Page 52 of Between the Lines

It sat just to the side of her front door, big enough that she couldn’t miss it, the cardboard stamped with clean black lettering she recognized instantly.

Luminelle.

Paige stopped short, then laughed softly to herself. “Well,” she said. “They didn’t waste any time, did they?”

She bent to check the label, though she already knew it was hers, then lugged the box inside and nudged the door shut behind her with her foot. The house still smelled faintly of coffee from earlier. Sunlight filtered in through the windows, welcoming her home.

Paige set the box on the dining table and stood there for a moment, hands on her hips.

Having the products actually here made it very real now. Maybe she’d do a few videos today. Maybe an unboxing video? Of course, she might not use that. She’d have to see what they sent first.

She grabbed a pair of scissors from the kitchen drawer, then set up her phone to record, and sliced through the tape, folding the flaps back carefully, as if whatever was inside might be fragile. And maybe it was. She had no idea what all they’d sent.

She’d do a voiceover later to narrate what was inside, if she decided to use the video.

Tissue paper covered the top, folded neatly, pristine and sealed with a silver Luminelle sticker. She peeled that back and lifted the tissue.

Beneath it, rows of products nestled in molded trays. There were serums, moisturizers, and cleansers in the first one. She lifted it to peek beneath and found gorgeous compacts, lipsticks, brushes, and some other small boxes labeled in elegant type.

A welcome card rested on top, thick paper, her name printed cleanly across it in handwriting so nice it might have been computer-generated.

Paige picked it up and read the note, smiling as she did.

The paper was thick, creamy, and weighty. The kind that felt and looked expensive. Inside, the message was printed in a clean, elegant font, with a short line added in ink at the bottom.

Welcome to the Luminelle family, Paige.

We’re thrilled to partner with you and to have your voice represent what we believe in—care, confidence, and beauty at every stage of life.

We’ve included a curated selection of our core products to get you started, along with a few upcoming releases we think you’ll love.

Thank you for trusting us. We can’t wait to see what you create.

—The Luminelle Team

Below the signature, someone had written, So glad to finally make this official! Can’t wait to work together.

Paige smiled, card still in her hands. Family was a big word. But it didn’t feel misplaced. Maybe a little grand, but she understood.

She set the card back in the box, more aware than ever that this wasn’t just a business deal. It was the confirmation that what she’d built had value. She hadn’t needed the validation, but now that she had it, she felt lifted up by it. As if everything she’d done had been proven worthwhile.

She lifted one product after another, turning them in her hands, showing them to the camera as she felt their weight and noticed the little details. She opened everything, sniffed the fragrances of the skin care, studied the colors of the makeup, really tried to take it all in.

It was all so beautiful and so well thought out.

She turned the camera off, then lined a few items up on the table, already imagining how she’d talk about them. What she’d say. What she wouldn’t. Paige had never been interested in pushing things she didn’t believe in, and Luminelle seemed to understand that.

She thought briefly of Darcy then. Not with fear, but with greater resolve that the woman would not interfere with this next chapter of Paige’s life.

This was her life. Her work. Her voice.

Her opportunity.

Paige closed the box, leaving the products out where she could see them, and went to make herself another cup of coffee. She had planning to do. She was going to be mindful about the posts she did with these products.

Not only that, she needed to start using them. To be sure she actually liked them. She wasn’t about to promote something she didn’t believe in.

Whatever else was unfolding at the Colony, whatever new groups were forming or alliances shifting, this moment was hers.