“I realize I’m putting her on the spot,” Chloe continued and J.P. looked over at Nora, whose face flamed deep red with worry. “But we have a resident beekeeper in our midst tonight. You’ve all probably seen Nora Paisley’s honey jars in local shops around town, but if you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend you do. What’s the name of your label again?”
“Sweet Harmony Honey,” Nora provided in a soft voice.
“That’s right. It’s amazing—so rich and delicious. And there are many benefits to consuming local honey, aren’t there?”
Nora nodded as the crimson color faded from her cheeks and she found the full volume of her voice again. “There are. It’s great for those who suffer from seasonal allergies and it has loads of antioxidants.”
Chloe held out an ushering hand. “You know what? If Nora is up for it, I think she would be the perfect person to lead this particular exercise. Nora, any chance you’d like to come up here and talk a little about the anatomy of a honeybee? It’ll give us all a better idea of exactly what it is we’re drawing.”
Expectant gazes latched onto Nora, who shakily scooted back from her seat. To his surprise, her eyes caught on J.P.’s for encouragement, and his chin descended in a nod, urging her on.
“Sure.” Her hands swiped against her thighs, and she shed a half smile. “I think I can manage that.”
“Wonderful!” Chloe’s hands pressed to her belly. She lowered to an empty seat, grinning gratefully. “Gives me a few minutes off of my feet too!”
Her response was met with a refrain of quiet chuckles.
Like a teacher in a classroom, Nora took to the easel and began pointing to the different sections of the illustrated bee, noting the head and the thorax and the abdomen.
“I would start by drawing the three sections, the thorax being the longest and largest. Keep in mind, this is a worker honeybee, so its shape is going to differ from say…the queen or a drone.”
The young girl at the opposite side of the room lifted a small hand. “Why is that?”
“Well, a queen bee is much, much larger than any of the other bees in the colony. It’s how you can pick her out in the hive. She’s right around two centimeters, which is about twice the length of a worker bee. And then there are drones, and they are a little bigger than the workers.”
“So not all bees are the same size?” the girl asked, her interest piqued.
“They’re not.”
“How is the queen picked? Do they vote?”
Nora smiled at the endearing question. “In a way, they kind of do. Queen bees start off as regular bees. The workers chose the healthiest larvae and they feed it this really great stuff called royal jelly. It’s what helps her develop into the queen.” Her face lit up when she talked, excitement permeating her tone and movements. J.P. had a feeling she could talk for hours about her bees and never lose interest.
“So there are workers and drones and only one queen?” The young girl was quite the attentive student.
“Exactly. The workers are all females and they each have specific jobs during the different stages of their lives. They do a little housekeeping in the hive, forage around to feed the queen, drones, and larvae, and they gather nectar to make honey.” She moved her hand lightly over Chloe’s drawing by the back end of the bee. “That’s what you see here near this worker bee’s legs. See that fuzzy yellow? That’s pollen. They collect it and store it on their bodies to bring back to the hive. They almost look like little saddlebags, don’t they?”
Everyone nodded in agreement, a sea of heads bobbing in unison.
Nora clapped her hands together. “Anyway. That’s probably more than any of you care to know. I was just supposed to explain the anatomy of a bee, and here I go, giving you all your first lesson in Beekeeping 101.”
“Something you should absolutely offer,” Chloe said, pushing herself off from her chair with a soft grunt. “I find it fascinating.”
Pride etched itself in the corners of Nora’s eyes that crinkled with a broad smile. “You’re too kind,” she said doubtfully. “Not sure anyone would sign up for that.”
A murmur of disagreement vibrated through the room.
“I would in a heartbeat,” one woman affirmed, followed by several others who shared the same sentiment.
Nora’s expression slackened into shock. “Well, you all certainly know how to make a girl feel like a queen,” she capped off perfectly.
She returned to her place next to J.P. and when her eyes met his, something caught sharply in his chest. He wanted to reach out and squeeze her hand and nearly made the move to do so before pulling back.
She glanced down at his hand that hovered between them.
And then he gave her a pat on the back. Apaton the back. Who did that sort of thing? Was a gold star next?
He groaned inwardly.
