The Secret Life of Bees by sue monk kidd

Author:sue monk kidd
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Classics, Young Adult, Adult, Historical, Contemporary
ISBN: 9781101010969
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: 2002-11-08T06:00:00+00:00

His secretary was a white lady who looked about eighty years old. She sat at a desk in the reception area, putting on fire-red lipstick. Her hair was permed into tight curls that had a faint blue cast.

"Hi, Miss Lacy," Zach said. "I brought more honey."

She worked the lipstick back into the tube, looking mildly annoyed. "More honey," she said, shaking her head. She let out an overdone sigh and reached into a drawer. "The money for the last batch is in here." She dropped an envelope onto the desk.

She looked me over. "You're new."

"I'm Lily," I said.

"She's staying with August," Zach explained.

"You're staying in her house?" she said.

I wanted to tell her that her lipstick was bleeding into the wrinkles around her lips. "Yes, ma'am, I'm staying there."

"Well, I'll be," she said. She gathered her pocketbook and stood up. "I've got an appointment at the dentist. Put the jars over there on the table."

I pictured her whispering the news to all the people in the waiting room who were about to get their cavities drilled. This white girl, Lily, is staying with the colored Boatwright sisters.

Now, doesn't that seem strange to you?

As she left, Mr. Forrest came out of his office. The first thing I noticed was his red suspenders. I'd never seen a thin person wear suspenders, and it was a nice look, the way it matched his red bow tie. He had sandy hair, and bushy eyebrows that curled toward his blue eyes, and smile crinkles in his face that signaled a good person. So good that apparently he couldn't bring himself to get rid of Miss Lacy.

He looked at me. "And who would this pretty young lady be?" "Lily uh—" I could not remember what last name I was currently using. I think it was because he'd referred to me as pretty, which had been a shock to my system. "Just Lily."

I stood there

looking gawky, with one foot tucked behind the other. "I'm staying with August till I go live with my aunt in Virginia." Him being a lawyer, I worried he might ask me to take a lie-detector test.

"How nice. August is a good friend of mine," he said. "I hope you're enjoying your stay?"

"Yes, sir. Very much."

"What case are you working on?" asked Zach, stuffing the envelope of honey money into his pocket and setting the box of jars on the side table by the window. It had a framed HONEY FOR SALE sign on it.

"Run-of-the-mill stuff. Deeds, wills. I got something for you, though. Come on back to the office and I'll show you."

"I'll just wait out here and arrange the honey," I said, hating to intrude but mostly feeling uncommonly awkward around him.

"You sure? You're welcome to come, too."

"I'm sure. I like it out here."

They disappeared down a hallway. I heard a door close. A car horn on the street. The blast of the window air conditioner that dripped water into a dog bowl on the floor. I stacked the jars in a pyramid.

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