The Dance

by Suzie Carr

  Sophie laughed. “How clever.”

  “Well, remember by this time they’ve reached maturity and are quite clever. Guard bees turn to their last and most important task as field bees by day twenty two and spend their days foraging until they reach the ripe old age of forty two days.”

  Brooke pointed to the bees around them. “That’s these little beauties flying around us. They’re the ones that start off circling the hive and widening that circle to learn the landscapes that will serve as guideposts to and from foraging spots. These hard workers will visit roughly five million flowers. Do you know how much honey that produces?”

  “A couple of bottles?” Jacky asked.

  “Nope. One pint!”

  “That’s it?” Sophie asked.

  “That’s it.”

  Jacky observed field bees near the hive with a whole new appreciation. By comparison, she lived a wasteful and lazy life. She’d likely never look at a dust bunny on the floor quite the same way after considering the work ethic of housekeeping bees. Now if Sophie could be picking some of that up, they’d really be in a good place.

  Sophie spent the next fifteen minutes explaining the pollen collection process and how she wanted to plant wildflowers in window boxes. She explained how important bees were to human beings, and how she would do everything she could to save them. She spoke with an energy that brought her to life. She reminded Jacky of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly.

  When they got back to the driveway near the greenhouse a few minutes later, Brooke pointed out that Jacky still had a bee on her net. It hung over her left eye.

  “That’s a guard bee keeping an eye on you.”

  “Remember those are the police force of the hive,” Sophie added.

  It buzzed and dangled from the netted string.

  Jacky tried to be cool about it, not wanting to fly into panic mode again and knock over the tomato plants. “Cute, little girl.”

  Sophie busied herself climbing out of her suit when Brooke leaned over and whispered. “To think, you intimidated me at one time.” Her breath washed over Jacky’s face temporarily helping her to forget the guard bee. Brooke removed her net and shook out her hair. “It’s a hot one out here today.” She fanned herself.

  Jacky stared right past the guard bee still hanging on her net, and straight at the charmer in front of her. Some women had no clue they were so sexy. “Yeah, it sure is a hot one.”

  Brooke giggled and glanced back at the bee. “She sure is a clingy one.”

  “How do you get rid of the clingy types?”

  “I tell them to buzz off.” Brooke scooted off toward the greenhouse. “Come get a drink of lemonade. That guard bee won’t follow you in here,” Brooke called out over her shoulder, then shook her ass just like she did the day at the school. Shake. Shake. Shake.

  Sophie tapped her shoulder. “Just go after her.”

  Jacky looked away from Brooke’s swinging butt. “What are you talking about?”

  “What are you talking about?” Sophie arched her eyebrow again.

  “Surely a way to get rid of a guard bee.”

  “Surely.” Sophie elbowed her.

  Jacky eyed her cautiously.

  “She’s interested.” Sophie smirked. “And, you’re happy around her. I think that’s cool. So, don’t be a dork. Just go after her.” She waved her forward. “Go on, into the greenhouse. Get some lemonade. It’s hot out here and you don’t want to dehydrate.”

  Jacky eased into a laugh. “Of course.”

  Sophie offered her a knowing smile. Perhaps they had finally broken through that dam that had restricted the flow of communication. Maybe they would begin to share private musings once again as they once had before life twisted itself.

  Chapter Thirteen

  As time marched on, Bee rotated between being a well-behaved doggy and a total nut. That served Brooke just fine because it meant more one-on-one training sessions with Jacky. Brooke enjoyed her, and Jacky tiptoed between showing interest by flirting and taking it back by retreating to her professional, dog trainer demeanor. She obviously feared the fondness and getting involved in a romantic way. Justifiably so.

  That kind of fondness could lead a person down serious paths, the kind where cute little mailboxes lined streets with cute little homes that housed adorable families with tail-wagging doggies and lunchboxes. Jacky didn’t want to travel down that kind of serious road, not in the near future, anyway. Brooke could tell.

