Sweet Tea & Honey Bees

by Rachel Hanna

  “Just admiring the enormous size of this piece of meat. We don’t have steaks like this back at home.”

  “Just think, if you lived here again you could have every kind of food anytime you wanted it. Golden Palace, Indian food, that one Ethiopian place we ate.”

  Travis laughed. “You seem to forget that I got food poisoning there.”

  “A minor inconvenience.” Sam laughed as she took a sip of her wine.

  “I ended up in the emergency room and had to get fluids. I definitely would not consider that a minor inconvenience.”

  “Okay, so I also brought you here because I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  “Let me brace myself.” He held onto the table in dramatic fashion.

  “Oh, stop it! You know I’m your friend, and everything I’m trying to do is to benefit you.”

  “I know, I know.”

  “Do you remember my friend Lillian McAfee?

  “Lillian McAfee… The name doesn’t ring a bell.”

  “She’s the older woman that owns the art gallery. The one who wears the fancy hats and drives that Ferrari with the fuzzy seat covers?“

  “Oh, yeah. Right in the heart of Manhattan.”

  “Correct. Well, anyway, I was talking to Lillian over lunch the other day and your name came up.”

  “My name came up? What on earth could you have been talking about that would’ve made my name come up?”

  “Fine. I was telling her how I was coming to see you and how excited I was for you. Anyway, I showed her some of your photos from your social media.”

  “And?”

  Sam leaned over the table, a big grin on her face. “Lillian is interested in doing a show featuring your photos.”

  “What?”

  “This could be a huge thing for you. I mean, you’d have to stay in the city for a while, but she’s very interested. Plus, she’s not just interested in the mountain photos. There are all kinds of other areas and she’d like to make it a long running show of travel photography. You know, we have people from all over the world to come to the city and…”

  “Sam, stop.”

  “Why?” she said, looking like she was hurt.

  “Look, I appreciate it. I know you’re trying to help me, but I don’t want help. I don’t want to stay in the city. I can’t wait to get back home.”

  “How is that possible? You’re so talented, and having a show like this would give you celebrity status. And the money you could make…”

  “I don’t care about that stuff. Listen, I spent the last decade of my life being miserable. It might not have seemed like it to you, but I was. And then I realized it was because the one person I loved the most in my life wasn’t here. And where she goes, I go. The last place I want to be is here in the city without Mia.”

  Sam sighed and put her head in her hands. “I have to confess something.”

  “What?”

  “All those years that we went to college and then worked together, some of which you were married, I had a huge crush on you.”

  Travis was shocked. Someone could’ve knocked him over with a feather. “You did?”

  Sam laughed. “Seriously? You couldn’t tell? You can’t tell right now?”

  His eyes widened. “Now?”

  “Yes, now. Why do you think I’m fighting so hard to get you to move back? I feel like I missed out on a chance. We would make a great couple.”

  Travis smiled sadly. “Sam, you’re a beautiful woman. You’re smart and funny. But there’s no way that I’m ever going to be available again. My heart has been somewhere else since I was a teenager.”

  “But you’re going to get stuck in that little town.”

  He grinned. “I know. And I couldn’t be happier about that. I want to marry Mia one day, have a bunch of kids and at least three dogs. I want to paint our white picket fence around our property. I want to sit on the front porch and drink coffee with her every morning for the rest of my life.”

  “Don’t be offended, but that sounds absolutely dreadful to me,” Sam said, laughing.

  “You’ll find the right person. But, I know it’s not me.”

  “Thank you for being so gracious.”

  “Of course. I’m flattered.”

  “I should probably confess something else.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Last night, while you were taking your shower, Mia called your phone and I answered it.”

  Travis’s face felt hot. “You did what?”

  “I was supposed to tell you that she called, but I just kind of wanted you to myself for a little while.”

  “Sam! Oh my gosh, she must think something is going on. It took me a couple of hours to call her because we were eating and talking. I bet she thinks the worst.”

  “I’m so sorry. It was such a juvenile thing to do. But it was my last ditch effort to try to see if I could sway you to come back to the city.”

  Travis stood up and put his napkin on the table. “I have to go.”

  “You’re not going to eat?”

  “No. I need to try to reach Mia and explain. And then I’m going to see if I can find an earlier flight back home.”

  “Travis, please don’t be mad at me…”

  He turned back to the table. “I hope you find what you’re looking for, Sam.” With that, he walked out of the restaurant and headed for the hotel.

  Chapter Eight

  Kate and Mia stood in the kitchen, staring out into the backyard. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

  “Yeah. It’s kind of surreal,” Mia said.

  They were watching Brandon and Evie play football, tossing the ball back and forth over and over. Kate hadn’t expected to come home from grocery shopping and find this.

  “Maybe they’re making progress,” Kate said.

  “Looks like it. And I’m happy for her. Aren’t you?”

  Kate smiled. “Actually, I am. Maybe they just needed some time to readjust to each other.”

  “Hey, y’all,” Cooper said, as he walked through the front door. He was holding a large piece of paper with a sketch on it. “Evie around?”

