Chapter Three Bee

Chapter Three Bee

Monday morning, December 11, 2023

Half a dozen emails and one slightly-more-expensive-than-she-would’ve-liked flight later, Bee found herself driving from the

airport in Akron, light snow falling amid the blankness of night, wondering if she’d just made yet another incredibly stupid

decision.

Just thirty more minutes.

Just thirty more minutes.

Just thirty more minutes.

The mantra was the only thing keeping her sane. If she thought about anything else—like how she could barely see the road

in front of her, or how that man in the next lane looked awfully curious, or how sixty miles an hour seemed incredibly fast—she

was going to veer off the highway. She gripped the wheel of her rental car and snuck furtive glances at the map displayed

on her phone. Just twenty-nine more minutes.

Thirty-two miles hadn’t seemed that bad when she’d tapped the directions into Google Maps. But after getting honked at repeatedly for driving slower than the speed limit, and then honked at again for just going the speed limit, and then again, and then again... she’d finally started to lose her nerve. She knew how to drive,

dammit. She just wasn’t used to it. Who needed a car when you had excellent public transportation? But now here she was, sweating

and cursing at herself as time seemed to slow. Twenty-eight minutes.

Twenty-five...

Twenty-two...

“Welcome to Salem, Ohio,” the Google-automated voice finally announced. It sounded cheery, but Bee felt like she deserved

a goddamn parade. She’d done it. She’d survived the highway. Now all that was left was navigating a snow-covered town in total

darkness. Cool. At least there were only two lanes. She let out a shaky breath and allowed her grip to loosen on the steering

wheel. Slowly, her breathing returned to normal. Okay, she thought. I am not going to die on this trip. Yet.

And look—the sun was starting to come up. Yay. Yay! She sat up straighter. Yaaaay . I can do this!

Before the drive, that had been her mantra. She could do this—she could relax and find some peace for the next few weeks.

No work, no bossy sister, no demanding clients. No distraction. To mark the occasion, she’d turned her notifications off the

minute she’d entered the airport and hadn’t turned them on since.

On the plane, she’d ordered herself a glass of prosecco. She’d turned on a podcast that someone had recommended to her months before about sordid political affairs throughout history, then switched to an audiobook about meditation. Both proved just a tad bit... dull. She tried to sleep, but she wasn’t used to being wedged between two strangers. Had this been any other last-minute trip, she would’ve splurged on business class, or at least an Even More Space seat with room to stretch. But she was on a budget. Hence the house swap in the middle of nowhere. Instead, by hour five of the ride, she’d resorted to playing SkyWords on the seat-back screen in front of her with the passenger in 6E. He’d beaten her by six points.

He looked to be about thirteen.

Kudos to him, she’d thought then. He probably has time to read.

Slowly, as the sky lightened, the sleepy town of Salem began to appear. Bee relaxed into her seat and took in the view. There

still wasn’t much to see right now, at six a.m., but there were hints of the world that she’d come to visit. She saw now that

she was driving past large houses with sprawling land covered in snow and leafless trees. These houses were far apart, and

she imagined that you would have to yell at the top of your lungs for a neighbor to hear you. That seemed a bit cold. Lonely,

even. But after another ten minutes, she happened upon a tighter cluster of short brick buildings. Maybe this is the town center, she thought. Sure enough, with every second, the sun rose higher, and she could make out signs for office supplies, liquor,

and food in the growing light.

Though it was entirely dead, the row of shops gave her a pang of familiarity. If she squinted, it might feel like she was in the Castro, though with far fewer rainbow flags and an eerie sort of quiet. Still, the building styles were similar, and the road between was just as

small. Small and full of character. Full of life and possibility, even in the darkness.

A flash of light and a screech of tires threw Bee from her thoughts. Disoriented, her spinning head conjured a deer, but those

didn’t usually come with a set of headlights. Belatedly, she hit her brakes and put the car in park. Moments later, a white

man stepped out of the beat-up pickup truck that was now parked in the middle of the road, inches from where her car had passed.

She couldn’t tell from her side mirror if the man looked angry, but she realized quickly that he had every right to be. In

her daze, she’d run a stop sign at the intersection.

