Chapter Nine – Emeline
Emeline
“What’s wrong with you?” Lilibeth asked as she got everything set up for our perfume-making.
Letting out a soft laugh, I replied, “Nothing’s wrong. Why do you ask?”
She gave me a look that silently said she wasn’t buying my bullshit. “You’re pacing back and forth. It’s making me a nervous wreck.”
I sighed and slid onto one of the stools at the beautiful mahogany counter located in the perfume bar, where Lilibeth did all the mixing.
All the essential oils used to make the perfumes and candles were in dark bottles, sitting on glass shelves in front of a silver antique backing.
Dark curtains hung down from the sides of the entrance into the perfumery.
The rabbit light fixture on the counter, though, was a nod to the Alice in Wonderland theme of the shop.
The perfumery section of the store was actually called “The Alice,” which I adored.
Hoping to change the subject, I asked, “How many different notes do you have?”
Lilibeth looked behind her. “Twenty-five.”
“How am I supposed to pick only five?”
She smiled.
“I love how you have cocktail-themed scents for the candles, and they come in barware. We’ll have to change that for the camps, though.”
With a wink in my direction, she replied, “I figured we would.”
I tapped my finger on my chin. “Let’s see, what are some cute ideas we can come up with?”
Lilibeth set out three small vessels. “You changed the subject. What’s going on with you?”
I sighed. It was no use trying to hide it. “It’s Levi.”
She frowned. “Did he do something to you?”
A bark of laughter came out. “Did he do something to me? Uh, no, that’s the problem.”
Her brows came down in confusion. She looked adorable, as usual.
Her dirty blonde hair was pulled up into a loose bun on top of her head, with small flowers tucked around the base.
A few strands hung free, framing her face and neck.
Her clothes were casual, with a flowy floral-print blouse and jeans. “I’m not following.”
Moreen walked up and said, “She’s had a crush on him since she was like fourteen, and now that he’s back in town, she wants to jump his bones.”
“You’re horny, then?” Lilibeth asked, a broad smile on her face.
“I am not horny, thank you very much. And yes, I thought I’d moved on from my silly crush, but he had to go and move back home, then be all…” My voice faded.
Lilibeth leaned over the counter and waggled her brows. “Be all what?”
“Hot in a single-dad-slash-cowboy-slash-animal-lover sort of way. A man who loves his son, and his soon-to-be ex-wife cheated on him, and he was devastated to learn that and—oh shit. I said too much. You guys don’t repeat that about his wife, okay?”
Lilibeth pretended she was locking it away with a key to her mouth and tossed said key over her shoulder.
Moreen’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “Jesus, do you know how to bring the tea.”
“Oh!” Lilibeth clapped. “What kind of tea should I serve?”
Moreen and I both looked at her in surprise.
“Babe, these aren’t the type of men who want to drink tea,” my friend answered.
“Or wine,” I added.
Lilibeth looked thoughtful for a moment. “Whiskey?”
Moreen pointed to her. “Bingo.” Turning back to me, she said, “Now what’s this about Caroline cheating on Levi?”
I closed my eyes and internally bitch-slapped myself. Focusing back on Moreen, I said, “You cannot repeat that. Please, please don’t repeat that. Not even to your mother.”
She drew back like I’d offended her. “My mother? Do you honestly think I have that type of relationship with my mom?”
Tilting my head, I stared at her. “You have exactly that type of relationship with your mom. You told her when I lost my virginity.”
Lilibeth laughed. “Oh my gosh, what?”
Moreen shrugged. “In Mom’s defense, she did tell me that I don’t have to share quite so much with her, after that.”
Lilibeth looked at me and laughed. “Oh my God, I love this town.”
I grabbed my friend’s hands. “Moreen.”
She gave me a reassuring smile. “I swear to you, I won’t tell anyone.”
The bell above the door rang, and we all turned. My jaw nearly dropped when I saw my brother Caden with Levi.
“Oh God, why does your hot brother have to be here?” Moreen whispered.
“Got a crush?” Lilibeth asked.
Moreen shook her head. “I’m not his type, but man, what I wouldn’t give to fu—”
“Okay, Moreen!” I quickly said, cutting off where that sentence was going.
Lilibeth laughed, then lowered her voice. “I’ve never met him. He is cute, though.”
“Warning, he’s a grump,” I said as I slid off the stool. “Caden, what did Levi do to talk you into this?”
My brother rolled his eyes. “Promised me we’d go out after this.”
“We’re going out after this, too,” I said, leaning up and kissing my brother on the cheek. Stepping back, I smiled at Levi. “Glad you made it.”
He grinned, and I ignored the way it made my heart speed up.
“Caden, you know Moreen, of course,” I said, as I motioned to my friend.
“How’s it going, Moreen?”
