“On TV?” Nova shook her head. “Charlie says too much TV will give you headaches. Or make your eyes go bad. Or rot your brains out.”
Astrid stopped herself from saying another “Oh.” This time she said, “I see.” Then hurried on to say, “Not on the television. On an observation deck. You stand behind a screen wall to see the bees but they can’t sting you.”
“I guess that sounds okay.” Halley shrugged. Clearly, she wasn’t sold on the idea.
“Can you see the stars there, too?” Nova asked, holding up her toy. “Momma says obversation decks are the best place to lay and stare up atallthe stars in the sky.”
“Observation,” Halley murmured.
“Obversation.” Nova nodded. “That’s what I said.”
“It’s a different sort of observation deck. But I can lie on a blanket and stare up at the stars for hours and hours. Especially on a clear night. There’s no bigger night sky than the one here in Honey.”
“It’s the same sky all over.” Nova frowned. “Isn’t it?”
Astrid giggled. “It is, you’re right. I mean it feels bigger. There aren’t any lights to dim their sparkle. Like there are in the city.” Not that she had any personal experience with city night skies.
“Imissthe city.” Halley sounded downright mournful. “There isnothingto do here. Nothing. And there’s no one to talk to. I miss my friends, you know?” She swallowed.
Astrid understood exactly how Halley felt. Her best friends had always been her sisters. When Rosemary had moved to the other side of the country for school, she and Tansy had missed her desperately—but they still had each other. It took effort to resist hugging the girl. “How long are you staying?”
“Until Charlie sells Aunt Rebecca’s house.” Halley shrugged.
“I like the house. I like that it’s purple. And crooked. And I love all the flowers. Except for the rat monster, I like it.” Nova’s little nose crinkled up. “It could be in a hairy movie.”
“Rat monster?” Astrid paused.
Halley shook her head. “Nova has invisible friends.”
“He’s real.” Nova pushed back. “I won’t missitwhen we go back home.”
Astrid was heartsick to hear the property would be sold. Things were just getting settled with the neighbor on the other side of Honey Hill Farms. Settled as in her sister Tansy and the owner of the neighboring farm, Dane Knudson, were officially in love and making all sorts of plans—the sort of plans a couple makes when they know their future is together.
Now the Wallace place was going to be sold? Rebecca would be so sad to know her little “slice of heaven,” as she’d called it, would no longer belong to the family. She and Clyde Wallace had met and married later in life and spent eight joy-filled years together. When he died and left the place to her, she’d had it another twenty-six years on her own. In that time, she’d come to savor the quiet and peace of her gardens and the bees she’d let Astrid keep there.
Rebecca had said some of her happiest memories were Charlie’s boyhood visits. Long before Rebecca had become friends with Astrid or her aunts, Charlie had spent time working in the garden, catching fireflies, studying the bugs and birds that resided on his aunt’s property. Rebecca had always been a big proponent for the outdoors.
When Astrid and Tansy had agreed to co-sponsor the Junior Beekeepers, Rebecca had eagerly invited the group out to care for her bees. In fact, the club’s upcoming summer service project was to build several new hive boxes to replace the existing ones on Rebecca’s property.
Oh, no.
A tiny bubble formed in her stomach. Tiny but nausea inducing all the same... Did Charlie Driver know about the project? Would he care? She knew Rebecca had told him about it in one of her letters, but that had been before the place was his responsibility so he might have forgotten. The Junior Beekeepers were counting on these service hours. Especially Benji and Kerrielynn—they were so close to leveling up their beekeepers’ status. There was no time to find another qualifying project before next month’s testing.
Don’t panic. She’d simply explain and plead their case. It wouldn’t affect him and she’d make sure they stayed out of his way. Surely, he’d be on board. Rebecca always said he had a good, practical head on his shoulders. Astrid would count on that.
“Well, who do we have here?” Aunt Camellia came out of the stockroom, her arms loaded with boxes of buttons, decorative bee-print ribbons, honey pots and other sundries they carried at the boutique.
“Let me help you, Aunt Camellia.” Astrid hurried around the glass-front display cabinet. “These delightful young ladies are Rebecca Wallace’s great-nieces. Halley and Nova, this is my aunt Camellia.”
“And this is Scorpio.” Nova held out her star. “He’s my bestest friend.”
“It’s so very nice to meet you all.” Aunt Camellia adored children—almost as much as she adored her pets, cooking and her sweetheart, Van Kettner. “I’m delighted to know Rebecca’s kin have come to stay.”
Nova shook her head. “For a visit.”
“Until Charlie sells the place.” Halley picked up one of the bee buttons. “These are so cute.”
“They’re some of our best sellers.” Aunt Camellia looked as entranced by the girls as Astrid felt. “I don’t suppose either of you like candy? I have some honey drops that are melt-in-your-mouth delicious.”
