Chapter Four
Chapter Four
T he week flew by. Natalie was in charge of bringing her father to physical therapy and picking him up. In between, she would run some errands, and once back at the house, she would work on clients’ websites while keeping an eye on Robert. Before she knew it, Saturday and another day at the farmers market had arrived.
When she reached the parking lot, she was expecting another altercation with the bee guy, but he was nowhere in sight. She was struck by a hint of disappointment. Now where did that come from? She wondered. She walked around the market, stopping to say hello to several people she knew, then she spotted Mr. Giambelli and waved. She wanted to be sure she bought some of his delicious offerings before he sold out. Good Italian products were in short supply in their corner of Florida. And good luck trying to find good pizza, but if anyone knew, it would be Mr. Giambelli. She tucked that idea into the back of her head. With the influx of New Yorkers and Jerseyites, there was a high demand for the delicacies, and Mr. Giambelli’s reputation was widely known throughout the county.
“Buongiorno!” he greeted Natalie. “Come stai?”
“Molto bene!” Aside from food products, that was the extent of Natalie’s Italian. “I heard a rumor you went all the way to New York to bring us some of that wonderful cheese.”
“Ah, si . I bring-a few kinds.” He rattled off his list. “And some prosciutto!” he added.
“Fantastic. I’m making dinner for my parents tonight. Pasta primavera.”
“Ah, and a nice antipasto!” He handed her a loaf of semolina bread. “You eat with the antipasto, yes? Not with-a the pasta.”
“Whatever you say, Mr. Giambelli. Any other tips you can give me?”
“Depends. What kinda vegetables?”
“Zucchini? Tomatoes? Broccoli?”
“Use plum tomatoes. Sliced. Smash a few garlic cloves, sauté in olive oil but don-a let it get brown. Just a nice golden color. Then you take it out. Add some white wine, a little chicken stock, some shaved parmesan, a little shave of provolone to give it some-a zing. Make-a sure the pasta is al dente, and no overcook the vegetables.”
“I think I need you to come over and supervise,” Natalie laughed.
“No. But I give-a you my phone number in case you have any questions.” He smiled.
Natalie thought about the banter between her parents the week before. At eighty-something, Mr. Giambelli was quite charming. No wonder her father was teasing her mother during breakfast. She asked him if she could pay for everything and leave it with him until the end of the day, which he was happy to do.
“Tell your Mama I say hello.”
Natalie thought that would give her father another opportunity to tease her mother about Mr. Giambelli. Did her father really think her mother was capable of having an affair? She shrugged to herself. I suppose people are capable of anything , she thought, and she reminded herself of the stunt her “good friend” Joyce pulled on her.
Natalie walked from stall to stall, picking the vegetables she planned to use in her pasta. She noticed a young woman sitting at the honey booth. Was that his girlfriend? she wondered. Then Natalie remembered she hadn’t checked out the website or if he had any social media presence. She made a mental note to do that as soon as she got back to the house. Then she wondered why she was slightly obsessed with the guy. She strolled past the booth, where the young woman sat behind a table with a red-and-white-checkered tablecloth. Natalie mustered up the courage to approach the booth and nosy around.
“Hello,” the young woman greeted her. “Do you like honey? We have samples if you’d like to try some.”
Natalie was caught off guard. “Uh, yes. Sure.”
“Any particular kind? We have clover and orange blossom.”
“May I try both?” Natalie asked politely.
“Of course.”
The woman pulled two small wooden spoons from a jar, wrapped them with a small napkin, and dipped each one into the individual honey. She handed the sweet delights to Natalie.
“Most people don’t realize there are many kinds of honey, depending on the flora that surrounds the apiary, and the time of year.”
Natalie licked one spoon and then the other. “Yummy.”
“I’m glad you like it! Garrett would be pleased. That’s my brother. He’s the beekeeper, and I run the market and our store. He’s not here today, otherwise I’d introduce you. He had to go to Orlando today to pick up some supplies.”
Natalie was relieved and disappointed. She wanted another look at the guy. But why? “Your brother and you run the business?” she asked, licking the last drop.
