chat with her unexpectedly. She bought as much as the Chanel and Dior team every quarter, so it was her prerogative. Helene was glad for the excuse to catch a break. They had tea in an elegant client lounge, and chatted about Verona's nonexistent skin issues. At forty-seven, the woman didn't look a day over thirty-five. Having money meant being able to afford the best skin care, the best food, and personal trainers that kept her young and beautiful. Helene wasn't about to tell her that she didn't need any wrinkle treatments. Instead, she invoiced her for four figures of cream.
Verona wanted something fresh today. Clients like her could have a special batch of product made, with slight tweaks to fit their fancy.
"How about changing your usual scent?" Helene suggested. "Something a little more woodsy, perhaps, for the fall and winter months?"
Verona's face lit up. "Surprise me, dear. You always do wonders."
Helene smiled. "Hardly. I don't make the products, Ms. Dallas, I just tell you what we have available."
The socialite shook her head. "No, Helene. You are no mere salesman. I come to you because you give me something more. You listen without judgment, though my issues may seem trite."
Helene took a moment to think it through. "Your life is fascinating to me," she admitted. "And issues are issues. Your concerns aren’t any less valid than anyone else's."
True, she would certainly prefer to worry about wrinkles than having to find a place to live on her salary, but Verona was a kind lady who didn't mean any harm.
"Thank you, dear. I'll let you get back to work. Send me the invoice when you're ready."
She was glad to have a reason to head to the lab, rather than return at her desk. Placing her order for Verona, she found Emily in her lab coat, her huge glasses taking over most of her face.
"Woodsy?" Emily repeated.
Helene nodded. "Yeah, you know. Something more wintery. Dark, musky, with wood and maybe leather tones."
The woman lit up. "That might be a great idea, actually. We could play on that and make it a Christmas batch. We're already tested most of the tones I'll need, but if we're mixing something new, I'd feel better if it went to trial first."
Helene nodded. "We wouldn't want Verona to have skin problems, that's for sure."
Emily laughed. "We might as well lock down the doors if we mess with her skin. I'll have it done by the end of the week, tested in lab within the next couple of weeks, then we can move to human trials. Do you think she'll mind a month’s delay?"
"No, she knows the deal. If she changes the formula, we need one or two months. Put me down for the trial, if you'd like!" Helene often volunteered.
Their base formula underwent longer tests, over the course of months or even years, but for smaller tweaks in scents, using ingredients they'd already tried, it wasn't much of a risk. And she could always use the thousand-buck bonus that went with trials. Especially now.
"You're a sweetheart, Helene. By the way, do you want the new makeup palette?" Emily was very generous with freebies.
Eagerly, she made her way to the display her boss was motioning to. In a rose gold box with a black bow, the metallic eye shadow palette with six colors made her squeal. "These are so nice! Are they for Fashion Week?"
Emily nodded. "Yep, we just got it from production. I'm happy with the packaging. A few stores want them, too, but they'll have to wait until after Fashion Week. I'm not sure I want to produce more than what we have. They need be exclusive and limited."
Helene grinned. Whatever her parents said, her job was amazing. "Can I take one for my sister, too?"
Emily shrugged. "Sure thing. Just don't tell Carrie. I only let her take one."
Carrie, her boss, didn't get along with Emily well, from what Helene could tell, but she wasn't about to fire her—they were cousins. The Vandorfs liked to keep things in the family.
"You're the best, Emily."
She truly was. Unfortunately, Emily seldom stepped outside of the lab, leaving the running of Bijoux Skin to Carrie, who had every intention of keeping Helene where she was, in a dead-end career.
Cade
Cade lived by few rules. One of the most important was to always ensure he was out of the house when his sister was throwing a girls’ night in with her pals.
He’d messed up, big time. He would have sworn they were supposed