Page 35 of Broken Bonds

“Don’t forget your hands,” he adds, making my eyes roll.

“You are impossible, Lionel.”

I move to my side of the bed to get up. The truth is I’m hungry. Lionel also needs to put something in his stomach to take his morning pills, and let’s face it, this conversation is utter nonsense.

“It was you who crossed the Mississippi to snuggle with me. It’s a vast river.”

“Aaaaarrggggg.” Stomping, I head to the bathroom, the man is driving me nuts.

“And we didn’t even mention sharing my body heat,” I hear him say before closing the door.

We definitely need to buy another bed and set it up in a room at the other side of the house—Today.

???

“What are you looking for?” Lionel demands when he sees I’ve scattered my bag contents on the kitchen countertop.

“My phone charger,” I reply while checking the inside pockets.

Nothing. The damn wire is nowhere to be found.

Where the fuck could it be? My phone is dying, and I need it to call my mother. Knowing her, she must be going out of her mind because she hasn’t heard from me. I need an update on my bees, too.

Taking care of them is a precious task and I love it, but there are no days off. Bees have no vacations or weekends. A beekeeper who hopes to gather quality honey without harming the hive, must check the chambers frequently and at specific times. Don’t even get me started on what needs to happen when it’s cold or raining.

To keep stability, the hive needs to stay at a temperature of around ninety-five degrees, the brood cycle needs to be taken care of as the future of the hive depends on them.

On top of all the daily maintenance, our trustworthy customers are waiting for their orders to be fulfilled in a timely manner. I have an inventory of the jars, lids, and labels on my phone, but I’m not sure if my mother has made any extra sales. After all, our income depends on it. My mother’s household bills rely on the sales as well as the rent for mine.

Lionel sips his coffee while watching me.

“Hocus pocus!” he says, moving his hands dramatically in the air.

“Don’t be a jerk, Lionel, this is serious.”

“I’m trying to help,” he says, looking me in the eye. “Take it easy, I’m sure it’s somewhere.”

Maybe I should cut his head off?

“I don’t know where else to look. I’ve already emptied my suitcase.”

He looks at the kitchen’s white ceiling for a second. “Could you have left it at the hospital?”

“I’m sure that’s it,” I agree with him as I think about what I’m going to do next. We can’t leave home and ordering a charger online will take a couple of days to arrive. “All my business information is in there, and I need to call my mother.”

He takes one of my hands, gently caressing my fingers. “Don’t worry. My phone is yours.”

That makes me smile. “Thanks! That’s a partial solution. I still need to check my inventory. My mother must be going crazy with the hive.”

He tightens his grip on my hand. “I was serious when I offered to pay someone to help your mother.”

I look at him carefully. The Martians better come and explain what they did to my husband.

“Why the sudden interest in my things?” That makes me really curious. “You never cared about my business beyond the money to pay for the house expenses.”

The look of disbelief on his face says it all. He’s clearly shocked, although he tries to hide it. “You’ve decided to stay, and I want to take care of you, Stella. I’m going to do my best to make things easier for you in Kentucky. Tell your mother to look for someone to help her, or better yet, I could send your mother money…”

A groan comes out of my lips, I can’t help it. “Don’t even think you’re going to buy me off, Lionel Kral.”

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