Buzz Off - By Hannah Reed Page 0,74

the stories circulating about him. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands.”

I gulped. How had I ever walked away from this hunky man?

“I’m sorry,” I said, racking up another apology, “if I hurt you in any way when I left Moraine.”

“That was a long time ago.”

“Well, I’m sorry anyway.”

“Do you think we could give it another try? See where it goes this time?”

Oh. My. God.

“What about your relationship with Carrie Ann?” I wanted to know. “We haven’t quite cleared that up yet.”

Hunter let out a heavy sigh like he was hoping we could skip this part. “Carrie Ann came to me because she wanted to stop drinking. And I said I’d help her.”

“What could you do to help her that she can’t do for herself? I’m confused.”

“She asked me to be her sponsor.”

That hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew enough about AA to know that sponsors were recovering alcoholics themselves. That meant Hunter had his own personal demons to deal with.

“Nobody told me you were a recovering alcoholic.”

“I’ve been sober more than ten years. It’s old news.”

“Did I do that to you?” I said, thinking maybe he’d found solace in a bottle after we split up. “Did I drive you to drink?”

Hunter laughed. “No. Don’t you remember how much I drank in high school?”

“We all did.”

“Yes, but everybody else slowed down or quit altogether. I couldn’t stop. Finally, I took the big step and joined AA.”

That explained the close connection between Hunter and Carrie Ann in a way I could understand. “So you were at an AA meeting together the night of the town meeting?”

“Yes. It’s an important step for Carrie Ann, admitting her problem and attending these first meetings.”

“Someone said they saw you making out with Carrie Ann,” I said, figuring I better get everything out in the open.

Hunter laughed. “Let me guess. Patti Dwyre?”

“So it’s true.”

“Not at all. Patti saw me giving Carrie Ann a hug of encouragement and she misinterpreted it.”

Figures! “I can’t stand that woman,” I said.

“She’s a real trip to the beach, isn’t she? But tell me about the town meeting.”

So I did—about how the topic of killer bees went absolutely nowhere because of the false alarm, and about moving my bees to a safe location without revealing where. I also told him about Manny’s missing journal and the elusive, possibly nonexistent, Gerald Smith. And about Stanley Peck’s sudden interest in beekeeping.

“Bees all across the world are being affected by Colony Collapse Disorder,” I explained to Hunter. “And honey producers have seen big declines in their bee populations. Manny and I were lucky we didn’t have to deal with CCD, at least not yet. Bee colonies are going for premium prices, and I think this Gerald Smith, who might even be Stanley for all I know, stole Manny’s beehives and now he wants Manny’s journal because it has all his research notes in it. I need to find it first.”

“But the man isn’t stealing if Grace sold them to him. Just because you can’t find him doesn’t mean he isn’t legit. Maybe you should let it go and move on.”

“How would you feel if someone took Ben?”

“That’s different.”

“No, it isn’t. Getting up every morning and remembering that all the bees Manny and I raised have vanished feels exactly the same as if someone took your dog. It left a big empty hole in my life.”

“Are you telling me you’re emotionally attached to those bees?”

“Of course! They aren’t just a business. You train police dogs, right? Are the dogs you work with simply weapons to you?”

“I see your point. Tell you what, I’ll see if I can find the guy for you.” Hunter’s leg rubbed against mine. He’d moved nearer, put an arm around me, pulled me closer. “So what do you say? Are you willing to try again? Pick up where we left off?”

“What about starting slow?” I had some healing to do before I dove into the relationship waters again without knowing exactly how deep they were. The last time, with Clay, I’d hit my head hard. Trusting a man again, even one I’d grown up with, would take time and effort.

“You don’t even know me anymore,” I said to Hunter.

“I know you.”

“I’ve changed.”

“For the better.”

A pause, while I absorbed that last comment, not sure it was altogether complimentary.

Then he said, “Slow is okay with me. I’m not going anyplace fast.”

And that’s how, in the middle of rumors flying everywhere and dead bodies appearing too close to home for