Page 68 of Must Love Bees
“I’ll go.” Astrid hopped up.
Aunt Camellia’s last doctor’s appointment had revealed high blood pressure—alarming the entire family. While she and Van took long walks each and every day, Astrid didn’t like the idea of her aunt tripping over one of the trunks or boxes filling the space in order to patch the roof.
“If it is leaking, it’s not a one-person job.” Aunt Magnolia spoke up. “Charles, why don’t you lend a hand?” She didn’t look up from her book this time.
Dane’s chuckle was cut short when Tansy smacked him on the arm.
“Oh, I can do it.” Astrid was beyond mortified. Not only was her family trying to set her up, they weren’t even bothering to be subtle about it.
“I don’t mind.” Charlie stood, seemingly unaware of the not-so-subtle maneuvering happening around them. Instead, he listened as Aunt Mags led him to one of the many cabinets.
“You’ll need duct tape. A bucket. Oh, good, we have tar paper.” Aunt Magnolia dropped each item into the bucket she’d given Charlie.
What are you up to?Astrid mouthed at her sister.
Tansy had the gall to shrug. Dane, however, laughed and kept laughing even after Tansy smacked his shoulder again.
“You help me put away the Monopoly, Nova.” Halley took her sister’s hand. “And when that’s done, if Charlie says it’s okay, Benji is going to play a movie for us.”
“Not a scary movie?” Nova glanced at Halley.
“Nope.” She shook her head. “Not scary.”
“Okay.” Nova shrugged. “Can we watch a movie, Charlie?”
He nodded. “As long as it’s age appropriate.”
“It’s a cartoon movie about superhero pets.” Benji waited.
Nova’s sharp inhalation was followed by her whole body tensing up and then bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Superhero pets?” she squeaked.
“Fine.” The corner of Charlie’s mouth quirking up as Nova sped from the room.
“Guess I’ll put the game away.” Halley smiled her thanks as Kerrielynn helped out.
Astrid couldn’t be sure but she thought she saw Halley and Aunt Camellia exchange a wink as the girls, Leif and Benji headed for the family room. Was everyone in on this? Did Charlie really not pick up on what was happening? Her cheeks were on fire.
“Everyone is settled?” Aunt Camellia took in the mostly empty kitchen and tied on her apron. “I’ll start dinner. I’m not sure Van will make it, with the storm and all, but it looks like we’ll have a full house, regardless.”
“Your favorite kind.” Aunt Mags stood and joined her, sliding an apron on and coming to her sister’s side. “What can I do?”
Astrid was very aware of Charlie at her shoulder. “Okay, then.” She didn’t look at him; she couldn’t. Tansy was watching her like a hawk. “Let’s go.”
Charlie followed her back up the stairs to the second floor and down the hall, past her bedroom, to the end of the hallway. The farther away from the kitchen and the family room and everyone else in the house, the harder it was not to turn around and throw herself at Charlie. “Attic.” She opened the door that led to the attic stairs.
“I can probably do this on my own.” He flipped a switch on the wall and the attic light turned on.
“I don’t think that’s what Aunt Magnolia had in mind,” she murmured. Or the rest of her family, for that matter. “It’s a big space. I’ll show you.” But the truth was she didn’t need her sister or aunts or anyone maneuvering for her. She was exactly where she wanted to be. She wasn’t going to walk away from some alone time with Charlie—even if it was in a dark, dusty, cobweb-laden, musty-smelling attic.
SINCEHE’DFIRSTpulled Astrid into his arms, Charlie had been in a constant state of flux. Part of him had never been happier. The other part was lost and terrified. Today had triggered something troubling—something beyond his control. If she was close, he had to touch her. Had to. At the table, if his arm wasn’t against hers, his knee was. If they weren’t touching, he was looking at her. The slightest contact and he was fine. Without it, he felt off-balance. He didn’t know how to undo it. He’d agreed to come help purely for the opportunity to kiss Astrid again. It was all too much, too fast.
“So.” Even with the space between them, the pull was magnetic. He ran a hand over his face. “Where is the patch in the roof?” He made the mistake of glancing her way. “Astrid?” If she kept looking at him like that, his self-control would go out the window.
She blinked, visibly shook herself and walked around him. “Back here.”
Instead of staring at her back and watching the way the skirt of her pale blue dress swayed when she walked, he forced his attention to his surroundings. Old steamer trunks, suitcases and aged brown boxes lined the walls and created mazelike partitions throughout the space. There were overflowing bookshelves, a mannequin, several metal racks packed full with plastic-covered clothing, and a coat tree with a dozen or more hats. “What is all this?”
“Bits and pieces of my family’s history. After we lost our parents, my sisters and I came to live here with the aunts and my grandparents. This was one of our favorite places to play. Most of the time. Once, the mannequin fell over on Rosemary and she screamed so loud Poppa Tom said he’d leaped over the kitchen table to get here. He had a Santa belly, so the imagery had Rosemary laughing away her fears. We put a quilt over the mannequin until she forgot about it. Let’s be honest, mannequins can be scary.” Astrid smiled back at him.
