The Beekeeper's Ball: Bella Vista Chronicles Book 2 Read Online Free PDF Page B

together really fast. Mac wasn’t available, and suddenly he was, so I jumped at the chance. Magnus’s story begs to be written, and Cormac O’Neill is the perfect one to do it.”
    “You should have checked with me.”
    “You’re right. Look, if having him here is going to be a problem, we can find someplace else for him. He could stay at Dominic’s.”
    “Your fiancé doesn’t need a houseguest. He’s already got half of Southern Italy coming for the wedding. It’s fine for this guy to stay for a while. Lord knows, we’ve got nothing but room.” She looked around the kitchen, a big bright space where she’d grown up learning to cook at her grandmother’s side. “That’s not what I’m worried about. Does Grandfather want his life story out there for all the world to know?”
    “That’s the point, isn’t it? But he wants it done right, and that’s where Mac comes in.” Tess unceremoniously licked the crumbs from her plate. “Holy cow, that’s delicious. The workmen are never going to leave. You keep feeding them like this, and they’ll perform miracles. Can we have this for the wedding breakfast? God, I’m obsessed, aren’t I?”
    “You’re the bride. You are supposed to be obsessed with your wedding.”
    “Okay, but you get to tell me if I’m unbearable.”
    Isabel was excited for Tess and Dominic and his kids, but sometimes, when she lay awake at night, she felt an unbidden curl of envy. Tess made love look easy, while Isabel hadn’t had a date in years. She knew she needed to take down her walls, but how did someone do that?
    She batted away the thought. “Don’t try to change the subject. Cormac O’Neill.”
    “You’re going to be glad he’s the one to document Magnus’s life. Our grandfather has a unique story. An important one. It’s not just family pride, Iz. He was a key player in the Danish Resistance. There were eight thousand Jews in Denmark during the German occupation, and Magnus’s group helped rescue seventy-five hundred of them. It’s a rare bright spot in the middle of the darkest of times. Most of all, it’s something Magnus wants.”
    Isabel tucked a damp stray curl behind her ear and looked out the window. From one side of the kitchen, she could see the rows of trees, some of the stock decades old. The blossoms of springtime were flurrying down as the new fruit emerged, a tangible sign of renewal. She loved Bella Vista, loved the rhythm of the seasons. She was lucky to be a part of it.
    “Yes,” she said quietly. “Grandfather did say that.” Neither sister stated the obvious—that their grandfather wasn’t getting any younger. “So tell me about this guy.”
    “He’s written award-winning nonfiction,” Tess said. “He’s won all kinds of literary prizes. He already has a publisher on board—assuming the project gets done. Anyway, the important thing is, he’s here with us now, and I think he’ll be perfect for Magnus.”
    “Where is he going to stay?” Isabel asked.
    “I thought we’d put him in Erik’s room.”
    Erik—their father. He had died before either of them was born, leaving their separate mothers both pregnant and alone, unaware of each other. Over the past year, Isabel and Tess had spent hours speculating about the situation, but frustratingly, had never been able to figure out what had driven Erik to do the things he’d done.
    “Why Erik’s room?” asked Isabel.
    “Because it’s available, and he doesn’t need anything fancy. I thought Erik’s room would be a good choice. The history, you know? If he’s going to do a thorough job, Mac needs to be wrapped into the family.”
    The idea made Isabel distinctly uncomfortable. “Suppose we don’t want to wrap him into the family?”
    “Our grandfather wants it. I swear, it’ll be fine. Just fine.” Tess put her dishes in the sink, then poured herself a cup of coffee and took a sip. She never seemed to be completely still, physically or mentally. She was always thinking,