22. David
DAVID
“So, it’s simple. We’re going to move the hive into the box,” I say, pointing to the wooden box that’s already secured in the back of my truck. “I’ll seal the box, we’ll drive it over to Sally’s, unload it in the new location, open the box, and let the bees come out as they want to.”
I’m explaining the procedure for taking the hive from the park to Sally Rumkin’s backyard to Landon Woods, one of the volunteer firefighters, and Scott.
Sally has agreed to have the hive at the back of her property on the edge of town.
It’s the best solution. The hive will be nearly a mile from its original spot, and bees operate according to strict rules, but it is possible to teach bees to find their hive that far away.
Sally has also had bees before, so it should all be fine.
“That sounds easy,” Landon says.
“Well, it sounds easy, let’s just hope it really is,” I tell him.
“It can be a little tough on them to move their hive location, but there are some things I’m going to do to make it easier on them.
I’m also going to set up a smaller box to hopefully capture any stragglers.
” I look up at the sky. “This is a good time of day, though. Most of them should be inside.” I waited until dusk intentionally.
“Okay, I’m ready,” Landon says.
I look at Scott. He nods. “Me too.”
“Okay, let’s suit up.”
We all reach for the sting-proof jumpsuits and start pulling them over our clothes. We’ve also got boots and helmets with veils on them to protect our faces and heads. They’ll zip onto the jumpsuits to keep any bees from sneaking inside.
I help both men with their zippers and then step back to inspect everything.
“Okay, gloves, and we’re ready to go.”
The rest of the operation goes smoothly enough. I use a smoker to gently encourage the lingering bees into the hive and then seal it. The drive to Sally’s is short and uneventful, as is moving the hive from my truck to the spot where Sally is letting the bees make their new home.
The entire thing takes less than an hour, including the setup of the extra box back at the park.
Landon takes off, leaving Scott and me alone.
“So a couple of days and the straggler bees should be rounded up?” Scott asks.
“Right. The queen is definitely with the hive, so getting them over there shouldn’t be hard. I don’t think they’ll be causing any trouble over here.”
Scott bends to take his boots off, and as I unzip my jumpsuit, he asks, “Hey, can we talk for a minute?”
I tense. We’ve been talking. About the project. About work. The safe things.
If he’s asking specifically to talk when it’s just the two of us, that means the topic is not casual.
Shit.
Did he notice something at the party this weekend? Did Peyton or Charlie say something?
Is it just guilt that makes my thoughts immediately jump to Mia and our sneaking around? It could be. I’ve got a lot of it.
I don’t like keeping this secret. Not only because it feels wrong to keep this from the people that we care about, but because I really want people to know that I am with her. Mia is amazing, and the fact that she wants to spend time with me is something I’m very proud of.
I straighten and face Scott. “Of course.”
He tosses the boots in the back of my truck.
“A few days ago, when I was talking to Mia and Peyton about this project, your name came up.”
I cross my arms, then uncross them, aware that’s a very defensive posture. “Okay.”
“I came home that day, the first day you showed up, frustrated. But not at you. At myself. As I’ve said, I realize I should’ve called you before this.
But I didn’t because things have been tense between us for a long time.
But Peyton and Mia got me talking about it.
And, well, thinking about it ever since then.
” He blows out a breath and rubs the back of his neck.
“You came to me once and asked if I thought you should be a cop. I told you no.” He meets my gaze.
“Actually, you said I’d be a terrible cop.”
“Right.” He tucks his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry I said it that way. I should’ve talked it out with you instead.”
To say I’m shocked by this would be an understatement. But I study him, going over his words before I ask, “So you’re sorry for the way you said it, but not what you said?”
Scott nods. “Yeah. I did not want you to be a cop. And I’m not sorry that I told you that. I always tried to be honest with you. But I think I could’ve said it differently.”
“You’re not sure?” I give a short chuckle. “You’re not sure that there was a better way of saying you would be a terrible cop ?”
He looks a little sheepish. “I wanted you to hear me. You were a headstrong, rebellious young adult at that point. I guess I was afraid that if I wasn’t blunt, you might not hear me.”
