Page 59 of The Charmer

Suddenly, I was starting to feel ambushed. I wondered why exactly these two were here. Not just to remember my nana, I guessed.

"It's just throbbing more than I thought. Could you maybe not mention that to Julian?"

I realized my mistake when Isabeau’s eyes went wide. "Why not?"

"I think he’s worrying a bit too much about me.”

"He is, is he?" Celine said with a cat-that-ate-the-canary smile. "Will you look at that?"

"I can call our family doctor," Isabeau said. "He's been with us forever. He'll drop by here if—”

"No, thank you." Damn! I didn't want to be impolite. Mom taught me never to interrupt people while speaking, but she looked so determined that I was half afraid she was going to call him before she finished talking. "Julian already offered, but it's not necessary."

Isabeau’s jaw actually went slack. "Did he now? Oh, Adele raised him right. So, Calliope tells me that you're going to join him for the Landry party as well."

"That's right," I whispered, unsure what else to add.

Celine gave Isabeau a triumphant smile. "I think you'll enjoy that very much. It was always one of our favorites, too, even though a lot of people looked down on it."

The bells rang the next second. and a young guy came in with his mom.

Isabeau looked over her shoulder and then nudged Celine. "We won't be keeping you. We just wanted to meet you. And we’re very happy that Julian came to his senses."

Celine tsked. "We can't believe he dissolved the contract in the first place. Our deepest apologies."

I shook my head. "There's no need, really. We figured it all out."

"Yes, but see," Isabeau said, "when I signed that contract with your grandmother, I promised her that I’d look after her family."

For the second time today, my throat clogged up with emotion. "You did?"

"Yes. I told you, I owe her everything. I wanted to make sure she and her family were cared for."

I smiled softly. "She always did say that you've been her guardian angel."

"I tried." Isabeau reached into her purse. "Do you like lilac?"

"The flower? Sure. It's my favorite flower in spring."

"We've got a very special fragrance for you," Celine said as Isabeau put a small bottle on the counter.

I perked up. "That's one of your perfumes? Julian told me about your store. I’ll drop by one day."

"You're welcome anytime. Can you tell us if you like it at all?"

I carefully took the small green bottle in one hand and uncapped it.

It was love at first sniff. I immediately caught the lilac aroma. It was soft and smelled like spring in a bottle. There were more scents mixed in, of course, but I'd never been too good at telling what was what.

I glanced up at them, putting the cap back on. "I absolutely love it. Thank you so much. Um, how much do I owe you?"

"Nonsense, girl. It's a gift," Celine said.

"But why?" I whispered.

"For your nana's sake," Isabeau said. Her eyes were a bit teary.

"All right, then. Thank you. But I want each of you to take a string of beads."

---