Lydia hummed Aaron's song under her breath —Bach's cello suite— as she slowly ascended the stairs, one step after the other. She peered at the pictures and drawings hanging on the wall, a clutter of circles and triangles, squares and rectangles, in a scattered plethora of pastel-colored frames. Each one had a snapshot or child's drawing. Ponies and superheroes, spaceships and castles. The pictures slowly grew more and more crowded as Lydia climbed the steps, faces filling in the photos until the portraits looked like they were about to burst.

"—almost," a pained, forcefully patient voice said, strained. Lydia quirked a smile. Math. "You just need to— to—"

"Like this?" Beckett's voice wavered, like he was on the verge of tears.

Silence. Then— a sigh of defeat, and a tired, "Yeah. Sure, kid, that's fine. Go and play."

There was an explosion of sound as Beckett scrambled out his chair, sprinted for the door, and threw it open.

In the doorway, Lydia threw her hands up, popping her hip. Beckett gawked at her. "Surprise!"

"AHHH!" Beckett screamed, and launched himself at her. She caught him, laughing, swinging them in a happy circle.

A tall-ish man with a halo of cherubic brown curls, a beard with wispy curls at the end, and meaningful brown eyes appeared in the doorway that Beckett had leapt from. "Who's this?" he asked politely.

Beckett's face was buried in Lydia's waist, so his response fell out in a muffled jumble.

"Lydia, nice to meet you," she held out a hand, still holding Beckett to her. The man reached out hesitantly, shaking her hand, then letting it go as quickly as he could within the limits of propriety. Lydia gave him a ferociously bright smile. He leaned back apprehensively.

"I'm Abdel. How... do you know Beckett?" he asked, his voice bordering on suspicion.

Beckett broke away from his hug to breathlessly proclaim, "I-ran-into-her-in-the-woods-and-she-helped-me-go-home-oh-she-fell-out-of-a-car-it-was-an-adventure-and-I-love-her." Then he dove back into her skirts.

Lydia smiled, explanatorily. "Well, all that was true." Her gaze darted over Abdel's shoulder, through his room, where a wide window revealed the grey sky over ripe grain fields. "Hey, look Beck, it's raining again!"

It was raining again. The clear skies from that morning had darkened to swelling, heavy clouds that released cold droplets down onto the earth. Beckett peeked out from Lydia's leg, eyes round as coins.

"Now we can't go to my hill," he said sadly. "The grass is too wet."

Lydia nudged his cheek. "That never stopped the ducks, did it?"

He gave her a look. "...No, I guess not."

"Then why should it stop us? C'mon, Shortround, get your adventure gear on!" she crowed. "We're going out!"

Beckett squealed and ran for his room. Lydia cackled and thundered downstairs, whooping all the way.

"In the— in the rain?" Abdel spluttered behind them. "You're gonna catch a— Beckett! You're GONNA CATCH A COLD!"

Lydia's resounding yodel was his only response.

Downstairs, Mara and Ginger were having tea. A little jar of sugar cubes, hand-pressed by Beckett and Fiona (but mostly Fiona) a few months ago. There was a pot of golden honey, two saucers, a china patterned teapot, and a plate of sliced bread. Maisie had a charcuterie board in her lap, and rolled herself from the kitchen counter to the dining table.

Ginger held her teacup gently. "I'm so glad you're with me on this church project, Mars."

Mara grinned, setting her cup down. "It was about time."

"It certainly was. I've been needing someone sensible holding the reins," Ginger snorted. Mara laughed brightly. "I wouldn't trust a certain few people to hold up a tent, if you catch my drift."

Maisie clucked her tongue, wheeling to a stop by the table. "You two are as bad as Fiona and their friends, gossiping. And about church, too!"

"Maisie, honey, what else is church for but harmless gossip and picnics?" Ginger teased, taking the board from her lap. "Thank you, sweetheart."

Mara looped her arm in Maisie's, and smiled at her daughter. Maisie beamed back, squeezing Mara's hand.

The gentle moment was cut through abruptly with a wild yodel from upstairs, followed by a clattering of footsteps. Lydia leapt breathlessly into the kitchen, swinging her skirts, then stopped. Her yodel cut off mid-howl. Her face went red, and she compressed herself into something more polite.

"Oh," she said tamely. "Hello."

Ginger burst out laughing.

Maisie bit back a grin, waving at Lydia politely. "Hi. Did you find Beckett?"

Lydia's cheeks were bright and splotchy. She adjusted her skirt self-consciously. "I did, thanks. I met Abdel, too. He's a delight."

"Then you certainly didn't meet my Abdel," Mara joked, rising, offering a hand to Lydia. "I'm Mara, lovely to meet you."

Lydia took it sheepishly. "Hi, I'm Lydia. I'm sorry for acting like a wildcat in your house."

"No worries, we've got plenty of those already," Mara grinned conspiratorially. "What's a few more? You're Beckett's friend?"

"And Aaron," she chimed. "He's a sweetie."

"Aaron too? Not sure who's kids you're meeting, but they can't be mine," Mara cackled. "Between a delightful Abdel and a sweet Aaron, you must think Beckett's a holy terror."

"Hey!" Beckett protested, sliding down the stairs on his bum. "That's mean."

"I'm sorry love," Mara said, and she looked truly sorry. "I was just teasing, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

He grinned. "S'okay. Not hurt. We're going outside in the rain!"

