Page 81 of XOXO, Summer
“I like that. Both parts.”Jealousy misplaced.Look at my girl choosing me over that other guy who we shall not name anymore. “I love you, too, Sunshine.”
Reaching for a bag, she says, “I can help, you know?”
“Got it covered, and I’m right behind you.”
My phone rings. It’s the ringtone that didn’t disturb us in the city. My agent sent plenty of texts, but he was smart enough not to call. “I’m going to take this first.” She nods before returning to the house. I set the baggage down on the porch and walk toward the water for this conversation. “Hey, Jimmy.”
“What’s going on, Daniel?” What I used to consider happy to be working with me now sounds like an effort to sell me a lemon of a used car. “How’s summer treating you?”
I cover the last few steps before stopping and staring ahead. “Listen, I know you saw the event coverage.”
“I did. That’s quite the spitfire on your arm. Red-hot candy.”
My blood shoots straight to boiling. “Watch your mouth, Jimmy. She’s not arm candy. She’s my girlfriend.”
“Oh whoa, whoa. Didn’t know you were dating anyone. Apologies.” He’s so fucking slimy, every word spoken is faker than the previous. I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. Or maybe I ignored it since he’s good at his job. “I can meet her on the Fourth. I think the owners will be happy?—”
“I don’t give a shit about the owners when it comes to my personal life.”
“I hear you. I hear you loud and clear, buddy. I want to touch base with you. We’re going into negotiations at the end of Julyand?—”
“We aren’t.”
There’s a pause, and a buzz as he says, “Hm.” Voices pull my attention back to the house where the three sisters are talking with Roman in the mix. Winter grabs her beekeeper’s hat, and Summer waves before they head toward the woods. The woods past the shed, where I was forbidden in rule number two? “Yeah, it’s right here on the calendar. July thirty-first. Ten a.m.”
Dropping my head, I grind my teeth just listening to this asshole. “Let me be crystal clear.Wearen’t. You let them put that story out to damage my career in hopes of what?” I look up again, my future brighter now than it’s been in years. “Twisting my arm to make me bend to their demands? Fuck that and fuck you. You’re fired for fucking me over with the team and league.” I hang up and tuck my phone back in my pocket.
I feel a lot lighter already, a hundred and eighty pounds lighter, actually. Puts a new meaning in free agent. He’s free to piss some other athlete off because it won’t be me anymore.
I head for the woods to find where they snuck off to. The trees grow denser the farther you walk into them. I find a path they’ve worn into the earth and cut over to it to follow. Is it wrong to want to see what they’re up to before announcing my arrival? It’s not spying per se. They took my son with them. But my curiosity is getting the better of me the deeper I travel into the woods.
The infamous shed I was warned about doesn’t slow me down. I can’t imagine it has more than a few rusted tools stored in it, given how it’s barely standing. Walking a bit more, I stop when I hear their voices. They’re too far to understand the conversation, but the laughter is distinct. I only walk a little farther before the trees widen apart, givingme a peeping Tom’s view of the wide-open field ahead and making me smile.
Seems odd to warn me when it’s only a bee farm. The apiary is bigger than I imagined. Now I’m wondering if the Honey Hive shop is only using their own actual honey. Summer mentioned Winter being a mogul in the making. I’m beginning to believe her.
I start walking again, this time making myself known. “Summer?”
“Over here.” I see her waving from a corner near a tiny house. What? Who lives here? Why does it feel like these women have more secrets than truths? The mysteries abound with the Season Sisters.
Dressed in full beekeeper gear, Winter walks around a bee box with a canister to smoke it out.
Roman is by her side when Summer signals me with her arm to move to the far side of the field, and yells, “Walk around.”
I don’t see Autumn at all, and Dolly never left the house. When I reach them, I have more questions than we probably have time for. So instead of asking, I say, “So you have a bee farm . . .” I leave it open for her to fill in the gaps.
“You knew that.”
“I thought you had a box or two.” I wave my hand toward their impressive setup.
She laughs. “It’s not quite the size of a typical commercial-sized farm, but it’s grown a lot. Winter is up to fifty boxes.”
“That’s a lot to manage on her own.”
“We help out.” She pats Roman’s shoulder. “Come on. We must keep you safe.” She heads for the tiny house but looks back at me over her shoulder. “He’s not allergic tobees, is he?”
“He’s going into the beehives?” Staring at Winter, I watch her swat, not making me more comfortable with this idea.
She grins up at me. “He’s not goinginthe beehives. He’s walking around with my sister to learn about the boxes.” She tells him to go on inside the house. When he does, she rests her palm on my chest, and whispers, “He’ll wear a beekeeper’s suit. It’s safe. I’ve never been stung wearing one.”
