little about the country. She taught me how to garden, how to sew. How to make soap. That’s how she made her living. The nearest town was halfway between two tourist destinations, which made the little general store there a perfect pit stop. Grams sold her lotions and soaps in town.”
“So you are following in your grandmother’s footsteps. What a lovely tribute to her.”
“She was a wonderful person. My rock.”
“I imagine she’d be proud to see what you are building here in Eternity Springs.”
“Yes, I think she would.” Savannah picked up one of the soaps—the Cloud fragrance, which was a derivative of one of her grandmother’s original recipes—and a fierce sense of accomplishment swept through her. “It makes me happy to use the gifts she passed on to me to support myself.”
“How long ago did you lose her?”
Savannah spoke past the sudden lump in her throat. “Three years. It’s been three years now.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss, Savannah. You mentioned other family? Your father? Brothers?”
Savannah didn’t want to open that particular can of worms, so she simply said, “I’m on my own.”
“Well, that’s not the case any longer, is it.” Celeste reached over and patted her knee. “You have new friends. New people who care about you. And perhaps a budding romance?”
“Romance!” Savannah laughed nervously. “Why would you say that?”
“I enjoy mountain climbing as a sport. I was out climbing the other day and had a good view of the roadway when I saw you wrestling with that flat tire … and our sheriff.”
Savannah winced and wished she could disappear.
Celeste’s blue eyes twinkled. “Zach Turner is a very nice man. He needs someone in his life.”
“Well, it won’t be me.”
“Now, Savannah, what do you have against Zach?”
Other than the fact that he’s a lawman? A lawman who knows my secrets? A lawman who kisses like the devil himself? “I don’t like his eyes. He has blue eyes. I don’t like blue eyes.”
“Aha! Is it the color of my eyes that causes you to react so negatively when you see me?”
Embarrassment washed through Savannah, and heat stung her cheeks. She straightened her samples on the table to keep her hands busy. “I’m so sorry about that, Celeste. I’m mortified you noticed.”
“You sometimes look at me as if you’re sucking a lemon.”
Savannah shut her eyes briefly, then opened them. “Please accept my apology. You look like someone I used to know, and I react to that person, not to you.”
“I gather this someone didn’t treat you well?”
The words flowed out before Savannah could stop them. “She destroyed my life.”
“Oh, dear.” Celeste leaned toward her, her gaze solemn. “I’ll be happy to listen if you’d care to share.”
Savannah was tempted. With Zach knowing the truth, it was bound to come out sometime. Wouldn’t it be better if she controlled the how and when?
Maybe. But she wasn’t quite ready to take that leap right now. “Thank you, but I’m trying to put the past behind me and look forward.”
“Yet every time you look at me, you see …?”
Again, despite her decision to zip her lips, the name spilled from her mouth like bile. “Francine Vaughn.”
Now why in the world had she done that? It was as if Celeste smiled at her and syllables rolled off her tongue. When Celeste repeated the name thoughtfully, Savannah couldn’t stop a shudder.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever met a Francine Vaughn,” Celeste said. “Was she a professional acquaintance of yours? A friend?”
“A neighbor who claimed to be a friend.”
“Ah. I see. That’s why you’re wary of making friends in Eternity Springs.”
“I’m not wary of making friends,” Savannah protested, sitting up straighter. “I’ve joined the softball team, haven’t I? I’m wary of losing friends.”
“Why would you say that?”
Because Zach Turner is going to tell everyone that I’m a jailbird.
Celeste picked up a blue-capped shampoo sample, the one she’d named Mihael, and seemed to have decided to change the subject. “This is the scent you are wearing this morning, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“You wear it quite often. I believe you wore it the day I first met you.”
“It’s my current favorite. I tend to wear a scent for a time, then move on to something else.”
“Are you familiar with Mihael?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Mihael is known as the angel of loyalty. She leads us to friends who are trustworthy and loyal. I believe it’s no coincidence that you wore her scent when you came to Eternity Springs.”
Oh, jeez. Angels? Really?
Savannah knew she shouldn’t be surprised. All she had to do was look at the woman.