“Yes, our parents had a farm but sold some of the land when they retired. Garrett and I always loved the farm, so we kept ten acres and made it our own. Well, it was really Garrett’s idea to turn it into an apiary. I was always squeamish when it came to bees, so I wasn’t exactly enthused, as you can imagine.”
Natalie chuckled. “I can totally understand that.”
“But Garrett convinced me that we were doing something good for the planet and could also make a modest living at it.”
“Very noble.” Natalie nodded.
“You should come to one of our demonstrations. Garrett does one a month, usually on a Monday. The public is invited for free.” She paused before adding, “Oh, we have beekeeper suits for everyone to wear, so you don’t have to worry about getting stung.” She smiled up at Natalie.
“That’s good to hear.” Natalie picked up one of the flyers with the dates and times of the demos. “Do I have to register in advance?”
“We encourage it, because we only have a dozen suits, and obviously no one is allowed to attend without one.”
“Obviously,” Natalie said with a grin.
“You can sign up on our website. It’s not very fancy, but the contact information is at the bottom.” She pointed to the address. “My name is Georgia, by the way.”
“Natalie.”
“Nice to meet you, Natalie. Do you live around here?”
“I grew up here but live in Jacksonville now. I’m visiting my parents for a few weeks.”
“Well then, you must come by before you go back home.” Georgia gave her a dazzling smile.
“I’ll check with my family. My dad has to go to physical therapy, and I’m helping out. He broke his hip playing golf. He slipped on something, and down he went.”
“I hope he’s okay.” Georgia sounded sincere.
“Yeah. I think he needs six more weeks, and then he’ll be good as new. Well, almost,” Natalie said. “Not sure how this is going to affect his golf game. I guess we’ll find out.” Natalie picked up a jar of each of the honey. “What do I owe you?”
“Six for one jar, but you get two for ten.”
“Sounds like a good deal to me.” She handed the woman a bill. “Thanks.”
“Thank you, Natalie. Hope to see you at the apiary.”
Natalie tapped the flyer in her hand. How could she refuse such an interesting invitation?
She spent the next few hours giving people a hand when their booths got busy. Her contribution was weighing the produce while the vendors exchanged the money.
One of the flower vendors looked familiar. “Diana? Diana Cunningham?” Natalie asked.
“Natalie Simmons? Oh my gosh! I haven’t seen you in ages!” The woman came around to the front of her stall and gave Natalie a big hug. “You haven’t changed a bit!”
Natalie took a long look at her childhood friend. “Neither have you!”
“Ha! You’re sweet, but you can’t miss this change.” Diana chuckled, patting her very pregnant tummy. “Actually, this is my third. I already have Jordan, who is five, and Lindsay, who is three. Their new baby sister is due in three months. Three girls—can you believe it??”
“So, you and Ryan got married after school?” Natalie was referring to Diana’s college sweetheart.
“Ryan? No. He turned out to be a big dud. Still lives with his parents.” Diana chortled. “I dodged a bullet there. I married a genuinely nice guy who has a real job.”
Natalie had to laugh. “And doesn’t live with his parents.”
“Exactly. His name is Jeremy Russell. He’s an environmental engineer.”
“Impressive.”
“We met at a rally to save the Everglades.”
“You were always a bit of a rebel,” Natalie noted.
“The funny thing about it is, he was on the other side of the fence. I kept yelling at him all day and he finally said, ‘How about I take you to dinner and you can explain your position without screaming in my face?’ He was so cute. Still is. How could I say no?”
“Sounds like it was a good move. Tell me about your flowers,” Natalie prodded.
“I own a little shop in town. Greenhouse Flowers. Not very original, but it’s to the point. We have a greenhouse and grow most of our flowers, but we also make specialty arrangements. Check out our ‘Look Book.’ ”
Natalie noticed three large photo albums on the table. She flipped through the book in front of her. “Very impressive. You were always the artsy type. Aside from your tree hugging.” Natalie laughed.
“I’m happy I’ve been able to combine them.” Diana showed her the next book that was filled with photos of their greenhouse. There were photos from every season, including dwarf Christmas trees, wreaths, and garland.
“Outstanding!” Natalie gushed.