  Brooke wouldn’t push. She’d go about her normal life as usual, dating women she didn’t care to be around and pretending she didn’t mind Saturday nights spent on her grandparents’ living room couch watching romantic comedies with them.

  Brooke learned patience, silently praying that one day Jacky might be ready for something more than just dog training. Then, she’d make her bold move.

  About two months into the hot summer season, Sophie surprised her one day by saying, “Jacky likes you.”

  “I like her too.”

  Sophie clipped new shoots from the tomato plants. “I mean she really likes you.”

  Brooke took a moment to wrap herself around what Sophie hinted. “No, she just enjoys being around the peace of this place.” Brooke looked around the greenhouse with all its color and organic richness. “This isn’t ordinary, being around all this beauty. Who wouldn’t like it?” Brooke placed her clippers down and picked up the watering can.

  Sophie kept watching her, all the time squeezing a fragile tomato branch between her fingers. “You’re red.”

  “It’s hot in here.”

  Sophie smirked.

  Okay, work to be done. Chat break over. Let’s get chopping and shearing. Brooke preferred keeping her feelings to herself, and to her bees, of course. They knew every little secret that she kept hidden, even the one of her fondness for Jacky.

  “You’re deflecting.” Sophie released the branch from her clutch and squared off with Brooke. “Why?”

  Brooke flushed. She stood before a very mature fifteen year old and kicked around nonsensical answers in her head. She shrugged and turned to her work.

  Sophie met her at the plant she watered. “Want to know why I think she likes you?”

  “Enlighten me.”

  “She looks at you in a way that she never looked at my mom. Like the way boys look at my friend, Ashley, when they’re too shy to approach her. They sort of shuffle their feet around and look uncomfortable. Like they need to pee.”

  Brooke laughed. “Romantic!”

  “It’s true. They dart their eyes around, avoiding her, then when they think she can’t see them, they gaze at her, like they’ve been stunned by landing on one of life’s beautiful anomalies. Jacky does the same thing with you.”

  Brooke saturated the plant. “I’d have to see it to believe it.”

  “It’s hard to miss. You just have to open up your eyes and you’ll see what I mean.”

  ~ ~

  When Jacky returned to pick up Sophie just before four o’clock that day, she decided to have some fun and ring the doorbell.

  She heard Brooke’s footsteps, but no barking Bee. Brooke opened the door and beamed.

  Jacky had never remembered seeing a daintier, more attractive smile before.

  “One of these days,” Brooke said, leaning her cheek up against the door, “I would love to see you live on the edge a little and be thirty seconds late. Could you do that for me?” She asked in a raspy, sexy voice.

  Jacky stood before her, riding the waves of desire. “That’s not possible.” She braved a step closer. “I’m hard-wired this way.”

  Brooke inched the door open a little wider, cheek still resting on the edge of it. “That’s okay. It’s kind of a cute quality.”

  “Cute? No. Cute is Bee wrapped up in a circle on the couch snoring.” She inched forward some more.

  Brooke stood her ground, and the two faced each other. “You’ve got like five seconds to spare, and you can’t stand the fact that you’re
not yet inside.”

  Jacky looked down at her feet. A mere two inches lay between her and the doorway. “Is this some sort of behavioral therapy?”

  Brooke tapped the tip of Jacky’s nose. “You’re late.”

  Their eyes met.

  “You’re mean.”

  “You’re itching to get inside,” Brooke whispered.

  “I am.”

  “What are you going to do about that?”

  “Push you and take you with me?” Jacky asked, breathlessly.

  “Is that a threat or a question?”

  “I suppose a little of both.”

  Were they flirting?

  Didn’t she have a maniacal dog who should’ve been barking and causing chaos behind her? Wasn’t Sophie supposed to be gathering up her things and rushing past them to get to the car, stopping only to thank Brooke, pet Bee, and shoot a funny look Jacky’s way for being bold enough to flirt?

  Brooke swung the door open wide and waved her in. “Come in. Sophie will be back in a few minutes. She’s at the main house watching a short documentary my grandmother put together on ways to save the bees.”

