Page 32 of Must Love Bees
“They do. That’s another way they talk to each other. A bee sends out an alarm signal, then another bee sends it and another and the whole hive gets the message.” She shrugged. “When the message is ‘Danger, time to defend our home,’ the bees will swarm and protect.”
“Okay.” That all made sense. But still. “Don’t they know you’re a good guy?” Nova wasn’t sure how to feel about this. “You’re the bees’ friends. Friends don’t hurt each other.”
“If I’d had my suit secure, they wouldn’t have. And it’s not so bad, Nova, I promise.” Astrid patted her hand. “The poor bees were confused—what with their house falling over and people in their clearing. I’d probably have stung someone, too, if I was a bee.”
Nova shook her head. “You’re too nice.”
“And she’s not a bee,” Charlie pointed out. “There were hundreds of bees, Nova. Hundreds.” He frowned. He was probably worried about the sting on Astrid’s neck, too. “She was lucky.” Charlie sat at the table and reached for another cookie.
Three. Charlie had three cookies.
“It’s a miracle she only got stung once.” Charlie finished munching on his cookie.
“You didn’t get stung.” Halley reached for another cookie—and Charlie didn’t stop her.
Nova grabbed another one, too. They were really good cookies.
“He was working with the bees—chasing off those men and telling them to leave.” Astrid was smiling her prettiest smile at him. She looked at Charlie and Charlie looked at Astrid.
Charlie didn’t frown. He was staring but he wasn’t grumpy.
Halley was staring at Charlie and Astrid, too. She was smiling. Which was good. Halley didn’t smile all that much anymore.
Nova grabbed another cookie and sat back. Four cookies and no one had noticed. They were all too busy looking at each other. For a long, long time. Long enough for Nova to sneak one more cookie.
CHAPTER SIX
ASTRIDSCANNEDTHELIST. “Root beer.”
“Since when do the aunts like root beer?” Tansy shot her a disbelieving look.
Growing up, sodas and sweetened drinks were occasional treats out and about—not a staple in the Hill home. “They don’t. Van does.” Astrid held out the grocery list. “See. You can tell Camellia was thinking of him by the extra loopy rolls.”
Tansy rolled her eyes but she was smiling. “They are something else.”
“They are one hundred percent adorable.” Shelby, Aunt Mags’s daughter and their cousin, shifted her baby daughter on her hip. “Mags thinks he’s going to propose.”
The Aunt Camellia and Van Kettner lovefest was only a couple of months old, but they acted like they’d been a couple forever. Astrid had never seen anyone as giddy as her aunt—except maybe Van Kettner. The two of them were pure romance and sweetness. Her aunt would go pink in the cheeks as soon as she laid eyes on her handsome, older beau. And Van? He adored Aunt Camellia. Anyone could see it, plain on his face. He was always bringing her flowers and chocolates or taking her on an evening hand-in-hand stroll or roping them into a marathon board game so he could stay a little longer. That he didn’t bother to hide his adoration made it all the more precious. And since Aunt Camellia was blissfully happy, they were all pretty darn happy, too.
“Propose?” Tansy appeared legitimately surprised as she steered the grocery cart onto the next aisle. “Really?”
“Is it a bad thing?” Astrid liked the idea of Van officially joining their family.
“No. It’s just... No offense, they both have lives and a home and getting married just seems...weird.” Tansy’s look was almost guilty. “I can’t imagine not waking up to Aunt Camellia being there. You know? She’salwaysbeen there. Like, always. But she wouldn’t be, if they got married.” She shook her head, as if she couldn’t quite absorb the information.
To be fair, Astrid hadn’t thought about that part. Now that Tansy had introduced the idea, her enthusiasm for a proposal and wedding was instantly dampened.
“Well, if it isn’t the Hill girls.” Willadeene Svoboda stood in the middle of the grocery aisle. When confronted with the gossip-loving instigator, escape was often the best option, but between her sizable hips and the grocery cart she’d angled just so, there was no escaping the older woman this time. “Why the long faces? Is everything all right?” Her gaze sharpened, bouncing between the sisters with far too much interest.
Oh, no. Willadeene was like a hyena scenting blood. Hopefully she hadn’t heard the exchange about Van and Camellia or all of Honey would expect an invitation. Astrid smiled. “Good morning, Willadeene. We’re trying to find the oyster crackers. They’re never in the same place.” She shrugged.
“It’s a crisis,” Tansy agreed, shooting her sister a look. “For Lord Byron, anyway.”
“Dear me, is that overstuffed buzzard still alive?” Willadeene and Lord Byron did not get along—a fact that helped Aunt Mags tolerate the bird. “Well, now, I haven’t seen the two of you out and about in ages.”
Astrid could almost hear the theme song forThe Wizard of Oz’s wicked witch playing. Dane hummed it every time he saw or heard the name Willadeene Svoboda so now, even when he wasn’t around, Astrid could hear him humming—with gusto. Like now. It made it incredibly hard to keep a straight face.
“No?” Tansy was on the same page as her boyfriend—she wasn’t fond of the gossipy older woman. “I suppose there hasn’t been a festival in a bit. Then there was the honey harvest. And it’s been so hot.”
