Be My Valentine: The McClendon Holiday Series, Book 3

by Sean D. Young

  “Cee Cee, would you listen to this mess. ‘An anonymous source has informed TellItAll about the recent shakeup at Fairchild Ltd. A source from the four-generation, family-owned perfume manufacturer tells us that the formula for their much-anticipated new fragrance has been stolen.’”

  “What?” Cee Cee exclaimed, interrupting him from reading the rest of the article. “Jacques, I bet somebody leaked that information to them.”

  “Wait, let me finish. ‘It has been said in the mist of all the chaos surrounding the missing formula, head chemist and perfumer Jacques Germain has rendered his resignation. Are the two linked? We don’t know, but stay tuned and we will report as soon as we have more information.’”

  Jacques dropped his body down on the bed and held the tablet in his lap. How could anyone do this to me? Who would be that cruel?

  Cee Cee scooted her body closer to him and rested her head against his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Jacques.”

  He turned and looked at her. “You know what this makes me look like, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Guilty.”

  Jacques nodded slowly. “Yep, it does.”

  “I still say that I don’t think Fairchild did this. Someone else did,” Cecilia said.

  “I’m sure Roger had no knowledge of it because he wouldn’t stop talking about that scandal with Givaudan Fragrances and their head perfumer several years ago,” he said, looking down at the screen again. “No, somebody who is out to destroy me and Fairchild did this, but the question now is, who?”

  “Are you coming back to Chicago after your interview?” Cecilia wanted to know.

  “Yes, I’m on an eight o’clock flight back.”

  “You’re not going to stay and try to fight this?”

  “There’s nothing to fight, Cee Cee. I didn’t steal the formula,” Jacques said.

  “I wonder why your cell phone isn’t blowing up with people calling you about this article.”

  I’m glad they aren’t. Jacques glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table and jumped up. “I’d better get out of here. I don’t want Patrice to think I stood her up.”

  “You’re still going out with her even after seeing the article?”

  “There’s nothing I can do about the article now, Cee Cee. It’s done. I can’t fix it right now but tomorrow when I meet with John I’m going to talk to him about it,” he said finally. He handed the tablet back to Cecilia. “I’ll check you later.”

  With that, he left the apartment. He hoped that the ride over to the boutique would help him to get his mind together. Come tomorrow he would face this whole mess head on. Tonight, he wanted to dine with a beautiful woman.

  * * * * *

  Good Scents was one of many buildings in the busy section not too far from the Magnificent Mile. Jacques noticed that all the buildings on both sides of the street seemed to be independently owned, which impressed him. The boutique and day spa took up two buildings. The print shop next door and the children’s clothing store on the other side were branded very well with visible signage and logos that could be seen a half block away.

  Jacques pulled along the curb several cars down from the building. He wondered if the parked cars were customers inside the spa or boutique.

  He got out of the car and walked the short distance to the shop’s front door. He took the time to study the front window display as he noticed the ornate logo that was etched on the glass instead of the traditional vinyl letters.

  Moving over to the door, he glanced at the elegant, yet vintage, floral and leaf designed logo etched on the glass, along with the address and phone number. He took about four steps to his right and looked at the logo for the spa. He was definitely impressed. Moving back to the door of the boutique he could see that there were several customers inside, standing at the counters and admiring the product displays. Pushing the door open, he heard the bell tingle above his head, which was something he hadn’t expected.

  Removing his gloves, Jacques pushed them down in his pockets as he looked around the quaint area of the boutique. The lighting inside wasn’t bright or fluorescent but dimmed a bit with candles displayed, some lit and others not. One display had the bath salts, gels and body soaps in a decorative mirrored box with a satin pink lining, surrounded by ivory pearls and lace sequins. It was done very elegantly and the placement of the products was spot on. Patrice had done a great job with her displays and it almost seemed as if there was some sort of sparkling sheen on it.

  A beautiful fragrance greeted him as he entered the space, helping to give the boutique a very feminine aroma to compliment the elegantly furnished shop. Classical piano playing softly in the background served as a booster to make the shoppers’ experience more enchanting. All these elements peaked his interest in Patrice’s offer even more. He could actually imagine creating several different fragrances just based on what he’d seen of the shop and the packaging so far. He hadn’t even tried the products she offered but he had a feeling they would be made of quality materials.

  “Jacques?”

  He turned in the direction of the voice and found Patrice standing in front of him.

  “Patrice,” he said, staring at her. It had been confirmed that Patrice McClendon was not only a beautiful woman but she seemed to have a head for business. He stared at her navy blue pants suit and how the fabric hit every curve nicely. She was a bit thicker than most of the women he’d met in New York, but he didn’t mind a woman with some meat on her bones.

  Patrice stepped closer to him by the counter. “So, what do you think of the boutique?”

  He continued to scan the room. “Patrice, this is a very nice place. The aromatic fragrance that fills the air is just right. Even though jasmine can be very strong, it’s not over-powering.”

