Needs A Little TLC (Spinning Hills Romance 2) (11 page)

Hours later, Cassie shut her computer down and looked around, feeling hungry again. It had been a productive, but emotionally draining day, and a fifty-five-minute drive to her nearly empty loft on a nearly empty stomach held no appeal. Perhaps if she finally got around to decorating and buying living room furniture she’d be excited to go home.

She looked out the window and up the street, where the maroon sign with white letters announcing H
UFFY’S
T
AVERN
beckoned.

The smell of wood-fired pizza made her mouth water before she’d made it through the door. She stepped inside and took a quick look around, eager to see what Marty had done to the place. She managed to catch a glimpse of a long, solid wood bar up front and rustic picnic tables lit by old-fashioned lanterns and a small step-up stage just beyond before she was picked up off her feet, whirled around, and overwhelmed with hugs and greetings.

She felt like Sally Field at the Academy Awards. Her old friends still liked her. They really liked her. And they hadn’t forgotten her.

 

Sam shut his laptop down. Cassie had posted her blog about the curse and her last words were stuck in his brain.

Small-town heroes.
Johnny would love that. Sam had to admit he kinda liked it, too. It helped him focus on the possible greater good of his actions, and not on the potential downfall.

Nightmares of that possible downfall were keeping him up at night. Maybe the hero bit would bring sweeter dreams.

He looked down at his watch. Dinnertime. The time of day when he missed having a family to come home to most.

He stopped by Huffy’s and was rewarded by the sight of his brothers. Not that he’d ever let them know their presence felt like a prize. They were sitting at a table surrounded by his future sister-in-law and a few of their friends, chatting and eating pizza. He joined them and time stood still for a while. It was just like any other Friday—until Cassie walked in.

The moment Sam saw her eyes bright with unshed tears, he knew her tender side was still intact. It had merely grown thorns on a need-to-use basis, and apparently, she had the need to use them on him. Except in her blog. In her blog, he was a hero.

He figured a person could know someone as a child in a way they couldn’t know them later on, when they became guarded, when they’d been hurt, when they knew what life and the people trudging through it were capable of dishing out.

He’d loved Cassie from the time he was six, but he’d grown up. Cassie herself had helped him see the world in a different light.

Heather had known he didn’t love her the way he’d loved Cassie when they’d gotten married, but she’d wanted to marry him anyway. It was easier, she’d said, to know they could never hurt each other the way they’d already been hurt. And she’d been right. Even though it hadn’t worked out, there they were, divorced and still friends. But it wasn’t each other they’d hurt. It had been their son, Jake.

Sensing Holly’s eyes on him, he shot her a smile. “Old friend,” was all he said.

“I know. Aren’t you going to say hello?” Holly’s bright green eyes had a look of complete understanding in them.

“I spent the day with her, touring properties. And don’t worry, Dan will remember you soon enough.” He grinned and Holly laughed.

As if on cue, Dan called, “Holly, come here! Meet the notorious Cassie McGillicuddy.”

“Notorious?” Cassie repeated. She looked over at Holly and a shy note crept into her voice. He recognized it as if he’d heard it yesterday. She’d always been wild and free when she ran with them. But after being made fun of a few times over her torn jeans and tangled hair, she’d become shy around other girls.

Sam nursed his beer, listening to the excited buzz of new introductions, and old friends catching up and rediscovering each other. Cassie never once looked at him. He was only her business partner after all. A business partner with a sleazy seventies wink.

 

Cassie was herded off to a long table, where she sat down and listened to a dizzying round of introductions. Everyone was talking over everyone else, to share a funny memory, ask her about her life, share something exciting that had happened to them, or tell her about old friends who’d moved away but stayed in touch.

“It’s good to see you with your hair pulled back in a pigtail. The librarian bun isn’t a good look on you,” Johnny said.

Cassie rolled her eyes. “It’s a professional look, and that’s what I’m going for. You should try it. No one’s gonna spill their guts out to a hippie therapist, you know.”

Everyone laughed.

“You smell like a snob, though. It’s not a good scent on you,” Dan said, sniffing at her. Holly, the woman Dan had introduced as his fiancée, smacked both Johnny’s and Dan’s arms, looking appalled.

