Page 37 of No Shot (The Toronto Tundra #2)

Penn

“ Bee Sanctuary exit left!” Damn it, I was hoping she wouldn ’ t notice that. “ I love bumble bees! Is that where we ’ re going?”

“ You ’ ll find out soon enough, won ’ t you?

” I reply, trying to hide my face so I don ’ t give it away.

I don ’ t know why I thought to plan this date with her, but when I was searching for unique spots, it popped up and seemed fitting.

It ’ s not like Bri screams outdoorsy nature woman, but something about her makes me think she ’ ll appreciate it.

I mean, her name literally starts with B, that ’ s gotta count for something, right?

If not, at least it ’ s something different.

I seriously doubt she ’ s ever been on a bee-date before.

From the corner of my eye, I spot her bouncing in her seat as her feet swing back and forth. “ Hundred percent, this is where we ’ re going.”

I can ’ t stop the smile from forming. It ’ s insane how happy it makes me to see her giddy like this. She ’ s the coolest girl I ’ ve ever met.

“ We ’ re going, aren ’ t we?” She looks over at me with such hope in her eyes.

I can ’ t resist her. “ Fine, yes, Sherlock. You ’ ve deduced our mystery location two minutes before the big reveal. Happy?”

“ Ecstatic,” she replies, smiling to herself like she ’ s proud she guessed it in the nick of time.

I pull into the gravel, makeshift parking lot beside the picturesque greenhouse.

It ’ s flanked on either side by fully grown trees and fields of wildflowers as far as the eye can see.

Hard to believe a whimsical-looking place like this exists so close to the city.

It feels like a whole other world out here.

Holding out my hand for Bri, she takes it, her warm palm settling so easily in mine.

I guide us toward the greenhouse first. I can ’ t wait to see her face.

Holding open the door, I usher her past the check-in counter, flashing our tickets.

She looks at me with such wonder, it ’ s a miracle my heart doesn ’ t beat out of my chest.

“ Come on.” I urge her forward through the next set of doors.

She advances into the glass room, as I make sure to securely close the door behind us. It ’ s quite a few degrees warmer already. Bri gasps as she looks through the next set of glass doors, eagerly swinging them open.

We walk through, immediately surrounded by a few butterflies gliding effortlessly through the air. She smiles, taking in the space. A few smaller trees fill out the interior of the greenhouse, but the ground is filled with greenery, with bright flowers scattered around the room.

“ It ’ s beautiful,” she whispers, moving forward toward a monarch butterfly perched calmly on a giant leaf. “ Look at this butterfly…”

“ There ’ s meant to be a few hummingbirds around here, too,” I share, looking around in search of one.

Her eyes widen as she looks over at me. “ Really?”

“ Yeah…”

“ I miss hummingbirds. We always had feeders out in the summertime. They ’ d come right up to our living room window. We ’ d have five at a time sometimes. They are just incredible.” Her excitement is contagious. She never really talks about where she ’ s from.

“ Do you miss home?” I ask, wrapping my hand around her waist, leading us down the circular path of the room.

“ Not usually, actually. Don ’ t get me wrong, it ’ s beautiful and was a lovely place to grow up, but I—” She sighs, thinking carefully. “ I always wanted more. I knew I was going to leave. I had to leave. I haven ’ t been back in a while.”

“ You know, I ’ ve never been to Prince Edward Island.” It ’ s on the far eastern side of Canada. Not somewhere my family has vacationed yet, but I ’ ve heard good things about the little island.

“ You should go. Maybe one day—” She stops herself mid-sentence. Maybe one day we ’ d go together? Was that what she was going to say?

She clears her throat, pointing toward a red feeder filled with pink liquid hanging from one of the larger trees. “ Look! Ruby-throated Hummingbird!” I follow her pointed hand, but really wish she had finished her sentence. I ’ d want to go to PEI with her, too.