“That degree in botany was worth all the dirt up my nose.” Diana laughed. “Still get my fill every day!”
“I would love to see your place,” Natalie said.
“You still do the trivia thing?” Diana asked.
“I do.” Natalie cocked her head. “Why do you ask?”
“Because we have a place that hosts trivia on Tuesdays. I would love it if you could be my partner next week. I heard someone was bringing in a former Jeopardy! contestant. Not a champion, but . . .”
“Count me in!” Natalie was thrilled at the idea of doing something she enjoyed with an old pal.
“Great! You can come by the house, and I’ll give you a tour of the greenhouse before we go. Trivia starts at seven thirty, but I usually get there around six to have a bite to eat. Can you be at my place, say, around five?”
“Perfect. I have to pick up my dad from physical therapy at four. Should be plenty of time.”
“Fantastic!” Diana squealed. “And you can meet my rug rats. My mom is watching them today. Jeremy is at a seminar in Ocala.”
“Will I get to meet him, too?” Natalie was excited to meet the man who swept her pal off her feet.
“Yes, but he will be babysitting. Tuesdays are my night out. He gets Wednesdays and plays on a softball team.”
“Sounds like a sweet life,” Natalie said with admiration.
“It has its moments.” Diana chuckled.
Natalie laughed, “Doesn’t everything?”
“Yep. So, tell me, what brings you to Sumter County?”
“My dad needed a hip replacement, and I’m helping chauffeur him back and forth to physical therapy.”
“How is he doing?”
“Great. He has an excellent attitude, and so does my mom. It’s been nice spending the past week with them.”
“What about work? What are you up to?”
“Designing websites, mostly for bands and recording artists.”
“Sounds exciting!”
“Eh. It’s a living.” Natalie shrugged. “It’s ironic, but I don’t particularly like some of the music, but I understand what kind of message the bands want to get across.”
“You always had good instincts,” Diana said.
“When it comes to that sort of thing, yes, but still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. My instincts are not giving me any signals,” she said, chuckling.
“I doubt that. I remember when you would second-guess yourself, and then want to kick yourself in the pants afterwards.”
“Many times.” Natalie grimaced. “Being here has made me slow down and give pause. Reflection, I think.”
“Philosophical, eh?”
“I suppose. A change of scenery was most welcomed.”
“Oh?” Diana tilted her head.
“Long story.” Natalie sighed. “Well, not really. I had been seeing someone for about a year. Three months ago, we were meeting for dinner, and he gave me the ‘we have to talk’ routine.”
“Uh, boy,” Diana said with sympathy.
“I didn’t even bother to have ‘the talk,’ ” she said, using air quotes. “That’s the kiss of death. So, I left. He didn’t even know how long we had been seeing each other, which was another big red flag that the relationship was going nowhere. I could say the worst part was finding one of my best friends sitting on his lap at a pub, after I came out of hibernation.”
“Whoa. That’s really nasty.”
“Yes, but I won the trivia prize that night and almost literally rubbed it in their faces.” Natalie described her taunt.
“Well played,” Diana said respectfully. “Did either of them get in touch with you afterwards?”
“Joyce left a few ‘I’m so sorry’ voicemails, but I ignored them. I could never trust her again,” Natalie added thoughtfully. “Trust. I am going to have to get over my skepticism; otherwise, I could be closing myself off to opportunities.”
“You really sound like you’ve been in a reflective mood.”
“Yes, but in a good way.” Natalie gave Diana a hug. “I better get going. Need to help pack up. I’m working with the food pantry.”
“Wonderful. They could use the help.”
“See you Tuesday.” Natalie waved as she walked away. She was excited to meet up with an old friend and have something to look forward to. She bounced her way to the first stall and began to collect the leftover corn. After she made her rounds, she returned to Mr. Giambelli’s to fetch her dinner fixings. “Remember to give my best to your mama!” he reiterated.
“And my papa, too!” Natalie gave him a devilish grin. “No complications over pasta!”
He chuckled. “Ciao, bella!”
Natalie put her groceries in the front seat and packed the back with the boxes of leftover produce, jams, and a few jars of honey. She picked up one of the jars and stared down at the bee on the front. “We’ll just see about that apiary.”