by Ava Miles
Love Among Lavender
by
Ava Miles
~ The Merriams ~
Caitlyn & Beau
© 2019 Ava Miles
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International Bestselling Author Ava Miles’ new family series, The Merriams, is back with a good guy trying to get his bad boy on, a good girl starting a risky perfume venture, and everyone’s favorite matchmakers.
Beau Masters wants to be a bad boy.
All his life, he’s been careful to be the good guy country singer, the boy-next-door, who opens doors for ladies and says “aw, shucks, ma’am.” But a decades-old secret blows the hinges off the door to his life. Everything he thought he knew has scattered to the wind, leaving him questioning who he really is.
So when Caitlyn Merriam asks him to be the celebrity spokesperson for the new perfume she’s creating in far-off Provence, he swaps out his white cowboy hat for a black one and packs his bags to get away from the past.
Caitlyn didn’t expect the gorgeous rockstar to join her in her quaint farmhouse in the French countryside. She figures it will only worsen her crush on him. But as Beau tries to get his bad boy on (rather unsuccessfully, in her opinion), she knows something is wrong and calls in back-up. Uncle Arthur and Aunt Clara might be bent on matchmaking these days, but they know how to straighten someone out, and Caitlyn needs all the help she can get to keep her spokesperson on track.
But soon it’s not just about business, and they’re holding hands and walking the lavender fields together. Until Beau’s secret threatens to bring down her new venture and the love blossoming between them.
To all the people who always told me the truth—it truly is the most prized of fragrances.
And to my divine entourage, who continues to show me even happier, more expansive visions of my life.
Making perfume is a lot like looking for true love.
Some scents completely overwhelm you or lose their luster the moment they touch your skin.
Others fade the longer you wear them, best forgotten anyway.
The perfect scent is a balance of different notes…
That’s the kind people stop you on the street about, the one that everyone wants to have.
When you find that scent, you’d best wear it the rest of your natural life.
Clara Merriam Hale
Budding Matchmaker Extraordinaire
Chapter 1
Beau Masters never took a meeting without his business manager.
And yet, here Caitlyn was, alone with the wholesome superstar of country music. She was going to hyperventilate. Pull it together. Forget he’s the world’s most compelling man and the key to your success. This is business.
When Beau had called her two days ago at her new perfume headquarters in Provence, France, asking her to meet him at his office in Nashville, she’d done a happy dance all the way onto the corporate jet.
“Should we wait for your mother?” She asked to be polite, sure, but also to cover herself. Based on the short phone conversation she’d had with his mother, Mary Ellen Walker was a difficult woman to please. She was also notorious for being the gatekeeper to Beau Masters. From what Caitlyn had read about him, and she’d done her research, his mother—momager—had handled everything for him since he was first discovered at the tender age of sixteen. A music scout had overheard him singing at a funeral of all places, and he’d put out a string of number one hits since his first single, “Home Bound.”
A shadow crossed his face, and he shifted in his chair. Even in jeans and a simple white button-down shirt he commanded attention. “She won’t be joining us today. Usually I stick in my lane—writing the songs, doing the concerts, meeting with fans, smiling in promos—but your proposal really captivated me.”
Captivated? “It did?” she asked, trying not to gape. “That makes me so happy.”
His smile punched through like the sun through a patch of clouds. That earnest, white-toothed smile was the perfect companion to his boy-next-door looks. Some might think it a tad crooked, what with the way his bottom lip curved, but she personally thought that slight twist of the lip made him more appealing. When he smiled, you smiled. It was cause and effect, like her scientist sister would say.
“I know I have a reputation for keeping my head out of the business side and all. Getting discovered so young kinda set me and Mama down a certain road. She ran a hardware store with my daddy, and she’s always said I don’t have a lick of business sense in me, like him. Maybe you’ll be able to teach me some things if we reach an agreement. It’s clear from your proposal—and how you carry yourself—that you’re real smart.”
Beau looked at her, and she couldn’t look away. Not that she wanted to. His eyes, a mix of blue and gray, seemed to see into her soul.
“Thank you for that,” she said, sitting up a little straighter in her chair. “I’m sure you’re being modest, but you can ask me anything about business.”
Did her anything sound a little breathless? God, he really was so handsome. Her eyes dipped to his square jaw. It was manly enough to take a punch if he was ever in a bar brawl defending a woman’s honor, which he had been, according to media reports. He’d even been caught on camera chasing down a purse-snatcher. Beau didn’t just sing about being a good man.
He was one.
She knew she was grinning back at him like an idiot. What she should be doing was making the most captivating pitch of her life. She wanted this man—this famous singer—to be the face of her new perfume. A perfume for women. It wasn’t the conventional way of marketing perfume, but she knew in her gut it would work. Look at that smile, after all? It seemed to promise Beau was the best friend—or boyfriend—you could ever have.
Get your head in the game, Merriam.
