Page 47 of Honey Bee Hearts

There, parked in front of the barn, is a blacked-out sedan. A man in a suit rests against it, his hands in his pockets, unconcerned as we pull up in Rhett’s truck.

The windows are down so I can hear Rhett curse as he throws the truck in park, and everyone hops out of the truck.

“Who’s that?” I croak, my throat still raw. I’m starting to feel a little numb after the panic attack, my brain demanding rest. I’ll sleep hard tonight. I always do after such an intense attack.

“No one,” Rhett answers, clearly annoyed. He looks over at Gunnar. “Get her back to her cabin.”

“What’s going on?” I ask, frowning now. This doesn’t feel right.

“Nothing,” Gunnar answers as he directs me toward my cabin. “I’m going to walk you to your cabin and make sure you get in alright.”

I frown over at the man as we pass by him and he winks at me, clearly amused. What the fuck? But Gunnar is quickly pushing me past him while the other three go over to meet the mystery stranger.

Jethro is sitting on the porch, waiting, and the moment he sees me, he stands. Instead of his usual happy bark, he simply keeps his eyes on the black sedan, his hackles raised. That’s what sets me on edge more than anything.

Always trust a dog’s intuition.

“Inside the cabin you go,” Gunnar instructs, popping open the door. “Lock the door behind you. Wouldn’t want a bear pushing through.”

I frown. Since when is a wooden door gonna stop a bear? Locks won’t matter to them.

But for a person. . .

I don’t get a chance to ask. He pushes me inside and lets Jethro in before he smiles tightly at me.

“Good night, Florida Girl.”

“Night,” I reply, confused.

Tonight was a whirlwind. First, I line danced, Rhett kissed me, then I’d had a panic attack, then Trent had been the sweetest, and now this?

After I close the door and lock it, I peek out the window to watch Gunnar jog back over to the others. Together, they all turn toward the barn and go inside a door that’s always locked. They don’t come back out, not for at least the ten minutes I watch.

“What the hell are they up to?” I ask Jethro, but ultimately, I shrug.

I suppose it’s not my business. I fall asleep when the aftermath of my panic attack catches up with me. When I wake up the next morning, the black sedan is gone, no evidence that it’d ever been there left behind.

Chapter 26

Fable

Sunday is an off day for most of the people who work at Circle Bee so it’s a pretty quiet day. There’s no breakfast this morning since Mel has the day off. Instead, I find a bowl of fruit on my little porch banister. I don’t know who left it for me, but there are apples, oranges, and some strawberries inside that I take advantage of.

When I’m at a loss for what else to do, I decide it’s as good of day as any to do my stretches outside. The mountain air is something different altogether. There’s a chill on the wind warning that winter is just around the corner. The tops of the mountains have a little bit of snow, but I bet they look even more beautiful in the winter, when they’re completely covered in snow. Too bad I won’t get to see it. In two weeks, I’ll be heading back home.

I’m in the grass, stretching my legs out, when Jethro climbs to his feet, alert. I glance over my shoulder and smile at Gunnar when he appears in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Mr. Frizzle sits on his shoulder as usual, happy to ride around.

“Mind if I join you?” Gunnar asks.

I blink up at him. “I’m just doing stretches.”

“Well, I could always use some stretching. What is this? Yoga?”

“Uh. . . yeah,” I answer hesitantly. “You wanna do yoga with me?”

“Why not?” he asks. “I’ll follow your lead, Florida Girl.”

We don’t talk about the black sedan. I haven’t even spoken with any of the guys about my anxiety attack. I’ve been wanting to thank Trent, but I haven’t seen him. He’s been completely avoiding me since last night, his garage door closed. This is the first time I’ve hung out with anyone since.

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