Chapter Twenty-Two
Mel
The knock at the door startled me. Dorrie had just run out on some sort of errand, so I doubted she was expecting anyone. It had to be Ethel, or Iris, or probably both. Dorrie had a lot of friends, but Ethel and Iris were the most frequent visitors.
Except when I opened the door, it wasn't either of them.
Instead, Cammie was standing there with a basket of something delicious smelling and a tentative smile.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
Her smile fell, and I rushed to add, "No, sorry, that wasn't how I meant that. Come on in," I said, stepping back out of the doorway so she could come in. "Can I take the basket from you?" I asked.
A bit of her hesitation went away as she handed me the basket. I led her to the kitchen, where I noticed a note I must've missed before.
Mel,
I'm running out to get a few things for dinner. Cammie's coming over. Before she gets here, can you suit up and check on the hives?
Love
Aunt Dorrie
I didn't have the first clue how long the note had been here, but clearly, I needed to go check on the bees.
I turned to tell Cammie, but she'd been looking at the note too and said, "Don't worry about it, I can help."
"You don't have to," I said immediately, not willing to actually turn down the offer if she was willing, though. It would take a lot longer by myself, and the entire time, I'd be wondering what Cammie was thinking inside the house while she was waiting for me. It wasn't ideal, to say the least.
"I don't mind," she said, much to my relief.
"If you're sure..." I trailed off, and she nodded.
We headed out back to the shed to get suited up. I opened the door for her and paused. It wasn't like we were actually undressing, but it felt rude not to offer her privacy to suit up.
"Should I- um-" I hesitated.
"Come in here and remind me how to properly do this? Absolutely, you should. It's been a while."
That settled that.