Page 48 of Honey Be Mine
“Yes.” Astrid held her arms open for her stepdaughter. “A porch picnic.”
“We brought bunches of cimmanon rolls.” Nova ran up the porch stairs and climbed into Astrid’s lap. “Since you and the baby like cimmanon.”
“The baby likes cinnamon?” Everett glanced at Astrid. He knew Astrid was able to commune with the bees, but this was news to him.
“Nova means Astrid hasn’t thrown up anything that’s cinnamon,” Halley explained. “Since she’s throwing up everything else, Nova thinks the baby must like cinnamon.”
“Deductive reasoning.” Charlie ruffled his youngest daughter’s hair. “It makes sense.”
Nova beamed up at her father, then leaned forward to speak to Astrid’s still-flat stomach. “Hi, baby, it’s me. Your big sister Nova. Hope you’re having a good morning in there.” She patted Astrid’s stomach.
He hadn’t realized Rosebud was beside him until she said, “Nova’s very excited about being a big sister.”
“I can see that.” Everett was impressed. Charlie and Astrid hadn’t been married all that long, but it was clear the four of them were already a strong family unit. Nova was a character—full of energy—and she clearly adored Astrid. Halley might be a teen, but she didn’t shy away from giving Astrid a hug or helping unpack the cinnamon rolls onto a platter.
Charlie, quiet as ever, stood beside Astrid’s chair. He brushed hair from Astrid’s shoulder, letting a strand run between his thumb and fingertips. It was an oddly intimate gesture from such a reserved man.
“He does that,” Rosebud whispered, leaning closer to him. “Little things. Touches and smiles and stuff. There’s something extra romantic about the way he is with my sister.”
Everett understood what she meant. Charlie Driver cherished his wife openly—the way a husband should. He’d grown up seeing his father treat his mother the same, Granddad with Gramma Dot, too. He used to wince and groan whenever either couple would kiss or hug or give each other compliments. Now, he appreciated they’d given him a road map for what to do—someday.
“You’re saying that’s not romantic?” Everett nodded at Dane and Tansy.
Tansy was currently sitting in Dane’s lap, her arms around his neck, while Dane was looking at Tansy’s mouth with very definite intentions.
He turned, curious to see Rosebud’s take on the couple.
She looked at the couple long enough for her cheeks to turn red. “They’re... Well... There’s no denying they’re in love with each other.” She paused then, looking up at him.
What did that look mean? She was looking for something... Hard.
“I’m so hungry.” Nova held up one finger. “I only ate one cimmanon roll.”
“Only one?” Astrid shook her head. “You must be starving. Let’s eat.”
With a group this size, sitting down to a meal together was quite a production. And Everett enjoyed every minute of it. It reminded him of being young. Growing up as one of five kids, there’d always been this sort of chaos. He, Hoyt, and Jenny were still in Honey—but they were all too busy to get together very often. And now, with Gramma Dot’s bouts of forgetfulness and temper, meals didn’t always end well. Not that it could be helped, of course.
The first order of business was for the kids to share their first week of school. It was a big year all around. Nova was in kindergarten, Halley was a high school freshman, and Leif was a senior. While they each had their own stories to share, the overall consensus was good. Nova, especially, couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
“Being excited for a Monday.” Everett grinned at the little girl. “That’s a first. You must like school.”
Nova nodded. “I do. I have friends, and my teacher is nice, and we get to play games at PE, and my lunch box and backpack have stars that glow in the dark.”
“That would make me excited about school, too.” Rosebud paused. “Do you think they make lunch boxes and backpacks with glow-in-the-dark bees?”
Nova shrugged.
“Lots of kids are talking about the paintball thing.” Halley’s forehead creased. “Benji is really worried about it. He says his mom is stressed out over where they’d get the money to fix stuff if their beauty shop gets paintballed.”
“A lot of people are worried about that.” Dane glanced his way. “And expecting Everett to help out.”
“That’s what insurance is for.” Magnolia shot him a look. “Notour county parks and recreation director.”
“Agreed.” Rosebud nodded.
“That’s assuming you have good insurance.” But Everett understood the frustration. Some insurance companies made filing a claim an ordeal, and even if it was approved, getting that claim paid could take time. It was one more thing on top of an already highly stressful situation.
“Are things okay with Jed?” Tansy murmured.
