Page 50 of Glass & Groundwork
“Idotrust you.” Jasper leaned against me, and I threw an arm over his shoulder, squeezing him to my side. It meant so much to me that Jasper had such simple and sure belief in me.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. I need to shower, alone, sorry, I don’t think you’re in the right head space and I don’t want to take advantage. We’ll get dressed, eat, and then head out to the apiary. It’s cooler today, so we should get out there as soon as possible.”
“I thought you said it was better to wait until it warmed up enough for the workers to leave the hive.”
I smiled as I stood up and held out my hand to pull him up. “That’s true, but we want to get there before they leave.”
Jasper’s brows arched. “We do?”
“Yes. Now, go get ready. Long sleeves, jeans are a good idea, try not to wear anything too bright. I love color on you, but the bees love it, too.”
“Yes, Daddy.” Jasper pushed up on his toes and gave me a kiss.
After we were both dressed and had a quick breakfast, I took Jasper to the garage where we kept all of the gear. I had a variety of veils, helmets, gloves, and full suits. Looking over the options, I decided I wanted to give him as much protection as possible, despite having Jasper cover up with his clothing.
“I don’t usually wear the coverall suit, because it can get hot, and I’ve spent enough time with the bees to read their temperament. But it would make me feel better knowing you had an extra layer, especially since we don’t know how you’ll react yet, so you get to wear this. Go ahead and put it on over your clothes, but you can leave the veil off until we get closer.”
Jasper nodded and took the white beekeeper suit from me. He stepped into it and zipped it up. It wasn’t an attractive outfit, it was made for safety not aesthetics, but seeing him in it made my heart swell. I was finally getting to show him my world, and it was really exciting and meaningful.
I found myself smiling as I took him in and gave him a quick peck, “You look adorable.”
I showed him how I tucked my pants into my socks, my shirt was tucked into my waist, and I pulled on gloves that went over my shirt sleeves, tightening the velcro straps that circled my wrists to ensure there were no gaps where bees could crawl beneath my clothing. They could sting through it if they were mad enough, but I tried not to upset them, though everybeekeeper has been stung, it came with the territory. Grabbing a veil, I collected a few tools and placed them in the ATV.
The door to the garage opened, and Eduardo popped out. “Hey, are you heading out?”
“Yup, just about to leave.”
Eduardo’s gaze shifted to the ATV and back to me. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here to help much lately, but I’ve been picking up extra shifts at work, and it’s been going really well.”
I crossed the room and pulled him into a hug. Having adult kids was challenging in trying to find the line of wanting them around and wanting them to live their own lives. “Don’t be sorry, Eddie. I’m happy to hear it’s going well for you.”
He leaned in against me. “Thanks, Papa. The work’s been good, it’s nice to know I’ve accomplished something on my own, you know?”
“I do. I’m so proud of you.”
Eduardo pulled away and straightened. “Thank you. Idomiss helping you, though. It’s funny how you start to miss the sound, the buzzing. Sometimes, I’ll be at work and it just seems so quiet.”
“I know what you mean. Listen, I’m happy to have your help whenever I can get it, but…” I slid a glance to Jasper in the bee suit before returning my attention. “Maybe not today. I think Jasper needs it.”
Eduardo looked between us and nodded with understanding. “I got you. I’ll work on a batch of lip balm then. I noticed you were running low and you have Heartcraft coming up.”
I squeezed his shoulder. “Thanks, kiddo, I haven’t been checking my stock like I normally do.”
Eduardo smirked. “No, I’d say you’ve had other things to focus on. Oh, Jasper?”
“Yes?”
“You should totally take some of your bees and bring them to Heartcraft, people would flip over them.”
A smile stretched my lips as I turned to my husband. “That’s a great idea! I would be happy to have your glass pieces at our booth, at least until you get your own.”
“Really? They’re just trinkets, nothing like the big pieces I plan to do when Kiss My Glass is up and running.”
“Peoplelovetrinkets. The market wouldn’t exist without trinkets, and besides, they are pieces of art no matter the size.”
Jasper gleamed with that look I loved on him so much. The hope and excitement that brought stars into his golden eyes. “I would love that, actually.”
“You always have the best ideas, Eduardo.” I winked at my kid. He’d been the one to suggest the barn for Jasper’s shop which started this whole thing. I would forever be grateful for the role he played in getting us here, and his unending support even without understanding why it all happened so quickly.
