Chapter Twenty
Grace
“Oh, the perks of being a business owner,” I murmured on Tuesday evening when I was once again cooped up in my office all by myself. It was seven o’clock, and I still had quite a few tasks left. When my phone beeped, I thought it might be my assistant shooting me yet another to-do. But my entire body was immediately set aflame when I noticed the sender.
Zachary: Workday over?
Grace: I wish. Looks like this is going to be a dinner-at-the-office kind of week.
Zachary: What a coincidence. Same for me. It’s another crisis week, but I don’t mind. What are you having for dinner?
Grace: I haven’t decided yet. Maybe some gumbo. It’s my comfort dish.
Zachary: LeBlanc even without opening the lid, the aroma made my mouth water. They’d packed a plastic spoon and fork as well. I sent Zachary a picture and then dug in. He called me right away.
“Thanks so much. This is truly delicious.”
“Good. I figured you’d like it. And I also figured this might be a good time to chat. How’s your week been so far?”
“As busy as I thought. At least tonight, I’m getting this amazing dinner. Yesterday, I just had peanuts.”
“For fuck’s sake, Grace!” he growled.
“What? I sometimes forget to eat dinner. Then I get home and I’m starving, so I order some delivery. Seems like it’s going to be that kind of week.”
“I’ll take care of you,” he said easily, and I melted in my chair. “I’ll send you dinner every evening.”
“Zachary, you don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do. It’ll be my pleasure.”
I smiled as I ate another spoonful of gumbo. After swallowing, I asked, “Is this going to turn into a flirty phone call?”
“That’s a definite possibility,” he said in a very serious tone, as if we were talking about a business deal. “Just putting it out there, but I have nothing against that. I think late nights at the office are perfect for that.”
“You’re still at the office too?”
“Yeah, eating a steak. It’s quite handy to work above LeBlanc-Broussard.”
“I’d say.” I laughed. “By the way, I’d love to drop by your grandmothers’ store this week. Do they need a heads-up or something? Should I schedule?”
“No, they don’t believe in schedules. The only risk you have is that the store will be too crowded and you might have to wait a bit, so maybe go at nine when they open or in the afternoon. There’s always a lull in the Quarter at those times.”
“Great, I’ll do that.”
Once again, I wondered if I should bring up my conversation with Gaston, but it felt weird. In that regard, we were still competing. They would probably just choose the better offer, which was fair. I’d do the same.
I decided on a more pleasant topic instead.
“So,” I said, shifting a bit in my seat, “when do we start the flirty part?”
“You mean dirty talking?” Zachary said.
“Oh goodness.” I cleared my throat. “Right. I don’t think I can do this on the phone,” I whispered, which made him laugh.
“There’s no pressure, Grace. I promise there’ll be plenty of opportunities in person. In fact, I’d prefer that.”
“How come?”
“Because you turn me on faster than I thought was humanly possible. The last thing I want is to walk around my office with a hard-on.”
My entire body was on edge right away. I cleared my throat, then choked on absolutely nothing and started to cough.
“Grace, are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. I just wasn’t expecting that.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Completely raw and unfiltered, huh?”
“That’s the only way I know how to deliver it.”
That was true. I enjoyed that about him.
“But for now,” he went on, “I’ll let you enjoy your dinner. Actually, you know what? Let me know what you want tomorrow, and I’ll make it happen.”
“Why don’t you surprise me?”
“Will do.”
After hanging up, I devoured the rest of my dinner. I feared that I’d go into a food coma after finishing it because the portion was quite large, but I’d been starving, so of course I ate it all. But I had a lot of energy, so I stayed at the office late into the evening.
The next morning, I decided to head down Dumaine to Fragrant Delights. I arrived in front of the shop at nine o’clock on the dot and glanced inside. Two elderly women were milling around. One was dressed in all black, and her hair fell right to her chin. The other one wore colorful clothes. Her hair was even longer.
I stepped inside. “Good morning.”
Glancing around, I immediately felt at home. The floor-to-ceiling shelves were filled with bottles of all sizes as well as other paraphernalia. I loved the labels on the bottles—all handwritten, and of course bearing the LeBlanc-Broussard crest. Even though I knew the company was called the Orleans Conglomerate, they still used the family crest on several products, such as their famous pralines.