This trip wasn’t going to kill her . It was going to kill someone else . Great. She sighed and rolled down the window as the man approached, his hands stuck deep inside a large brown jacket and his heavy

black boots crunching on the smattering of ice that led to her car. “Sorry,” she called, and then, realizing she should probably

get out too, she opened the door the tiniest crack, as if to step out. “Sorry,” she said again. “I didn’t see you.”

“You could’ve killed someone!” the man snapped. He stopped a few feet from her door.

“I am so, so sorry,” she said again. “Are there any damages to your car? I’m happy to pay for them. And are you okay? Are you hurt?”

The man blinked at her, bright blue eyes giving her a once-over in assessment. Then he shook his head, his anger gone as quickly as it had come, replaced only with mild irritation. He turned away from her and then back, as if an idea had struck him. “Are you okay?” The question was gruff but sincere.

She nodded quickly. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”

As the man walked off, Bee shut her door. She reached for where she’d docked her phone next to the wheel, but it was gone.

She looked around, alarm bubbling in her chest. She kind of needed it to find the house.

She took a deep breath; it had probably fallen under the seat. No problem. She opened the door again and bent down, shoving

her fingers as far as they would go. She could just feel the edge of her phone, but her fingers couldn’t quite get a hold

on it.

“Everything all right?” She heard the man’s voice behind her.

“Yeah, I just...” She grunted as she tried to extend her fingers beneath the seat. “I need my phone.”

“Right now?” She could practically hear his eyebrows rising into his hairline.

“Yes, right now.” She caught the snap in her voice and cleared her throat. “I need directions. To, uh, my hotel.” Better not

to give too much detail. Sure, she’d nearly driven the man off the road, but he could be anyone.

“Where you headed?”

“Just a hotel down the... road.”

“There isn’t a hotel down the road.”

She raised her head and removed her hand from beneath the seat. The man was in his truck now, but he’d pulled up next to her. “Do you need something?” She hoped he heard the annoyance in her voice.

He looked at her like she was the one holding him up. “I’m expecting a visitor about now. A Beatrice Tyler. Is that you?”

Bee blinked, taking a closer look at the man: white, with dark curls that fell into his eyes—blue eyes. This was a surprisingly

handsome man; the picture her swap-mate had posted of her so-called farm manager didn’t do him justice. In the photo, he was

wearing a hat that covered his hair and eyes, and a nondescript flannel. In person, he was... well, he was fine .

And she had nearly killed him.

“Oh my gosh.” She sat up quickly, nearly hitting her head against the rearview mirror. “Yes, hi. Oh my gosh. I’m just—I’m

so sorry. I mean, obviously I was sorry before, but please don’t think I’m some sort of reckless... person. I’m a very safe, uh, very respectful guest.”

“Not such a safe driver, though.”

Bee took a sharp breath, indignation and regret battling each other for words. Then she donned her most dazzling smile. “Can’t

be great at everything, can we?”

He chuckled, which made Bee feel infinitely more comfortable. “Come on,” he said. “You can follow me to the house.” He waited

as she slipped back into her car. Then he revved the engine and led her deeper into the heart of Salem.

The house was exactly as advertised, as far as she could tell. Massive, with white siding and a long driveway that led up to the porch. Idly, she wondered what the property value of a house like this was, way out in the backwoods. It’d be rude to ask now, but the answer was only a quick Google search away.

Knox, as he later introduced himself, waited as she exited her rental car, and then he led her up to the porch and through

the front door. The photos of the listing were spot-on here too—just as big as she anticipated, though surprisingly devoid

of anything that would have suggested the holidays were near. An older gentleman sat snoring in a love seat, a ball of white

fluff perched on his lap.

“That’s Bennie,” Knox said, nodding toward the love seat. “She runs the place.”

“The person sleeping?”

“No, the chicken. The old man is Jimmy, Clover’s dad.” He winked, turning Bee’s insides warm. “Sorry, he lives in the apartment

in the basement. He must’ve forgotten she wouldn’t be here tonight. He wanders up here on occasion. Jimmy!”

The old man sat up straight, his light snoring stopping abruptly.

