Page 26 of Must Love Bees
“While you do that, I’m going with Astrid.” Charlie shoved his hands into his slacks. Like it or not, he was curious to find out what Astrid wanted to discuss with him. “I won’t be long.”
“To the bees?” Nova was looking worried again. “But is it safe?”
“Yeah, you don’t have a suit.” Halley was frowning, too.
“Don’t worry.” Astrid pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. “I have an extra one, if you want it.”
No, Charlie did not want it. In the time he’d had the door open, the heat had rolled into the house in waves.
“You have to, Charlie.” Nova wasn’t going to let up. “Please.”
“Okay.” How could he say no to that?
Astrid nodded. “Let’s go.”
“Be careful, Charlie.” Nova hugged him around the knees.
“Come on, Nova.” Halley guided her inside. “Let’s go make lemonade.”
Charlie pulled the door closed behind him and followed Astrid off the porch into the brilliant Texas sun. He drew in a breath, his lungs filling with thick, warm air. It wasn’t unpleasant—it was familiar. Cycling, in Texas heat, meant hot air and sweat—lots of it. But it had felt good. Riding for hours, going until his restlessness had subsided.
“Here you go.” Astrid handed him the suit. “It might be a little short on you.”
“It’s fine.” He shrugged into the suit and it felt like the temp shot up a good ten degrees. He pulled up the zipper and turned to face her.
Astrid circled around him, checking the suit zippers and cuffs before nodding. “Do you know where her hives are?” She pulled the wagon behind her.
He nodded. “They’re your hives, aren’t they?”
“Oh, no. These are Rebecca’s bees.” There was a smile in her voice. “She’d become quite a proficient beekeeper. She liked collecting pretty things and offering it to the bees to thank them for the honey.”
His aunt had always taken pleasure in the “treasures” nature left around her property. “That would explain all the shells and rocks and tiny statues around.”
“Yes. She was one of a kind.” There was a hint of grief in Astrid’s voice.
“You miss her.” It wasn’t a question. Until now, he’d believed he was the only one who’d missed his aunt.
“I do.” Astrid glanced back at him. “But being here helps. This place will always hold a part of her.”
He nodded, appreciating Astrid’s take on things. Even though his aunt was his mother’s sister, he’d never met two more different women. Rebecca had been affectionate and communicative, she’d loved visiting with friends, gardening and hunting for snails and pretty rocks on long walks. His mother wasn’t a hugger, she was silent and withdrawn, and she didn’t like dirt, animals or bugs, and very few people. As far as he knew, his parents had a gardener and if his mother worked out, it was inside with her personal trainer daily.
Astrid stepped in front of him as the path narrowed. “Rebecca and I were of like mind there. Adding a bit of whimsy—for the pure joy of it.”
Whimsy. It wasn’t a word he’d ever use, but it could also apply to Astrid. Her hair had slipped free to pile in the hood of her bee suit. It was an unusual color. Not quite red, not quite blond. A few braids. Whimsical, maybe. With the sunlight filtering through the branches overhead, there were hints of gold and copper threads, too. It was when he realized he’d been pondering the color of Astrid Hill’s hair for at least a solid minute that he stopped, ran his fingers through his tangled mop and stared up at the sky overhead. When he dared look ahead of him, he realized she’d left him behind.
Which was fine until he heard Astrid sounding very un-Astrid-like, saying, “Who are you... Be careful. Please. Stop! No, don’t move—” Her cry had Charlie running down the path after her, cold fear gripping him by the throat.
CHAPTER FIVE
ASTRIDWASINSHOCK. Not only were two strangers in the clearing, she’d arrived in time to see Rebecca’s beehive topple onto its side. Time seemed to slow as the well-established colony slammed into the ground. Two of the five hive boxes split wide, spilling honey and brood-heavy frames all over the river rock Rebecca had used for ground cover. Before she could determine the extent of the damage, the bees were swarming.
The men were dressed in reflective vests and helmets and armed with clipboards. The taller of the two was using his clipboard to swat bees while trying to shake off what looked like crushed propolis and honeycomb from his work boots.
The bees weren’t happy and they were going to let these men know it.
The two men cursed and waved their arms in the air while Astrid watched in horror. If they kept flailing about, the bees would keep defending their homes. She moved quickly, pushing one of the men back onto the path. “Go that way. Don’t make sudden, large movements or yell—they don’t like that.” She headed back to the hive, where the other man was stomping the ground. Stomping on bees and comb and doing nothing to diffuse the situation.
“Please listen to me.” She tapped against his clipboard. “You are aggravating them.” She tried to steer him, one hand gripping one of the man’s arms. “Move slowly—”
