Embraced by Bees

Phoebe hadn’t lied when she said that she and Xavier had planned a revealing dinner. At about three that afternoon, when I had returned from grocery shopping, there were two messages on my machine. The first was from my darling baby brother.

Lace, hey. I’m calling a family dinner at Lanterns. Be there at seven, please. See you then, sis.

“What, no how are you or any other pleasantries? Way to make me feel important, Xavier,” I mumbled under my breath, a tad annoyed with the male who shared my genes. The beeping of the machine went off and the next message played.

Lacy Santino? This is Geoffery Moreau. From work? Um, yes well, I have a favor to ask of you. I know you are on vacation for the next two weeks, but would you mind coming in on Tuesday? I need help with one of the more high-maintenance patients that are usually in your charge. I think it’s safe to say that I am drowning in all of the shit that she’s piling on me. So, please, call me as soon as you can at 236-9004. Enjoy your vacation.

The message left me speechless. Geoffery was the only male at work that I found attractive, and in my dreams on more than one occasion. And he was calling me for work advice. He could have called Angela Burdette, the only other pediatrician in the office who could handle high-maintenance patients, but he decided to call me. That is big news for someone like me, with all things considered.

Angela Burdette was like one of those sitcom doctors, the gorgeous ones. The ones a viewer would have been more inclined to seeing in a fashion magazine than a doctor’s office. She was always prancing around the rooms without much care in the world, but was able to get her job done. I don’t know how exactly, though I would very much like to.

Setting aside my thoughts concerning the second message, I prepared myself for the big dinner. After a quick shower, I blow dried my hair and slipped into an appropriate cream-colored dress. Readying myself for Xavier’s ‘surprise,’ I practiced my shocked look in the mirror, adding twinges of a smile to my features so that he’d know I was happy for him. With only ten minutes of practice, I deemed myself worthy of my acting and bustled into my awaiting car.



Lanterns is considered a ritzy place. My brother can sometimes be considered a big spender. Xavier plus Lanterns equaled some serious shelling out. However, it was my brother, the corporate lawyer that would soon be asked to partner at the firm he worked at. Xavier may be spontaneous and reckless, but I never said or thought the boy was stupid.

Three cars waited idly for valet parking as I walked through the restaurant’s doors toward the maître d. “Reservation for Santino?” The woman at the podium looked up from the small date book and motioned for me to follow her. Her heels clacked against the floor noiselessly, never interrupting the peace of the restaurant. The table was one of the only five rounded ones in the entire place and seated eight. I wasn’t sure why there were eight chairs when both families only consisted of seven people. I seated myself and waited for the rest to arrive.

I checked my watch and realized that I was earlier than necessary. Being twenty minutes early to a dinner that you aren’t paying for can make you seem very pitiable as I found out when an old couple approached me and asked me to join them.

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary,” a voice sounded from behind me. I tilted my head a fraction to catch a glimpse of the person who came to my rescue. A pair of brown eyes met with mine and I could all but feel my insides churning. The elderly couple tittered to themselves, looking back at me as they moved along to their table.

“Thank you for the, um, save.” My hands had found a sudden interest with the tablecloth. My fingers began weaving the cloth between their spaces. The design on the edge of the cloth was a light golden fleur de lis pattern. Due to my intense focus on the pattern, I hadn’t noticed that the man had taken a seat until he poked my arm. For sitting in a chair, I believe it would be safe to say that I jumped higher than possible. “Yes,” I asked, as I clutched my chest, hoping that my rapidly beating heart would slow.

“Are you Xavier Santino's sister?” I hesitated before answering his question.

“I would think so, considering we both share the same parents.” The light music that played throughout the restaurant became irritating as I realized that I was conversing with a stranger. For all I knew, the man sitting beside me could have been a pathological murderer who had investigated my history and therefore knew my brother’s name. Everything within arms reach looked like a potential weapon, the tablecloth that I had found fascinating, the table itself. I could feel his gaze on me as I looked at every other object in the room. My eyes darted to the thin watch on my wrist to see that I had about three minutes before anyone else would arrive. The Santinos and the Mitchells were notorious for their severe punctuality, always arriving at the time stated. Never before, never after.

Where were they when I needed them to rescue me?