shade would match exactly. The only hitch was that a custom formula couldn’t be created in a store. Consumers had to wait two weeks for delivery. Everyone in the industry was watching to see if Phlox Beauty could pull this off. If they did, it would be a major coup. If they didn’t … well, Phlox tried not to think about the fallout. It would be their biggest and most expensive product failure yet.
The waitress brought out their pizza, crisp and hot. Phlox pulled off a slice for Rye, then one for herself. They ate in silence for a few minutes, Phlox waiting for her brother to bring up a certain someone. Eventually, he did.
“David’s been asking about you,” Rye said.
“Yeah, he’s called a few times.”
“Want me to set up a double date for when you get home?”
Phlox thought for a minute, then shook her head. “I know he’s a good friend of yours, Rye. But we just didn’t really hit it off before.”
“Well, you two didn’t get to spend much time together before you were in the hospital.”
“I know. But …” She stopped. She couldn’t tell her brother that his friend was only interested in her now because she looked better. “I’ll let you know about the date when I get back.”
After three slices of pizza, she pushed her chair back and admitted defeat.
“You’re a lightweight,” Rye grinned as he bit into slice number four. “I’ll tell Zee you ate the whole pie.”
“She’ll never believe that.”
An odd expression flashed over her brother’s face and he looked as if he’d been about to say something. Instead, he leaned around the edge of the table and pushed Phlox’s right ear and jawline up into the fading evening sunlight.
“What do you have on this?” he asked.
“A foundation I created.” Phlox touched the corner of her right eye. “It’s super pigmented so you get heavy coverage with a light coat.”
“It looks great, Phlox. You can’t tell, even outside.”
“That’s why I wanted the photo album.” The lie popped into her head quickly. She knew her brother would ask eventually. On the drive to the restaurant, she had wracked her brain for a plausible story that wouldn’t alarm him. “I’d like to develop the foundation into a viable product, and I’d use my own pictures as proof. I’m envisioning this as a product we’d sell to doctors.”
“Why just doctors? Not the general public?”
Phlox toyed with the remains of her pizza crust as she considered how to phrase her answer. “I want it to be a product for burn victims, plastic surgery patients. I want that to be the brand. It’s a product developed specifically for them. So they trust it.”
Rye nodded, but said nothing.
“I know there’s probably not much money in it. But now that I’ve developed it, it feels selfish to keep it to myself. I need to make something good happen out of this past year.”
----
T he next morning , Phlox awakened to the mouth-watering aroma of bacon. Her stomach rumbled like a truck before she’d even thrown off the covers. She had eaten nothing but muffins and cereal for breakfast since she got here. A real breakfast would taste good.
She threw on a pair of linen shorts and a light tee shirt, then practically skipped downstairs. At the foot of the stairs, she could hear coffee hissing and sputtering into the pot. Rye would make an unbelievable husband to some lucky woman, if only he stopped getting sidetracked by the equivalent of female bling.
“Sis! You’re up. I was about to come pound on your door.”
“Sorry. I’m not really on a rigid schedule up here.” She poured herself a cup of coffee, then poured one for her brother too.
“Want to chop some veggies for the omelettes?” he asked, gesturing with his tongs toward a cutting board and knife.
Phlox eyed them warily, wondering if there was any way to con her brother into moving them onto the island. Right now they were sitting right next to the range where he was frying bacon. The meat popped and
The waitress brought out their pizza, crisp and hot. Phlox pulled off a slice for Rye, then one for herself. They ate in silence for a few minutes, Phlox waiting for her brother to bring up a certain someone. Eventually, he did.
“David’s been asking about you,” Rye said.
“Yeah, he’s called a few times.”
“Want me to set up a double date for when you get home?”
Phlox thought for a minute, then shook her head. “I know he’s a good friend of yours, Rye. But we just didn’t really hit it off before.”
“Well, you two didn’t get to spend much time together before you were in the hospital.”
“I know. But …” She stopped. She couldn’t tell her brother that his friend was only interested in her now because she looked better. “I’ll let you know about the date when I get back.”
After three slices of pizza, she pushed her chair back and admitted defeat.
“You’re a lightweight,” Rye grinned as he bit into slice number four. “I’ll tell Zee you ate the whole pie.”
“She’ll never believe that.”
An odd expression flashed over her brother’s face and he looked as if he’d been about to say something. Instead, he leaned around the edge of the table and pushed Phlox’s right ear and jawline up into the fading evening sunlight.
“What do you have on this?” he asked.
“A foundation I created.” Phlox touched the corner of her right eye. “It’s super pigmented so you get heavy coverage with a light coat.”
“It looks great, Phlox. You can’t tell, even outside.”
“That’s why I wanted the photo album.” The lie popped into her head quickly. She knew her brother would ask eventually. On the drive to the restaurant, she had wracked her brain for a plausible story that wouldn’t alarm him. “I’d like to develop the foundation into a viable product, and I’d use my own pictures as proof. I’m envisioning this as a product we’d sell to doctors.”
“Why just doctors? Not the general public?”
Phlox toyed with the remains of her pizza crust as she considered how to phrase her answer. “I want it to be a product for burn victims, plastic surgery patients. I want that to be the brand. It’s a product developed specifically for them. So they trust it.”
Rye nodded, but said nothing.
“I know there’s probably not much money in it. But now that I’ve developed it, it feels selfish to keep it to myself. I need to make something good happen out of this past year.”
----
T he next morning , Phlox awakened to the mouth-watering aroma of bacon. Her stomach rumbled like a truck before she’d even thrown off the covers. She had eaten nothing but muffins and cereal for breakfast since she got here. A real breakfast would taste good.
She threw on a pair of linen shorts and a light tee shirt, then practically skipped downstairs. At the foot of the stairs, she could hear coffee hissing and sputtering into the pot. Rye would make an unbelievable husband to some lucky woman, if only he stopped getting sidetracked by the equivalent of female bling.
“Sis! You’re up. I was about to come pound on your door.”
“Sorry. I’m not really on a rigid schedule up here.” She poured herself a cup of coffee, then poured one for her brother too.
“Want to chop some veggies for the omelettes?” he asked, gesturing with his tongs toward a cutting board and knife.
Phlox eyed them warily, wondering if there was any way to con her brother into moving them onto the island. Right now they were sitting right next to the range where he was frying bacon. The meat popped and
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