“Good morning,” the woman dressed in black replied.
“I’m Grace Deveraux.”
“Isabeau,” she said.
I went toward the ladies to shake her hand.
“And I’m Celine,” the other woman said, shaking my hand as well.
“It’s nice to meet you both. I hope it’s okay that I came by so early.”
“Of course, of course,” Celine exclaimed.
I felt instantly at ease with these two. So many people in the Quarter practically winced when they heard the name Deveraux, but not them.
“So, as you know, I’m in a similar business as you—”
“Only bigger and far more successful,” Isabeau finished with a wink.
I smiled with my whole heart. I tried to gauge which one Zachary resembled most, but the truth was, neither of them reminded me of him.
“It’s doing very well, thanks. But your shop is amazing.”
“Oh, we do well. Then again, we only started this so our old bones wouldn’t rot at home,” Isabeau said. “We found out we quite like it.”
“Right now, I’m only selling my merchandise online, but I’d like to put them it stores as well. I can send you a pitch to give you an idea of how it would benefit us both.”
Isabeau waved her hand. “Darling girl, we’ve been in business far too long. We were chefs prior to this little operation and very much involved in strategic decisions regarding the restaurant. We don’t need a pitch, just some prices so we can figure out what we need to order. But for now, tell us what you have in mind.”
“I’d like to put my best-selling items in the store. They would complement your brand because I use natural products as well. I’m a firm believer in plants and their restorative powers.”
Both women looked at each other and then back at me. “Go on,” Celine encouraged.
“Some descriptions of the products take a bit of an esoteric angle. People seem to enjoy that.”
“That fits right in with our philosophy,” Isabeau said.
“I thought so too. You’d be the very first store in the Quarter to have my products.”
Celine sighed. “Maybe it’ll help a bit and make other stores trust the Deveraux name again if we merchandise a few of your items.”
I stopped looking around the store. These two were so thoughtful, and I appreciated their support. “It probably would help. But if you find that it tarnishes your brand in any way, please don’t hesitate to tell me, and I’ll take them off your shelves, of course.”
“Girl, we can handle anything that comes our way,” Isabeau said, making me smile.
“You’ve had to deal with the fallout from your brothers’ wrongdoings, and that’s not fair. I have to admit that, for a while, I thought your father was in on it too,” Celine said.
I bristled. “Oh no. My father is an honest man.”
She nodded. “We know that now.”
“May I ask what changed your minds?” I asked.
Celine laughed. Isabeau simply said, “We have our ways of finding out everything going on in the city.”
“I don’t doubt that,” I said. “Do you have any questions? If you’re open to it, I’m more than happy to include your products in our online shop. It’s doing very well. We drive a lot of traffic to it daily.”
Celine waved her hand. “We have enough on our hands with the demand we get from people who walk into our store. We couldn’t keep up with more. We’re happy with what we have.”
“Well, if that changes, just let me know. I’ll send you a spreadsheet with prices, and then just let me know what you need. Do you have an email address I should forward it to?”
“Of course. We’re old, not decrepit,” Isabeau replied, and I winced.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. My mom, for example, doesn’t like emails at all.”
“We do. Now, as a token of good faith, I would like to gift you one of our fragrances,” Isabeau said.
I smiled, surprised by the gesture. “That’s kind of you. I’d love one. I still can’t believe that I’ve never been in here. How does it work? Do you need any information from me to make a custom one?”
“As it happens, we already made one,” Celine said. Her voice was a bit different from before, but I couldn’t tell why.
“Perfect.”
“And do tell us if it doesn’t work, okay? Then we’ll call you back here and do some proper legwork.”
“What do you mean, legwork?” I inquired.
Isabeau rolled her shoulders back and threw Celine a warning glance. I had a feeling that I was missing something.
“Just tell us if you like it,” Isabeau said, but I was pretty sure that was not what Celine had meant.
Isabeau opened a drawer under the counter and picked up a small bottle. It was a delightful light pink, mimicking a crystal, and had a delicate, small golden cap.
