Page 123 of Perfume Girl

I let the strike of her blow settle in the silence because that’s what her words deserved.

Finally, I broke the quiet. “People change.” I gestured around the room. “I’m here aren’t I? You told me your leaving had nothing to do with us?”

“It didn’t, not really, but it’s complicated and right now I’m not ready to tell you everything because the proof of why I’m doing all this is sitting on my workstation waiting for me. That’s what I was doing when you arrived.”

“Proof of what?”

“I need a few hours.” Seeing my frustrated expression, she added, “My formula ended up in someone else’s hands.”

“How do you know?”

“Trust me, I’m sure.”

“Let’s get it back.”

She gave me a rueful smile. “They believe it belongs to them. That it was developed in-house.”

“Can you tell me who has it?”

She held my stare.

“Would Damien do this? Steal and sell your formula on the black market?”

“He’s not cutthroat. Anyway, that’s why we’re selling the store. So he’d have the money to buy a new home with Embry.”

“The one in South Beach.” I remembered her telling me that.

If Damien was trying to impress Embry and was going for a waterfront property, he’d have the motive to betray Raquel. Those homes went for millions. He’d need more than the money he’d invested in this place. “How about an employee?”

“I had a part-time assistant. Sarah never showed any interest in what I did in the lab.”

“When she heard you were selling the store maybe she thought you wouldn’t notice?”

“She was in North Carolina with her parents. She wasn’t in Florida at the time of the break-in.”

Which was actually a great alibi. “That article about your store inVogue?” I tried to say it as kindly as possible.

“You saw that?” She gave a nod. “The publicity was great for the store.”

“They hailed you as a talented perfumer. Which you are.”

Her shoulders slumped with realization. “I announced to the world I had a lab here.”

And she’d already admitted she’d failed to upgrade her security. “I have contacts in the industry. I can help.”

“I have to face this alone.”

I waved that illogical idea away. “Afterward, will you be willing to explore the possibility of us again?”

“If that’s still what you want.”

I walked toward her and cupped her face in my hands. “I’m here right now. Doesn’t that mean something?”

She peered up at me, her face sweet and trusting.

Being this close to her again was all I wanted, all I needed, and I tried to convey my feelings to her. “I’m good for you. I know this with every part of me. And you’ve broken through my defenses. You seeme. And you help me trust what we have.”

“Astor, what happened to you to make falling in love so hard?”