Page 31 of Capture the Moment
“How do you mentor a kid who’s determined to be unmentorable?”
Sally waved that off. “Like I said, Coop can handle him.”
“Sally,” Tim said, pressing further, “why is this kid so important?”
Sally hesitated, her demeanor clouded with reservation. “Frankie’s father asked me personally to give the boy special treatment and attention.”
Tim raised an eyebrow. “Ah, I see. It’s about connections.”
Sally gave a rueful smile. “You know what it’s like, climbing the ladder, Tim. It gets harder and harder to reach that next rung.”
Then why do it?Tim wanted to ask.Why not be content with where you are in life? It’s a pretty good life we have here.
But he knew not to ask those questions out loud. This was the first relaxed conversation they’d had since she’d come back from the Yellowstone conference, and he wanted to get things back on track between them. “After I lock up, would you like to grab some coffee?”
“That sounds nice, Tim, hon.”
Calling him hon was just the encouragement he’d been needing. “We haven’t had a good talk in a while, Sally. I’ve missed our talks.” He noticed a softening in her expression, a hint of something unspoken in her eyes. He took a step closer. “I’ve missed you.” He took another step, but suddenly Maisie stood between them.
“Hi!” Maisie said, in her enthusiastic way. “Ranger Janus! I met you on the bike path today! Remember? Early this morning. Really early. I nearly ran Pops’s bike right into you and that super tall ranger.”
Why hadn’t Sally mentioned that? Tim talked about Maisie all the time. “What super tall ranger?” he asked.
Sally’s attention was on Maisie. “Of course I remember. You were riding your bike pretty fast, there.”
Maisie grinned. “Yeah, sorry about that. I’m still learning how to manage Pops’s bike.”
Sally waved to a ranger across the room. “I see someone I need to go speak to.” She put one hand on Maisie’s arm and another on Tim’s. Two birds, one stone. “Nice to meet you, sugar. Slow down on that bike. I’ll have to take a rain check on that coffee, Tim.”
That sudden departure left Tim slightly puzzled. It was starting to become a familiar feeling after an encounter with Sally.
As soon as Coop finished answering questions for a group of women who planned to hike in the backcountry but were terrified of bears, he looked around the room for Kate. Disappointed, he realized she must have already left. He went outside the visitor center and peered around, then saw her standing by the open trunk of her car, fiddling with some camera equipment. He bolted over to the parking lot but slowed about fifteen feet away from her. To borrow a phrase from his irritating roommate, he should keep his cool on. “Oh, hey there, Kate.”
She turned at the sound of his voice, a surprised, then pleased look on her face. When he drew close, she said, “Great talk! But you didn’t mention her.”
“Who?”
“Grizzly Bear 399. Did I miss that part? I know I was late. Sorry about that.”
“No, you weren’t that late.” Just late enough for Coop to think she had blown it off, leaving him disappointed. When she did arrive, he completely lost his train of thought. He could feel his face warm up as she’d made her way to the front row.She had a kind of delightful yet annoying effect on him. Like he couldn’t quite trust himself around her.
“So why didn’t you talk about her?”
“Sally, the head ranger, said she didn’t want me to draw attention to 399. We don’t know yet if the bear made it through the winter. Sally thought I should focus on bear behavior and safety. So I did.” He cleared his throat. “I, uh, hope it was helpful.”
“It was. In fact, you did a great job.” Kate grinned. “I can see why she wants you to do more talks. You’re a natural at imparting information in an interesting way.”
Coop felt himself flush. It sounded like he’d been fishing for a compliment ... and the truth was that he had been. That self-awareness made him feel embarrassed. And when he got embarrassed, he acted gruff and tough. It was a teacher trick. “What exactly did you mean when you said you had something up your sleeve?”
Kate seemed genuinely puzzled. “Sorry?”
“You told me you have a trick up your sleeve, then you patted your camera bag.” His tone held a mix of curiosity and suspicion. Why was he trying to sound so rangerish? What was wrong with him? He was such an idiot.
She instinctively put a protective hand on her camera bag. “I’m not sure why you’re asking.”
“It’s just ... there’s been some talk of poachers in the park.” Coop mentally cringed. Did that really just come out of his mouth?
Kate stared at him, astounded. The air practically vibrated around them. “And you think I might be trying to kill Grizzly Bear 399? That wonderful, incredible, wild creature? You think”—she slapped a palm against her chest—“that I’d want to hurt her?”
