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He glanced at the label. “Vanilla?”
“Guys like that. I read it somewhere. Men like the smell of vanilla.” She tried not to smile. “Personally I think it’s about baking and their mothers, but I’m not a psychologist, so maybe not.”
He put down the bottle. “Yeah, not that one.”
They agreed on the appeal of coconut anything and that some of the floral scents were too overwhelming.
He picked up a bottle and sniffed but didn’t hand it to her.
“What?” she asked with a laugh. “You obviously like it.”
“I’m not willing to admit that.”
She stepped close, took it from him and read the label. “Vanilla Coconut.” She grinned. “So Mom and sexy girls on the beach? That is a weird visual.”
He winced. “Don’t go there. I can’t handle it. You’ve ruined vanilla for me forever.”
“I think you’ll recover.”
They continued to sniff the various tester bottles. Lawson picked up one and held it to his nose. His lips curved into a smile.
“This one,” he said, passing it to her.
She inhaled the scent and immediately felt herself relax. “Beachy, but not too sweet. I love it.” She glanced at the label. “Coconut Lime Verbena. I need this in my life.”
She looked at the display of bottles for sale. Lawson spotted it first and picked up two bottles, along with a bar of soap.
“Layering is important,” he said, his voice teasing.
“You really do have sisters.”
“Told you. But I held my own.”
“Yeah, not if you know about layering.”
He laughed. “Come on. We have one more stop in the store. I think you’re going to like it.”
He led her to a back corner where there was a small table displaying fudge. The sign claimed it was made locally.
Despite her big lunch, Shaye was suddenly hungry for chocolate. “I love fudge.”
“Good. Theirs is really good. I don’t know much about the candymaker. I know he’s relatively new to the area, and he sells his work in different stores around town. I’ve tasted all the flavors. They’re great. It’s just a matter of what you like.”
Shaye took in the beautiful display, the lotions Lawson held and the ambience of the store. It had been a perfect couple of hours. Maybe too perfect. Her good mood deflated as she wondered if she was witnessing a very polished performance.
She turned to him. “Is this a regular thing for you? A friendly lunch, then time here where we sample lotions and you ply me with fudge?”
His look of confusion was so genuine, she almost believed him. “What are you talking about?”
Before she could explain, something dark flashed in his eyes. “You think I’m playing you,” he said, his tone hurt. “You think I do this all the time.”
“It’s effective, I’ll give you that.” She wanted to believe, but there had been too many guys who’d taken advantage of her in the past.
“You don’t know me,” he said.
“That’s true.”
His expression tightened. “Shaye, no. Just no. I don’t do that, and this isn’t an act. I’ve been back a year, and you’re the first woman I’ve—” He pressed his lips together. “The last girl I brought in here was Cori, and I dated her in high school.”
