inner turmoil, because she gave him a wide berth that morning. She chose instead to work with several other members of his staff, and that was just fine with him. Shane didn’t know why her presence bothered him, but bothered he was. Even more so when he saw her dressed in a prim black skirt with a white silk blouse that tied at the neck. He wanted nothing more than to untie that knot and free her of her inhibitions.
Shane shook his head. Where the hell had that thought come from? He turned around and glanced in her direction. Gabrielle must have sensed it because she looked up at him with her almond-shaped eyes and gave him a broad smile. He noticed that she was wearing her hair differently from yesterday’s prim look. Instead of having her hair in an updo, she’d decided for a half up, half down look.
He looked away and returned his focus to his perfumer’s organ and pulled out several scents. He was determined to hit the right notes today and get this fragrance right, once and for all.
* * *
From the other side of the lab, Gabrielle reengaged herself with her coworker on the new skin-care products in development. She hadn’t meant to smile at Shane, but when she’d found him staring at her so openly, she’d thought they were off to a new start. She must have been wrong, because he hadn’t returned the smile; he’d ignored her and looked down.
She didn’t know why she was thinking about him anyway. She had more important things to worry about. Namely, Andrew Jackson. Overnight, she’d had to time to think, and thanks to Jackson, she felt compelled to at least reach out to her father and find out exactly what was going on. She didn’t relish the task. She hadn’t spoken more than polite pleasantries to her parents in over a decade.
She wasn’t sure if they even wanted to see her. If she didn’t call them, they certainly didn’t call her. Ever since Seth’s death, it was as if she didn’t exist. It hurt knowing they didn’t even think about her, but she’d had to make her peace with being alone in the world.
After much debate, Gabrielle decided to call her parents when lunchtime came around. She left the laboratory and walked outside to the courtyard, where most folks were congregated for lunch. It was a beautifully manicured garden. Gabrielle dialed her parents’ number and waited with bated breath for someone to answer. She was hoping no one was home and that she could just leave a message and walk away unscathed.
No such luck. Her mother picked up on the third ring. “Hello.”
“Hi, Mom, it’s Gabrielle.” She took a seat on a nearby concrete bench.
“Gabby?” her mother asked. “What are you doing calling during the middle of the day? Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“Trouble?” It was more the other way around. Though Gabrielle doubted her mother knew a thing about her father’s gambling habit. “No, of course not. I’m here in the States. Georgia, to be exact.” Her words nearly jumbled together as she tried to get them all out.
“Well, that’s good to hear,” her mother replied. “You should come home and get some real food instead of all that French cooking.”
Actually, Gabrielle had become accustomed to French cooking and quite enjoyed it, but that was another matter entirely. “That would be nice,” Gabrielle said, using it as an opening. “I was actually hoping I could stop by this Sunday for a visit, if that’s all right.”
“We have plans this week,” her mother responded, “How about next Sunday? I can make your favorite dish, shepherd’s pie.”
Tears formed in Gabrielle’s eyes. She was surprised her mother even remembered what she liked. “Th-That would be great.” Gabrielle choked the words out. Although she wanted to talk to her father sooner, she would have to wait. Andrew Jackson hadn’t given her a time constraint.
“We’ll see you Sunday at three, right after church.”
“See you then.” Gabrielle ended the call as fresh tears surfaced on her cheeks. How could one phone call from her mother make her come apart? She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear Shane come up beside her.
Shane bent down until he was eye to eye with Gabrielle. “Are you okay?”
Gabrielle turned away and swiftly began wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. She didn’t want him to see her like this.
“Gabrielle,” he said more sternly, grabbing both her shoulders and turning her around to face him. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” He’d never seen her so, so…vulnerable, and it called out to every male instinct in him to protect her.
“Everything is fine.” She kept her head low, but Shane lifted her chin with his hand.
“Everything is far from fine,” he said, peering into her eyes. “Whoever it was on the other end of that call obviously upset you a great deal. Is there anything I can do?”
His burning eyes held her. She couldn’t believe Shane was being so nice to her. Where was the arrogant, cocky man she was used to?
Shane reached in his suit pocket and handed her a handkerchief and then scooted himself next to her on the bench. That tiny act of kindness had Gabrielle questioning everything she’d ever thought about Shane. She accepted the handkerchief and used it to wipe her eyes, blow her nose and get control of her emotions.
“Feel better?” Shane asked, pushing her hair back so he could see her face. Her skin was bright, nearly translucent. Seeing Gabby in this light, so vulnerable, made her seem more human and attractive, which surprisingly had his groin tightening in response. What was wrong with him? This was Gabby Burton, Gabrielle Burton, the hard-nosed chemist who’d been driven to beat him at all costs in perfumery school. So why was he finding himself wondering what lay beneath that cool reserve of hers?
Gabrielle’s mouth curved into a smile, and Shane found his heart beating just a little bit faster. “Yes, much.”
“Good. So what do you say we go back inside and get back to work?” Shane asked.
“Sounds good.”
* * *
The rest of the afternoon went by quickly, as did the remainder of the week. Gabrielle found herself enjoying her position immensely. She’d even offered her opinion to Shane about what chemical to put in the new skin-care lotion, and he hadn’t bitten her head off. They were definitely making progress. She’d caught him staring at her again several times, but he’d looked away, as if his hand had been caught in the cookie jar.
She was so deep in work on one formula on Friday evening that the time got away from her, and when she glanced up, she noticed that only she and Shane were still in the lab. She glanced at her watch and realized it was nearly 7:00 p.m., way past quitting time. She walked over to Shane and leaned over his shoulder to see what he was working on.
The scent of Gabrielle wafted to Shane’s nose. It wasn’t the scent of any perfume, because his nose didn’t detect any notes. It was her natural smell. Not to mention he could feel her warmth from behind him. He spun around on his stool. “You ready to get out of here?” he asked, surprising himself. “We could grab a cocktail, and you could finally let your hair down for a change.” He could use a drink; he was wound up too tight.
“After that flattering invitation, how can I turn you down?” Gabrielle asked curtly. “And if you hadn’t noticed, my hair is down.”
“Oh, c’mon, Gabby.” Shane continued to call her by her nickname. “I was just razzing you. Don’t tell me you can’t take the heat? I remember you dishing it out in school rather well.” He recalled how she’d once called him an egotistical spoiled rich boy.
“I can take the heat!” Gabrielle huffed. “I’ll just get my suit jacket.”
“Leave it!” Shane ordered before she could make a move. He went to the laboratory door and held it open. “You could stand to loosen up a bit and go with a more casual look.”
Gabrielle’s