  Jacky stepped into the living room, shaking off remnants of the flirts and collecting herself. “She made a documentary?”

  “Yup.”

  “She just whipped one up, huh? Like baking a cake?”

  “Like baking a thousand cakes and hand-delivering them to restaurants sprinkled all over the country. Sure.”

  Jacky laughed. “Impressive. Did you help?”

  “I may have tucked myself into a few clips here and there.” She cocked her head.

  Jacky scanned the room, at a loss for what to do with the growing flutters. Brooke looked flushed and extra peppy. “So, you’re in a playful mood. Let me guess. You were on a date recently?”

  Brooke watched her as she shuffled her feet around. “I’m playful, so you jump to the conclusion I’ve been dating?”

  “Well you do date, don’t you? I mean some time ago you went sailing, right?”

  “My nana has a big mouth.” Brooke skirted around the room, picking up cups and straightening magazines. She looked up at Jacky. “To answer your question, yes, we went sailing.”

  “Did you like it?”

  “It’s a different world, for sure.”

  “A world you like?” Jacky couldn’t stop plunging her line in to fish out more. She didn’t want Brooke dating.

  “I could get used to being in the open water, sure.” Brooke walked into the kitchen. “Tea?”

  Jealousy landed on her heart. “Sure.”

  Suddenly Latin music swept into the room through a set of speakers planted in each corner.

  “She took me dancing, afterwards, you know?” Brooke yelled out from the kitchen.

  More jealousy wrapped itself around her like a snake in full chokehold position. Dancing led to romantic innuendos.

  Jacky tilted her head to get a better look at Brooke. She swayed to the sultry music as she spooned honey into teacups and drizzled cream as a follow-up. Her hips and shoulders swayed in unison, like a delicate swan. Mesmerized, Jacky strolled into the kitchen and watched her.

  “Do you dance?” she asked, turning over her shoulder and meeting her eye.

  “Not as good as you.” Jacky’s insides danced along with her words.

  Brooke extended her hand. “Let me teach you.”

  Caught up in something outside herself, she reached out for her hand.

  Brooke pulled her in close, gripping her right hand and placing her other on her back.

  Instantly, Jacky’s insides warmed. Her head swirled in a euphoric bath, heating her to the core. It teetered on the edge of reason, craving to swim on the side of ecstasy. She feared its pull on her heart. She could drown in that kind of unknown territory and never see the danger of an undertow until it knocked her off balance.

  Warm ripples shouldn’t have been traveling up and down her spine. Flailing like a rookie, she blurted, “Drew loved to dance, too. She wanted me to take dance lessons with her. She tried everything to get –”

  “–Shh.” Brooke placed her finger over Jacky’s lips. “We’re just dancing. Close your eyes. Let the music take you on a journey.”

  They hung out in a moment of silence, both widening their grins as the seconds passed between words. “I haven’t smiled like this in a very long time,” Jacky said. “I forgot how good it could feel.”

  Brooke closed her eyes, and Jacky enjoyed watching her expression change from serious to sensual, like she eased into a deep and intimate conversation with her soul. Connected to something deeper and more satisfying than the limitations of the physical room, Jacky entered this soulful place and followed Brooke’s lead.

  Brooke took her to the far reaches of the ordinary, out to where magic and bliss melded. To that place where rivers converged and vines weaved into the branches, creating a web of forestry that served as a playground for passion. Nothing else mattered in that moment but the soulful breaths of their entwined spirits, the light tapping of each other’s hearts against each other, and the softness of her skin.

  In the space between their movements, a mighty and powerful current swept Jacky away from all worries and heartbreaks and into a pureness that cleansed all residue and lifted her to mountaintops where no obstacle stood in the way of her view. From that vantage point, the world took on a pristine glow, wrapping her up in a sensual dance that sent her gliding like an eagle.

