Page 18 of Flights and Sights

I sent him the address and got out of bed, getting ready for the day. I showered quickly and then made my way into the kitchen to rustle up something to eat. Mom was in the kitchen, cleaning up a mess while the oven hummed. The scent coming from the oven was delicious, vanilla and sugar and cinnamon.

“Hey, Mom.”

She turned to face me. “Morning. Here for a cinnamon roll? They’re not ready just yet.”

I shook my head, a little sad I’d miss out. “Not today. I’m just going to grab a bagel. Paxton’s picking me up in a few minutes.”

“Oh? What are your plans for today?”

“I’m actually not sure. He says he’s planned something.”

“Well if that isn’t the cutest thing.”

I smiled and pulled a day-old bagel out of the paper bag sitting on the counter. “Thanks.” I leaned against the counter and took a bite of my bagel.

“I’m just saying, I’m glad you’ve found someone. You seemed so happy last night.”

I nodded as I took in what she said, chewing another bite of bagel thoughtfully. I had been happy, despite having to face down Jacob and Angie the night before. Being around him made me feel… lighter, but also tethered. Not tied down, but in a comforting, grounding way. My skin heated as I remembered his touch, the way he’d pressed his thigh against mine under the table, his hand on mine. Before I could formulate any words, though, the doorbell rang.

“That must be him,” I said. “Bye, Mom. Love you.”

“Don’t forget—all of the younger cousins will be here tonight for a sleepover. It’s going to be chaos, so plan appropriately.”

I suppressed a groan at the idea of a dozen or more tweens-and-under running around. “Got it. See you later.” I hurried to slip out the front door.

Paxton’s fist was raised to knock on the door as I swung it open. His face lit up when our eyes met. “Hey there.” His voice was soft and he sounded a little uncertain.

I grinned. “Hi.” We stood there smiling at each other like fools for a couple of long seconds before I shut the door behind me. “Ready to go?”

He nodded and led the way out to his pickup truck that was waiting in the driveway. “I’m excited.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I would be if I knew what we were doing.” Paxton opened the passenger side door for me and I sighed. “You really don’t have to do that, you know.”

He shrugged. “I like it.” After the door was shut behind me, he hurried to his side and climbed in. “Trust me, you’ll be excited when you see what we’re doing.” He hesitated for a second. “I hope.”

“I’m sure I will be. Unless you’re going to murder me.”

“It will be much sweeter than that, I promise.” He winked at me and put the truck in reverse and we were off.

Chapter 9 - Paxton

It didn’t take us long to arrive at Honey Meets Pandesal Beekeeping, the bee farm that was almost directly next door to the meadery. When we pulled into the parking lot, Callum looked at me, eyebrows furrowed and confusion written on his face.

“What’s this?”

“It’s the farm where I source some of the honey for Celestial Cask. I thought you might enjoy seeing how this all works.”

He paused for a moment and I worried I’d guessed wrong. Maybe he thought this was stupid. Maybe I’d misjudged his interest in my work entirely. Maybe he was just being nice or something. The moment passed, though, and he nodded and looked at me, a bright, genuine smile on his face. “This is cool. Thank you.”

We made our way around the main building to the field where I knew we’d likely find Gideon checking in on the apiary. There were a dozen beehives spread throughout the field and sure enough, in the distance someone was wearing a white beekeeping suit and hood with a veil, standing at the hive closest to us.

We kept our distance and the moment Gideon looked in our direction, I waved him over. He nodded and waved before approaching, making his way through the grass in his suit.

“Hey, Pax,” he said when he finally made it to us. “What’s going on?”

I smiled and gestured toward Cal to make introductions. “This is Callum. He’s visiting and I thought I could show him some of the hives, if that’s okay.”

Gideon nodded. “Of course. Thanks for coming by. Why don’t you two go get suited up and I’ll show you what we have going on?”