The Essence of Perfection

by Nita Brooks

  Damien flipped her onto her back and blanketed her on the couch. She shrieked then laughed. He kept his weight off her with one hand propped on the back of the chair and his forearm next to her head. His dreads formed a thick curtain around them.

  “Good, because I’m not hiding mine with you either.”

  Chapter 25

  Nicola stared at the glass vials and bottles on the rack in her lab. She’d chosen to work in the main lab with Tia and the interns today. She’d hoped their intermittent questions on the scents they worked on might spark inspiration in her.

  “Nicola, you were right,” Tia said, catching Nicola’s attention. “Synthesizing the juniper instead of using vanilla really brought out the undertones in this soap. I think we’ve got a good blend for this season.”

  Nicola took the touche, a white paper strip used to sample the scent Tia held out, and sniffed. Juniper blended perfectly with hints of apricot and musk. Nicola smiled and nodded. “Great job!”

  “Thanks, but this was all you.” Tia’s curls bounced as she nodded quickly. “You are so good at what you do. I can’t wait to see what you put together for Desiree. It’s sure to be a hit.”

  The admiration in Tia’s eyes made Nicola uncomfortable. Sure, she’d made a suggestion for a soap for one of their retail clients, but that was easy. Desiree wanted worldwide success. Another Triumph.

  “I’m sure it will be,” she said with a half-hearted thanks before leaving the lab and going to her office. She took the vials of the various combinations of fragrances she’d put together with her. All were perfectly fine on their own. Even she had to admit that any one would be a successful perfume, but would Desiree love it? One had to hit the mark. She only hoped Desiree’s manager didn’t bring bad news.

  You haven’t gotten bad news yet.

  Nicola clung to that thought. All she had was her own self-doubt, and a celebrity who was harder to please than she’d expected. She was letting the fight with Quinn and the break with her grandfather shake the rocky foundation she’d built her reputation on.

  The phone on her desk rang. When she saw the number on the screen she cringed then answered. “Hi, Desiree, I was just thinking about you,” Nicola said with forced cheer.

  “Fantastic, because I can’t get you out of my mind.” The sound of the ocean was a perfect backdrop to Desiree’s rhythmic voice.

  “Oh really?”

  “Yes, I was thinking about the samples you sent the other week. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you on that.”

  “You’re on tour, I didn’t expect a quick reply.” She asked the question that terrified her. “What did you think?”

  Desiree laughed. “I think you’re close, but not quite there. I was worried that maybe we wouldn’t get what I want, but then a friend of mine wore Triumph and once again I remembered why you are the perfect person to help me jump into the perfume field. You created that, which means you have to be capable of doing something just as great again.”

  Clearing her throat and taking a deep breath, Nicola filled her voice with confidence. “I’ve already gotten a few more blends I’ve worked on in case you wanted something different. I can’t wait for you to see what I’ve put together for you.”

  “I know it will be fantastic. If I didn’t have to finish this tour, I would come back to the states now just to smell what you’ve put together.”

  Nicola’s one saving grace. “But your fans would be disappointed.”

  “As much as I want to say my fans will be okay, I know you’re right. I’ll just wait and see. I’m so excited!”

  “Me too,” Nicola tried to match Desiree’s tone. Ignore the sinking feeling that she was on the verge of ruining her career and the company’s reputation.

  “I’ll be home in two and a half weeks. I’m coming straight to Atlanta. Be ready.”

  “I will be.” If she had to ignore everything and spend all her time trying every type of combination and creating a thousand samples for Desiree to try.

  “Good. Bye, Nicola. Enjoy!”

  “I will.” She hung up the phone. Then dropped her head onto the desk.

  Two and a half weeks. She could do this. She could think of something. She just had to get out of her head. That was all; she’d figure it out.

  The sound of high heels clicking on the floor preceded her sister’s voice. “What’s wrong with you?” Quinn’s voice.

  Nicola sat up straight and pushed her hair out of her face. “Nothing. Just a headache.”