“It’s a perfume, not eau de cologne or eau de parfum, so it’s very potent. You don’t need to use more than a few drops.”
I uncapped it carefully. “This is amazing. So many notes and...” My voice faded as I took in a deep breath. Since I worked with plants, I was good at distinguishing them. I could recognize the work of professionals. “Do I detect some star anise?”
“You’ve got an excellent nose!” Isabeau sounded proud.
“And lilac?”
Celine nodded. “Yes, yes. We love it.”
“I love lilac too. Oh, this is thrilling. Do you have a body lotion that goes with it?”
“We’ll make you one and send it to you.”
“Perfect. Thank you. I insist on paying for both.”
“We insist you pay for nothing,” Isabeau replied. “That’s no way of starting a partnership.”
“Well, then,” I said, taking out two creams I’d brought, “these two are for your personal use. It’s our bestseller. I use it as well and love it.” It was a rejuvenating face cream.
“We’ll gladly accept,” Celine replied.
Both women looked at me, smiling. This was going to be a success. I already knew it.
“Can you send us a batch quickly?” she continued. “We’ll put it in our window display.”
That was a pleasant surprise because they only had a small bottle of perfume in their display.
I nodded. “I’ll send some today.”
“Excellent. When people ask us about it, we’ll tell them that we’ll have the products in store soon.”
I beamed at them. “I have a very good feeling about our partnership.”
“So do we,” Isabeau said, then changed the topic altogether. “We’ re hoping that Zachary is treating you all right.”
I licked my lips. “He’s a perfect gentleman. Although, we did have a rocky start.”
“We heard about that.”
“I think it’s a nice sign that both of you are interested in the ranch,” Celine said.
Isabeau turned to her, tilting her head, clearly trying to drive a point home.
“A sign?” I asked. My heart was beating fast.
Isabeau glanced at me. “We’ll put our cards on the table before this becomes weird. We got wind that you two have gotten quite close.”
I was so shocked that I was surprised my jaw didn’t hit the floor. Why didn’t Zachary tell me this?
“We don’t need any details, but let’s just say that we’re thrilled about it,” she continued.
“You are? How did you find out?”
Isabeau smirked. Not a smile. It was definitely a smirk.
“We can’t divulge our sources, but word does travel in the French Quarter,” Celine offered.
I only had vague memories of that because I’d been out of the Quarter, so to speak, for quite a while. It had been my brothers’ domain.
I laughed nervously. “I’m not sure what to say.”
“We didn’t have to corner the poor girl,” Celine said.
“We wouldn’t have had to if you weren’t so obvious,” Isabeau chastised her.
Both turned to look at me.
“We apologize,” Isabeau said. “I promise we didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. All you have to know about it is that we’re happy.”
Despite their disclaimer, I was feeling awkward. As I opened my mouth, a group of about ten people walked in.
“Right. I’ll send you all the financial information and some more samples,” I said as I headed toward the door. “Have a great day.”
“You, too, Grace,” Isabeau said. She was smirking again.
Oh goodness. Zachary did say his grandmothers were forces to be reckoned with. I should’ve taken him more seriously.
***
The rest of the day was a whirlwind of to-dos and meetings, but I did manage to send a huge batch of samples to Isabeau and Celine. By the time the evening rolled around, I was exhausted. However, I was also looking forward to dinner. Zachary texted me earlier in the day to ask when I wanted my food delivered. I’d replied that 6:30 p.m. was okay.
At 6:20 p.m., I was already glancing at the door more often than necessary. At 6:27 p.m., there was a knock at the door. The building had someone at the reception desk, but once visitors were cleared downstairs, they could come right into my office.
“Come in.”
The deliveryman entered and held up a take-out bag. “This is for you, miss.”
“Thank you.”
He put the bag on my desk, and I tipped him generously. I kept my composure until he left the room, then immediately dug into my bag of goodies.
“What did I get tonight?” I was excited. “Oh, jambalaya.” That was yet another favorite of mine. I loved Southern comfort food. Might not be the best for the figure, but I loved it too much to think about that.
I opened the container, then snapped a photo and sent it to Zachary. He called before I even managed to take a bite.
