Like Bees to Honey | gxg

19. Establishing Diplomatic Relations

If someone had told Sabina at the start of the summer that before the end of July not one but three Vergers would come to visit her family farm, she would have laughed in their face. But there they were, an old white pickup belching black diesel smoke as it turned off the main road into the parking lot of High Valley Honey, the Verger Orchards logo peeling on its side. Amongst the thickly flowered bushes of the pollinator gardens, sprinklers sprayed like fireworks lit to celebrate this momentous moment.

No one wanted to miss the spectacle. Helena and Christina were supposed to be weeding the vegetable patch, but they had stopped pretending to work the moment the truck came into sight. Sabina clung to the pretense that she was crafting social media posts from her seat on the porch until the truck puttered up to the front of the store. When they cut the engine, she gave up and set her phone down.

Joan Verger stepped down from the driver's seat and straightened her blouse as her husband's work boots thudded into the ground on the other side, his face fixed in a frown. For a heartbeat, Sabina thought Mel hadn't come after all, but then there she was, jumping out of the back seat in her oversized t-shirt and dirt-smudged white sneakers. She looked around, and a small smile bent her lips when she saw Sabina push to her feet.

Helena sidled up beside the porch and said in a loud whisper, "Who is that?"

Sabina's face obviously gave her away, because Christina said, not even pretending to whisper, "Oh, that's why you moved on from Alice so fast."

"Shut up," Sabina hissed, and hopped down the steps into the front garden.

Dad must have heard the truck engine from inside the shop. He came to the door as the Vergers approached. Mom appeared behind him, and they all shook hands very solemnly.

While the adults all filed into the store, Mel crossed the parking lot to meet Sabina by the apricot tree at the bottom of the yard. "I thought the adults were here for some business thing. Why did they all look like they're at a funeral?"

"Did you think I was joking about the family feud?"

Mel rubbed her knuckles against her chin. "I mean. Yeah, kinda?"

Christina said gleefully, "Bina, you traitor. You didn't tell us you were dating a Verger."

"We're not dating!" Sabina whipped her head around. Her sisters were draped over the porch railing, goggling at them. She was sure her glare could have melted beeswax, but both of them seemed impervious to it.

Mel rocked back on her heels, a sly grin creeping across her face. "I think we're rivals, actually. Hi. I'm Mel."

Christina looked her up and down. "I've never seen you around before. Are you from the Peach Mountain branch of the Vergers?"

"Uh, no. I'm from Vancouver. I'm Otis's, like, second cousin once removed. Or something."

"Ew." Helena wrinkled her nose. "Obnoxious Otis? That's unlucky."

"Totally. I must have tipped over too many ladders."

Helena giggled. "You get bad luck from walking under ladders, not tipping them over."

"Oh, you're right." Mel slapped her forehead. "I always get those mixed up. Maybe it was all the mirrors I cleaned, then." She looked far too pleased with her own dumb joke.

"Okay, this has been fun, but we're supposed to be going on a tour." Sabina grabbed Mel by the shoulders and steered her off across the parking lot.

"Don't forget. Jesus is watching," Christina called, and both of her sisters burst out laughing.