Page 71 of Must Love Bees
“Shall we?” Astrid asked, steering them back to the stairs once he’d nodded.
He wasn’t ready to have to explain this to Halley or Nova. Whateverthiswas. So much had changed and, at the same time, nothing had. After they’d been through so much, he didn’t want to confuse things. And the facts remained the same.
He would dispose of Rebecca’s property—to Lindsay. Or not.
He and the girls would go back to Fort Worth.
That was the plan. It was a good plan. Logical. So why did his stomach feel hollow and cold?
CHAPTER TWELVE
THESUNWASjust rising over the horizon when the Honey Hill Farms van pulled down Rebecca Wallace’s drive. Astrid glanced at the front porch as they passed. It was too early for anyone to be up. And besides, today was a big day for Kerrielynn and Benji—she needed to be present for it and not daydreaming about Charlie, his kisses or how delectable his touch was. Of course, reminding herself not to think about Charlie’s kisses and touches had the exact opposite effect.
They took the dirt tractor path that hugged the fence line, parking when they were within walking distance of the hives they’d be working with. She climbed out of the van, closed the passenger door and waited for Tansy to unlock the back of the van.
Kerrielynn’s truck parked behind them and a good portion of the Junior Beekeepers climbed out.
“Are you two ready?” Astrid asked Kerrielynn and Benji, both suiting up in the beekeeper suits.
“Can’t wait.” Kerrielynn’s always sunny personality was in full force. “I’m so ready to take that test.”
“She is. It’s all she can talk about.” Leif nudged her. “We all know she’s going to do great.”
Astrid remembered taking her Master Craftsman Beekeeper test. She’d been a little younger than Kerrielynn but confident and determined. Sitting down at that desk, amidst several older and—she thought—wiser individuals had been daunting. The test packet itself even more so. But once she’d opened the first page and shoved aside her anxiety, she’d sailed through with flying colors. She’d known she was a good beekeeper, but the test told the rest of the world she was. And she’d been so proud.
“Yep.” Benji tucked his gloves into his pocket and checked his tools. “I think I’ve got everything.”
“We’ve got extras of...everything, just in case. You’re both going to do a great job.” Astrid scanned her clipboard.
“You’ve done that at least ten times already, you know that, right?” Tansy leaned into the back of the van and pulled a paper bag full of burlap scraps closer. “You all right? You seem a little distracted.”
“I’m good.” She was more than good. She was excited. Today there was the possibility she’d catch a moment or two alone with Charlie. It had been two days since she’d kissed him. Two whole days since the rainstorm. She’d seen him several times. He’d had no luck getting the air conditioner fixed so he’d brought the girls over in the mornings and come back for dinner, forced to work through some sort of firewall breach through most of the weekend. Not once had they stolen a single moment alone together.
She hadn’t thought it was possible to miss something that was so new. But she did. A little more every day. And no matter how hard it might be, she would not launch herself at him.
“Benji.” Tansy handed him an empty smoker. “Can you get this going?”
“Will do.” In order to take the test for the first level of his beekeeping certification, Benji had to complete a series of hands-on tasks under the supervision of a Master Beekeeper.
“Kerrielynn.” Astrid handed her the other smoker.
“Got it.” Kerrielynn was one level shy of testing for her Master Beekeeper certification. It was quite a fete for someone going into the senior year of high school but she’d been helping out at Honey Hill Farms since before she was Halley’s age. Tansy liked that she was a quick learner. Astrid liked that she was gentle and patient with the bees. Like Benji, everything she did here today would count toward the hours needed to take the written test.
“I’m going to go ahead and clear out the area.” Astrid started pulling supplies together.
“Need help?” Leif offered.
“No.” Tansy shook her head. “She likes to have a few minutes alone with the bees. I let her, too. Things seem to go better that way.”
“Got it.” Leif held up his hands.
Astrid was smiling as she took the loppers off one of the hooks installed in the van. Since it was possible they’d wind up splitting a hive, they’d need room to work. A wayward branch or a clump of cactus could make the job more challenging than it needed to be. She added the loppers and a shovel to her red wagon.
“Okay.” Tansy waved. “We’ll be along after I check off their suits.”
Astrid pulled the red wagon through a clump of cedar and found the path to the first hive. “You look like you’ve recovered well.” She walked around the hive boxes she and Tansy had used to rehome the bees after they’d been toppled. Bees were resilient so she wasn’t too worried about them but it might be a good idea to take a look inside. After nearly twenty-four hours of solid rain, it couldn’t hurt. “I’ll come back.”
She continued down the path. Even though it had only been two days since the monsoon-like storm, the ground had been so dry most of the moisture had already soaked in. Which was good. Heat and mud weren’t exactly ideal working conditions.
