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“You mean stuff that you’ve never bought in your entire life.”
“Exactly. Put it all in a box and bring it over to the Mousehole within the hour.”
“The Mousehole? But…okay, no questions. I’ll be there.”
“Don’t go into the tavern. Just come around the back to Grant’s house.”
“Oh my god, you are killing me. Not even one teeny little question?”
“Hurry, please.”
Ending the call, Rory started the car and drove to a side street off Starfish Avenue, where Madeline Fox’s bath-and-body shop Naked sat housed in a pristine white, glass-fronted building. Given Joanna’s worries about synthetic scents, Rory thought she’d better personally scrutinize any and all products brought into Grant’s house.
The instant she stepped inside Naked, she felt like a bull barreling through a china shop. Everything was white, soft music played from speakers, and glass shelves held dozens of jars and bottles of lotions, creams, oils, and God knew what else women slathered on their skin. All were packaged with distinctive blue-and-white labels and the taglineGet Naked.
“Hello, how can I…Rory?” Madeline Fox looked up from the computer, her perfectly plucked eyebrows rising.
“Hi, Madeline.” Trying not to appear too panicked, Rory hurried to the glass counter. “I need some lotions and stuff.”
Madeline blinked, then composed her perfect features into a welcoming smile. “Of course. You’ve never been here before, have you?”
“No. Anything’s fine, really. Just nothing synthetic.”
“None of our products contain synthetic ingredients.” Madeline’s eyes frosted over a tad. “We use fresh, organic fruits, vegetables, and essential oils to craft rich, hydrating products intended for—”
“Sounds fantastic.” Rory dug her wallet out of her pocket. “Give me some lotion, shampoo, makeup and stuff.”
“Is this for a gift?”
“No, it’s for me.” Rory pulled out her credit card.
“Oh. Well, that’s wonderful. Have a seat.” Madeline indicated a stool in front of a lighted mirror. “We always begin with a holistic diagnostic so we can personalize your products to your skin type, lifestyle, environment and the—”
“Madeline.” Rory forced a smile. “I am in a crazy big hurry here. I don’t need a holistic diagnostic, really. I just need a bunch of lotions or whatever.Please.”
Madeline pursed her lips, seeming not to know whether to be irritated or amused. “All right, but I’m going to give you products from our Natural Beauty line so that you don’t end up with competing scents or applications.”
Rory tried not to grit her teeth. She held up her credit card as if it were a tablet of the Ten Commandments that had to be obeyed.
Madeline smiled and strolled to a shelf. As Rory checked her phone for the time, Madeline brought an array of bottles and jars to the counter.
“So for your morning regimen, begin with the lime-scrub cleanser.” Madeline unscrewed the lid and thrust the open jar under Rory’s nose. “It’s very light and refreshing.”
“Great.” She took a whiff and wondered if Grant had key-lime pie on the menu today. “As I said, big hurry here. Wrap it all up.”
Ten minutes and a ridiculous amount of money later, Rory rushed back to Grant’s house just as Aria was pulling up in her old van. Her sister hauled two cardboard boxes out of the back.
“I have a thousand questions.” Eyes bright, she hurried up the front steps as Rory unlocked the door. “No, amillion.”
“Suppress them.” Rory dropped the Naked bag in the foyer and took the boxes from her sister. “And please don’t tell anyone about this.”
“You went to Naked?” Aria peered into the bag. “What did you get? Is that lip gloss and body wash? What is going on?”
“Those are questions.”
“First, you were spotted in Grant’s car.” Aria lifted her thumb. “Then you call and tell me to bring girly stuff to Grant’s house.” She held up her forefinger. “Then you buy lotions, lip gloss, and body wash at Naked, of all places, when you usually just get whatever soap is on sale at the drugstore, and for some reason you’re bringing it all into Grant’s living room.”
She extended another finger. “Callie might be the one with the PhD, but it doesn’t take an advanced degree to figure out that something very interesting is going on here and that it has something to do with Grant.”
