Page 49 of State of Mind

With a snort, Will began to swirl marbled waves of color into a white mix, then he gingerly tipped the mixture into hearts. “I’m just glad he didn’t scare you off.”

Luca shrugged before he grabbed the jar off a hotplate, wincing as the heat seeped through the gloves, then he started to pour. It was harder than it looked, and he knew his technique was sloppy, but he didn’t spill too much over. “I’m just surprised you wanted me back. I’m definitely not cut out for farming.”

“Most of us aren’t,” Will said with a wink. “Liam would rather die than have to deal with most of this, but he’s got his garage and his cars.”

Luca loved the way Will said garage—geh-roge. It made him grin as he filled the second set of molds. “You must adore him.”

“I do. Both of them—and who’d have ever known,” Will said quietly. “You make any progress with your… whatever it was? Date, right?”

Luca had very carefully avoided telling Will anything personal. Not just to keep his own business private, but it wasn’t his place to talk about Wilder without him knowing. “I think so.”

“You’re smiling more today.” Will set his mixture aside, then went under the table for a second. “You want to make something for him?”

Luca’s mouth dropped open to deny that there was anyone special, but he realized Will hadn’t asked specifics about who it was. He was just being kind. “Yeah, that might be nice.”

Will beckoned him over, then lifted up a small bin that was filled with tiny brown bottles. “I have nearly every scent you can think of—I assume you want to avoid baked goods?”

Luca flushed hotly and hoped it didn’t show on his face. “Someone told you?”

“People take notice when a man like Wilder starts smiling that way for the first time since he moved here,” Will told him quietly. “For what it’s worth, everyone appreciates it.”

Luca thought about Knox, and the protective glint in his eyes that said he’d gladly run Luca off if he had the chance, and he shook his head. “Not everyone.”

“They will.” Will’s voice held a note of finality, and his fingers pawed through the bin until he selected a larger bottle with a white label reading Basil. “It’ll make him think of you,” Will said with a chuckle.

“It’ll make him smell like a pizza,” Luca countered, and he pulled the cap off and waved it under his nose. It was surprisingly subtle, and not as much like a pasta dish as he thought it might be, and oddly, he kind of liked the idea that Wilder would have something so distinct.

“Is that a yes?” Will asked.

Luca sighed, then picked out the peacock from the bucket. “With one of these?”

Will laughed again. “This one’s a milk soap—he won’t see it until he finishes the bar.”

“So, an extra surprise,” Luca said.

Will nodded, then dug under his table and came out with another little bin. “You can also leave him a note. It normally takes people about three months to go through a full bar—so anything you might want him to know in the future?”

It was a dangerous question, because Luca had never felt steady enough with anyone to promise anything in three months. And yet…

He picked up one of the small scrolls, the little felt tipped pen, and the jar that would go right alongside the miniature Kevin.

“You know what you’re going to say?” Will asked.

Luca smiled down at the empty paper. “Yeah. I think I do.”

* * *

Luca was exhausted, a little sunbaked, and more relaxed than he’d ever been when he finally got back to the Augustin. He and Will had finished off the day making a few extra soaps for Jayden and Raphael, and Luca carried the bag inside, frowning when he found the front desk still empty.

He hesitated at the entrance, then stepped in and peered around the corner and found Jayden in his empty salon chair, tapping away on his phone and spinning in a circle. He came to a sudden halt when he saw Luca there, and shot him a sheepish smile.

“No appointments. You in the mood for a style?”

Luca shook his head with a faint grin. “Ah, not tonight. I just got back from Will’s, and I probably smell nasty.”

“You smell like essential oil,” Jayden said.

“Well, we made soap.” He fished the two bars out of the bag that were for him. “He said you wanted lavender.”

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