Go for it, he invited her.
But she didnt. She took a few steps in and then just kind of hung there, pulling her ear, changing feet, looking at the equipment hed started to lay out. Im Boobla. Actually my name is Barbara and Im sick to death of everyone calling me Boobla, but thats what my little brother called me when he was too little to say my whole name and then it stuck. Im so sick of it, I could cry.
Okay. Barbara it is, he said obligingly.
I work for Violet. Actually Im her assistant manager.
Cameron didnt raise his eyebrows, but this one was barely in a bra. It seemed mighty doubtful that she carried such a mighty title.
I run the place when shes busy, Barbara offered further. And Violet is really busy most of the time. We have tons of customers. And shes really nice, too. She said you were going to be here for a few weeks.
Thats the plan.
Well, were probably going to hire my friend Kari because were so busy and all. But Id still have time to help you. If you need anything, you could just yell in the shop for me.
Thats really nice of you. He added carefully, Barbara.
I like perfume and all. Good perfume, she qualified. Not just the stuff you buy at discount stores. Ive smelled the real stuff. We go shopping at Macys every fall. Violet said you were a chemist. You had to go to college for a long time to do that, huh?
Okay. So this morning he was doomed not to get any work done. The kid eventually left, but cars and trucks zoomed in and out of the yard; he could hear the phone ringing both in Violets house and the shop. Every time he carried something in from the car, someone else seemed to stop to talk to him. The mailman. A neighbor. A customer who assumed hed know if Violet sold Yerba mate, whatever that was.
He was annoyed, he told himself. He needed to get kicking, get serious, get into his job. But it seemed to be the kind of place where people took friendliness for granted. If you were in sight, you were fair game for conversation.
The sun poured down, heating up the day, making the cats want to snooze, bringing the irresistible scent of lavender wafting in from her east fields. Still, he tried to stay focused. Until he suddenly saw her striding out the back door of her Herb Haven, aiming for him.
Just like that, he felt a kick in the heart.
She was dressed just as goofy as the day before. Sandals today, paired with a sundress that wouldnt pass for work clothes anywhere he could imagine. The fabric was all sunflowers, matching long dangling sunflower earrings and a sunflower ring. Shed swished her long hair into a haphazard coil, to get the heat of it off her neck, he supposed, and her cheeks were flushed with heat and sunshine.
So were her eyes when she spotted him.
Or maybe the problem was his vision suddenly blurring when he spotted her. Those midnight kisses suddenly zoomed into his mind, sneakier than temptation, wilier than forbidden. Her mouth was naked this morning. Those same supple, plump lips asked to be kissed. Those same striking hazel eyes dared him to figure her out.
She was a complicated, contradictory woman, he told himself. There were a ton of signs that she was too much trouble. To begin with, she was obviously a home-and-hearth kind of female, which meant he had nothing in hell to offer her. And then there was the mystifying issue of how she could be so damned beautiful and yet totally unattached. On top of that, the woman acted like a complete flake sometimes and other times clearly had a tantalizing brain. Whatever secrets she was holding back, it seemed obvious that she didnt need a guy messing with her who wasnt serious. There was too much vulnerability in those huge eyes.
Too much vulnerability in those kisses.
Better that he should stay clear, knowing he was only going to be there for a short time.
You have a few minutes, Cam? I can steal a half hour now, if you want to go look at the lavender.
Ready, he said. But the minute she came close, he felt his world shift. It was nuts. Hed had tons of women shake his timbers and move his hormones. Her pulling his chain wasnt a new issue. He liked his chain pulled, for Gods sake. But those eyes, that hair, that smile
Be careful, his heart warned him.
Which was the craziest thing of all, because Cam never, never did uncareful things.
Six
Violet understood that she couldnt postpone dealing with the touchy lavender problem forever, but just then she was saved by the bell-or the ring, as it happened. Barbara yelled from the Herb Haven that there was an overseas telephone call for her. That meant Daisy had to be on the line-and there was no way she wanted to postpone a chance to talk with her sister.
Be careful, his heart warned him.
Which was the craziest thing of all, because Cam never, never did uncareful things.
Six
Violet understood that she couldnt postpone dealing with the touchy lavender problem forever, but just then she was saved by the bell-or the ring, as it happened. Barbara yelled from the Herb Haven that there was an overseas telephone call for her. That meant Daisy had to be on the line-and there was no way she wanted to postpone a chance to talk with her sister.