“We got company.”

Jimmy looked over at Bee and then rose so slowly that she thought she could hear his knees creak. “Oh, hi there, Miss Tyler.”

He cradled the chicken in his arms as he stretched a bit. “I wanted to make sure you were all settled, given the hour. Let

you know you can always call on me if you need anything. I’m Jimmy, Clover’s dad.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Bee said.

He shook her hand and then looked over at Knox. “What are you doing here so early?”

Knox shrugged. “Went for a drive. Couldn’t sleep. Then someone tried to run me off the road.” He gave Bee a sideways look that felt more conspiratorial than angry.

“I’m sorry, ” she said, playing into his joke. His bright eyes twinkled, and her heart sped up.

“Ah,” Jimmy said. “Well, I’ll go on ahead and get your bags then, Miss Tyler.”

“Bee,” she said, just as Knox said, “I’ve got it, Jimmy.”

“No, no,” Jimmy said, slowly making his way past the two of them. “I still got two arms and two legs. I’ll just put Bennie

down outside and get you set up, Miss Tyler.”

Bee exchanged a quick look with Knox and then hurried on ahead. “I’ve got it, don’t worry. And call me Bee!” She dashed past

Jimmy back to her car and pulled out two huge suitcases and a large backpack stuffed with a handful of books she’d been planning

to read for the past several years. They were smashed against her laptop, her tablet, a charger, a backup charger, and two

mobile chargers, just in case. She didn’t plan to work, but how else was she going to have access to the outside world?

When she was done, she turned to Jimmy with a smile as he watched her from the porch. “Okay, I’m ready.”

He scratched the back of his head. “Well, let me carry just one thing, at least.”

She acquiesced, handing him her backpack, and followed him to the bottom of the stairs in the foyer. She hesitated, looking

between the set of bags she had dragged in, and then grinned sheepishly as Knox quietly took them from her and trudged easily

up the stairs.

“Thank you!” she called to his retreating back.

Once the three of them reached the top, she was beckoned into a bedroom that was nearly the size of her studio. Across from

the doorway was a large window, through which she could see the soft glow of the morning sun, a wintry forest of bare but

beautiful oak trees, and a red barn with a roof covered in fresh snow. Whoa, she thought. That’s gorgeous.

She stood there staring for a moment before Jimmy cleared his throat. The sound made her jump, and she turned back to him

with a small laugh. “Sorry,” she said. “Just admiring the view.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice,” Knox answered. He stayed there for a moment, a whimsical look on his face, like he was remembering

something. Then he shook his head. “Anyway, I should get going. Jimmy can help you if you need anything else.”

“Oh,” Bee said. “Okay. It was nice to meet you.” She didn’t know why, but she felt a little disappointed that he was leaving

so soon.

As if sensing her disappointment, he glanced back at her. She couldn’t guess what had gone through his mind as his bright

eyes caught hers, but he was suddenly turning around and walking over to the balcony window. “See that little place that looks

like a shed? If you need anything and Jimmy’s sleeping or out wandering the woods with Bennie, just come on over and knock.”

“I do not wander the woods,” Jimmy protested. “You make me sound like I’m ancient and senile.”

“You ain’t?”

Jimmy made like he was about to box Knox, and Knox responded with a fake fighting stance, pushing the old man out into the hallway. Bee watched them both, amused, wondering at their relationship to each other.

Without meaning to, she wondered if she’d get to see more of Knox, get to more closely admire the stubble on his chin, the

dark lashes that fell across his bright blue eyes, and the muscles beneath his parka... What kind of work did he do here?

What exactly did he use those hands for?

“By the way,” a voice said, cutting through the haze of her brain, and Bee remembered that she had not flown across the country

for romance. Jimmy hovered in the doorway of the room. “Clover said to make sure I told you the house is yours; aside from

this morning, I’ll be sure to stay out of your hair, unless you need me, in which case just come visit the apartment door

’round the corner. Otherwise, welcome to Salem, Bee. I hope you have a nice rest.”

Jimmy clicked the door shut behind him, and after a moment more of staring out the window, Bee let herself fall back onto

the bed.

Rest, she thought. What a novel idea.