Page 21 of Must Love Bees
“OMG, Astrid. He loves to play fetch.” Halley threw the large stick again, patting her thighs and grinning as the pony-sized dog came barreling back her way.
Charlie held his breath, fearing the dog would slam into Halley and knock her over. At the last minute, it stopped and Halley gave the dog a scratch behind the ear.
“He’s gentle.” Astrid leaned forward, resting her elbows on the porch railing. “You looked worried Halley would get hurt. I wouldn’t have let him come with me if there was even the slightest chance that would happen.”
“I wasn’t worried,” he murmured.
“Good.” Astrid stood. “I guess we should let you three enjoy the rest of your day.”
He did look at her then. He hadn’t wanted her here but, now that she was here, he was in no hurry to see her go. Halley was laughing. Nova was all giggles. He wasn’t weighted down by fear and worry. All because of Astrid and her dogs. “No rush.”
Astrid didn’t shy away from his gaze; instead she seemed to be searching for something.
He didn’t like it. “Unless, of course, you have responsibilities.” He forced his attention away. “What are beekeeping hours?”
“Oh, mornings are best. Especially when it’s hot like this.” She pushed off the railing.
Charlie was acutely aware of her walking around him to sit on the top porch step.
“Honey harvest just ended so there’s a lull now. Which is good since it’s so hot. Sweltering, really. But that’s Texas in the summer, I guess. I’ve often thought someone would become a millionaire if they learned how to build an air conditioner into a bee suit. Then again, I imagine it would be too heavy and then you’d have that to worry about instead of the heat.” She pushed her hair from her shoulders. “It’s all part of the job, though. Lots of sweet and sticky work.”
He stared down at her feet. Her toes wiggled.
“But the rewards are worth it. You and the girls are welcome to come see the bees, if you like? The Junior Beekeepers help out, plus some younger siblings. The girls could make some friends.” Astrid glanced up at him. “I can make it worth your while and get you some fresh honeycomb. There is nothing more delicious in this world.”
The longer he stared into her eyes, the harder it was to get words out. “Those muffins were good.” Small talk was acutely uncomfortable.
“I’m glad you liked them.” Her smile added an extra lightness to her. “I’ll have to tell Aunt Camellia. She takes her baking very seriously.”
“It shows.” Fascinating. Bewildering. He swallowed, his mind racing. He did not like this.
“Lots of practice.” Astrid laughed. “She’s always baking.”
Charlie said, “Practice makes—”
“Perfect.” Both girls chimed in.
“That’s one of Charlie’s mantras.” Halley threw the stick again.
“Practice. Practice.” Nova was sitting on the ground beside the shaggy brown dog, carefully plucking tiny white flowers from the grass and tucking them into the dog’s thick fur. “Practice.”
Astrid made a face. “I’ve never been perfect at anything.”
Charlie shrugged. “It’s something to work toward.”
“Is it?” She shrugged. “I prefer to set goals I can reach.” She stood, shaking out her skirts. “If I was aiming for perfection all the time, I think I’d start to feel defeated after a while.”
In a handful of words, she’d summarized his entire childhood. But he’d never stopped trying to achieve perfection. He kept right on staring at her. This time it had nothing to do with her clear green eyes and everything to do with what she said.
She disappeared inside the house and came back out, her sandals on her feet. When she stopped beside him, it was closer than before. “I wanted to tell you the board game offer still exists.” Her voice was low. “Here or at Honey Hill Farms. My aunts would love them but, I confess, there will likely be more baked goods involved. I’m a nice person, Charlie. I promise. Your girls remind me of me and my sisters when we were younger. And I remember what it was like, being their age. Anyway, I put my number on the notepad stuck to the refrigerator door. In case...” She glanced his way, adding, “We could do something else. Maybe go bicycling along the city park path? I know the girls like cycling.”
And, just like that, the pressure in his chest became crushing. The only biking they’d done since Yasmina’s death was around the property here. He was a rational enough man to know that what happened to Yasmina was a fluke accident—but the fear was real. He didn’t need to think about his answer. “We can’t.”
Astrid’s expression dimmed. “I understand—”
“No. You don’t.” He cut her off. There was no reason to say more. “Their mother... Yasmina.” He swallowed. It was none of her business but words kept coming. “She...died. You know what happened?” For the first time in his life, he hoped his aunt had told Astrid all the details. He wouldn’t—he couldn’t.
“Only that she had an accident.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
