“Then what happened?”
He set down his glass. “I guess we just drifted apart.”
She nodded. “Well, some men aren’t really suited for marriage, Aaron. They do better just being bachelors. Maybe you fall into that category.”
He chuckled. “You could be right, Jewel.”
Relief washed over her.
“Or ... you could be wrong.” His brows arched. “Maybe I just haven’t connected with the right girl yet. Or I let her get away.”
Suddenly she felt extremely uncomfortable and, wanting to shift the conversation direction, she began to tell him about her dad’s illness, graphically describing some of the antics she’d witnessedsince moving back home. She could tell by his reaction and comments that Aaron was not familiar with any form of dementia. Lucky him. Finally, he just shook his head and asked her why they didn’t have him “put away.”
She nearly choked on her water, then set the glass down with a thud. “Put away?” she questioned.
“Yeah. Sounds like he’s a real nutcase. Why not just lock him up? For his own good, as well as for his family’s sake. That’s what I’d do.”
Her skin crawled at his cruelty. She clenched her jaw as she tried to hold back the harsh thoughts running through her mind. “Well, that’s not what we want to do.” She wiped her mouth with her napkin. “I probably gave you the wrong impression because Dad is actually really sweet too. He’s always been a kind and caring man. And a good farmer. And he loves taking care of his beehives and harvesting honey. It’s just that he gets confused sometimes. I’ve probably painted the wrong picture.”
“And you call yourself an artist.” Aaron snickered.
She didn’t think that was funny but kept her thoughts to herself as she laid down her fork and pushed her plate away. She was done here. And hopefully done with him too. Well, after her parents’ house was in place. She wasn’t stupid. Based on who Aaron was revealing himself to be, she suspected she’d need to keep playing Miss Congeniality until everything was all wrapped up. She just hoped it would be worth the sacrifice!
15
Honey
CT seemed more tired than usual the next morning, but Honey suspected it was from this little heat wave they were having. It was taking its toll on her too. “You didn’t eat your banana,” she reminded him when she found him in his recliner watchingTrue Gritfor what must’ve been the hundredth time—this year. Of course, he didn’t really “watch” it. He just let it play, taking in bits and pieces. She supposed it was comforting because the characters and scenery were somewhat familiar.
She peeled the banana and handed it to him. “It’s good for you.”
He just grunted but took a bite. She sat down across from him, trying to think of a conversation topic that wouldn’t frustrate or confuse him. “It’s gonna be hot again today.”
He nodded as he chewed.
“I don’t remember June being this hot before.”
“June?” He frowned.
“Yes. It’s June. Supposed to be in the high nineties today.”
“High?” He looked at the ceiling.
“Really hot,” she clarified.
“Yeah. Really hot.” Suddenly his eyes grew wide. “My bees.”
“They’ll be running their fans,” she reassured him. Back whenhe had all his bearings, he’d told her how the worker bees would use their wings like fans to cool the hive. Like an organic AC.
“Water.” He tried to put the footrest down on his recliner but couldn’t get the lever to work.
“You want a glass of water?” Honey asked.
“I can get it,” Cooper offered as she came down the stairs.
“No.” CT raised a shaky hand. “Bees.Need water.”
Cooper came over. “You water the bees, Grandpa?”