But there was a teasing gleam in Dan’s eye that Cassie knew well. No way she’d take offense. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” She pretended to scowl.

“Don’t mind him. He’s engaged to a perfumer”—Marty jerked his thumb at Holly—“and he thinks it endows him with a sophisticated nose.”

Dan and Holly shared a tender, yet charged look that stole Cassie’s breath. Dan had been as unruly and bright as his brothers, but a sense of solitude had always haunted the air around him. It was gone. He seemed free.

At that moment, Sam left. How she knew, she couldn’t say. She’d sensed it the way she always had. As if there was an invisible string connecting her spirit to his. His presence tugged at it. But she was determined to make it snap.

A
fter a busy weekend, Cassie arrived at the new headquarters early on Monday morning. The local painters they’d hired would be starting within the hour. Jessica would be working from home the first part of the day, but she would arrive later on to inspect the painters’ work and meet Cassie for lunch, while Cassie would run around Spinning Hills, recruiting businesses for Open Town.

She was revved up and ready to go. Until she stepped into a new, fresh pile of dog poop.

Something would have to be done. Sam might not want Spinning Hills run by a bunch of control freaks, but some things were unacceptable. As Cassie went inside to wipe her heel, an idea for a sting operation came to mind. She took out her phone and dictated the gist of it into an app that took notes. If she jammed it into the back of her head with the other dozen or so ideas that kept popping up, it would be gone forever.

Dan’s fiancée, Holly, came along just as she opened the door again. “Cassie, hi, I’m so glad to run into you,” she greeted. “I wanted to give you something.” She searched in her bag and pulled out a large square envelope. “It’s an invitation to our engagement party. It’s a plus one, see?” She pointed to the plus one next to Cassie’s name, her bright green eyes twinkling.

“Thank you! I’ll be there!” Cassie exclaimed, ecstatic to be included in her old friend’s important day. “Oh wow. It’s so lovely,” she murmured appreciatively when she opened the sparkly blue and silver invitation. The party would be held at the old dance pavilion that overlooked the entire town, on the first Saturday of May. The memory of standing on a hill and looking out over the entire town with Sam’s strong, hypnotic presence by her side the other day crept up on her and she pushed it away. “Hold on. Let me type it in.” She quickly scrolled through her calendar and found the date. “Sorry. If I don’t jot things down right away, I’m lost,” she said apologetically.

“What about the plus one? Should I put you down for one or two?” Holly asked, watching her a little too closely.

“Two, please.” No girl wanted to be dateless at a party where an ex would be in attendance. She hoped she’d remember to add
scare up a date
to her list of things to do. Now that she had Holly in front of her, Cassie wanted to run the Open Town idea by her, and it would be just plain weird to spend any more time typing things on her phone. She cleared her throat. “I’m also glad I ran in to you, Holly. Not only have I been wanting to get to know you better, but I wanted to talk to you about an idea that could potentially benefit all of downtown,” Cassie said.

“Well, I have a new client arriving at nine, and then Grandma Ruby at ten. But an hour gives us time to get to know each other through one little project of my own while you tell me about the event.”

“Ruby’s your grandmother?” Cassie asked. She’d known Ruby had a granddaughter, but she’d never met her. Holly was also Leo’s cousin, then. Leo had been Dan’s friend and a member of the gang. She now wondered why she hadn’t met Holly growing up and felt disappointed over how much she’d missed and didn’t know about people she’d once felt she’d known so well.

“Yup.”

“Lucky.” Cassie grinned.

Holly shot her a look and rolled her eyes. “I admit that most of the time, yes, I’m lucky. But there are days . . .” She didn’t have to finish the thought.

The moment she stepped into Uncommon Scents, a pleasant mix of scents greeted her. She couldn’t make any particular scent out, though.

Vials in different sizes sat on antique shelves lining the shop, and pretty bottles were showcased in display cases. Cassie was instantly drawn to a green crystal bottle engraved with leaves. Holly gave her a quick tour, and moments later, they were seated in huge, comfy armchairs. Holly had a binder in her hand. If Holly hadn’t kicked her heels off and tucked her feet up under her, Cassie would feel as if she were in therapy again.

“Tell me all about your project.”

Cassie explained the general idea for the event, and Holly responded enthusiastically. Soon, she was taking notes and throwing ideas of her own into the mix.

