turned toward the four other women. “Ladies, I’d like you to meet Tess Menzies. Tess, this is Regina Vidâme, Ava Markham, Danice Carter-Callahan, and Corinne D’Alessandro.”
Tess offered each woman a smile in turn and made mental notes to help her remember who was who. Regina was the redhead who had made the joke about Ava, and Ava seemed to be the elegant model type with the silky dark hair and exotically shaped eyes. She was the sort that usually intimidated Tess, but at the moment, her expression looked perfectly pleasant, if a little remote.
It was odd, actually, because while Tess would have to say Ava was more beautiful than Regina, something about Regina’s pale skin, auburn hair, and Mona Lisa smile gave her a striking quality Tess couldn’t quite define. It niggled at the back of her mind while she turned to the other two women, quickly filing away that Danice had the gorgeous café-au-lait complexion and Corinne had the exotic Mediterranean coloring and features.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Tess finally said, nodding to them. “Did you all come in looking for something in particular?”
Danice snorted. “You might say that.”
Missy stepped in front of her friend and gestured to the shelves of huge amber jars that lined the walls of the shop. “I just wanted them to get an idea of the sort of things you have to offer. Maybe let them sample a few of your blends.”
“Absolutely.” Tess never let curiosity keep her from making a sale, though she did look back at Missy and hoped she hadn’t misinterpreted the woman’s reassurances. “Let me put a kettle on, and we’ll have some fun.”
She kept an electric kettle on a shelf behind the counter, next to the sink and watercooler. Being able to brew up her wares for customers to sample made sense to her and had earned her a reputation for being friendly and accommodating. In the retail business, those qualities counted for a lot.
Getting the kettle ready only took a second, and when she turned back to her customers, she found them watching her intently. She blinked and stifled the urge to touch her hair. If they were staring at her wild, golden blond curls and thinking she needed to spend more time with a comb in the mornings, they’d just have to deal. Her hair didn’t do tame.
Especially not after a night like this last one.
“So what sorts of qualities were you looking for?” She began scanning her shelves and pulling down jars, placing them on the counter. “I need to know if I have the right stuff.”
She thought she heard a choking sound coming from one of Missy’s friends, but when she looked up, they all wore suspiciously bland expressions.
“Oh, we’re sure you do,” Missy said. “It’s just a matter of getting you to show us.”
Now, that sounded significantly odd. Tess shook her head and pulled out a mesh tea basket. “Okay, let’s try it this way. Who are we aiming to please here?”
This time she was watching closely enough that she saw Danice’s shoulders jerk and her hand come up to cover her mouth.
“Sorry,” the woman said, looking not at Tess but at Missy. “Allergies.”
“Well, that’s a good place to start.” Tess forged right through the odd energy in the room and reached for a jar of mullein. “Do you have high blood pressure?”
Danice gave a puzzled laugh. “Only when my husband is giving me grief. Why?”
“If you did, I’d be blending up a different formula. No ma huang with high blood pressure.” Tess dragged out her small electronic scale. She laid a creased square of parchment paper on it and zeroed it out. “Does that cough ever go anywhere? Ever bring anything up, or is it usually dry like that?”
“Uh, dry?”
“And it ends up irritating your throat after a while, doesn’t it?”
Danice’s eyes widened and she stepped up to the counter to watch Tess more closely as she dipped into several jars, weighing each addition to the parchment with precise care. “Yeah,
Tess offered each woman a smile in turn and made mental notes to help her remember who was who. Regina was the redhead who had made the joke about Ava, and Ava seemed to be the elegant model type with the silky dark hair and exotically shaped eyes. She was the sort that usually intimidated Tess, but at the moment, her expression looked perfectly pleasant, if a little remote.
It was odd, actually, because while Tess would have to say Ava was more beautiful than Regina, something about Regina’s pale skin, auburn hair, and Mona Lisa smile gave her a striking quality Tess couldn’t quite define. It niggled at the back of her mind while she turned to the other two women, quickly filing away that Danice had the gorgeous café-au-lait complexion and Corinne had the exotic Mediterranean coloring and features.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Tess finally said, nodding to them. “Did you all come in looking for something in particular?”
Danice snorted. “You might say that.”
Missy stepped in front of her friend and gestured to the shelves of huge amber jars that lined the walls of the shop. “I just wanted them to get an idea of the sort of things you have to offer. Maybe let them sample a few of your blends.”
“Absolutely.” Tess never let curiosity keep her from making a sale, though she did look back at Missy and hoped she hadn’t misinterpreted the woman’s reassurances. “Let me put a kettle on, and we’ll have some fun.”
She kept an electric kettle on a shelf behind the counter, next to the sink and watercooler. Being able to brew up her wares for customers to sample made sense to her and had earned her a reputation for being friendly and accommodating. In the retail business, those qualities counted for a lot.
Getting the kettle ready only took a second, and when she turned back to her customers, she found them watching her intently. She blinked and stifled the urge to touch her hair. If they were staring at her wild, golden blond curls and thinking she needed to spend more time with a comb in the mornings, they’d just have to deal. Her hair didn’t do tame.
Especially not after a night like this last one.
“So what sorts of qualities were you looking for?” She began scanning her shelves and pulling down jars, placing them on the counter. “I need to know if I have the right stuff.”
She thought she heard a choking sound coming from one of Missy’s friends, but when she looked up, they all wore suspiciously bland expressions.
“Oh, we’re sure you do,” Missy said. “It’s just a matter of getting you to show us.”
Now, that sounded significantly odd. Tess shook her head and pulled out a mesh tea basket. “Okay, let’s try it this way. Who are we aiming to please here?”
This time she was watching closely enough that she saw Danice’s shoulders jerk and her hand come up to cover her mouth.
“Sorry,” the woman said, looking not at Tess but at Missy. “Allergies.”
“Well, that’s a good place to start.” Tess forged right through the odd energy in the room and reached for a jar of mullein. “Do you have high blood pressure?”
Danice gave a puzzled laugh. “Only when my husband is giving me grief. Why?”
“If you did, I’d be blending up a different formula. No ma huang with high blood pressure.” Tess dragged out her small electronic scale. She laid a creased square of parchment paper on it and zeroed it out. “Does that cough ever go anywhere? Ever bring anything up, or is it usually dry like that?”
“Uh, dry?”
“And it ends up irritating your throat after a while, doesn’t it?”
Danice’s eyes widened and she stepped up to the counter to watch Tess more closely as she dipped into several jars, weighing each addition to the parchment with precise care. “Yeah,
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