  The worry on Quinn’s face disappeared. “Oh, good. Look, I came to talk to you about the trip next weekend.”

  “Next weekend?” Nicola frowned and looked at her calendar.

  “Yes. Don’t act like you forgot because I know you didn’t. Not when you’ve got television crews ready to follow us down there.”

  The trip she’d agreed to because she’d assumed she would have Desiree’s scent in the bag. That she wouldn’t be struggling to think of something just as perfect as Triumph. By the time Cancun came up, she was supposed to be smooth sailing into pre-production and putting the finishing touches on the product debut.

  “No, I didn’t forget. I just... got busy.”

  “Well, you can’t cancel now.” Quinn said, crossing her arms. Her sister looked fabulous in a red jumpsuit with her hair falling into a smooth, sienna sheet to the middle of her back. Extensions. Quinn always looked good when she put long, light extensions in her hair. “I’ve confirmed the hotel and the flight, plus, Your Morning Wake-Up Call is already confirmed with me and Shonda.”

  Quinn walked over to Nicola’s workstation and studied the various samples Nicola had put together for Desiree. She picked up a few and sniffed. Each one of her frowns only made Nicola’s heart sink further.

  “I wish they weren’t coming.”

  “Why not? This is great. The publicity from this story combined with the debut of Desiree’s perfume is everything Mom ever wanted. You’ll have beaten out one of the largest perfumers out there for one of the most sought-after celebrities and be crowned top perfumer after delivering another perfect scent the world will adore.”

  She should tell Quinn the truth. That Desiree wasn’t in love with the samples. That she was stuck and didn’t know how to fix this. She kept her mouth shut. She’d gotten this far, no way could she backtrack and make everyone question all her decisions going forward.

  “I just don’t need the distraction right now,” she said. “I need to make sure I get everything right for Desiree.”

  “Geez, Nicola, you overthink things. I’m sure you’ve already made something great and are just borrowing trouble.” She had another vial in her hand. She brought it to her nose. Sniffed, considered, then sniffed again. “I like this one.”

  The knot in Nicola’s shoulders eased. That was the one she hated the least.

  “But it’s missing something,” Quinn said. She sniffed again. “Have you considered adding—”

  Nicola jumped up from the chair. “I’m good with what I’ve put together. I just got off the phone with Desiree and she can’t wait to come back and finalize the product.” She didn’t want to keep pushing Quinn away, but if Nicola didn’t do this on her own then she didn’t deserve the praise her family threw on her.

  Quinn’s face became a mask. She put the vial down carefully and stepped back. “Sorry. I know you have it all figured out.”

  “I do.” She couldn’t ask Quinn to bail her out. Not without revealing everything.

  The shuttering of Quinn’s emotions twisted the perpetual guilt in Nicola’s stomach. They’d gotten past the argument over the bottle design in the same way they always did. Ignoring the problem and pretending as if it never happened. Shonda had helped with that in her usual let’s all be friends fashion.

  “I’ll let you get back to work. I just stopped by to talk about Cancun. We can worry about that later.”

  She shouldn’t go to Cancun, but a few days in the sun might be what she needed. She could alway
s figure out scents while she was on vacation. Genius could strike while she relaxed with her sister and best friend.

  “This trip will be just what I need.”

  Chapter 26

  Your Morning Wake-Up Call asked if they could film the pottery class at Damien’s studio to show how she was nurturing her creative side. She wasn’t ready to broadcast their relationship, so she’d tried to get out of it by saying Damien wouldn’t want cameras in his class. To her surprise, Damien was a good sport about it and hadn’t complained when she’d told him about their request.

  Darcy and her cameraman walked around the studio taking shots of the various artwork and talking to the other students. They asked everyone why they’d chosen a pottery class, what they’d hoped to learn, and how the experience impacted their lives. So far, everyone seemed excited to have Darcy there and to be appearing in a clip on Your Morning Wake-Up Call.

