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“Maybe.”
“No maybe about it. Go.” Isabel waved her hand from the Eve to the door. “Just go.”
Nodding, she pushed away from the counter and reached into a drawer for her purse. “You’re right. I’ll check in later.”
She’d barely made it two steps when the lab door swung open.
“The nice lady at the front desk said it was okay to come back.” With Jake quietly at his side, Jared stood in the same spot Isabel had been in a moment ago. “Is this okay?”
“Absolutely.” She dropped her purse on the counter and walked over. Delighted when Jared leaned in for a short but sweet touch of her lips. “I was having a hard time concentrating on work.”
“I’m sorry, I should have called. I thought it would be nice to surprise you.”
“It’s fine. The important thing is Jake was well enough to be released.”
Jake didn’t move but his eyes tracked the room from one station to another.
“Would you like a closer look?” she asked.
The little boy’s head bobbed quickly up and down.
Eve extended her hand to the boy and walked him over to the project she’d been tinkering with. His gaze seemed to intensify as he took in the different tubes and vials along the table top.
“Mr. Gold says you mix perfumes?”
“That’s right.” Eve smiled, surprised the young child seemed intrigued. Most adults, especially men, had no clue what a complex job it was coming up with new and appealing scents or how easy it could be to create eau of rotten egg.
“My grandmother collects miniature perfume bottles.”
“Does she?”
“Mostly Guerlin.”
“French perfumes?” Eve didn’t know if she should be more surprised that the kid remembered the name of his grandmother’s favored perfume or that he’d pronounced it perfectly.
“She has a few other French brands. Givenchy and Chanel, but Guerlin is her favorite. MeeMaw’s idea of the perfect vacation is a week stalking the brocantes—flea markets—in France. Though she hasn’t gone for a while now.”
Eve had to remind herself she was carrying on a conversation with a little kid. Any moment she wondered if he might not break out into a lecture on the history of perfumes, in French. His gaze continued to eye the empty tubes on the counter.
“Do you think maybe for MeeMaw’s birthday we could make a perfume just for her? She loves lilacs.”
A smile tugged at her cheeks, and lifting her gaze to Jared, Eve noticed he too sported a soft smile even though his eyes reflected a hint of bewilderment. She couldn’t blame him, Jake was quite the interesting boy. “I’d be delighted to work with you on a special scent for your MeeMaw.”
The kid’s face lit up brighter than if she’d offered him a double scoop chocolate ice cream cone with sprinkles. Which made her suddenly wonder if this genius kid even liked ice cream. The next thing she knew they were hovered together over the table top, testing different scents and options.
From behind them, Jared watched over their shoulders. His expression couldn’t have shown more pride if the kid had been his.
Content with the care and intensity in which Jake studied each of her vials, Eve dared to step back and speak quietly to Jared. “You know, he seems to have an instinct for this.”
“Really?”
“It’s not natural for people to know what scents blend together well and he seems to almost intuitively have some pretty good ideas.”
Jared shrugged. “I shouldn’t be surprised. I’m beginning to wonder if this kid isn’t the smartest person I know. Present company excluded.”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but he just might be smarter than both of us combined.”
Another few minutes and Jake reminded her of a cartoon mad scientist: the way he moved about the lab examining his different options before returning to his seat with new vials and containers. She loved the intent focus as he handled the different ingredients then shaking his head at some, returning them to their rightful place, or bobbing his head at others, pouring the tincture into his efforts.
