Page 106 of Must Love Bees
Tansy took one look at her. “Oh, Astrid.” She grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry.”
Astrid held tight to her sister’s hand, her heart crumbling to dust.
CHARLIEHADEXPECTEDLindsay’s temper tantrum but her words still hurt.
“I can’t believe you.” Lindsay’s tone was razor sharp. “I thought after all this time, you’d finally caught up or gotten better or more normal. You’re just as screwed up as ever. What is wrong with you?”
“Now, Lindsay.” Theo’s attempt to calm her had only increased her fury. “He is your brother.”
“Which means what?” Lindsay yanked her arm away from her husband. “My whole life, I’ve tolerated his...your weirdness. Even though it was embarrassing. Now? This? I can’t believe you’re going back on your word, Charlie. This is the smart business decision, you know that. And you’re just going to walk away? It’s idiotic.” She broke off, scrambling. “Not to mention, Dad will be pissed.”
When all else failed, she’d try to use their father against him. But this time it was different. He was different. “I don’t care what he thinks. Or what you think.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “This isn’t about getting what you want or business or money. This is about family and doing what’s right. And love.”
Lindsay and Theo had stared at him in shock.
“Hear! Hear!” Mr. Delaney sat in his chair, smiling.
“Charlie...” Lindsay paused. “I get that you’re lonely but these people don’t care about you. You can’t listen to Astrid, you barely know her. She’s probably been working you for the land the whole damn time. Come on, Charlie. Think. You are...you. What else makes sense?”
That she loves me. Whether or not it made sense, it was true. He accepted it, felt it, deep in his bones. The sort of love Lindsay couldn’t understand. “I don’t expect you to understand.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry you’re leaving empty-handed.”
Lindsay sputtered and railed but he didn’t budge. Nothing would change his mind. She was still red-faced and arguing the whole time Theo pulled her from Mr. Delaney’s office.
“That was quite a show.” Mr. Delaney sat forward, elbows on the table, to peer at him. “I think Rebecca would have been proud of you for standing your ground. Astrid, too.”
He hoped so. “I have one thing I’d like to arrange before I leave.” Charlie had taken his seat beside the older man and outlined what he had in mind.
Now, hours later, Charlie was back at home, reading emails. “School registration is coming up. Freshman year.” He glanced around his computer screen at Halley. “Are you excited?”
“No.” Halley shook her head. “It’s a huge school. Half of my friends will go to Clark. Who knows if I’ll see the friends that do go there.”
Charlie and Yasmina had talked about putting Halley into a private high school. Maybe he should look into that.
“Why are we talking about school?” Nova crawled across the floor, growling loudly in her dinosaur costume. She’d hidden the jungle animals Van had given her throughout the house and had been “hunting” them all afternoon.
“Fall is coming.” Charlie watched as she pounced on a couch cushion. “We’re going to have to start thinking about real life.” He swallowed. “We’ll be heading home in a week.”
Halley adjusted her headband. “It’s been so long, I’ve almost forgotten whathomelooks like.”
“It’s been a month.” Charlie lifted his feet as Nova crawled under his chair and out the other side. “Not that long.” And yet, so much had changed he understood what she meant.
“It feels like forever.” Halley’s was expression puzzled. “Weird.”
He agreed.
“We can’t leave yet.” Nova stood and took off her dinosaur helmet. “Not yet.” She stared up at him. Her arms were crossed and her lower lip jutted out. She had the T. rex head under one arm and Scorpio under the other. “Summer isn’t over.”
“Is there something you want to do before we leave?” Charlie asked, eyeing the envelope with Astrid’s name on it where it rested beside his computer.
“Not leave.” Nova stomped one foot.
“Nova.” He saw the distress on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to go.” She sniffed. “We have friends here. It’s pretty. I have a Mr. Possum. And all of Aunt Camellia’s dogs love me. And her cats. And even Lord Byron.” She squawked. “I love our purple house.”
“It’s going to be Astrid’s purple house.” Halley sat on the couch opposite his desk. “Charlie is going to give it to her.”
“Rebecca wanted her to have it.” And it was the right thing to do. Charlie ran his fingers through his hair, trying to ignore the painful throb of his heart.