  “You know I would have worn a better shirt if I’d known we were going to have a television crew here tonight.” Mr. Goldberg tugged on the green and blue bowtie around his neck before running a hand down the front of his pale-yellow button up shirt.

  Nicola raised a brow. “Seriously, Mr. Goldberg? You typically come in jeans and a t-shirt but tonight you’re wearing a bowtie. I don’t believe you didn’t get the email Damien sent out before the class.”

  “Well, I wasn’t sure if he was serious. My wife picked out this outfit. I would have worn something different.”

  Nicola bumped his arm with her elbow. Her hands were splattered with the aquamarine stain she was using to paint her last piece of artwork. A lopsided vase she couldn’t wait to see once it came out of the kiln. She already pictured it sitting on her coffee table with a colorful arrangement of flowers.

  “You look fine, Mr. Goldberg. Don’t sweat it. They’re just getting some background images. If you don’t want to appear on camera, they won’t even show your face.”

  Mr. Goldberg ran a hand over his neatly trimmed mustache. “Oh, I don’t mind appearing on television. You know, only to help you out.” He said the last in a solemn voice, as if he were doing her the biggest of favors.

  Nicola suppressed a smile. “You don’t know how much I appreciate your help with this.”

  “You’re welcome. You know you’re my tenth dearest friend.”

  Her smile couldn’t be suppressed and she raised a brow. “Tenth?”

  “I know a lot of people,” he said shrugging.

  Nicola laughed and bumped him again. “You know what, Mr. Goldberg, I’ll happily be your tenth dearest friend.”

  Damien walked over to the two of them. There was a spark of interest in his dark eyes as he watched her laugh with Mr. Goldberg. A spark that made her breath catch in her lungs. They hadn’t revealed to the class that they were an item. Nicola didn’t want anyone to know. She liked having Damien to herself. No intrusions and no outside expectations of what they should be doing. Though Nicola suspected Mr. Goldberg had an idea of what was going on. He always watched them with a raised brow and a sly smile.

  Today she wanted discretion even more. After the cameras had caught her disastrous date with Bobby, she didn’t want them to use her relationship with Damien as part of a comeback story. Sure, she and Damien agreed they were in a relationship, but that didn’t mean the relationship was serious or long term. Another reason to keep what they had a little closer to the vest for a while longer. Moving on later when things fell apart, because, honestly, they were so different, things probably would fall apart, would be easier if everyone didn’t know what was going on between them.

  “What are my two troublemakers over here cooking up?” Damien asked.

  He stood next to her and rested his hand on her lower back. She shifted from one foot to the next. Damien’s hand fell away. He gave her a weird look which she returned with a bright smile.

  “Mr. Goldberg was just telling me I’m his tenth dearest friend.”

  Damien scratched his chin and grinned. “Well at least he’s honest.”

  Mr. Goldberg leaned toward the two of them and nodded. “Always honest.”

  “He was also worried he didn’t look camera ready,” Nicola said.

  Damien leaned his forearms on the waist high table and studied Mr. Goldberg. “I don’t know. You look pretty clean to me.”

  “Just to help out Nicola,” he said again in the same solemn tone he’d used before.

  “Of course.” Damien winked at her when Mr. Goldberg went back to gently applying stain to his bowl.

  Darcy and her camera guy came over. “Nicola, Damien, thank you both for letting us come tonight. I think we’ve got some great shots to go with the segment.”

  “It was all Damien,” Nicola said. “He was nice enough to agree to open himself up to the craziness that is my life right now.”

  Damien ran a hand up her back. “Anything for Nicola.”

  Heat flooded her face. Darcy’s eyes practically glowed with interest. Nicola shifted again until Damien’s hand fell away. This time she kept her eyes focused on her vase instead of the what’s going on look she knew he was throwing her way. She hadn’t actually told Damien about her plan to keep their relationship a secret.

  Nicola focused on Darcy. “He’s just being helpful. He’s a great teacher.”

  “More than that,” Darcy said. “The way he rescued you from the river. That footage you sent over from your portable camera. I can only tell you, he made every woman in the studio swoon.”

