Page 85 of Must Love Bees
“Halley and Charlie tell me what Mom said ’cause I don’t ’member lots.” Nova hugged Scorpio and yawned.
Astrid wondered which was harder—having memories to hold on to or not. She had so many treasured moments with her parents. Time had taken the edge off their loss but, every once in a while, the grief inside overpowered all else. Not that she’d give up those memories. They kept her parents’ love for her alive. She knew how much they’d loved her and how much she’d loved them. It was up to Charlie and Halley to make sure Nova knew how loved she’d been, too.
“I like talking about her.” Halley’s voice was low and thick. “It’s like she’s still here. I mean, I know she’s not. It helps, sometimes, is all.”
Astrid caught the girl’s hand in hers. “I’d love to hear about her, Halley. She was your mom. And Nova’s mom. That tells me she was an amazing woman.”
Halley smiled. “She had the funniest laugh. Like a snort, but really high-pitched. It made everyone that heard it laugh.”
Charlie chuckled.
“She loved oatmeal and headbands, like me, and opera music. I never understood the words but some of it sounded way intense.” Halley kept a hold of Astrid’s hand. “Do you like opera music?”
“I never have before but now I feel like I’ve missed out.”
“Astrid,” Nova whispered. “It’s really dark now.” She pointed up at the skylight.
“Right.” Astrid stared up at the window and the brilliant view of the stars. So far, there’d been no scratching or rat monster appearance. “Everyone else is ready for bed. I guess I should change into my pj’s.” She sat up and scooched off the end of the mattress. “I can finish the book when I get back.”
“Okay.” Nova gave a thumbs-up.
She carried her bag to the bathroom that connected the girls’ bedrooms, took a quick shower and put on her bee-print nightgown. After brushing her teeth, she headed back into the bedroom. The overhead light was off but Nova’s night-light was surprisingly bright. She tiptoed across the room to the bed. Halley had rolled onto her side. Little Nova had pressed herself against Halley’s back and was snoring softly.
Astrid moved to the other side of the bed. Charlie’s sleeping bag was there—with Charlie on top of it—with mere inches between where he lay and the bed. From his position, he’d have a good view of the skylight overhead and the mysterious rat monster, when it finally made an appearance.
He didn’t move or acknowledge her presence, so she tiptoed along the edge of the bed, pulled back the thick fleece star-covered blanket and slid between the sheets. She lay on her back and stared up at the skylight. A moth flew by. A beetle hit the glass and walked across the pane. No rat monster.
Other than the ebb and flow of the crickets’ nightly concert, she could hear Halley’s deep and even breathing. Nova’s soft snore made her smile.
Charlie was absolutely silent.
She was very aware of Charlie’s silence. Was he even breathing? He was too quiet. She was tempted to lean over and make sure he was still breathing.
Instead, she tried to relax and not think about the fact that he was lying inches away.
She took a deep breath and stretched, then adjusted her pillow. She pushed back the too-warm fluffy blanket—jumping at the touch of Charlie’s hand. His fingers threaded with hers. Astrid’s eyes squeezed shut, smiling so broadly her cheeks hurt. He’d sought out her touch. He wanted to hold her hand. And it filled her heart with hope and love.
Because she loved Charlie.
She rolled onto her side and peered onto the floor. He, too, was on his side, facing the bed. He stayed silent and so did she. But her thoughts were shouting the truth.I love you, Charlie Driver. I love you so much.
She was on the edge of sleep when she heard the noise. It was, as Nova described it, a rapid scratching. It stopped, then started again.
Astrid let go of Charlie’s hand and rolled onto her back to stare up at the skylight. At first, all she could make out was a shadow. A hairy shadow. It disappeared for a moment, the sounds of claws on the roof tracking back and forth until the shadow reappeared. This time, it covered the top portion of the skylight.
“You see it?” Nova whispered, grabbing Astrid’s hand in both of hers.
“I do.” Astrid squeezed her hands.
“I told you it was real.” Nova’s whisper was insistent.
Astrid watched the animal. It wasn’t a raccoon. This was slower, more sluggish. From the back and forth, it was clear it was eating. Bugs, most likely. “You always sleep with your night-light on, right?”
“She does.” Halley sat up, yawning. “What’s going on?”
“It’s here.” Nova let go of Astrid, stood on the bed and pointed up. “See? See.”
Astrid flipped on the lamp on the bedside table.
