“Maybe.” She looked at me apologetically. “How was your date with Ted?”

“Well, we talked about marriage, if that’s what you want to know.”

“That’s good. Very good. I’m telling you, that’s your husband.”

“I think you’re right, weirdly enough. He just seems absolutely right for me.” I looked at her. I knew my sister. She couldn’t bring herself to tell me what she had done, so I helped her into the confessional. “Archie?”

“Yeah.”

“Good luck with that nightmare.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Hell, no. Not even a little bit. But it’s nice of you to ask, even if it’s after the fact.”

“I think I can help him,” she said.

I began to laugh. And laugh and laugh.

“No, you can’t help Archie MacLean! You might have some fun with him. You might be really good for his boys. But you can’t change that son of a bitch. Just have fun and don’t worry about where it’s heading.”

“You’re sure? God, I need a lawyer now, too.”

“Ask Mark. With all the business I’m sending his way, maybe we can get a family discount. You know what else?”

“What?”

“For about a hot minute I thought Suzanne was marrying Momma for this house. I wonder what’s in her asset column?”

“Cars, I know for sure. Probably some kind of a ranch. Who knows? She’ll tell us, if we ask.”

“Ask her when you go to Croghan’s.”

“You’re not coming?”

“No. I’m going to stay and see about the queen.”

“You’re a good woman, Holly Jensen. I hope Ted knows that.”

“I have definitely fallen for him. He’s such a stand-up guy.”

“Gosh. I wonder what that’s like?”

“Well, you won’t find out with Archie, that’s for sure.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Just be good to those boys, okay?”

“I’ll have no problem with that.”

In the next hour, Leslie and Suzanne were gone to the city and I checked my hives for mites. No mites. No beetles. There was a lot to tell the bees that morning, but I had decided I’d better be very careful what I said to them. My hives, as we know, were dead serious.

I went inside and Momma was up and dressed. And wearing her hearing aids, as she had been since Suzanne arrived.

“Hi! How are you feeling?” I said. “Did you get enough rest?”

“Oh, I slept like a little lamb,” she said so sweetly, it alarmed me. “Can you believe I’m getting married?”

“Yes, because Suzanne is a living doll. Let me tell you all she told us this morning.”

“Why don’t we have a nice glass of tea and maybe some toast and discuss the wedding?”

“Let’s do!”

I put bread in the toaster and Momma poured tea.