Orange, and Autumn Magic, which was a blend of white tea, apple bits, and black currants.
Her own line of T-Bath products lined the bottom two shelves. Her Chamomile Calming Lotion was by far thebiggest seller, but they also sold lots of jars of White Tea Feet Treat as well as their T-Bath Bombs.
When everything looked perfect and organized, Theodosia glanced around the tea shop and smiled. The little shingled carriage house that she had freshened, decorated, and cozied up was her pride and joy. The tea-stained wooden floor lent rustic charm, while the candles, bone china, and fancy linens imbued it with a Victorian feel. Oh, and there were the decorated grapevine wreaths and swags hanging on the walls, too. Wild vines sheâd collected and dried at Cane Hill, her aunt Libbyâs plantation, then laced with velvet ribbons and hung with delicate floral teacups. So the whole shop projected a kind of rustic-Victorian-boho vibe, if there really was such a thing.
âTheodosia?â Drayton was calling to her, so she ambled over to the front counter, where he was chatting with a newly arrived guest. A man who was dressed almost on a par with Drayton. That is, a tweed jacket, pocket square, tailored slacks, and horn-rimmed glasses. But no bow tie, just a regular tie.
âTheo,â Drayton said. âIâd like you to meet Lionel Rinicker.â
Theodosia shook hands with a smiling Rinicker and said, âBut I kind of know who you are already. Youâre on the board of directors with Drayton. At the Heritage Society.â
Rinicker, who was six feet tall and thin bordering on storklike, beamed down at her. âThatâs right. And I have to say Iâm loving it, even though Iâm relatively new to Charleston.â
âLionel moved here six months ago,â Drayton said.
âAnd youâre already on the board,â Theodosia said. âThatâs very impressive. Drayton and his merry band must think quite highly of you.â She decided that Lionel Rinicker did look rather cultured and urbane.
âLionel and I have very similar tastes in art,â Drayton said. âIn fact, he used to teach art history when he lived in Bous.â
âAnd that city is where?â Theodosia asked. She gave him a rueful gaze. âSorry, geography was never my strong suit.â
âItâs in Luxembourg,â Rinicker said. âThe southern part of the country. Though Iâm afraid Luxembourg itself is only some nine hundred and ninety-eight square miles in total.â
âAnd you were born there?â Theodosia asked. Sheâd never met a Luxembourger before. If thatâs what they were called.
âNo, no,â Rinicker said. âIâm not a native. I was born in Hollenburg, Austria, just outside of Vienna. I moved to Luxembourg some years ago so I could teach at the university just across the German border. The University of Trier.â
âWow,â Theodosia said. âYouâre a regular citizen of the world.â
âHardly,â Rinicker said as Drayton began to steer him toward an empty table.
âIâm sorry,â Theodosia said. âIâm standing here gabbing away and youâve come to eat lunch.â She wiped her hands on her apron. âWhat can I bring you? Did Drayton show you our menu?â
âWhy donât you bring him a cup of chowder, a scone, and a chicken potpie,â Drayton said. âIf there are any potpies left.â
âOf course, thereâs one left,â Theodosia told Rinicker. âAnd Iâm pretty sure itâs got your name on it.â
He chuckled. âLovely.â
â¢Â   â¢Â   â¢
Theodosia cleared two tables, rang up tabs for departing guests, and handled a half-dozen take-out orders. Then, when everything seemed fairly copacetic, she plopped into the chair across from Lionel Rinicker. He was just finishing the last bits of his scone.
A smile lit
J. S. Cooper, Helen Cooper
Joyce Meyer, Deborah Bedford