“And I’ll help you recruit businesses. We can divide them among ourselves.”

“Are you sure? Don’t you have an engagement party to plan?”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Holly said, leaning in. “Dan and I didn’t really want an engagement party, but Grandma Ruby insisted. She’s hosting it and the details are already taken care of. It’ll be a small affair. Leo’s wife, Emily, and the people at the Old Dance Pavilion have handled most of it.” Holly glanced at her watch once again before setting the binder aside. “Now, time for my project. I’m creating an alternative questionnaire and you’re my guinea pig.”

“Um, o-kay.” Unsure about what she’d just agreed to, Cassie plastered a smile on her face.

“Getting to know people in small but important ways is my favorite part of creating a personal scent. I already have a foolproof questionnaire, but it takes time to get through it. I want to experiment with something that’s quicker, to see how well the answers translate into a perfume. It won’t be as precise, but some people value time over precision.”

Cassie simply nodded, wary about what questions came with a perfume experiment.

“Don’t worry. The questions aren’t intrusive.” Holly smiled knowingly.

Cassie laughed. “I can see the resemblance to Ruby. All right. I’m game.”

“You should meet my daughter. She’s so good at reading people. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she could read minds.”

“You have a daughter?” Cassie asked. Holly nodded. That meant Dan would soon have a stepdaughter. A little girl who could read minds, apparently. Again she felt as if she’d been missing out.

“Let’s get started.” Holly opened her binder. “Okay. Some people want more than one fragrance, because they want to express different sides of their personality in different situations. They might want to show their bolder, more decisive side at work and a sexier, more playful side on a date, for example. Others just want that one perfume that defines them so well, it works great anywhere. What’s your preference?”

“I think I’d like just one, that works well anywhere.”

Holly checked something off on a sheet in her binder, and flipped through a few pages before stopping. “Now, your fragrance will have three notes. Your top note is that very first scent that hits you. The heart note is the middle note you smell after about half an hour. The base lasts the longest. I’m going to ask you three questions that will help narrow down the possibilities of what each note will be comprised of, and then we can go out to the studio and test combinations and you’ll tell me what speaks to you, okay?”

Cassie lifted her shoulders. “Sounds good to me.”

“Close your eyes and think about how you’d love to start every day. Some people prefer relaxing with a cup of coffee, some would get up and go for a run right away, while others would wake up on a sandy beach with a mimosa every single day if they could. It’s very personal, so take your time and think of the perfect way for you, and then tell me.”

Cassie didn’t have to think about it very long. “If I could make it so, every day would be springtime, and I’d start it out by taking the time to look at the colors, smell the grass and the flowers, and listen to the birds.” She opened her eyes, and Holly looked pleased as she checked a few things off.

“The next one seems silly, but bear with me. You know how movies always have those montage scenes where they show how a protagonist goes about their day?” Cassie nodded. “Pretend you’re the star and you’re settling into your perfect day. Think about the montage for a moment. You don’t have to describe it for me, just let me know when you have it down.”

Cassie closed her eyes again and bit the inside of her cheek. It wasn’t silly, she discovered. It was a fun exercise. She imagined herself going from one house to the next, meeting clients, greeting people she knew on the street along the way. She wouldn’t have her coffee at home, she decided. She’d buy it from a coffee shop and sip it while she walked. She’d show at least six houses every day, at least one client would find their perfect one, and they’d go back to the office to celebrate, and then she’d go home. And home was . . . Cassie opened her eyes, drawing a blank.

“I have my montage down, but I’m missing the end.”

Holly wrinkled her nose ever so slightly. “You’re missing the end?”

“Is that strange?”

“I don’t know. This is my first time using this method. I guess I’ll find out.” Holly shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe some people are missing the beginning or the middle and it’s not strange at all. My next question is whether the pace of the montage was slow, fast, or somewhere in between, so maybe you don’t need the full picture.”

“The pace was fast. I wish I could say that surprises me.” Cassie twisted her mouth.

Holly laughed. “Now, was the setting a big city, an exotic locale, a small town, a rural out-of-the-way place, or anything else?”

“A small town.”

“And what were your expectations? Were you dreaming of thrills, drama, romance, or fun, or something else altogether?”

