Guilt swam through Nora as she remained on the sofa, letting her friends coddle and spoil her. She had wanted to insist that she help too, but she knew the offer would be declined. And in truth, her sapped energy had yet to refill.
She listened to the sweet commotion of her dearest friends in the room nearby, their chatter and tinkering making her house feel like a home. It was usually so quiet with just herself and Rosie. She was so lost in appreciative thought that she didn’t hear the footfalls on the porch just outside, and when her gaze transferred from the hallway to the screen door, her breath left in a quiet whoosh.
“J.P.?”
He stood tall on the other side, a single paper bag in his hands. It wasn’t the armload of supplies that Tilly had just entered with, but there was an obvious gesture here that made Nora’s pulse spike.
“Hi,” he said softly, almost unsure. “I was just having dinner at the Café and noticed their special of the day was grilled cheese on sourdough. It’s what my mom used to make for me when I was sick as a kid, and it usually made me feel better. I thought maybe it might do the same for you.” He paused a beat. “I hope that’s okay.”
“That’s so thoughtful of you. You didn’t need to do that.” She came up to the door and welcomed him inside. “Would you like to come in?”
He peeked his head into the house, ears perking at the sounds coming from the kitchen. “Not if you have company. I don’t want to intrude.”
“April and Tilly aren’t company. They’re more like family. And you’re not intruding.”
With more hesitation than she expected from him, J.P. took her up on the invitation and crossed the threshold with guarded steps.
Now out of the shadow of the porch, she could see him more clearly, and her eyes immediately went to the red swells dotting his face and neck. “J.P., are you okay?”
“I’m great.” His head leaned to the side in confusion, then his eyes tracked to where Nora’s landed. “Oh. That. Yeah, I got stung pretty bad this afternoon.”
She couldn’t help but reach out to run the pad of her finger over one swollen patch. “How many times?”
“I counted thirty-three, but I had a hard time tallying up the ones on my back. Probably closer to forty in total.”
“You got stung forty times?” Her shock lifted her voice into a shout. “J.P., that’s awful. I’m so sorry! I honestly don’t know why my bees are so angry, or why they’re spending so much time at the Callahan property. I haven’t checked on them since yesterday morning, but I’ll be sure to scope things out tonight. Something must be wrong. This certainly isn’t normal.”
At that moment, Tilly materialized in the hallway with a sleeve of crackers and a can of fizzy soda. Catching the conversation between J.P. and Nora, she pirouetted back into the kitchen.
“That’s why I came over here, actually,” J.P. said, oblivious to Tilly’s entrance and quick exit.
Nora’s stomach clenched. Her hand pressed to her belly, and her head went to the worst-case scenario. “Please don’t tell me you’ve already contacted the county. I promise, J.P., I’ll get this figured out. If I have to, I’ll move my hives. But I really don’t want them taken from me.”
Something that looked like a mix of sympathy and regret swept into J.P.’s gaze. He shocked her when his hand rested on her forearm. “No, Nora. Nothing like that. I haven’t contacted anyone.”
She released an open-mouthed breath. “Thank goodness. I promise to take care of this problem on my own. I just need some time.”
“That’s the thing.” His hand stayed on her skin for a second before awareness made him pull it back. “I don’t think you’re the problem at all. I think it’s something different.”
“And what’s that?”
“I think there’s a swarm inside the walls of one of the rooms at the old ranch.” He ran his fingers along the back of his muscular neck, wincing when he inadvertently scratched an irritated sting. “I was demoing a portion of the wall today, and when I swung into it, thousands of bees came pouring out.”
“You think you disturbed a hive?”
“Pretty sure that’s what happened,” he agreed with a nod. “And disturb is probably a kind word for it. Based on their reactions, I think I smashed it to smithereens.”
Nora winced. She obviously felt bad for J.P. and the situation he’d unknowingly created, but the thought of a colony being decimated made her emotions rise to the surface.
“I came over here to see if you know of a good way to get rid of them,” he said.
Chin lifting, Nora’s eyes constricted in suspicion. “Like relocate them?”
“I was thinking something more permanent.”
“Likeexterminatethem?” Nora’s voice was a shocked exclamation.
“I’ve got a drywall guy coming out tomorrow to give me an estimate and I can’t have bees buzzing around. No one is going to want to work in those conditions.”