Once we ’ ve explored most of the butterfly and hummingbird room, we wander down the corridor leading to the garden.

There ’ s supposed to be four hives on the grounds, and we can explore around freely.

I couldn ’ t have picked a better day. The sun is high in the sky, shining down on us, the rays warming the fall air.

Bri walks over to the first structure, stopping to admire the chaos of the hive. The glass side allows us to watch the hundreds of bees wiggling around in the small space.

“ Do you think they ever get bored?” I ask, admiring the intricate honeycomb. “ Stuck building the same thing day in and day out?”

“ I don ’ t think so.” She seems so confident, crouching down to get a closer look at the inner workings of the hive. “ At least I don ’ t think I would. It ’ s sort of beautiful. The predictability. Working so hard, progressing piece by piece, grinding every day to build something so monumental.”

I nod. “ Nature is pretty sick.”

She laughs at me, but continues observing the little bees moving around with a purpose.

“ It ’ s a matriarchal society,” I share.

“ I know that.”

I crouch down beside her, straining to catch sight of what I ’ m looking for. “ That one right there.” I point my finger at the big bee with a white spot on her back. “ She ’ s the queen. Makes all the decisions for the hive. Pretty cool if you ask me.”

Bri turns to face me, her eyes studying mine. “ You brushed up on your bee facts?”

“ Of course. Had to impress the queen B herself. Did you know that only female bees can sting? Appropriate, don ’ tcha think?”

She elbows me in the side. Let me tell you, she ’ s stronger than she looks. I have to use all of my ridiculously toned core muscles to stay upright. “ See! They ’ re vicious, I tell ya.”

“ Only when provoked,” she corrects.

“ The male bees are just in the hive to reproduce… the worker bees, the ones who keep the hive productive, are all female.”

“ Exactly why I like bees. Bunch of boss bitches. Setting the standard before working women became a thing.” She snaps twice in the air, and I smile at her conviction. I love how driven she is; even being in her presence feels empowering. Like her success will permeate through me like osmosis.

“ Is your mom as driven as you?”

“ Oh gosh, no. She, um, just took care of us.”

I nod. “ My mom, too.”

“ Yeah, her and my dad grew up together. They met in middle school and have been together ever since. When they graduated, they got married, white picket fence and everything,and then had Cami and me. So, the whole career thing never panned out for her. She liked it that way, though—still does. They live a pretty simple life, my parents. I can ’ t even remember them ever leaving the island.

Ignorance is bliss, ya know? I don ’ t even think they know how limited their world is. ”

Hmm, there ’ s something I can ’ t quite place. Not bitterness, possibly a tinge of resentment, or pity, maybe? “ My parents met early on, too.”

“ Your mom have to step back from a career to raise you and Reid?”

I nod. “ She did, she was a bank teller, but she was happy to do it.” Bri eyes me skeptically. “ No, really. She loved getting to stay at home with us.”

“ That ’ s nice then.” Not the reaction I was expecting.

“ Did I, uh, tell you when we were really young, my mom and dad did long distance for a bit?”

Bri shifts in place, shaking her head side to side. I continue, “ My dad was getting his MBA and had to finish up for a few months away from us. Reid was around seven, and I was three at the time.”

“ Wow, that must have been really difficult for her.”

“ It was.” I remember how sad she was, it must have been so much mental load for her to hold down the fort. “ But it was just for a short period of time, and it was for a good reason. Our family was better off because of her sacrifice.” I have Bri ’ s full attention now.

“ Sure, it was difficult, especially her being apart from my dad, but they were able to make it work. When you have something special, something worth facing difficult times over… it ’ s always going to be worth the short periods of discomfort.

” Realization dawns on her as her eyes drop to the ground.

“ Your mom ’ s stronger than I could ever be,” she whispers before taking my hand and leading me forward down the path.

I stare ahead, swallowing down my disappointment, trying not to dwell on the worry festering in my gut.