“So you really did think I would be terrible, and you wanted to be sure I heard you say that.”
His shoulders drop, and his expression softens. “Honestly, it wasn’t about you being bad at the job. It was the job being bad for you.”
I feel that impact in my chest. My ribs feel tight, and my heart thumps against them as if trying to escape the squeeze. “What do you mean?”
He takes another breath and blows it out. “I wanted you to be happy. I wanted you to do something that would be good for you. Something that would make you happy and proud, but that would spare you pain.”
I take that in. “You think being a cop would’ve been hard on me?”
“For sure. I know you wanted to work in a small town, but, David, it can be hard here, too. When shit goes sideways and bad things happen, we’re called in.
In a small town, it can be worse because those bad things are happening to people we know and care about.
” He lifts his hands, then lets them fall.
“The last thing I wanted was for you to show up at the scene of a shooting—intentional or accidental—and have it be someone that you knew and cared about. And have it turn out badly.”
My chest tightens even further.
I wasn’t there when my mother was shot, of course. I never saw the scene. But I had imagined it many times over the years. Of course, I never want to see a scene like that with someone I know.
“And you know that we’re also called in for medical emergencies.”
I wet my lips, my mouth suddenly dry.
Emergency response includes the fire department, the EMTs, and yes, the cops.
“I didn’t want you to have to be the one who responded when someone passed away at home.”
My dad had passed away at home. I had been there when it happened. Delaney and my brothers had all been there. That had helped. I was glad I’d been there, but wow, it had sucked.
The hours after are still a blur, even this many years later, but I do remember people in uniforms coming to the house.
“You’ve had to do that?” My throat feels like I’ve swallowed sand.
He nods. “Yeah. Of course. We’re there to help and support in all kinds of situations, especially in a town like this.
And I’m happy to do it. I’m proud to do it.
But it’s hard. I just didn’t think you should have to do that.
Not when there were other ways to take care of people and serve the community and be happy.
I saw you, David, and I knew that Game and Parks would be perfect for you. ”
I swallow hard. Then I have to swallow again. “You were protecting me.”
“Trying to. And I hated that it made you angry with me. But if it protected you and saved you from some pain, it was worth it.”
I swallow again and take a deep breath. “I’ve spent years thinking that you didn’t care. That you quit trying because you were sick of me. And that you talked me out of being a cop because you didn’t want to work with me.”
I see the pain on his face at my confession, but he takes a deep breath and nods. “I guess I can see that. I’m really damned sorry. I didn’t know that. I knew we had tension. I figured you were pissed because I had pushed your family into holding that intervention.”
I give a short laugh. “I needed that intervention. If I’d known you were the one pushing for it, I probably would’ve appreciated it. Eventually.”
“So we’ve had a sincere lack of communication.”
“Very much so,” I agree nodding. “That really sucks.”
“It does. But you ended up where you needed to be. Where we all needed you to be. Sapphire Falls, this whole area, is lucky to have you doing what you do. And you’re happy. I’m grateful for that.”
I am happy. I can’t deny that. “Yeah, I am, Scott. I really am.”
He nods, looking relieved, and I realize he needed to hear me say that.
“We’ve just missed out on working together. Cooperatively anyway,” I say. “I’m sorry for that.”
“There’s a lot of time ahead. We can work together a lot from here on out.”
I smile. It’s going to take me some time to process all of this fully, but I already feel lighter. “I’d like that, Scott,” I clear my throat. “Thank you for this. Whatever made you finally tell me, I really appreciate it.”
“Yeah. Of course. I should’ve said it a long time ago. There was just something about talking to Mia about it that made things click. I suddenly realized there was a lot more to the story that you should know.”
Hearing her name makes my heart squeeze.
Mia. The most important thing Scott and I have in common. And it turns out we have a lot of important things in common.
“Let’s just make an agreement that going forward we’re going to communicate well,” Scott says. “When there’s something going on, we’re going to say it, clearly, and even if it needs to be blunt, we’ll talk it all the way through. Not just the basics. We tell each other everything behind it.”
And now my stomach cramps.
Communication. Honesty. The full story.
Yeah. We should definitely do that.
Fuck.