  Patrice smiled. “I would like to show you the spa, which is in the adjoining area, but I’m sure you’re ready to go.”

  “Maybe another time then,” Jacques answered. “We do have reservations.”

  “Oh yes, you never told me where we were going,” she said.

  “Just you wait and see,” he responded.

  “I’ve got so much to tell you,” Patrice said. “I’ll be right back. I need to get my coat.”

  She turned to walk away and Jacques continued to browse the shop. He stopped to watch the young woman behind the counter assist a customer. She seemed to be well versed in the art of aromatherapy.

  A few minutes later, Patrice returned wearing a long black leather coat and she’d donned matching leather gloves. “I’m ready when you are,” she said, walking up behind him.

  “You aren’t leaving your assistant here alone, are you?”

  Patrice shook her head. “She’s closed the store before. There are others working next door in the spa.”

  “Okay, in that case,” Jacques said before capturing her hand and leading her out of the boutique. “My car is just a little ways down the street here. When I drove up there was nowhere to park in front of the shop.”

  “When we started out this morning it was slow but as the day progressed it picked up,” Patrice said, waiting for him to open the car door.

  Jacques closed the door behind her and went around to the other side and got in. As he turned on the engine, he turned to Patrice. “You have a very nice boutique. I’m impressed.” He pressed the button for the heat, which came on in full force.

  She gave him a slight smile. “Yes, it’s looked like that for years now and that’s why I want to expand it.”

  Jacques adjusted the gears and pulled away from the curb into traffic. They didn’t travel far to the restaurant before it struck him that he hadn’t thought the invitation through. He turned to her. “Patrice, I wasn’t thinking when I agreed to pick you up here,” he said.

  He saw the frown on her face. “When we return you’re going to get in your car alone
when I could have dropped you off at home. But that’s okay. I’ll follow you to make sure you get home safely.”

  “That isn’t necessary.”

  “I’m following you home, so no arguing. Let’s just have a good time,” Jacques replied.

  * * * * *

  The valet stepped out when they drove up near the stand. Jacques jumped out, walking swiftly around to Patrice’s side, but one of the workers beat him to open her door.

  Jacques reached for her hand to help her out of the vehicle, keeping her hand inside his. “I hope you like this place.”

  Patrice wondered why Jacques kept grabbing her hand. She thought they were going to have a business dinner, but it was clear by the way he caressed her hand when he held it that it was much more than that.

  He helped her with her coat and carried it along with his own to the coat check and then came back and gave her the claim ticket.

  Patrice looked down and saw him holding out his arm for her to take it as the hostess escorted them to their table.

  After being seated, Patrice thought it was a good time to tell him about her schoolmate’s visit.

  “Jacques, I hope you’ve been thinking seriously about my request for your help with my fragrance.”

  He nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  “Someone came to me today, wanting me to create a signature perfume for them.”

  She saw Jacques’s eyebrows rise. “Is that right?”

  “Yes, she used to go to high school with me and she went on to become a star.”

  “Who?”

  “Angela Simpson.”

  “Really?”

  Patrice started twisting herself in her chair. She could see that Jacques was intrigued and she was excited about that. “Yes, she will be here for two weeks and I want to meet with her to get the details. But as you know, I have no clue as to what this entails. I know I have a good nose, but I need a mentor. Can you help me?”

  Jacques smiled. “Yes, I will help you. I have to go out of town in the morning, but when I get back, I’ll call you and we can get together and talk some more before meeting with Angela.”

  Patrice was over the moon about his agreeing to participate. “Thank you so much. You won’t regret this.”

  “Okay, now that we’ve got business out of the way, let’s just have a good time. You haven’t picked up your menu.”

  “I guess I’m so excited that I completely forgot about eating,” Patrice said, lifting the menu from the table.

  “You don’t want to eat?”

  “I’m sorry. I hope you’re not disappointed. The atmosphere is lovely,” she said, glancing around the room.

  “Well, that’s fine. We can at least order some wine and talk for a while before going back to get your car.”

  “Sure. Sounds good.” Patrice loved wine, so she didn’t mind that at all. She liked talking to him as well. He seemed to know a lot and she had a lot of questions.

  “Jacques, you never told me what you do for a living.”

  “Honestly, I’m a perfumer.”

  I knew it. I knew he was the one. Wow, this is going to be the journey of a lifetime. Patrice couldn’t stop grinning.

  Jacques leaned forward. “What are you smiling about?”

  “I’m so excited about working with you. I can hardly wait.”

  “This is going to be interesting but I have to warn you that it will be a lot of work,” Jacques said.

  Patrice twisted her mouth to the side. “I’m not scared of a little hard work. The benefits are much more rewarding.”

  “Why don’t you tell me a bit about your family’s charity?”

  “We just completed our annual event on New Year’s Eve. We raise money for different children’s charities in Chicago. My parents started it back in the late 1980s.”

  “That’s a long time to host something like that.”

  “Yes, it started out small, but my parents are very passionate about it. So now my siblings and I have to get on board and work with them so that we can carry it on.”