  Nicola’s chest tightened. She’d turned the camera on and off during the canoe trip to try and make it appear less like a date. There wasn’t much she could do to make Damien appear less heroic. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. Damien mentioned he liked kayaking and when I mentioned I’d never been, he offered to take me. I never should have gone through the rapids.”

  Damien straightened. Nicola didn’t look at him. Darcy raised a brow. “I thought it was a date.”

  Nicola tilted her head and met Darcy’s eyes. “So the video came through alright? I’m glad. I was worried the water had damaged the camera.”

  A beat passed before Darcy spoke again, but she took the hint. “Yes, it came through okay. I’m glad you were okay.”

  Mr. Goldberg watched her with wide eyes. “You fell in the river?”

  “I was trying to not appear afraid when I should have stayed behind on the banks. Damien did get to play the hero.” She finally looked at Damien and grinned.

  His lips raised in a closed mouth smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “That’s me. Playing hero.”

  He did not sound happy, but she’d deal with that later. For now, she needed to get Darcy to focus on something other than her and Damien. “But you know, Darcy, you’ll get some really good shots next weekend in Cancun.”

  Darcy’s enthusiasm picked up. “Yes. You’re finally taking the spring break trip you always wanted. I’m excited to go.”

  “So am I.”

  Damien crossed his arms and leaned back on his heels. “You’re going out of town?” His voice was calm. His eyes were cool.

  Yeah, she’d forgotten to tell him about that, too. “Yes. We scheduled it weeks ago. Something exciting for the camera.”

  “Have fun.” Damien said, not sounding the least bit sincere before he walked off. He pushed open the door to his office and disappeared within without a backwards glance.

  Darcy cringed slightly. “Well, I think I’ve got all that I need for tonight. Thanks again, Nicola.” She got out of there quick.

  Mr. Goldberg leaned in. “Way to go.”

  “Thanks. I think the interviews tonight went well.”

  His browns drew together. “Nicola, unless you want to be my fifteenth dearest friend, you’ll go tell Damien why you pretended as if you two aren’t together.”

  “We aren—”

  “Young lady, please.” He held up a hand. “Me and nearly everyone in this class has run into you two kissing in the hallways last week as if no one would notice. You do
n’t have to explain yourself to me, but that guy likes you. So explain it to him.”

  * * *

  Nicola knocked on the door to Damien’s office. Fran and the rest of her classmates had all looked at her with varying degrees of disappointment as they’d walked out. Mr. Goldberg may have a point, and everyone there did know she and Damien had something going on.

  “What?” Damien’s terse answer to her knock.

  She was going to take that as an invitation. She opened the door and slid inside. Damien sat at his desk. The light from the lamp on his desk and the screen of his laptop, the only illumination in the room, cast long shadows across his face.

  She leaned back against the door. “Hey.”

  He took a deep breath, flicked a glance her way, then focused back on his laptop. “Yes?”

  Guess that meant he wasn’t going to make this easy. She crossed the room. “Look, about that with Darcy.”

  “No need to explain. If you’re ashamed of me that’s all I need to know.” The hard clicks of his mouse echoed in the room. He didn’t take his gaze off the screen.

  “Ashamed of you? Is that what you think?”

  He shoved the mouse aside and leaned back in his chair. “What am I supposed to think? You were trying to hide that we’re together from them. Crazy when it’s pretty obvious to everyone in this building we are together.”

  He didn’t yell. That’s what made it worse. If he’d yelled, then she could have gotten angry and yelled back. Instead he sounded calm, resolute. Hurt.

  “The cameras were there when I had the disastrous date with Bobby. I didn’t want them to make the story about my turning a dating tragedy into triumph, now that I’m dating my very sexy pottery instructor. Enough of my uncomfortable adjustments are going to be the focus of the story. I didn’t want this one to be another.”

  “I’m an uncomfortable adjustment?” He crossed his arms. Shut her off. Damien had opened up so much with her since they started dating. Having him shut her off was like losing a lifeline.