Piper’s eyes went wide when she glanced at my plate. “When did you eat all that?”
“Speed-eating. I’m a pro at it now that I’ve got Charlotte.”
My little girl had finished her bottle, and while I burped Charlotte, I watched Piper eat. My daughter immediately fell asleep after a loud belch Piper and I both remarked on.
“Damn, my grandmothers were right,” I murmured under my breath as I got up from the table and put Charlotte down in the Moses basket.
When I returned to the table, Piper was already on her feet, gathering the dirty dishes. I took them from her and brushed her hand in the process. She moved away quickly. I zeroed in on her,but she averted her gaze. All I could think about was how to touch her more.
Focus, Beckett.
I set the plates in the sink, and Piper brought the glasses over as if determined not to move around empty-handed.
“So, about your grandmothers. Will you tell me why they were behaving a bit odd?”
“You know what, why not? But first things first. Does your perfume smell the same as usual? Like it was before?”
She frowned. “Yes. It’s the same recipe. They keep it at the store in a file so they know what goes in it. Why?”
I tilted my head.Here goes nothing.“First of all, let it be known that I don’t believe a word of the story. And second, I might have judged them too fast if you say it smells the same. My grandmothers believe certain plants have powers.”
She chuckled. “We are in New Orleans. Everyone believessomethinghas supernatural powers.”
I raised a brow. “You too?”
“Not really, but I do like the stories.”
“So, my grandmothers believe lilac has the power to… what’s their phrasing? Bring soulmates together.” I couldn’t even believe I’d said it out loud. “I’ve been wondering if they secretly added it to yours.”
Piper blinked rapidly. “Why would they?”
“A very good question,” I said.
“You thought they might add it without telling me?”
“Nah, even they wouldn’t dare do that. They’d probably just tell you they had to change the recipe or something.”
“Wait.” She narrowed her eyes. “They did suggest making a new perfume. And they looked very sneaky.”
“I knew it.” The corners of my mouth twitched until I couldn’t fight the laughter anymore. “They truly are special.”
“But I don’t understand. What does that mean?”
“Not sure on that yet,” I confessed. I had enough experience with my grandmothers to know they were probably thinkingPiper was good for me. Damn it,Ithought she was good for me, and yet…
This couldn’t be happening.
“Right, I should be going.” As she moved, one of the knives I’d used to prepare the jambalaya fell to the floor. Piper gasped loud enough for me to realize that the blade had touched her hand. She bent to grab the knife.
“Leave it. I’ll pick it up later. Give me your hand.”
She stretched it forward. It was just a small nick from the blade. There was a white mark, but it didn’t break the skin.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry.” Her voice was a mere whisper. I didn’t let go of her hand. Instead, I ran my thumb over the back of it and turned it around, touching her wrist.
“Your pulse is fast.”
