mug.
“Maybe,” Lila replied, “but first, I want to hear how everyone’s doing?”
“My tyrant of an agent finally did something great. He just got me a TV network contract and I’ll be styling the actors on a few of their shows,” Lila’s friend Charlotte Meade, professional hairstylist to the stars, said, all smiles. Then her full, glossy lips dropped to a frown. “But I’m a little worried about styling Nikki Mars—you know that actress who dates the lead singer of the Misfit Junkies? She’s got that unruly mop of hair.” She made a face and ran her almond-shaped manicured nails past her boutique hoop earrings, through her golden locks.
“You’ll be great,” Edie told her. She reached across the table and patted her arm.
Suddenly, as if it occurred to all three women at once, their gaze turned to Piper Watson, the bubbliest of them all, who’d been uncharacteristically quiet.
Lila grinned just looking at Piper, as she sat about to burst with excitement.
“I brought y’all something.” Piper picked up the tattered patchwork bag that in its own cool way would be considered vintage rather than old, and lumped it on the table. She stood to dig around inside it, pushing up the sleeves of her oversized cardigan, which she’d layered with an old T-shirt for some rock band that Lila had never heard of. Her tiny waiflike arms moved a mile a minute in her enthusiasm.
Piper’s earthy, eclectic lifestyle kept them all on their toes. A soap-maker by trade, she could always be found at the local fairs and flea markets peddling the wares for her company, Scented Spirit. Her company motto was Skincare to protect and perfect the carrier of your soul. She had such an infectious personality that she made an incredible living because anyone walking by would stop to listen to her, and she pulled them right in with her irresistible charm. She could sniff out a skeptical shopper in a second, and using her personable nature, she’d have them walking away with bags of her soaps. She could relate to anyone, and she held a wealth of information, her interests spanning everything from pop culture to holistic living.
“One for you,” she said in a singsong voice, dropping a little piece of holiday-colored fabric tied with a string of twine in front of Edie. “One for you.” She handed one to Charlotte. “And one for you.” She gave a little happy squeal and bounced back into her seat. “Open them!”
Lila unwound the string and set it aside, the scrap of fabric becoming slack, revealing a small jar of lotion. She turned hers around toward the center of the table so everyone could see. “Mine says Midnight.” Lila opened the jar and smiled. “Lavender,” she said, her favorite scent dancing into the air under her nose. “How lovely, Piper.”
“Oh, I have Rockstar,” Charlotte piped up, opening the lid and taking in the scent of it. “It smells like coconut. I love it.” She dipped her finger into the shimmery cream and spread it over the back of her hand. “It sparkles.” Her eyebrows bounced up and down. “Thank you.”
“I made them last night,” Piper said, beaming, her pointy, delicate features alight. “It’s my new all-natural lotion line. I’m planning to pass some around after my yoga class tomorrow and also at the farmer’s market this weekend. I’ve made around two hundred samples so far.”
“Such the entrepreneur,” Edie told her as she held hers up. “I’m so proud of you.”
Piper reached over and gave Edie a hug.
Once Piper let go of her, Edie showed hers to the table. “Mine is aptly named Focus.”
“What does Focus smell like?” Charlotte wanted to know, still rubbing Rockstar cream on her hands and wriggling her fingers to show off its shimmer.
Edie unscrewed the lid and wafted the scent toward her. “Mint.” She blew a kiss to Piper and thanked her.
They all ooed, making Piper bounce elatedly in her seat.
Once they’d all settled down, Edie turned to Lila. “Okay, I can’t stand it anymore. Dish. Where are we going?”
Lila had known Charlotte, Piper, and Edie since she’d moved to Nashville three years ago—they’d found themselves in the same apartment complex. Lila’s mother had died tragically in a car crash just after Lila’s birth and her father had passed away of cancer when she was twenty, so these women were the closest thing to family she had. Wanting to live the dream so badly, she’d chased a guy to Nashville, hoping to start a family of her own