She was a senior executive, for heaven’s sake, not some teenager on a date. Her brother had approved the funding for her pet project for the beauty and skincare branch of their family corporation, Merriam Enterprises, and she intended to prove herself.
“Let me tell you a little more about what I have in mind,” she said, leaning back in her chair, trying to match his relaxed pose. Only she leaned back too far in her enthusiasm and felt her chair tip backward.
Beau shot out of his chair like a cannon and caught her before she could fall all the way. He loomed over her for a second, his mouth twitching, his scent a feast for the senses. Something fresh yet manly.
“These ergonomic chairs might be comfy but they buckle under the slightest pressure.” Like her in his presence, it seemed. Well, that was a problem easily fixed. If she convinced him to be her spokesperson, they wouldn’t have to see each other again until the marketing plans rolled out. She would be safe in that throng. Commercials and photo shoots were always a hot mess.
“So, as I was starting to say before my chair interrupted me…”
His smile deepened, and she reined in her need to sigh like a schoolgirl.
“As you read in my proposal, my team at Merriam Cosmetics and Skincare is about to create the world’s best organic perfume, one that uses ingredients found in nature to enhance a woman’s natural beauty and allure. I don’t like the way the cosmetics game is usually played. Companies often market makeup by making women think they’re not good enough. That they need to look like someone else. Be someone else. I want to help them feel beautiful as they are.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” he said. “I figure natural is the way we came in, so why change it.”
Feeling she’d finally found her stride, Caitlyn nodded and leaned forward slightly�
�careful not to jostle the chair—as if she were about to confide a secret. “Exactly. My research suggests you’re the perfect spokesperson to convince women they want to buy it and wear it. You’re aware of your appeal, I imagine. Women believe you when you talk because you’re honest.”
His smile slipped. “Honesty has always been a hallmark of my life.”
Amen, she almost said, but he looked discomposed. Maybe embarrassed? “Then there’s your appeal to the male audience. You’re a man’s man. Men want to be like you. You’re one of those good guys everyone wants to have over for a barbecue. When you tell a guy to buy something special for the woman in their life, they’ll do it. You sing about treasuring a woman in so many of your songs, and that appeals to both purchasing audiences.”
Of course, the phrase he used was my woman, and the way he sang it was downright swoon-worthy.
“That’s mighty kind of you to say, Caitlyn, but I’m just a regular guy who’s been blessed with a nice voice and a platform to sing great songs about the things that matter to me.”
“This is why you’re so compelling. You’re real.” She’d worked with other celebrities to promote their products. Many of them had egos as large as their paychecks, but Beau Masters seemed true to his image. Personally, she wanted to thank God and kiss the ground or something. There was no wizard behind the cloth. Beau was simply an incredibly handsome, sweet, nice guy with mega talent.
You need to stop before you embarrass yourself.
“That’s why I wanted to come to you with my new perfume—” She paused for a second, wondering if she could call him Beau, then decided not to push her luck. “You’re everything I hope to say with this product because to me it’s about more than perfume. Plus, I know you’ve been looking for something to promote.”
“My mother has,” he informed her.
And she wasn’t here. Curious and curiouser. “Well, Mr. Masters, look no further for something awesome.”
“It’s Beau, Caitlyn, just Beau.”
His Southern accent reminded her of cold mint juleps that went down easy on a hot day. A woman could get tipsy on that voice. Mercy, what did her voice sound like, she wondered? A barking frog? “Well, Beau, I think our perfume is the perfect product for you and your brand.”
“I’d love to hear what you think my brand is.” His lips twitched again. Was he finding her amusing? Who could blame him? She was acting a little starstruck. Not her usual.
“As I told my brother, who decides on new business initiatives, you’re the world’s most compelling man. Women trust you. I don’t fully know you, and I trust you.”
“That’s mighty kind of you to say,” he said, his cheeks flushing a touch.
Adorable. “You’re nice, earnest, and easy on the eyes with a voice like an angel.” She wasn’t going to blab about the mint juleps. Way too weird. “It’s no wonder people have paid you to sing at funerals since you were seven. What better voice to send off a loved one?”
“It was good money, and when Daddy died, I wanted to help Mama in my own way.” He flushed deeper. “I can’t believe your brother’s still talking to you after you said all of that. Isn’t he upset you don’t think he’s the most compelling man? Unless you’re married, of course.”
“I’m not,” she said way too quickly. “This brother, Quinn—I have several—doesn’t want to be nice or earnest. He’s more of a bossy type.”
“I see.” He picked up his glass of regular old tap water. Not fizzy or spring water at some exacting temperature. He was a celebrity, but he didn’t expect anyone to cater to him—nor did he cater to himself. “Tell me a little more about your family. Do you all work for the business?”
He would like the family angle. Before hitting it big, he’d helped his mama with the hardware store after school, or so she’d read. They’d sold it after the release of his first big album, Score. “There are seven of us, and all of us have worked in the company. My oldest brother, Connor, is the president. Quinn is the second. Ah…are you sure you want to hear this? We have a big family.”
