Page 41 of Must Love Bees
He’d need to concentrate—which would be easier if he wasn’t preoccupied. He was still close, so she whispered, “I can take the girls back with me? We have plenty of room and air-conditioning. I’ll warn you baking will likely be involved—Aunt Camellia is a consummate baker.”
His gaze swiveled her way—and held. He had very nice, surprisingly warm brown eyes. Indeed, she was growing warmer by the second.
“It would be no bother. And I won’t let them run free through the beehives. Not for too long, anyway.” She was smiling when she finished, hoping he’d realize she was teasing. Considering his eyes narrowed the tiniest bit, she added, “That was a joke.”
“I know.” He swallowed, hard. “You...” He drew in a deep breath. “Thank you. I’d appreciate it. And I know they would, too.”
Astrid blinked. “I was expecting to have to work harder.”
“I’m not completely unreasonable.” His brows rose. “Air-conditioning problems or not, they want to go. They’ve said so. A dozen or so times.” He watched Nova shove an entire cookie into her mouth.
“Nova.” Halley rolled her eyes in feigned disapproval—before falling back onto their blankets and pillows to laugh.
Astrid hadn’t realized she’d placed her hand on his arm. “Everyone needs a change of scenery now and then. Plus, I have dogs. Dogs and treats... A hard-to-beat combination.”
But he was staring down at her hand on his arm, his jaw muscle working.
She let go of him. “Sorry. Habit. I tend to be a toucher...”
He nodded. “Girls, Astrid has invited the two of you to her farm—”
After that, nothing was intelligible. The girls were a flurry of activity. While Nova didn’t care if anything matched, Halley was far more intentional in her choices. Astrid sat and began to carefully brush the knots from Nova’s hair while Halley went upstairs for more choices.
“Can you give me braids like you?” Nova asked. “I like them.”
Astrid reached up to pat her braids. “Sometimes I don’t even know I’m doing it, Nova. It just keeps the hair out of my face—which is quite helpful when I’m working with the bees.”
“Practical.” Charlie was studying her hair now.
“It’s easier than carrying around clips or bands or combs.” She smoothed her hand over her braids. “I...don’t think about it. I just...do it.”
“Do mine, Astrid, please.” Nova smiled up at her.
Astrid set to work. While her hair was wavy and thick, Nova’s was so curly it took effort to tame the strands into solid plaits. She put three along each side of the little girl’s head and used the brightly colored bands Nova provided her to hold them in place. “Your hair is so curly, Nova. I hope the braids will stay.”
“My momma had hair like me and Halley. She hated it so she cut it super short.” Nova turned to look at her. “She didn’t know how to braid.”
“It doesn’t sound like she needed to.” Astrid smiled down at the little girl—who looked even more adorable with her braids and colored hair ties. “If she had short hair, she had no use for braids.”
“I’m ready.” Halley burst into the room red-faced and dewy but very fashionable in her ripped jeans, white canvas tennis shoes and midriff baring red T-shirt. She tugged the hem of the shirt and shot a glance Charlie’s way.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Charlie run a hand over his face. His jaw was bulging and there was a noticeable tension rolling off the man, but he took a deep breath—then another, and said, “Have fun. I’ll come get them when the meeting is over.”
She stepped close enough that she could whisper. “Or they could spend the day with me? I’d keep them busy. And my aunts and the dogs would love the extra company. They did basically raise my sisters and I and, I think, they miss having young ones around.” She resisted the urge to put her hand on his arm again. To reassure him, not because of the undeniable urge to touch him. “How about you come get them at dinnertime? You can stay and eat and not have to cook. Unless you get someone to come fix the AC, of course.” Her gaze swept over his face, lingering a hair too long on his mouth. It wasn’t the first time. Her fascination with his mouth had extended beyond seeing a real smile to things she shouldn’t be curious about. Namely, what it would be like to kiss Charlie. Her cheeks went so hot she was certain her face was fire-engine red.
Charlie’s hooded eyes bounced her way—then returned. He went from undecided to alarmed and...something else. Something that had him drawing in an unsteady breath and clenching his jaw. For a second, she thought he might have been equally fascinated by her mouth but then he was staring at the table. “Fine. Yes. Good.” He cleared his throat. “Thank you.”
Get a hold of yourself.She’d been labeled the emotional one her whole life. But her emotions had never run amok like this. “You’re welcome, Charlie.”
He was looking at her again. This time, it was the shuttered and distant look she’d come to expect.
“Are we going?” Halley’s enthusiasm was edged with impatience.
“Yes.” Astrid tore her gaze from Charlie and stepped back. One step, then two, until the air wasn’t socrowdedwith him. The nervous tension playing along her nerves eased with the growing distance. By the time they were walking along the footpath toward her home, the tension had been replaced by an even more distressing sensation. A hollowness. No, really, an ache. Far more distressing was accepting what was causing this new, full-body ache. Not what. But who.
HISCONCENTRATIONHADlasted through his conference call. He’d been confident, detailed yet brief, and answered every question his client and his employer had fired his way. In short, he’d delivered. Not only had his boss scheduled a private meeting with him for the following morning but the client had been eager to extend their company’s security contract for another two years.
After he’d hit Disconnect, concentrating on the lines of code, the steady influx from the team of coders he managed, or perusing the emails he’d been dodging for the last week was near impossible.