  “Oh, just forget that I’m here and ask to see my daughter?” Kate teased. Cooper walked over and kissed her cheek.

  “Sorry. I’m just so dang excited about that treehouse. I’ve got all of the materials out in my truck, and this is the final sketch.”

  Kate took it from his hand and stared at it. He was so talented and could build anything, and it warmed her heart to see him taking a treehouse for her daughter so seriously.

  “What is this part?”

  He grinned. “Oh, that’s a little overhang in case it rains while she’s up there. And look here. That’s a built in table so she can put her drink or even a computer.”

  “You’re making it easy for her to live in a tree full-time, Cooper,” Mia joked.

  “So, where is she?”

  “Take a look,” Kate said, nodding her head toward the back door. Cooper walked over and saw the football flying through the air.

  “Wow. Never thought I’d see that. They actually look like a normal father and daughter for once. Brandon seems out of breath. How long have they been doing this?”

  “I’m not sure, but we’ve been watching for ten minutes,” Kate said.

  Evie noticed Cooper in the window and waved before putting the football on the ground and jogging over.

  “Hey, Cooper. Are you looking for me?”

  “I was, but I don’t want to interrupt your game. We can chat later.”

  “Is that the sketch?”

  He smiled. “Yep. I’m about to head up and start working.”

  “Can I go?” she asked, a huge smile on her face.

  “You go ahead, sweetie. Old Dad is tired. You wore me out.” Brandon was breathing heavily, which was surprising to Kate because he’d always been in good shape.

  “Are you sure?”

  He squeezed her shoulder. “Of course! Go have fun, and I�
�ll see you tonight at dinner. Besides, I need to make a phone call.”

  Evie and Cooper walked through the house and out the front door. Mia, sensing she was standing in the middle of an awkward situation, also made herself scarce and disappeared.

  Now it was just Kate, standing in front of Brandon, who was still trying to catch his breath.

  “Do you want something to drink?” she forced herself to ask.

  He looked at her like he was surprised. “Sure. Thanks.”

  They walked into the kitchen, Brandon pulling the French doors shut behind him. He sat down at the breakfast bar.

  “Sweet tea? Water?” Kate said, as she looked in the refrigerator.

  “I’ll take water. I can’t stomach that sweet tea. I’m surprised you can.”

  She walked over and slid a bottle of water toward him. “It took me a few months, but I actually prefer it now.”

  Brandon chuckled. “How? It’s like trying to drink sap straight out of the tree.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh at that characterization. “It was nice to see you and Evie enjoying each other again. Kind of reminded me of old times.”

  “Yeah. She and I used to throw the ball like that all the time when she was a kid. I can’t believe how quickly she’s grown up.”

  “It’s been tough.”

  “Has it?” he asked, looking up. They made eye contact for a long moment, Kate struggling not to say something snide or rude. But what was she supposed to say to the father who left his daughter when she needed him most?

  “Evie was really struggling back in Rhode Island. She was getting in trouble in school all the time. I thought she would get arrested before too much longer, and then we moved here. She’s a whole different kid now.”

  “Why do you think that is?”

  “In Rhode Island, it was just the two of us. She had no roots. No family. Here, she has more than enough family and love to go around. I think it finally filled the hole in her heart that…”

  I looked down at his hands. “That I left?”

  “Well… Yes.”

  “Look, Kate, I realize that I went about this reunion the wrong way. I had no right to try to burst into her life and be so confrontational with you. I was just desperate to get some time with her.”

  “And that’s what I don’t understand. You’ve had years to reach out to her and suddenly you need to see her immediately. You were willing to take me to court if you had to. What is that about?”

  He cleared his throat, obviously nervous. “I guess I just really felt bad about what I’d done. I wanted to see her before it was too late. I was afraid she would become an adult and never want to see me again.”

  Kate still wasn’t buying it. He was keeping something from her, but if she pushed then she ran the risk of creating more drama.

  “Well, I’m happy if she’s happy. So, how are Kara and the kids? Certainly they must miss you?”

  “They’re fine. Kara is modeling swimwear in Cozumel right now. The kids are staying with her parents for a while.”

  Modeling swimwear? Kate would soon be modeling a beekeeping suit. There was something very wrong with that picture.

  “I hope that Evie will get to meet them someday before everybody is much older. She would love to have some siblings.”

  “You don’t think you’ll have kids with Cooper?”

  “That’s a very personal question, but no. That’s not in my plan. One kid was plenty.”

  “For what it’s worth, Kate, I’m happy that things are going well for you. You deserve that. And even if I don’t understand why the two of you love this place so much, I’m glad you have those roots now that you always wanted.”

  “Thanks. Well, I think I’m going to head up to the tree and see what my daughter and Cooper are up to. I don’t want them building some monstrosity.”

  “Thanks for the water.”

  As she walked out of the front door, she thought that maybe she might’ve misjudged Brandon. Maybe he really had changed and would be a great addition to her daughter’s life. But he was still keeping a secret, and until she found out what that was, she wouldn’t feel completely comfortable.