“What’s the verdict?” he asked as soon as I answered my phone.
“What are you talking about?” I asked nonchalantly.
“The jambalaya.”
“I haven’t tasted it yet.”
“All right. Then I’ll wait.”
I felt extremely jittery, almost as if he was right here with me, eyes trained on me, waiting for my reaction. I swallowed a huge spoonful and went directly to heaven.
“I’m impressed. I thought I’d tasted all the jambalayas in the area, but this one is hands down the best.”
“My grandmothers will be happy to know that. It’s their original recipe, and they’re convinced it’s the best there is.”
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s true.” I cleared my throat, took another spoonful, and swallowed it before saying, “By the way, speaking of your grandmothers...”
“Yeah?”
“I went by their store today.”
“Did it go well?”
“Yes, they were very happy to collaborate. They even gave me a perfume.”
Zachary groaned.
“What was that for?”
“Let me guess. It contains lilac?” he asked.
I frowned as I took a few more spoonfuls. “How would you know that?”
“Because it’s a thing they do.” He didn’t elaborate.
“I’m going to need more details.”
He sighed. “There’s this story in my family that lilac sort of brings couples together.”
I nearly choked on the jambalaya. “I’m sorry, what?”
He laughed. “Celine insists that it’s because she gave my mom a perfume containing lilac that she met my dad, who turned out to be her soulmate. They ended up together despite the fact that neither of the families wanted them to be.”
“How come?”
“You don’t know that the LeBlancs and Broussards were once competitors?”
“Oh, that’s right. They had similar businesses. Honestly, it’s been LeBlanc-Broussard my whole life. I’ve never paid much attention to the stories about what came before that.”
“Anyway, the grandmothers gave a perfume containing lilac to each of my brothers’ significant others. They insist it’s the reason they’re together.”
I swallowed hard. “That’s... I don’t know how to describe it. Scary, maybe?”
“Nuts?” Zachary asked. “I mean, who actually thinks lilac has powers?”
“There are plants that do have powers,” I began, “but I’m sensing that this isn’t your type of conversation.”
“No, it’s not,” he replied, making me laugh.
“Honestly, you were born and raised in New Orleans. You need to go with the flow when it comes to mystical things.”
“I go with the flow with a lot of things, but not with nonsense.”
I cleared my throat. “Anyway, they knew about us,” I said quickly before stuffing my face full of jambalaya. That was a perfect excuse not to elaborate. A few seconds later, I realized Zachary wouldn’t know why I wasn’t answering.
“They told you that?” he asked.
“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled, because I still hadn’t finished chewing.
“How did they find out?”
I swallowed before saying, “Beats me. I figured you might know.”
“No. Though, considering Beckett and his big mouth, I wouldn’t put it past him to have mentioned it. My grandmothers are very resourceful.”
“I bet they are. What are you having for dinner?” I asked.
“Jambalaya too. When I put the order in for you, I got in the mood as well. You’re working late every day this week?”
I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. “Honestly, yes. Some weeks are like this.”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me, Grace, but I do have a proposition for you.”
“I’m all ears.”
“What about brunch at Commander’s Palace on Saturday?”
“Yes! I used to go with my parents years ago when I was a kid. Last time I was there, I wasn’t old enough to drink their cocktails.”
“We can hit the bar this time. I’ll make reservations. Do you have anything else going on Saturday?”
“No.”
“Good, because I’d like to spend the whole day with you. On Sunday too.”
This was a very good opportunity to try out my teasing skills. “You’re so sure you’re getting laid, huh?”
“Never. But I’m going to do my very best.”
God, it was so easy to talk to this man. I could do it for hours.
“Tell me about your week. You said it’s going to be crazy too.”
He sighed. “Yeah. This is a busy season for the shipping business.”
“Oh, I would’ve thought Christmas was peak.”
“It is for land transportation, but not for the water. In my area, everything happens way before Christmas.”
“Right. That makes sense.”
“Now I’m dealing with several delays, and we’re trying to find ways to solve that. But it’ll all work out.”
“I’ll drink to that on Saturday.”
“I can’t wait, Grace.”
“I can’t either.”