CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR – RINA
The decision had been made.
But making a decision and acting on it were two very different things.
The next morning, I stood by my shop window, staring at the little bell above the door as if it had become a living thing. This place Calderhallow had been my safe harbor for almost five years. Every brick, every familiar face in this small town had stitched me back together piece by piece when I thought I'd never heal.
And now, I had to say goodbye.
The first person I told was Mrs. Finch, the kind elderly woman who had been my very first customer when I opened my tiny shop. She listened quietly, her warm hands folded on top of her cane.
"Arden City?" she repeated softly, her brows knitting together.
"Yes," I said, smiling a little too brightly. "There's an opportunity there for me for us. The girls are growing, and I… I think I'm ready."
Mrs. Finch studied me for a long moment before nodding. "Good. You were never meant to stay hidden forever, Rina Hale. The world should smell your magic."
Her words nearly undid me, but I hugged her tightly and promised to visit.
The rest of the week was filled with quiet goodbyes. The butcher who always saved me the best cuts. The librarian who kept aside books she thought the girls might like. The neighbors who had helped me through sleepless nights when the twins were still babies.
Everyone wished me well, but each farewell tugged at something deep in my chest.
At night, when the girls were asleep, I sat cross-legged on the floor surrounded by half-packed boxes and let myself cry just a little.
It wasn't sadness, not entirely.
It was gratitude.
And fear.
On the twins' last afternoon at their preschool, the teacher gathered everyone for a small farewell. "Lila and Isla are going to live in the big city now!" she announced, her voice cheerful.
My girls beamed proudly, and I couldn't help but laugh through the ache in my chest.
"Say goodbye to your friends, darlings," I whispered as they hugged their classmates.
When we walked home, Isla looked up at me. "Mama, will our new house have a garden?"
"Yes," I said without hesitation. "And it will be even bigger than this one."
Lila grinned. "Then we can plant more flowers!"
Their excitement was a balm to my worries. Maybe this was the right thing after all.
That night, after tucking them in, I lit one of my favorite candles a jasmine and sandalwood blend and sat at my worktable.
This was where it had all started: the mixing bowls, the tiny glass vials, the quiet hours after the girls were asleep.
I had built a business here.
I had built a life here.
But now, it was time to build something more.
I reached for a fresh label and wrote, in careful script:
Arden — The Beginning.
I would take this scent with me. The first new perfume I would release in the city.
My way of telling the world and myself that Rina Hale was done hiding.