Cassie thought about that for a moment. “My kind of fun.”

Holly put down her binder. “I’m sure you will be shocked to learn this is more art than science, but you’ve given us good places to start. We’ll begin by coming up with a top note strong in the floral family, heart notes strong in the hesperidia family, and base notes in the fruity family.”

Cassie nodded and tried not to look as clueless as she was. “Don’t worry.” Holly chuckled. “You’ll get it soon enough.”

Cassie followed Holly into her workshop and the fun began. The whole thing had gotten her thinking about the things she really wanted out of her days and life. Holly said she still had work to do, but the fragrance they’d come up with so far made her tingle every time she inhaled it. She couldn’t get enough of it.

Cassie left hoping she was on her way to making a new friend.

She ran into Ruby and Sherry out front. “Custom fragrance?” Ruby asked.

“Yes. I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m pretty excited about it now,” Cassie admitted.

“That’s because your olfactory receptor neurons stimulated your brain and altered your mood. Or so Holly’s been telling me for years.” Sherry’s eyes twinkled.

“Our sense of smell is about ten thousand times more sensitive than any other sense. Or so Holly’s been telling me for years.
She
says it’s how I know when the weather is going to change,” Ruby added.

Cassie laughed and walked back to the café with them, eager to tell them about the Open Town event. Before she could even get into any of the ideas she and Holly had come up with, she was being bombarded with new schemes for the event. The three women would have no trouble spreading their enthusiasm around town.

“We can offer small samples of our most popular pies,” Rosa began.

“Chamomile tea, coffee, or hot chocolate for ninety-nine cents,” Sherry added.

“And I’ll raffle off ten fortune readings,” Ruby finished.

“That’s brilliant. Everyone likes having their fortune told,” Rosa enthused.

Ruby frowned at her. “Says the person who always dismisses my talents.”

“It’s not a talent, it’s a ploy, and I never dismiss brilliant marketing.” Rosa harrumphed.

“Great!” Cassie jumped in, before the two women could sidetrack them all. “So glad you’re on board. I’ll go start getting others to join us.”

The first business on her list was Coco Loco, an authentic Mexican restaurant. They were closed, but a young man saw her waving through the glass and was kind enough to open the door anyway. He introduced himself as Ernesto, the owner, and, seeing that he was busy, Cassie quickly summarized why she was there, while admiring the burgundy and mustard diner décor. She never would’ve thought the colors could work well anywhere but in a hot dog, but the place looked great.

He listened as he walked back to the kitchen and motioned for her to sit on a stool while he peppered her with a few good questions. Soon he was on board, even offering a discount for the day, but Cassie was reluctant to leave. Whatever it was that he was frying smelled like heavenly fatty goodness, and she was curious to know what it was.

“That smells sooo good,” she said, leaning forward to take a long, satisfying whiff. Holly was right. Her sense of smell was altering her brain and body. Her entire being was zeroed in on how blissful it would feel to bite into whatever he was frying.

Ernesto beamed at her. “I’m getting started on my empanadas,” he said, picking one up from inside a food display warmer and handing it to her. “Try one.”

Cassie hesitated. She hadn’t meant to wiggle free food from him, but now that he’d offered, she didn’t want to insult him by refusing or by offering to pay.

“Go ahead,” he insisted.

“Thank you, I didn’t mean for you to take pity on me,” she said, smiling, before gingerly taking a bite of the flaky pastry stuffed with ground meat. She closed her eyes and moaned in pleasure. Ernesto laughed.

“
Oh my gosh, this is amazing!
What do you put in the meat and what is the crust made out of?”

Before she knew what was happening, Ernesto had her washing her hands, donning an apron, gloves, and cap, and stuffing and pinching empanadas.

She left Coco Loco an hour later, stuffed and happy. Cassie strolled up to the next business, enjoying the bright, breezy day and the feeling of being thoroughly satisfied.

The wooden sign on the next business up read F
LO’S
C
OUNTRY
Y
OGA
. The
Y
in
Yoga
was an upside-down stick figure wearing cowboy boots and a hat
.
Cassie wrinkled her brow. It looked like yoga sacrilege. The business in front of her would most likely have been rejected by most malls. Spinning Hills was definitely not for everyone.