  Mia had felt that it was best to get out of Dodge when Kate and Brandon were standing in front of her. She figured it was the right time for Kate to have a conversation with her ex-husband, so she went upstairs to her room.

  She hadn’t heard from Travis since the night before. Of course, then her phone had died after she accidentally dropped it in the dish water. She had it in a bag of rice hoping to get all of the moisture out of it and turn it on again.

  If Travis needed anything, it would just have to wait. Or he would call Kate, and she hadn’t said anything. The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable it made her feel that he didn’t mention his dinner with Sam. She didn’t know a whole lot about their history except that they had gone to college together and worked at the same company for years. Surely if anything was ever going to happen between them, it already would have.

  But then again, Travis had been married some of that time. And when his wife passed away, he was in no shape to be dating then either.

  Sam seemed like a nice enough person, but her interest in Mia’s boyfriend was disconcerting. Maybe they were just friends, or maybe she wanted something more.

  Tired of thinking about it, Mia decided that doing laundry was probably a good way to get her mind off of everything. She loaded all of her clothes into a large plastic basket that her mother had always used. One of the handles was cracking, but she couldn’t bear to get rid of it. So many Saturday mornings, she remembered her mom walking down the stairs carrying it, overflowing with clothing and towels from the guests.

  As she walked down the hall, she noticed that Brandon’s door was cracked open. Apparently he and Kate had already finished their conversation. She started to walk but then heard him talking. Curiosity getting the better of her, so she stopped by his door.

  “I know. I miss you guys too. Hopefully I won’t have to be here much longer…”

  Who was he talking to? His wife?

  “I haven’t said anything yet. But I can’t stay here much longer. This place is as boring as it gets…”

  Boring? Certainly it wasn’t the most exciting place on earth, but Mia would never classify the beautiful mountains and the stunning lake as boring. Feeling offended, she almost walked away, but she just wanted to hear more.

  “I know we’re running out of time. I’m going to say something soon. I just don’t know if I should say it to Evie or Kate. What do you think?”

  Say what? Running out of time? She almost wanted to open the door and ask him what he was talking about, but so far Brandon appeared to be very secretive and probably wouldn’t tell her anyway.

  “I know I have to. I’ve been trying to play nicer the last couple of days because you catch more bees with honey. And can you believe my ex is becoming a beekeeper?”

  Mia really wanted to walk into the room and dump the dirty laundry right on his head. Why was he playing nice to Kate’s face and then saying things like this behind her back?

  “One way or another, I’ll get what I need. Don’t worry, honey…”

  It sounded like he was wrapping up his conversation, so Mia quickly walked away and ran down the stairs. She stopped and set the laundry basket on the back of the sofa for a moment. What was he doing? Something is definitely up, just as she and Kate had suspected. But what was it? It sounded like only time would tell how this would play out.

  Kate stood beside the tree, looking up at her daughter and Cooper sitting precariously on a limb. “Are you sure that limb will hold both of you?”

  They laughed. “We do this all the time, Mom!” Evie said, rolling her eyes. It was amazing how many times a day a teenager could roll their eyes without falling over backwards.

  “Still, I think one of you should come down!” Kate called up to them.

  Again, they both laughed. She loved seeing the intera
ction between Cooper and her daughter. As much as she wanted Evie to have a relationship with Brandon, she also wanted her to feel safe and comfortable around Cooper. After all, one day they might end up married. At least that was her hope, although they’d never really talked about it.

  Cooper climbed down out of the tree and gave her a quick peck on her forehead. “I promise I won’t let anything break that will send us tumbling to the ground.”

  “Y’all are crazy, climbing trees like that.”

  “Did you just say y’all?”

  Kate laughed. “Apparently this place is rubbing off on me.”

  “I’m going to back the truck up a little bit more so I can get to the lumber easier.”

  Cooper walked down the driveway just a bit and hopped into his truck. She turned around to see Evie climbing out of the tree.

  “I think me and Dad are really starting to form a bond.”

  “It certainly looks like it. I’m really happy for you.”

  “Thanks. Hopefully we can spend a lot more time together, even though he lives in Mexico. I guess that will make it a kind of hard.”

  Kate froze for a moment. “You’re not thinking of moving there with him, are you?”

  Evie stared at her and then laughed. “Um, no. I would never leave this place. But maybe he’ll invite me for a vacation or something.”

  “Maybe so. We’ll talk about it if that ever happens.”

  “I would like to meet my brother and sister.”

  “I know. I’m sure your dad will make that happen at some point soon.”

  Cooper stopped the truck and popped the tailgate down. “Hey, Evie, you want to help me start unloading some of this?”

  As Kate watched them pull out pieces of lumber, she was so thankful to have found someone like Cooper. Who else would build her daughter a customized treehouse platform just so she could enjoy sitting there? It was going to be a lot of work, and she knew he had other things to do. But he had considered this treehouse project to be just as important as everything he was doing for other people and getting paid.