Page 73 of Honey Be Mine
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Everett’s face when he’d held her away from him. Warm. Fighting with restraint. Breathing hard and oh so gorgeous. She pulled the covers over her head and curled into a ball.
“You need to get up, Rose.” Tansy grabbed her foot and gave it a wiggle. “Your panel is in an hour.”
Right. The panel. But she was too happy to let facing down James Voigt get to her. “I’m up,” she murmured, pushed the comforter off, and sat up.
“Wow. You’reglowing.” Nicole sat on the foot of the bed. “But what’s with the bags under your eyes?”
Rosemary smiled at her. “Good morning to you, too.” She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. “It can’t be that bad.”
“Rose, honey, I’m sorry but...” Nicole slipped off the bed, dug through her overnight bag, and returned with a mirror. “The bags under your eyes have bags.”
Rosemary peered at her reflection and grimaced. “Perfect.” Not that she was going to let it get her down. Nope. No way. Not today.
“I’m assuming things went well last night?” Tansy sat on the other corner of the bed. “Are you going to share the highlights with us?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. Not now...” She broke off, unable to stop herself from smiling.
“Kerrielynn’s gone to breakfast with Astrid and family.” Tansy leaned on one arm, cocking her head to one side. “If that makes a difference.”
She shook her head again.
“Okay.” Tansy held up both hands. “Our sister gave me a long lecture about giving you space and respecting your boundaries, so I’m going to try.”
“I’m doing your makeup.” Nicole carried her overnight bag to the bed. “You need some cover-up. Maybe a little blush.”
Rosemary took another look at her reflection and decided not to argue with Nicole. “But don’t go overboard, please.” She wanted to look her best today. Not just for Everett, but for herself. Yes, she’d be presenting something she knew backward and forward, but a presentation was only as good as its presenter. This was important to her. This mattered. She wanted to knock their socks off and leave an impression.
“What are you wearing?” Tansy asked, opening the closet door but glancing her way.
She shrugged. “I wasn’t sure, so I brought a few options. I’ll let you pick.”
“Excellent.” Tansy stood, her hands on her hips and her face determined. “I’m so excited. You’ve got a chance to put the asshat in his place. Justice for you and who knows how many others. You said you suspected he’s done this sort of thing before, so it’s up to you to make sure he’ll think twice before acting like such a tool on other projects.” She adjusted her ponytail, her dangly bee earrings shaking. “Don’t forget, we’re all going to be there rooting for you.”
Her big sister was right. She needed to focus. Last night had been...wonderful but she needed to set all thoughts of Everett, the weight of his arms around her waist, and the delectable taste of his lips aside. For now at least. She’d been given the opportunity to make sure James Voigt accurately presented their data to a group of her peers. She took a deep breath. “All as in who?”
“All.” Tansy shrugged. “Like, everyone.”
“Except me and Benji. We’re manning the booth. But I’ve a feeling all the science stuff would go over my head anyway.” Nicole came forward, eyeshadow palette in hand. “Now, close your eyes.”
“I don’t wear eyeshadow.” Rosemary shook her head.
“You do today.” Nicole pointed at Rosemary’s eyes with the makeup brush. “Close ’em.”
While Tansy pieced together what she deemed a professional outfit, Nicole kept working on Rosemary’s makeup until they were all happy.
They went downstairs with a few minutes to spare. Nicole set off for the expo hall while she and her sisters made their way to the meeting room. She gratefully accepted a cup of coffee from Astrid before heading to the front of the room that had been booked for today’s lecture. A dais had been set up with a table and three chairs—one of the chairs was occupied by James Voigt.
“Rosemary.” His smile was too big and too bright.
“James.” She sat, putting her to-go cup full of coffee on the table.
Jane helped them clip on their microphones before introducing each of them. She rattled off accolades that made Rosemary sound far more impressive than she was.
When Jane said, “I’ve also been informed that she’s just finished her first children’s book,ABC’s with Baby Bee,” Rosemary sighed and stared out over the crowd. Her sisters were pointing at one another, but Rosemary suspected they were both to blame for this information being made public. Not that she was mad. If anything, it made her proud that her family was so eager to share her pet project. There was an entire row waving and smiling her way.
Everett wasn’t there. That was fine. That was good. No distractions. But his absence stung all the same.
“Both of our presenters have spent the last several years working on the bee genome directory. Let’s jump right in. Dr. Voigt, why don’t you start?”
