adorned with a whimsical drawing of a tea cup with a curlicue of steam rising above it and the words
Other shelves displayed Theodosia’s proprietary T-Bath line. This included such delights as Green Tea Feet Treat, Lavender Luxury Lotion, and a tea-scented aromatherapy spray that, after much debate, they’d laughingly named Assam Enchanted Evening.
“Did you really design all this adorable packaging, too?”
asked one of Leah’s guests. She held up a package of T-Bath Green Tea Soak with its elegant celadon-green wrapper and typography done in a Japanese dry brush style. “It’s so elegant and Zen-like,” she exclaimed.
“I did,” said Theodosia. “But I’m even more proud of the contents. All the tea-infused products are extremely gentle and soothing.”
“Do you have a good facial moisturizer?”
“Right over here.”
Just as merchandise was being heaped onto the counter and diaphanous sheets of indigo blue gift wrap were floating everywhere, an entire jitney packed full of tourists stopped in front of the shop and a dozen women came tumbling in for tea and treats.
“Good lord,” cried Drayton, clutching a sweetgrass basket filled with T-Bath products, “we’ve hit the jackpot.”
While the women oohed and aahed and shopped, Theodosia edged over toward Leah Shalimar.
“Looks like you had a successful luncheon,” said Theodosia. Although she wasn’t thrilled by the way Leah had initially “hustled” Drayton, the woman was still a guest in her tea shop.
Leah, who was picking out a half dozen teacups and saucers to take home as gifts, nodded in agreement. “We had a great time, thanks to you and your fine staff.”
Theodosia took one of the cup-and-saucer sets from Leah and nestled it inside a small hexagon-shaped gift box. “We just did what we set out to do. Provide a quiet respite from the twenty-four-seven go-go world and serve a delicious luncheon with as much panache as we can muster.” Theodosia favored Leah with a crooked grin. “Of course, some days we muster more panache than others.”
“You are a dear.” Leah laughed. “But, seriously, I think I may have learned a valuable lesson from all this.”
“Which is . . . ?” asked Theodosia.
Leah cocked her head and gave Theodosia what appeared to be a rather heartfelt look. “I learned that slowing down isn’t necessarily a bad thing. That I don’t always have to op-erate in hyper mode. Which probably applies to my sales pitch, too.”
“Does this mean you’re switching from coffee to tea?”
asked Theodosia. “And FYI, green teas and oolongs are far lower in caffeine. And herbal teas don’t contain any caffeine at all.”
“Which is probably why I feel so relaxed,” admitted Leah. She paused, looked about again with a faint smile on her face. “But seriously, I meant what I said. Your little place is a sort of oasis of calm. A reminder that we shouldn’t be afraid to take time for ourselves, to feed our bodies as well as our souls.”
“That’s a lovely thought,” said Theodosia. “And very well put.”
“Now I just have to live by those words,” said Leah. “And pitch my little heart out on these futures contracts.”
“Is that what Mark would have been selling, too?” asked Theodosia.
Leah nodded. With Theodosia’s words, a look of sadness had fallen across her face. “Dear Mark,” she murmured. “We surely miss him.”
“Leah,” said Theodosia. “Were you at Carthage Place Plantation this past Sunday?”
Now Leah looked sadder than ever. “Yes, I was. I stopped by with my dear friend Zoe Miller. But we were only there for maybe fifteen or twenty minutes at best. Then we drove on to visit the gardens at Magnolia Plantation.”
“So you missed all the commotion,” said Theodosia, realizing that calling it a
Leah nodded her head sadly. “I did. Although it would have been a horrendous shock to have witnessed Mark’s collapse.”
“That went well,” said Haley, as the last of their luncheon crowd finally departed.
“It did, didn’t it,” said Drayton, a self-satisfied look on his lined face.
Standing behind the old brass cash register, Theodosia was busy tallying the receipts. “Do you know we sold an extra six hundred dollars just in house tea blends, antiques, sweetgrass baskets, and T-Bath products?” she asked them.
“As well as every single truffle.”
“Seriously?” asked Haley. “They even bought my truffles?”
“Every last one,” said Theodosia. “Miss Dimple will be jumping for joy at our good fortune.” Miss Dimple was their sharp-as-a-tack octogenarian bookkeeper who helped with monthly financial projections as well as occasionally serving lunches in the tea shop.
“So now what?” asked Drayton, glancing about at tables heaped with dirty dishes, low-burning candles, and empty shelves that called out for restocking. “KP duty I suppose.”
He spun on his heels and called out, “Oh, Charlie.”
“Guys,” said Theodosia. “Would either of you mind if I bugged out early?”
“Huh?” said Haley.
“I . . . uh . . . want to have a little chat with Angie Congdon,” said Theodosia. “Remember?”
“Oh sure,” said Haley. “Yeah, you better go do that. Charlie and I can take care of all this. And Drayton, too, if he can keep up with us.”
“Haley Parker, don’t you
Haley winked at Drayton as she scooped up dishes and shoved them into a plastic bin. “Sure you are, Drayton. Just as long as you plan on living to be a hundred and thirty!”
12
Legs akimbo, toenails scratching against vinyl, Earl Grey scrambled into the back of Theodosia’s Jeep.
“Watch your tail,” warned Theodosia as she slammed the rear hatch. Then, noting that Earl Grey had ignored the blanket she’d laid out for him in back and taken a flying leap into the front passenger seat, she sighed and climbed in.
“Nice to see you’re riding shotgun today,” Theodosia told him as she started the engine, then pulled into the alley. “But you’d better fasten your seat belt.”
Earl Grey leaned over and touched his furry muzzle to her ear, giving her a soft kiss.
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Theodosia told him.
Once she had her talk with Angie, Theodosia planned to take Earl Grey for a good long walk. Let the old boy stretch his legs, breath in the sea air, and sniff the Civil War cannons that lined up along the Battery.
But just as she turned down Murray Street with its showcase of elegant homes, Theodosia caught a quick glimpse of someone hurrying along. A young woman with long brown hair who looked very familiar.
“Wait a minute!” Theodosia cried out as she slammed on her brakes so hard Earl Grey had to scramble to brace himself. “I think that’s Fayne Hamilton!” Earl Grey recovered, then gazed curiously at her as if to say
