Page 5 of Like Bees to Honey
Van, thankfully, was too busy lifting a large bag of ice to notice how distracted she was by his arms and tattoo. He poured the ice into the tray along the far side of the refrigerated cabinet. He leaned down, reaching forward, his big, strong hands spreading the ice evenly. “He lost the right to court you.”
His words had warmth pooling in her stomach, feeding her preoccupation with Van and all his...his manliness. She swallowed.
Van straightened and wiped his hands on his apron. “As Leif said, he’s not good enough for you.” When his gaze returned to hers, Camellia had no desire to look away. His voice dropped. “You deserve a man who’ll treat you right, take an interest in you and be there for you, no matter what. Don’t you settle for less, Camellia.”
The way he said her name—a delicious mix of gruff and tender—flooded her with heat.Oh my.
Until five seconds ago, Camellia would have sworn her encounter with Harald Knudson was one of the more astonishing events in her life. But nowthis... Van Kettner? Camellia’s insides were an overheated, topsy-turvy mess.
A deep red stained Van’s cheeks. “I didn’t mean to carry on.” He wiped his hands again. “I overstepped.”
Had he? Perhaps, yet everything he’d said was surprising but lovely.Hewas lovely. In a very manly way. She’d never been on the receiving end of such very manly attention—and she liked it. Very much. “Not at all,” she managed, her jumbled insides throwing her off-balance. “I appreciate your concern, Van. I’m lucky to have it.”
“I’d say I’m the lucky one.” The same tone, gravelly and soft and lyrical all rolled into one, sparked another unexpected response in her. His jaw muscle tightened before he added, “To call you a friend and...all.”
Camellia held her breath, anticipation pricking up every nerve ending. He had more to say, she could tell. If only she could read his thoughts in those brown eyes of his, she’d know what he was thinking and feeling or if this was all in her head.
His gaze returned to the counter and he shook his head, murmuring something so softly that she didn’t hear him.
“What was that?” she asked.
“Nothing.” He shook his head again. “Can I get you anything else today?”
“Oh.” That was it? She’d expected... What had she expected? Just because she’d had some sort of world-altering revelation that Van was manly and lovely and quite capable of making her weak in the knees didn’t change a thing for him. Just because his forearms and hands and tattoo and voice had woken a powerful ache inside her didn’t mean it was reciprocated. Van had been a good and loyal friend for years.
“Camellia?” Van repeated, his brow furrowing as he studied her face.
She scanned her grocery list but the words, words she should have memorized by now, seemed blurry. She’d lingered here. Surely, there was a reason? “No.” She blinked. “No. I think I have what I need.”
“You sure?” he asked, not looking at her. “Nothing else?”
“I’m certain.” She tucked her list away. “Thanks again, Van. For...everything.”
A harsh sigh slipped from him and he looked up then, one hand resting on the counter. “Camellia...”
She stopped, her heart in her throat, hopeful. “Yes?”
He opened his mouth, closed it, then stared up at the ceiling overhead, tapping the counter with his fingers. “I’ve got a new recipe for creamy horseradish sauce, if you’d like?”
Horseradish sauce?“Oh, well...thank you, but I’ll use my mother’s recipe.” She smiled, heat creeping into her cheeks. If she needed further confirmation that her internal meltdown was one-sided, here was proof. She was cataloging his every feature and he was offering her a horseradish recipe. It was likely she had a smear of honey butter or powdered sugar on her lip—that was why he’d looked at her mouth.
But Astrid would have told me.
She gave herself a mental shake. “But I like the way you’re thinking. A full-on English roast beef dinner.”
“Sounds delicious.” His warm smile was back. “Give my best to the family.”
“Of course.” She nodded, appreciating his smile more than ever. “And you give your mother a hello from me, will you? I’ll be making some honey fudge soon, and I’ll set some aside for her.”
“That’s thoughtful of you, Camellia.” Van shook his head. “Mom will appreciate it. She says nothing tastes better.”
Camellia beamed at that. “You just made my day, Van.”
“I did?” He chuckled. “That’s good to know.” He took a deep breath, his smile growing and those brown eyes crinkling at the corners just right. “Good, indeed.”
Uma Bumgartner and Ida Popplewell arrived right then, preventing any further conversation. Not that there was anything left to say—not really. And yet, she couldn’t entirely dismiss the feeling that things felt...unfinished.
Oh, for Pete’s sake. She was making nothing into something.Enough now. With a wave and a smile, Camellia moved on to the produce department and whatever else she’d need to make the perfect Sunday roast beef dinner.
