He laughed. “Yeah, exactly. So my dad thought we could probably lose a parking attendant and still be okay, and we asked Stan if he would do it because he looked about the right size for the suit. And, this will be hard to believe, but he actually said no.”
Natalie feigned a gasp. “You’re right. I don’t believe it.”
“He was a reluctant hero until my dad offered him more money and said he’d just have to sit there. And, at the beginning, that’s exactly what he did. He was more like a Santa statue, afraid if he moved or said the wrong thing, he’d be carted off to jail or something. It was hilarious. But then something happened. Candy, our photographer, said something to him—I have no idea what—and he changed. He came out of his Santa shell. And, yes, now he’s completely obnoxious, but the kids really love him, even the ones who are scared and cry at first. So, yes, we put up with Diva Santa because, and don’t ever tell him this, he’s really the best guy for the job.”
“Hmm. Actually, now that I know his origin story, it makes him a bit more bearable. I’ll still have to keep him in line though.”
“Of course. Blackmailing for VIP parking spots and hot chocolate is a line too far to let him cross, so boundaries are good for him. But, at the end of the day, he may be a Diva Santa, but he’sourDiva Santa.”
They’d arrived at their destination. “Actually,” he said, rubbing his neck, “now that we’re here, I’m realizing how utterly unimpressive showing you my bee boxes are. I feel a little like Stan trying to impress you with his extra work inSanta Heist.”
“You’re trying to impress me?”
“I guess I can’t help it any more than Stan can.” He snuck a look at her, and she was staring at the boxes rather than making eye contact with him.
“Why would you care what I think?”
The question felt like a trap. For him to show all his cards only for her to push him away again wasn’t something he was eager to repeat. He forced an easy smile on his lips, putting up his hands as though he had nothing to hide, no ulterior motive. “You just seem like a person with very strong opinions, like you’re someone worth impressing. You can’t blame that on me. That’s entirely on you.”
“I do?”
“Yup. Natalie… What’s your last name?”
“Gonzalez-Torres.”
“You have two last names?”
“In Mexican culture we use both our mother and father’s surname.”
“Oh. Got it. Natalie Gonzalez-Torres, you get these little creases right here between your eyebrows when you look like you have some very strong opinions in your brain.” He gently touched a finger to the soft spot above the bridge of her nose.
She scoffed, batting his finger away before rubbing the exact spot. “No, I don’t.
“Yup, you do. It’s happening right now. My beehives have a very delicate ecosystem going on inside them and bees can be notoriously sensitive. I just don’t want anything to happen because they sense you’re passing strong judgments about them.”
“Do you only use them for honey?”
“For now, but I want to do more with them. A lot more. They’re so important to agriculture and the environment. I’d like to rent out hives to assist in pollination but it’s hard to convince my dad of anything that’s different from what he’s been doing for forty years already. He doesn’t quite see the need to try something different.”
“Ah, one of those. I’m quite familiar with that predicament.”
“Your uncle?”
She nodded before changing tone. “Well, Mason… What’s your last name?”
“Lavigne.”
“Well, Mason Lavigne, we’ve been standing next to these hives for about five minutes now, and I have yet to see one bee. How do I even know there are bees inside the boxes and you haven’t brought me into the middle of the field for nothing.”
“That’s easy. If you press your ear to the box and tap it, you’ll hear them buzzing.”
Her expression shifted to suspicion, the tiny creases appearing between her brows again. “Yeah, right. I’m not doing that. I tap and suddenly a swarm of angry bees are going to shoot out and mob me.”
He laughed. “Why would they be angry?”
“Because I’m interrupting their vibrations or something. Don’t you get mad when unexpected visitors just show up to your house?”
“I’m not sure that’s ever happened to me before.”
