Tansy laughed. “It’s true, our bees are living their best life.”
Astrid agreed. Honey Hill Farms made sure their bees had everything they needed and more. Several of their original beeyards even had themes—a little something more than the traditional white bee boxes. From detailed and elegant castles and famous Impressionist re-creations to the boldly paintedAlice in Wonderlandapiary, the beeyards added a sense of quirkiness that made Hill Farms extra special. “You don’t want to leave your hive. We don’t want to have to find them a new queen. We both want the same thing. Plus, I’d really like to meet you.”
Tansy’s giggle was soft but her hand rested on Astrid’s back. “You sweet-talker, you.”
Astrid kept on murmuring encouragement until, finally, the unmistakable larger, oblong body of the bashful queen appeared. “Well, hello there. Aren’t you lovely?” She pulled the queen clip from her pocket and carefully encased the tawny-brown queen inside. “We even have your very own transport, your majesty. You’ll be safe. And so will your bees.”
“You literally talked her into coming out.” Tansy pointed at the nuc box. “I’m going to have to start carrying around my phone so I can recordthat.” She started picking up the supplies. “You. Bee whispering. It’s unbelievable. Instagram. TikTok. You’d get lots of followers—”
“No, thank you.” That sounded awful. They had contractual obligations to do promotional stuff due to winning the Wholesome Foods partnership, that was one thing. Tansy and Dane might enjoy posting and sharing and talking with the strangers online that commented and liked and subscribed. Just thinking about it made Astrid shudder. “Why would I want that?” She slipped the queen clip between two of the hive frames.
“To meet people? New people.Malepeople.” Tansy picked up the nuc lid. “It wasn’t all that long ago you were telling me you wanted lots of babies. The conversation was basically burned into my brain so don’t even try to deny it. A lot of babies normally requires a little help from, you know,malepeople.”
Astrid giggled. “I won’t deny it. I can still remember your face. And I do want babies. Eventually.” Tansy was with her every day—she had an up-close-and-personal glimpse into Astrid’s nonexistent personal life. But now was not the time to have this conversation. It was hot and only getting hotter. She did her best to move all the straggler bees into the nuc. “That should do it.” She stepped aside as Tansy slipped the lid onto the nuc but stooped down to say, “We’ll be back after the sun goes down.”
She hefted the five-gallon buckets into their squeaking wagon and started tugging it to the Honey Hill Farms van parked under a tree on the far side of the unfenced yard. Between then and now, Astrid had to work the closing shift at the Hill Honey Boutique and babysit precious baby Beatrix while her cousin, Shelby, had an online meeting with her California client.
And there was that other thing. That thing she kept avoiding because she wasn’t sure what to do.
It had been two days since she’d left Charlie’s house and she was still processing what she’d learned. The wordaccidentcovered a broad range of things vague yet ominous. But Charlie’s hint was enough to tell her all she needed to know and it gutted her. First the girls’ mother, then Rebecca. She’d had no idea what that little family was dealing with. It had taken her years to come to terms with losing her mother, then her father. The Drivers’ loss was still new and raw. And here she’d sauntered in with a basket of muffins and an offer to play Monopoly—as if that could do anything more than provide them a temporary distraction.
All the little bits and pieces she couldn’t make sense of fell into place. Like how upset Charlie had been when he came into the shop that first day. And his frustration as he fought to shove the bike into Rebecca’s car. Imagining Nova and Halley bicycling along the busy roads was enough to cause fear in any parent. But she couldn’t begin to imagine how Charlie had felt. A busy road, his girls missing, the memory of his late wife and her accident. For Charlie, the whole incident would have been like a waking nightmare.
Then she, Tansy and Dane barged in unannounced to return the bike when the little family was playing a game. Because he’d needed to spend time with them, be with them, see that they were safe and sound after all that.
It didn’t matter that they’d meant well, they’d invaded.
Tansy began unzipping and tugging off her vented bee suit so Astrid did the same, setting aside her concerns about Charlie and the girls for a bit longer.
“We’re thinking about going to that bee farm in Navasota. Dane and I, that is.” Tansy hung her suit on one of the hooks in the van, then reached for Astrid’s. “They’ve really embraced the agritourism thing and are doing well. They’re willing to share some secrets with us.”
It wasn’t all that long ago Tansy would have balked at the mention of agritourism as a potential revenue stream. Thanks to Dane’s persistence and enthusiasm, Tansy was willing to consider it. It was nice to see how the two of them were growing together.
“Do you think people would talk if Dane and I went away for the weekend? The two of us? Alone.” Tansy stretched her arms over her head.
“Why would people talk? Everyone knows the two of you are working together now. You’re compromising. That’s what you do in a healthy partnership, isn’t it? We both know Dane would never do anything that would threaten—”
“No. Not that. It’s just...” Tansy broke off. “Dane and I haven’t gone away together. You know, the two of us.Alone.” She rolled her eyes. “Will this set the tongues wagging and kick up more talk than it’s worth? I mean Willadeene Svoboda is going to do and say whatever she wants but...” She glanced at Astrid from the corner of her eye. “But I don’t want people thinking we’re running off to have wild and vigorous sex all weekend.”
“Wild and vigorous sex all weekend?” Astrid was so surprised, her laughter sort of erupted. Finally, she could breathe. “That is what Iimmediatelythought when you said the two of you were going to a bee farm for the weekend.Bee farmis universal code for a weekend sex-fest.” She shook her head, still grinning as she said, “No, Tansy, seriously? That, what you just said, is agiantleap from visiting a bee farm to take notes on agritourism.”
“Is it really? Good.” Tansy’s smiled widened. “But... I hope Dane doesn’t feel that way.”
“I don’t want to know that.” Astrid was laughing again. “Go, enjoy your weekend away, learn how to make an environmentally friendly agritourism vacation, and have some time with your fella.” She fanned herself, the sun already beating down on them. “How about we finish this in the AC?”
Tansy slammed the rear van doors. “I was going to use all that to transition into setting up your online dating profile. Nicole has already started it, I think.”
“What?” She blinked, staring at her sister. Nicole had been her friend since they’d moved to Honey and Astrid loved her dearly. But Nicole was into risk-taking, painfully blunt, and not the person Astrid envisioned creating a dating profile for her—not that she’d ever imagined creating an online dating profile. “You need to seriously work on your openings. Why do I need an online dating profile? A profile Nicole is making? Um, how did you two imagine this would play out?” Astrid made a face at her sister, then walked down the side of the van and climbed into the passenger seat. This wasn’t what she wanted. Once the AC was blowing, Astrid decided shutting down all talk of her dating life was the best sort of action. “It was one silly comment. Yes, eventually, I do want a big family. But I’m not going to force anything. It’ll happen. Or it won’t. Let’s just leave it at that.” She lifted her long hair up so the AC could cool her neck.
“It wasn’t silly.” Tansy turned to look at her. “And if it’s what you want, then I want you to have it. But you do need to help it along, Astrid. There’s not one man in Honey, except Everett Taggert, that’s worth a fig.”
And Everett Taggert had given his heart away at the tender age of ten, so he wasn’t an option. “I don’t want to pick some guy off the internet—like a mail-order groom.”
Tansy stared at her. “Is that a thing? You’re joking?”
“Yes, I was joking.” She stared, open-mouthed, at her sister.
“Trythe online option. Please. One, there are no options in Honey.” Tansy ticked off one finger. “Two, at least you’ll have options.” She ticked off another finger. “Three, you’ll have practice with men. I’m not saying you won’t go through a lot—a whole lot—of frogs before you find a prince or a duke or a lord—heck, even a noble stable boy. I’m just saying you have tostartsomewhere.”
