Page 18 of Hope After Loss

Sitting Kaela on the carpet, I drop my purse on the desk and remove my coat. I take the blanket I had slung over my shoulder and spread it out beside my desk before picking her back up and removing her coat. I lay her on the blanket and hang our belongings on the hooks by the door just as Weston appears with his arms loaded down.

He sets up the playpen while I unload the diaper bag. I store the bottles I pumped last night in the fridge and place the baby food containers on the counter. I make a fresh pot of coffee, and when I return, Weston is placing a sleeping Kaela into the safety of her pen. He tucks the blanket around her and dims the lights.

“I’m going to need the lights to work,” I say as I watch him tiptoe away from her.

“We can work over at the conference table while she grabs a few winks,” he whispers.

“Weston, I don’t want her coming to the office with me to disrupt our work. She can sleep with lights on and us speaking at a normal volume. Trust me,” I tell him.

“It’s fine. I have something I want to show you over here,” he continues to whisper.

I follow him to the table, where he has several containers sitting. Each one is labeled with an index card next to it.

“What is all of this?” I ask.

“They’re samples. A rep from the manufacturing company brought them by this morning for us to test.”

He pulls a chair out for me to sit.

“We have a hemp hand lotion. CBD bath bombs. A CBD massage oil. An extra-strength CBD pain relief cream for arthritic joints. A CBD-infused skin care bundle with a facial cleanser, an anti-wrinkle eye cream, daytime skin hydration boost serum, and nighttime moisturizer. And last but not least, a CBD-infused lip butter, both with and without pink tint.”

“Nice,” I say as I dip a finger into the bowl holding the hemp hand lotion. I rub a dab into the skin on the back side of my hand.

“We need to give them feedback on each one. They want to know our opinion on the feel and fragrance of every product. Seeing as I don’t use skin care, bath bombs, or lip butter, I’d like you to test those. Oh, and they left candle samples too,” he says.

He jogs to his office and then returns with a cardboard box.

“Are you sure I’m the right person to test this?” I ask.

“Absolutely. We are creating most of this for females, and you are most definitely a female.”

“Okay. Can you bring me a small cup of coffee grounds?” I ask.

“For what?”

“Just trust me,” I say.

He heads to the break room as I take the time to inspect each product.

He returns and sets the cup down in front of me.

I bring the first bath bomb to my nose and inhale deeply. “Mmm, cherry,” I say.

I set it aside and pick up the cup of grounds. I inhale the scent of coffee and then pick up the next bomb.

“Lavender. It’s a bit strong. I’d mix it with another essential oil. Maybe peppermint or lemon.”

I move to the candles next.

One by one, I give my opinion on the aromas. Weston takes notes on a legal pad as I move down the line.

“This massage oil is great. Very light and absorbs into the skin without leaving a greasy film,” I praise.

I opt for the tinted lip butter, smoothing it over my wind-chapped lips.

“This is very nice,” I comment.

When I get to the skin care bundle, I look at him.