Ginger glanced out the window, wiping laughing-tears from her cheeks. "It is raining! Oh dear. I took the bike here. Mara, I suppose you don't—"

Suddenly, the door opened with a crash of thunder, and a man and a boy barreled inside, crouching from the rain. Both wore hoods that covered their faces, and were soaking to the bone. The door slammed shut behind them, so loud that Abdel came down the stairs in bewildered confusion.

"What is happening?" Mara laughed, throwing up her hands. She crossed the kitchen, entering the mudroom. "Hello, can I help you?"

"Mara, thank God," the hooded man said, and pulled his soggy sweater from his head. He was a kind-looking older man, around Mara and Ginger's age, with a speckle of a beard and movie-star hair, even wet as it was now.

"Stephan? What's the matter?" Mara took Stephan's hoodie from him. She caught sight of Abdel gawking from the stairs. "Abdel, baby, will you run and get some dry clothes for Stephan and Nico? You can look in Julian's closet, if you don't have anything that'll fit."

"Sure, Ma," he retreated up the stairs, shaking his dark curly head.

Lydia and Beckett exchanged wide looks.

"This is a lot of people," she whispered to him.

"Yeah, it's always like that," he whispered back. "It's kinda loud."

"If you want, you can find a place to hide, and we'll get out of here when everyone's gone," she offered.

Beckett nodded. "Good idea."

He scampered off for the library, looking out for Fiona, to warn her about the incomers. Lydia smiled after him fondly.

Maisie wheeled up to her, a sparkle in her eye. "That's Nico Lovell. He's our neighbor. You should talk to him!"

Lydia glanced at Nico, who was pawing at his curls, trying to dry them with his hands. "Does he do more than play with his hair?"

Maisie laughed. "Nico's an angel. I think you'll like him."

Lydia wrinkled her nose at the other girl. "This feels like a set up."

"Well, you were going to meet him one way or another," Maisie shrugged, wheeling away breezily. "Might as well start now!"

"Maisie, can you grab tow—"

"On it, Mom!" Maisie grinned, as if reading Mara's mind with her glittering magical eyes. Talk to him! she mouthed at Lydia.

Lydia rolled her own dull eyes.

Ginger, Mara, and Stephan were having a lively conversation in the mudroom, Stephan and Nico still dripping wet. They were so consumed by their conversation they hardly noticed the puddle quickly forming beneath their feet on the tiles.

"—fantastic! We haven't had a big market in ages! Stephan, what would we do without you?" Mara was saying, cupping Stephan's face in her hands enthusiastically.

Stephan laughed, batting her hands away. "Oh, please. It's good for the town's economy."

"And for my soul," Ginger sighed. "I love meeting strangers."

Stephan grinned at her.

"Could we have a concert? Some musicians performing, or something?" Ginger spun to Mara, eyes bright. "Arlo could play! He'd do fantastically. And the theater can put on a show— Nico can you sing? Act?"

Nico flushed, laughing at the sudden attention. "Uh, I can try?"

"Good enough! What about you, Lydia, are you an actor?" Ginger wheeled on her too, grabbing her before she could slip away to where Beckett and Fiona were surely hiding, safe from social interaction, in the library.

She grimaced. Nico stifled a laugh in his fist, covering it up with a cough.

"I used to do school musicals, but—"

Ginger was already squealing, clapping her hands together like a little girl given a lollipop. "Oh good! You'll do so well, I can already tell. Stage presence and everything! Oh, Hade's going to be so excited!"

"Rein it in there, Ging," Mara clapped her shoulder with a fond little smile. Ginger flushed, but couldn't stop beaming. Stephan hadn't stopped looking at her.

Nico glanced over at Lydia, who was still making a deer-in-headlights expression. He laughed again.

"So, budding actress, huh?" he said casually.

She glanced at him, her face turning suspicious. "Yeah."

They stood there in silence. Nico awkwardly scuffed his wet sneaker toe on the linoleum floor. "Cool, cool. I'm Nico."

"I heard."

"And you are?"

"I should go... Beckett's probably waiting," Lydia marched off.

Then she turned halfway, looking part-apologetic, part-irritated. "I'm Lydia. Nice to meet you." She swished away, blue skirts swirling around her ankles.

Nico scratched the back of his neck, watching her leave. "Uh, same?"

Abdel reappeared, armfuls of clothes clasped to his chest. "Hey, Nico."

"Hey," Nico nodded at him, taking the clothes. "Thanks, man."

"No problem. What're you guys doing here?"

Nico gestured helplessly to his father, who was chatting up a storm. "Dad got an idea for a big farmer's market event on the first of May. He's got some fancy-pants wine tasters and cuisine connoisseurs coming in town then, so hopefully Mara and the other farms will get some traffic."

"Hey, that's great!" Abdel smiled brightly. Then his smile fell a little. "And he couldn't just wait to tell us? Or use the landline?"

Nico laughed, hoisting the pile of clothes higher in his arms. "That's my dad. Full of great ideas, but not a penny of common sense."

Abdel snorted fondly. "Well, glad you guys are here. 'Scuse me, I gotta get all the cows inside."

He pressed passed the others, slapping a big yellow raincoat on and a matching hat over his head. Nico saluted him out, and Abdel vanished into the rain.

Stephan was still shivering, soaked to the bone, but his grin never faded. His eyes were glued to Ginger, bright and overflowing. Mara quietly looked between them, a small smile playing on her lips.

Outside, the rain gushed down, watering the earth and setting the greenery to bloom.  

author's note

omggg random honeybees update!! i had this chapter sitting in my pages app for a while so here it is <3 i love ginger and stephan SO much you have no idea.

miss you guys! hopefully as summer picks up, i'll feel the honeybees vibes again and write some more chapters! 

xoxo