She sent Cam up to the house for lunch. It was an easy way to get him out of listening range. Suggest food and men always moved. Once in her broom-closet-size office in the Herb Haven, she closed the door and listened to Daisys perky greeting.
So. He got there. Whatd you think of him?
Violet briefly held the phone away from her ear to stare at it, then clapped it back tight. Wait a minute. What is this?
Whats what?
You know what. What I think of him should have nothing to do with a lavender deal. His being here is supposed to be about oil. Lavender oil. And for the record, all the legal stuff sounds like a nightmare.
It is, Daisy said cheerfully. But dont worry about it. Just leave all that junk to Cam. Hes straight as an arrow. With any luck, youre going to make a fortune, kiddo. And in the meantime, youll have a chance to forget that bubble-brain you finally got divorced from.
Violet closed her eyes and prayed for patience. She loved both her sisters, even if both of them could be total pains. Camille was the youngest, though, so she was more easily suckered. If Violet wanted Camille to do something, she just nurtured and fed and mothered until Camille either gave in or begged for mercy. Getting Daisy to behave was a far tougher challenge.
Daisy was the beauty of the family. God knew how Mom had named her for the common flower, when she was the exotic tropical blossom of the clan, with a models figure and that kind of style and élan. Daisy also had guts-enough guts to take off for France and live a wild, free lifestyle like everybody dreamed of but nobody ever really did. Unfortunately nobody could bully Daisy. Daisy could exhaust the whole family with her sneaky, take-charge, bossy ways.
Something smells really, really rotten here, Violet said darkly. How long have you been planning this? You didnt send Cameron Lachlan over here just for the lavender. You were thinking about setting me up. Damn it, you twerp. You didnt think Id fall for Cameron, did you?
Come on. Hes adorable.
Hes a lot of things, but adorable isnt one of them. Good-looking, yeah. Rough and tough, yeah. Independent, yeah. Great eyes, yeah. But adorable is a word for boys.
Exactly. You dont need any more boys in your life. About time you had a man scale your walls.
I beg your pardon.
I dont know for sure what that bozo did to you, and neither does Camille. But we both know something was bad at the end. So, fine. Broken bones take six weeks in a cast. Broken hearts taken longer. But you were made to be married, Vi. Its time to take another chance.
Youre out of your mind. And Im going to tell Mom you did this to me.
Are you kidding? Moms in on it.
Youre low. Lower than a skunk. Lower than an earthworm. I thought you were my favorite sister, but not anymore.
Uh-huh. Daisy yawned through this threat. All three sisters regularly pulled the favorite sister jealousy thing on each other. But something happened then. As clear as the connection to France was, something seemed different-as if Daisy put her hand over the mouthpiece-and when she suddenly came back on, her voice changed. The real humor in her tone now sounded forced. Listen, you, its your turn for some happiness. You dont have to tell me what happened before the divorce-
Whats wrong? Violet said.
Nothings wrong.
Violet wasnt the maternal sister for nothing. Her job in the family was to be the caretaker, the one who made chicken soup when the other two were dumped, the one who cleaned up their scrapes and listened to stuff they couldnt tell their mother. The last four times youve called, something hasnt been right in your voice. Is the romance fading with Monsieur Picasso? You tired of living in France?
What could be wrong? The romantic French countryside, a hot summer sun, bougainvillea outside my window, breezes off the Mediterranean, freedom, a country where men really know how to appreciate a woman-
Now Violet started to get really worried. Quit with the horse spit. He hasnt hurt you, has he?
No. And quit turning the subject around. Were talking about you. You and love. You and sex. You and Cameron. Just think about it, would you? Hes not the marrying kind. But hes a good man. The kind wholl be honest. And good to you. A good guy to get your feet wet in the love pool again, without having to make any major risky dives. Besides which, he really is an answer for your lavender problem.
When Violet hung up, she thought, whats wrong with me has nothing to do with lavender. And it cant be fixed.
She hustled to the house to grab some lunch-but there was no further serious talking with Cameron, because he was the one to get a phone call that time. One of his daughters kept his ear pinned for almost a half hour.
She was dying to ask him some questions about that conversation, but about the time he hung up, she saw the roofers truck bounce into the yard. Par for the course, the roofers were late, so she ran over to the cottage to raise hell.
Just when she tried to track down Cameron again, the lady from the White Hills Gazette showed up with her sunny face and her legal pad-Violet remembered the interview, didnt she? No, she hadnt remembered, and she hadnt had time to put on lipstick in hours now, but publicity for the Herb Haven was too important to pass up.