blue, and a pair of taupe flats. She loved the dress, and thought of it as a pretty casual outfit. But everyone who was coming into the restaurant was wearing jeans and t-shirts, and Lexi suddenly felt conspicuous. Was Anderson going to think she had put too much effort into the way she looked, and think she was viewing this as some kind of date?
    Lexi shook her head at herself in disgust. For fuck’s sake, Lexi, get it together, she told herself. You’re overthinking things