  Free and safe from the perils of ordinary life with all its responsibilities and worries, Jacky tucked herself into the embrace of Brooke’s sensual arms. She caved into the romance of the moment, closing her eyes and taking in the beauty of Brooke’s strength and graceful moves. Their bodies danced as one, circling the kitchen with their imaginary flamenco dresses.

  Brooke placed her cheek against Jacky’s and continued to sweep her across the floor.

  She felt like home.

  Brooke placed her lips up to Jacky’s ear. “You can tell a lot about a person by the way she dances,” she whispered.

  “What have you learned about me?” Jacky asked, dizzy.

  “Well,” she spoke softly. “You’re reluctant.”

  Jacky became aware of the gate Brooke just opened up, and it beckoned her to go up to it and cross through. She imagined Brooke sitting on a stone wall, patting the empty spot next to her. Jacky wanted to sit and spill her soul.

  She tempted her with her loving heart, exposing her to a danger that could destroy the status quo. Getting any closer to someone like her could cause irreversible damage. For the love of everything wholesome in the world, Jacky couldn’t look away from her, though.

  Brooke guided her to dance like a pro.

  “You’ve certainly learned a lot from the bees.”

  She tilted her head and a confused puppy dog look sprang up on her face. “Elaborate on that, please.”

  “Well, clearly your bees have taught you how to communicate through dance. And,” Jacky swung her with surprising grace, “I have to say, you’re good at it. I’m not looking as clumsy as I really am.”

  “I guess Sophie’s been educating you?”

  “Oh, I’ve done my own homework, just as Sophie did.”

  “You’ve read up on the dance of bees?”

  “More like I’ve listened up on the dance of them.”

  Brooke opened her eyes wide.

  “Your voice is as exquisite as your dance,” Jacky dared to whisper.

  A twinkle rose. “You listened to my guided meditation on dance?”

  Jacky leaned in closer, wanting to soar higher. She wanted to sit beside her on that stone wall and get drunk off her kiss. “Many of them.”

  Brooke stared at her lips, and Jacky couldn’t resist. She moved in, tickled by the small puffs of air Brooke released on a moan, and hovered mere centimeters in front of her. Then, at the last second, she turned away, brushing up against Brooke’s soft cheek instead.

  They continued to sway to the
sultry Latin beat, resting in the comfort of each other’s arms. Brooke’s body swayed against her, teasing that protective wall to wave like a silky robe. Jacky melted under her embrace, losing grip on the physical world and free falling into her mystical sphere.

  Then, the front door opened and slammed shut. “I’m back,” Sophie yelled.

  They both leaped from each other’s arms and looked around the room in search of something platonic and ordinary.

  Sophie walked in with a bouquet of flowers. “These were delivered to your grandparents’ house a few minutes ago.”

  Jacky turned to Brooke. Her face paled. She could only imagine they were from a recent date or admirer. The remnants of her protective wall hardened back to its original state.

  “So are we ready to go?” Sophie asked. “I’ve got a lot of notes to transcribe for my presentation to the wildlife refuge.”

  “Yeah,” Jacky said, still trembling. “We should go.” We should go very fast.

  ~ ~

  Sophie sat in the passenger seat on silent mode thinking about what she witnessed in Brooke’s kitchen. She never should have let Bee go to the bathroom out back. She should have walked straight into the house with the flowers, then let Bee outside to pee.

  Seeing them dance together brought on some strange emotions.

  She looked over at Jacky. She glowed. Jacky was reeling. She had one of those faces where you could always see her emotions. That romantic dance looped in her mind, for sure. Yup. Jacky got stuck in a groove, just like any of her lovesick friends when crushing on someone.

  She wanted Jacky to like Brooke. They clicked. They clicked probably better than her mother and Jacky did. That made her feel sad for her mother.

  “I miss Mom,” Sophie said, staring out the window.

  Jacky lowered the radio and slowed down. She slowed a little too much. A car behind her began to beep.

  Sophie snuck a peek over her shoulder. “That driver sure is angry.” The car closed in on them, so close she couldn’t see their headlights.