Chapter -103:THE CHAT WITH LIORA
I had been arranging jasmine samples when my phone buzzed on the counter the bright, familiar name Liora lighting the screen like a small sun. My chest did something impossible: it lurched, then soothed. Liora was home.
I wiped my hands instinctively on the hem of my apron, the scent of vetiver and bergamot clinging to my fingers. The boutique was doing its usual afternoon lull a few customers leaning over fragrances, Isla and Lila's laughter carried by a text from the nanny. For a second I considered ignoring the call until closing; I'd promised the twins I'd be home early. But Liora had been away for months, flitting between cities and festivals, scattering postcards like breadcrumbs. This call felt like the last breadcrumb.
"Riiina!" she sang the moment I answered. Her voice was bigger than the shop bright, sunlit, exactly as I remembered. "I'm back. Landed ten minutes ago and I thought god, I thought I'd die if I didn't call you first."
