The Last Beekeeper by Julie Carrick Dalton

Author:Julie Carrick Dalton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group

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An unexpected twinge of nostalgia tugged on Sasha as she pressed open the heavy metal door to Greenhouse Six clutching Chuck’s offer letter in her hand.

Each greenhouse, with its own specific cocktail of nutrients depending on what grew inside, gave off a unique smell. Greenhouse Six was a network of six connected structures growing the same produce at various stages of development. Seasons did not exist at glass farms.

Numerous glass panels had been replaced due to cracks, hail damage, or broken seals. The newer panels didn’t match, lending the ceiling and walls a patchwork quality. Nutrient seepage stained and gummed up the tubing. Months’ worth of bodies and breath, pollination and photosynthesis, had accumulated into a grime darkening every crevice in the once-shiny fixtures.

These seasonless Frankenfruits grew not from soil and rot and decay and sunlight, but on a diet of panic and false hope. The enormous tomatoes, bright red and bursting with juice, crushed pithy in the mouth and melted to slush with a touch of heat.

Sasha spotted Gino pollinating rows of tomatoes with his no-nonsense precision. Paintbrush in, swirl, next flower, with consistent rhythm and grace. She walked through the twenty yards of tomato trays, increasing her speed to a jog, then a sprint. Gino saw her coming, dropped his brush, and ran to meet her. His eyebrows danced up and down with questions.

The air felt more oppressive than usual, thick enough to chew on. Sweat darkened Gino’s armpits.

“What’d they want?”

“I got the job.” Sasha opened the folder with the offer letter so Gino could read the details.

“This is huge.” Gino’s eyes widened as he read. “But I’m going to miss sexing up plants with you all day. Who am I going to gossip with?”

Condensation dripped from the ceiling and splashed onto Sasha’s cheek as Gino hugged her, lifting her feet off the ground.

“Your meds,” Sasha whispered.

“I know.” Gino buried his face in Sasha’s hair. “I know.”

“Do you think it’s enough?”

“Before you blow your bonus on me, you should get some new pants or something. Your wardrobe could use an update.”

“What’s wrong with my pants?” Sasha scrutinized her favorite jeans, faded and stained, but soft as flannel.

“I’m proud of you. You worked so hard for this.”

Sasha felt a pinch of guilt, unsure if she had earned the job entirely on her own.

“Will you tell Halle and Ian? They gave me the rest of the day off, plus three more days—with pay. I’m going for a long bike ride.”

“A bike ride? You just got a life-changing promotion, and you celebrate by biking?” Gino stepped back and squinted at her. “Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

“How do you always know? I’m going to go visit my dad. It takes nearly a whole day to bike there and back. I haven’t seen in him months, so I figure today’s the day.”

“Wow. Okay. I’ll just say you went for … a bike ride?”

“Thanks.”

“Why am I more excited about this job than you are? Is there a hitch? Are they making you do something illegal? Oh, my God.

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