“I like big families, so yes, please tell me about everyone.” He leaned forward, sipping more water, his light eyes steady on her face. “It’s important to me to know who I’d be working with.”
She snorted. “Oh, you won’t be working with them. Unless you want to, of course.”
He laughed. “I didn’t mean that. Hearing about your family helps me get a better sense about you. Families…define a person.”
The way his voice dimmed was akin to a stink bomb being released in a classroom. Again, she wondered what had happened between him and his mother. Had they fought? Heck, she could understand family squabbles. Her brothers knew how to drive her batty.
“Trevor and J.T. are next. They’re twins and have this incredible ability to read each other’s minds. Like in X-Men.”
“I love those films,” he said.
“Me too!” Easy, tiger. Settle down. This isn’t speed dating. “Trevor works with Merriam Oil & Gas, and J.T. used to have an executive position there too, but he stepped down to protect the family from his ex-wife.” Usually she wouldn’t speak about it, but she thought he’d understand.
“Let me guess,” he said, his mouth bunching like his water had gone sour. “She wanted money.”
“Yes, but only to make him suffer,” she said, nodding. “The good news is he’s finally clear of her, and now he’s doing something else for the family. Our great-grandfather, Emmits Merriam, who started the company after striking oil in Oklahoma, loved art. J.T. got the bug. He’s opening an art museum at the university Grandpa Emmits founded in Dare Valley, Colorado.”
“Education is important,” Beau said, pouring himself some more water. “I’m glad your family values that. I made sure to get my GED since I left school early. I wanted to support my mama after all she did for me.”
She knew the story, but this was the Beau in his songs. The one who took care of the people important to him. The world needed more men like him. “My mom and her dad were both college professors, so believe me, education was big growing up. But I digress.”
“You’re talking to a Southerner, Caitlyn. Digressing is what we do for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s why we call these interactions ‘visits’ instead of ‘meetings.’”
How quaint. She needed to get her Southern on. They had such a pleasant, colorful way of saying things. “I’m glad you’re cool with digressing because I talk a lot. Drives my brothers crazy. Except for Flynn, who’s up next. Okay, well, I mostly don’t drive him nuts. He’s right after me in birth order, and we hang a lot since we’ve both made New York City our home base.”
“I wouldn’t have taken you for a city girl,” he said, leaning back in his chair in that loose-limbed way of his.
“Don’t get me wrong. I grew up in Napa back in the day, and it’s all farmland. I love it. There’s nothing like walking through the vines at night as the sun is coming down. And when the fog rolls in…” She took a moment to grab her water and down some. Man, she was thirsty from jet lag. “You get the idea. It’s beautiful and so picturesque your heart soars in your chest.”
He smiled at her. “You could write a song for me, talking like that.”
And here she’d thought she was done swooning. “Why, thank you, but I think I’ll stick to my new perfume. Anyway, when I knew I wanted to focus on fashion and cosmetics for the company, the Big Apple was the ideal choice. Back then, Paris didn’t occur to me as an option, or I would have gone there. I spend my time between New York and L.A. for work, but Paris is my true love. No better city in the world in my humble opinion. We’re creating the perfume in France specifically because it’s the perfume capital.”
“So what does Flynn do for the company?”
“He’s the tech guy. If you need a tech app or a management software tool… Heck, if you need someone to combat a virus, Flynn is your man, although he’s itching for a change. But again—”
“You digress,” he
finished for her. “If my count is right, there’s one sibling left.”
“Yes, that’s Michaela. She wasn’t named after that TV show, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, although she gets that all the time. Makes her want to jump off the roof. Doesn’t help that she’s Dr. Michaela. She got her Ph.D. in Food Science, and she’s crazy smart. Treks the Amazon and other places looking for the next superfood or life-saving mushroom, vine, or flower. Not the illegal kind, mind you.”
“I got the picture,” he said, chuckling. “Y’all sound like quite a family, and I like the way you support the family business.”
Y’all. She loved that word and the easy way he said it. Southerners were awesome at taking two words and crunching them into one. “We do our best. My mom is awesome. She’s from this Irish-American neighborhood in Chicago, and no one can kick ass—oops, butt—like her. She didn’t come from money like my dad—who’s really great, although super focused like my older brothers. Doesn’t matter that he’s retired now. All right, that’s my family. What else can I tell you?”
Again, one of his killer lopsided smiles. “Can I smell this incredible perfume of yours?”
“Not yet,” she practically sang it out to sugar the truth. “We’re just starting our blending process in Provence. I have the most incredible perfume maker on the planet working with me. He combines ancient Egyptian techniques with modern French ones.”
Beau’s brows shot up at that, but she’d expected it. Quinn hadn’t gotten the Egyptian angle in the beginning either.
“The Egyptians set the world on fire with their perfumes. I mean, they were the groundbreakers way back when. They’re so good that ancient perfume discovered in Egyptian tombs still retains its smell. Four thousand years after it was made.”