“That must be nice – TV all to yourself I bet.”

Mr. Bertucci bags Levi’s breakfast, throwing in a pack of Trident, and says, “I’d be a bad guy if I said I didn’t miss them, but catching up on House of Cards while drinking regular beer is nice.”

“I hear ya. Enjoy your weekend!” Levi grabs the bag and newspaper and heads out the door.

Arriving at the main office with the only access to the rooftop, Levi shoves the last few bites of egg sandwich in his mouth. He pockets the gum, gulps the orange juice, wipes his mouth, and then tosses his trash.

“Good morning, Mr. Jones. You have a group of middle school campers arriving for a tour in thirty minutes.”

Patting the receptionist desk forged from an anchor, he says, “Thanks, Gayle. Page me when they get here?”

Gayle smiles and replies, “No problem. And your meeting with the Alliance has been rescheduled for eleven-thirty. I’ll have Robert set up the south boardroom.”

“Very good,” Levi replies, walking toward the elevator.

Stepping out onto the roof, he stops by his adjacent office and tosses the newspaper on his desk.

“Dude, you missed the best fucking lamb chops.” Travis, the chubby hipster from Williamsburg, pops his head in Levi’s office and chuckles.

“Yeah, yeah.” Sorting his mail, Levi adds, “You doing anything around nine?”

“Nothing on the schedule, although, Carlos is showing me how to ferment Chilean moonshine.”

“White bucket in the kitchen?”

“For sure, dude!”

“Label it.” Levi hands Travis a lanyard with a keycard and adds, “And do the nine o’clock tour.”

“But I hate kids,” Travis whines.

“Be nice. These kids belong to an inner-city science club – give them a little rooftop joy. Cool?”

“Fine, boss.”

“And close the door,” Levi adds.

Sitting at his desk, Levi pulls out his phone to send a text to Thessaly.

Levi: What are you wearing for the photo shoot?

Tess: A bee costume.

Tess: What are you wearing?

Levi: A smile.

#thehive #photoswarm

“Anything else you want, on Twitter?” asks Meg.

Thessaly follows the photographer’s assistant to the register and looks back over her shoulder to address Meg. “I like that. Simple. And upload that photo with Seth and the Jar Jenga to Instagram.”

The art director for NY Foodie, Kate Morris, approaches Thessaly with an iPad and confirms, “So Sinclair Honey is your family brand, correct?”

Trying to answer the question as the assistant applies red lipstick, Thessaly mumbles, “Honey’s from the family farm. Infused here with local fruits.”

“And what about this new brand you mentioned over the phone? Wild Honey?”

“It’s launching next week. I have a few samples ready if you want to take photos.”

“Maybe, let me brainstorm,” Kate mutters as she shuffles to the kitchen, shouting at Seth to bring out the new honey.

“Mia, hand me the Nikon DX – and you,” the photographer points to Meg, “lower the lights.” The photographer, a middle-aged man with white hair and chartreuse eyeglasses, stands on a small stool to the right of Thessaly. “Look out that large window – think about all the things that make you happy.”

Placating, Thessaly nods. She stares out the window, watching as a trendy mom pushes a toddler in a stroller, and wondering where they’re going. If she was a mother, she’d take her children for ice cream on the pier. And then maybe a stroll through the market, feeding them strawberries and blueberries while shopping for fresh ingredients for dinner with daddy.

Mason? she ponders.

Levi, she imagines.

And Levi appears.

Thessaly giggles under her breath as the photographer shouts, “Less happy and more determined.”

“Okay,” Thessaly apologizes.

Clicking a few more shots as she lifts jams and honey out of a wire shopping basket, the photographer finally announces, “Done. Let’s shoot your new brand at the island.” He passes his camera to his assistant and then joins the art director in the kitchen. Poor Seth, thinks Thessaly.

“Ice cream hottie is here,” Meg shouts under her breath.

“I know,” Thessaly replies, walking to the front to greet Levi.

Handing her a bouquet of wildflowers and a bakery box of cupcakes, Levi says, “You’re not naked. And you’re not wearing a bee costume.” He kisses Thessaly’s cheek and then whispers, “Why’s it so quiet in here?”

Laughing, she replies, “It’s a food magazine, not very exciting.”

“We should change that.”

Smelling the flowers, Thessaly leads Levi to the center island. “The flowers are beautiful – thank you.”

“Hey, there.” Meg looks up from her laptop with a mischievous grin.

“Meg, this is Levi – Levi, Meg.”

“Hi, Meg.” Sitting on a stool across from Meg, Levi places his hand on Thessaly’s hip and says, “Navy pants and a white shirt?”

Placing her hand on top of Levi’s, she replies, “This outfit photographs well. And you’re wearing the same thing!”

Interrupting the flirtatious banter, Meg asks, “Do you want me to stage a breakfast for Wild Honey?”

“Yes, let’s do it before they do. I want a certain image, ya know?”

Closing her laptop and standing from the stool, Meg asks, “Any preference?”

“How about a basket of biscuits and some strawberries?”

“How about a few hundred peaches?” Meg teases under her breath as she walks toward the kitchen.

Laughing, Levi says, “Meg is a cool chick. So what’s Wild Honey?”

“Oh, it’s just a branding move. The saturation in the artisan market forced me to expand my vocabulary.”

“I like the name – sexy.”

Arranging the flowers in a yellow vase, Thessaly places it in the center of the island and smiles. “Oh, I don’t know how sexy The Hive can make honey, but there’s definitely a market for sexualized foods.”

Propping his arm on the counter, Levi asks, “Will the article include some wild recipes?”

“How’d you guess?” she replies, stroking the sleeve of his shirt.

“Okay, Thessaly, let’s set up on the island – love the jars by the way. I’m thinking we’ll try breakfast in bed for this segment.” Kate squeezes between Levi and Thessaly and snatches the bouquet of flowers. “Over here, Seth,” she barks.

“Coming,” Seth replies in a high-pitched voice. Carrying a tray of assorted muffins, cornbread, jars of Wild Honey, and a magenta pitcher, Seth sneaks in a tiny wink as Meg joins him with a basket of biscuits covered with a paisley dish towel.

“Toss these cheap flowers. Where are the peonies I saw earlier?” Thrusting the vase at Meg, Kate summons the photographer. “Walter! We’re losing the natural lighting.”

Barreling through the kitchen door with a blueberry scone in hand, Walter blurts, “Then what are we waiting for?” He places the scone on a plate near the register and grabs a Canon with a short lens. “Everyone, move away from the food.”

Kate grabs Thessaly and Levi’s arms and pulls them to the side. “We’ll get some shots with you two before we end. You’ll be blurred, of course.” Tilting her head as she glances from Levi to Thessaly, she adds, “Seduce me.” And then she storms off to yell at Seth. “Bring in that plate of peppered bacon.”

With wide eyes and a huge grin, Levi declares, “I’m going to be famous!”

“Yeah, right,” Thessaly replies, turning around to watch the photo shoot.

Placing his hands on Thessaly’s shoulders, Levi pulls her back into his chest with a deep sigh. He rests his chin on the top of her head, closing his eyes briefly while he inhales her fragrant shampoo. It’s an innocent gesture, full of sweetness and compassion.

But just like the honey, sweet things trapped in a glass jar tend to crave a visceral escape.

Kate snaps her head, looking past Seth and Meg and chirps, “Tess and friend.”