  “So which one of your sisters is Jennifer?”

  Patrice gave Jacques a sidelong glance. “How did you know about Jenn?”

  “I saw the photos from the event on the charity website.”

  “I didn’t know they’d posted them already.”

  “Yes, very nice. You looked beautiful in that shimmering gold dress.”

  Patrice tried not to blush or give him a smile but she was getting the message that Jacques was interested in her. All through the evening she felt Jacques’s eyes on her but when she’d looked at him straightaway, he’d pretend to turn his attention elsewhere.

  Now, she caught herself gazing at him. This man is fine and smart. I sure wouldn’t mind getting to know him better. Just that quickly she had let her mind drift away and hadn’t noticed that he was speaking to her until he reached across the table and touched her hand.

  “Patrice, how good are you at compartmentalized thinking?” he said.

  Patrice frowned. “What?” She had no idea what he was talking about.

  Her eyes met his.

  “Are you capable of handling a business relationship and a personal relationship at the same time?”

  “I’m not short on intelligence nor am I incapable of controlling my emotions. In fact I’m a very disciplined person. So, where are you going with this, Jacques?”

  “First, I’m going to New York tomorrow morning. Then I’m coming back and we’re going to make perfume and love.”

  “Don’t you think you’re moving a bit fast,” Patrice said, without a hint of sincerity in her voice. She had turned down many men in the past for saying a lot less, but for some reason Jacques’s words didn’t sound like a line.

  “No, I don’t, but you let me know if you think I am.”

  Patrice smiled and said, “I will be sure to do that.”

  “Are you ready?”

  “Ready to do what?”

  Jacques chuckled. “To go home, Patrice. What did you think I meant?”

  “Never mind, never mind,” Patrice said, waving her hand at him before pushing the chair back.

  Patrice stood and watched Jacques peel off several bills and leave them on the table. After they picked up their coats from the coatroom, they started out of the building. Patrice didn’t know if the warmth she felt all over was from the wine she drank or from her conversation with Jacques.

  Chapter Six

  Jacques phoned his attorney as soon as he got off the plane. Since he was only going to be in New York for the day, he didn’t have to go to baggage claim, only needing to wait for the text message alerting him that the car was waiting for him outside the terminal at LaGuardia Airport.

  When he walked outside he spotted a short Latino man in a black suit wearing a chauffeur’s cap, holding a sign with Jacques’s name on it. It took them forty-five minutes to get to the New Castle police headquarters. He was very anxious to get this interview out of the way because he was more concerned about what happened to his fragrance and discovering the person responsible for taking it.

  The only time Jacques had been inside a police station was when he, his grandmother and sister had to come down on the night his parents were killed. His only knowledge was from watching a few of those “Law & Order” episodes that he’d seen over the years.

  Walking inside, he removed his cashmere pea coat, throwing it across his left arm. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he punched in the code, prepared to call his lawyer to make sure he was going to be in attendance. He was relieved when he saw him standing in the hallway, carrying his burgundy leather briefcase.

  “John,” Jacques said, walking swiftly toward the man.

  He shook his hand. “Jacques, how was your flight?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary,” Jacques
responded.

  “You ready for this?”

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  “Let’s go in together.”

  The two walked up the stairs to the interrogation room where Detective O’Bryan was waiting.

  “Mr. Germain?” the detective asked.

  Jacques looked up at the willowy looking man with olive skin and a chiseled face. Immediately, the man reminded him of a hard-ass, so he knew from the start that this interview wasn’t going to be easy.

  “Yes, I’m Jacques Germain.” He pulled each finger from his leather gloves before shaking the man’s hand. He glanced around the small dingy room and noticed another man with a thick mustache and shiny head, sitting at the far end of the table with a stoic look on his face. He figured that the two men were probably going to play good cop, bad cop, which was fine with him because he hadn’t done anything wrong.

  “That’s Detective Carson. He’ll be joining us as well,” Detective O’Bryan said as he pulled out an empty chair. “Please have a seat,” he offered before re-taking the one he’d just vacated. “Would you like something to drink? We have coffee, water, and soda.”

  “No, thank you,” Jacques answered, looking down at the empty chair. It was situated cater corner from the officer. He suspected it was done by design since he’d heard how the cops like to bully folks when they questioned them. Finally, he sat down.

  “Mr. Germain, thank you for coming in. We won’t keep you any longer than necessary.”

  Jacques noticed that the man hadn’t cracked as much as a smile yet, so he pegged him as the bad cop.

  “You’re here in the presence of your attorney for an interview concerning a theft that occurred during your employ at Fairchild Ltd. I need to remind you that what you say can be held against you in a court of law. Do you understand that?”

  Jacques settled in the hard wooden chair with his back ramrod straight, making sure that he had the correct posture and exuded nothing but professionalism. He clasped his hands together, looked the detective in the eye before glancing at his attorney for direction. John nodded and Jacques proceeded to answer the question. “Yes, I understand.”