She smiled. “Going good. I’m just headed out. I’ll lock up, Lilibeth. You kids have fun!” she called out as she headed toward the register.
“Thanks, Moreen,” Lilibeth called out after her. Looking at me, she added, “I decided to close a little early tonight.”
“Caden, this is Lilibeth Asher. She owns the store.”
I watched as my brother took in Lilibeth. His gaze moved quickly over her body before landing back on her face. Before he could say anything, Lilibeth came around the counter and stuck out her hand, smiling from ear to ear.
“It’s nice to meet you, Caden. Emeline has told me a lot about you.”
He looked at her hand, then slowly reached out and shook it.
“I hope you’re ready for a fun night of mixing and finding your special scent,” she said with a wink.
Caden looked at Levi with an expression that could only mean one thing—he hated his best friend in that moment. Then his gaze moved to me, and I grinned.
Caden sighed, then focused on Lilibeth. “You can turn off the sales pitch, sweetheart. I’m already in the door.”
Frowning, she slowly shook her head. “Sales pitch? And I’m sorry, but did you seriously just call me sweetheart?”
It was the first time I’d ever heard Lilibeth have a bit of an attitude, and I wasn’t surprised it was Caden who’d brought it out in her.
“I did.”
She plastered on a smile once again, this one with a sharp edge. “Like your sister said, it’s Lilibeth, and I would appreciate it if you called me by my name. Not sweetheart.”
The corners of my brother’s mouth twitched with a hidden smile. His gaze moved past her to the bottle of whiskey she’d placed on the counter at some point. “Thank fuck. Whiskey.”
“Please, help yourself,” Lilibeth said before looking at Levi. “Thanks for coming, Levi.”
“I’m looking forward to this.”
She grinned. “Then let’s get going! You can pick up to five notes.”
“Notes?” Caden asked.
“The scents for the perfume.”
I quickly made my way around the counter and started smelling different oils. “How in the world am I going to pick?”
Glancing to my right, I saw Levi totally getting into it.
He picked up a bottle. “Leather…okay. Fresh Dirt?” Taking a smell, he pulled back. “Very…earthy.”
Lilibeth and I both laughed.
I pulled down the Jasmine, Lemon, and Rose. Then I grabbed the Magnolia, Cinnamon, and Cedarwood.
Lilibeth walked up and smiled. “These are great combinations, Emeline.”
Peeking at my brother’s picks, I saw he had White Musk, Amber, and Sandalwood. He’d also grouped Bergamot, Birch, and Oakmoss. Looking to my other side, Levi had pulled down Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Orange Blossom, Bergamot, Tonka Bean, and Patchouli.
Lilibeth stood in front of us with a wide smile. She placed small, thin round cotton pieces in front of us, along with a small jar of strips, as well as jars of coffee beans.
“You can do this two different ways. Dip the strips into your oil, then smell them as you build your scent. Or you can put one drop on the cotton pad, then smell that, as you add your additional scents. As you go, you can add more of something if you like. Play around with the different scents you have and the amounts you use. Be sure to write down what you do, though, using the notepads next to you. That way, you won’t forget what combinations you used. ”
As we began, she observed, stepping in when we had questions.
“Levi, looks like you’re more of a woodsy kind of guy,” she observed. “And, Caden, you’re clearly into musky smells.”
“Musky?” he asked, a smirk on his face.
“Yes,” she replied. “You picked deep, sultry blends that will give you intriguing, bold pairings.”
My brother stared at Lilibeth for a long moment before he cleared his throat and got back to mixing his scents.
“What do my scents say?” I asked.
Lilibeth grinned. “You’re a fan of sweet scents and florals that are romantic.”
“Totally see that from her,” Caden mumbled.
I glared at him. “Says the man who went with deep and sultry.”
Caden shot me a dirty look.
“Levi,” Lilibeth continued, “went with earthy, nature-loving choices. Very nice, rich scents you picked there.”
Levi winked at Lilibeth, and a surge of jealousy ripped through my body. I snapped my head back to my little cotton circle. Of course, why wouldn’t he be attracted to her. She was beautiful, close to his age, and her personality was infectious. Everyone loved being around Lilibeth.
I knew she wouldn’t flirt with Levi, not after I’d shared my feelings for him. That didn’t mean Levi wouldn’t flirt with her.
I suddenly felt like a teenage girl, jealous of the head cheerleader who had the star quarterback’s attention.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” my brother grumbled as he put two drops of the White Musk on his circle.
Okay, so not everyone loved being around Lilibeth.
As Levi and Lilibeth worked on his scents, I felt my mood grow sour. If I didn’t watch out, I was going to become just as grumpy as Caden.
When I looked at him, he was smelling one of his circles and frowning. “Too much Amber.”