“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to check on the cobbler.” Camellia gave Van a quick squeeze on the shoulder before heading into the kitchen.
“Have you always wanted to be a beekeeper? You’ve never wanted...more?” Lindsay shrugged.
“More?” Tansy leaned back and Dane draped an arm around her. “I have everything I want right here. What more could I want?”
Dane pressed a kiss to her temple.
Charlie had to smile at the exchange. Especially when he saw the way Lindsay looked at Theo, sighed, and sat back in her chair.
“Help! Help!” Lord Byron’s squawking shriek made everyone jump. “Help!”
Everything happened all at once. Van was the first one in the kitchen. “Call 911,” he yelled. “Hurry.”
Dane was dialing before Charlie could get his phone out of his pocket. “We need an ambulance. Honey Hill Farms.”
The sight of Camellia Hill unconscious and on the floor knocked the air from Charlie’s lungs.
“She’s breathing.” Tansy was leaning over her, relaying information to Dane. “Tell them to hurry.”
Dane rested a hand on Tansy’s shoulder, talking to the operator in low, clipped tones.
Astrid knelt on the ground beside her aunt. The grief on her face tore at his heart. Astrid was hurting and he felt it. Raw and crushing. He couldn’t stand it. There was nothing he could do but he’d stay beside her, ready to give her whatever she needed.
Time ticked away, dragging, until, finally, the sirens were audible. Everything sped up then. Tansy started crying when the paramedics loaded Camellia onto a gurney. Astrid had a merciless grip on his hands as they followed the gurney out to the ambulance. He heard words likestableandstrong heart ratebut they didn’t offer any real sense of comfort. How could it when Camellia was so still? It was a stark contrast to her constant motion.
Van and Mags went in the ambulance with her.
Dane, Tansy and Astrid stared after the ambulance, in shock.
He was vaguely aware of his sister and Theo leaving, mumbling something on their way out—but they weren’t important.
“I’ll drive.” Charlie waited for his words to register before placing his hand on Astrid’s waist and steering her to his car. It was hard not to remember the morning he’d lost Yasmina. After the accident, there was no expectation she’d make it. And yet, he’d fought against the crushing terror and hoped that, somehow, someway, she’d survive. It was only after the ER doctor sat him down to officially announce her death that he’d accepted it and the ground beneath him had fallen away. If he was being honest with himself, he was only now finding his footing again.
It was hard to wrap his mind around the sudden turn tonight had taken. Just like with Yasmina, one minute all had been well and the next had gone horribly wrong. But unlike Yasmina’s accident, Astrid wouldneverbe alone. He’d make sure of that. For now, that was all he could do.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ASTRIDWASCOLD. So cold. Charlie had her wrapped up against him, but she couldn’t stop shivering. The nurse had given her a warm blanket but it wasn’t enough. Charlie alternated rubbing his hands up and down her arms and holding her tightly against him—all the while whispering encouragement. “Camellia is strong. She’s tough.”
He was right. Camellia was vital and young and had so much to live for. She had to hold on to that. “She’ll fight for Van.”
“She’ll fight for all of you.” He smoothed the hair from her forehead.
She buried her face against him, breathing him deep into her lungs. It helped. Having him close made her feel less adrift. While the world around her pitched and turned, he was her anchor.
She rested her head against his chest and stared around the silent waiting room at the anguished faces of her loved ones. Tansy was curled up in Dane’s lap. Magnolia was pacing to and fro, while Shelby sat nearby, rocking a sleeping Bea in her arms.
Van sat apart, his elbows resting on his knees, and stared at the floor. He looked so alone.
Oh, Van. She crossed the waiting room, digging deep for strength. Camellia would want her to be strong for him, so she’d try. She sat beside the man her aunt adored and rested her hand on his back. “Van.”
He cleared his throat. “She’ll be fine, Astrid.”
They all wanted to believe that. “I know.” Maybe if they said it enough, it would be true.
“She has to be.” He shook his head, choking on his words. “She has to.”
Astrid draped her arm across his back and rested her head on his shoulder. Her heart hurt for Van—for them all. Camellia was too important. They all relied on her. Not just her sunny disposition and endless love, but her constancy. She was always there for you—a rock.
