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“Well… I’ll, ah, see you soon.”

“Bye.”

He ended the call and set his phone on the table. He picked up the last breadstick and jabbed it into the sauce, then bit his tongue when he took an aggressive bite. “Dammit.”

Chewing a little more carefully, he finished his breakfast, drained his cup, and went to take a second shower. The foul smell of whatever the bear had eaten prior to breaking into the kitchen just wouldn’t leave him.

The second shower made Milo late, and Wilda and Caleb were standing by the door when he came down the hallway. He picked up his pace and smiled as he approached.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“Hey, Caleb. How are you doing this morning?”

The boy smiled and gave him a small wave as Milo dug through his pockets for the keys. He held them up. “I knew they were in there somewhere.” He unlocked the door and opened it for them, then followed them into the classroom, turning on the lights inside the door.

The lights flickered on, and Milo went to his desk. He set down his messenger bag and a travel coffee mug. “Um…yeah. I just need a minute to…” He stifled a yawn, then took a sip of his coffee.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You look exhausted.”

He took out his phone. “Since pictures are supposed to be worth a thousand words…” He pulled up the pictures of the bear and handed her the phone.

“Oh my gosh. Where is this?”

“That’s my kitchen.”

She looked at him. “Goodness.”

The only other picture Milo had on his phone was one of Rachel holding Frenchie when he was a puppy. It was a beautiful picture, and one a teacher shouldn’t have of his principal. When Wilda handed the phone back to him, it was on that picture.

“Oh, yeah. That, ah.”

“She has a very similar picture of you.”

He put the phone in his pocket. “A couple of my brothers helped me get the bear out of the kitchen, and he’s living his best life on Forest Service land far away from civilization.”

“I didn’t know bears were an issue around here. They come into town?”

“Well, I am out there a ways. But it was a first for me. You hear about them at the dump sometimes. And one was spotted in the park a few years back. But generally, Bridgeport is a bear-free zone.”

“Good to know. Especially since…” He raised an eyebrow, and she asked, “So no one got hurt?”

“The only damage was to my groceries, which I should’ve put away.”

“If you had, he might’ve torn through your cupboards.”

He pointed at her. “Very true.”

The door opened, and Rachel came through it holding Frenchie. She set the dog down, and he ran to Milo.

Rachel glanced at Wilda as she approached the desk. “Good morning. You got here nice and early.” She turned to Milo. “You look like…you could use some sleep.”

Wilda busied herself by feeding the fish as Milo picked up Frenchie and tried to keep the squirming dog from licking his face. “Hey, two showers this morning, buddy. I don’t need your kisses on me.” He set Frenchie down.

“You said something about pictures.”

He pulled up the pictures again and handed the phone to her.