Izzy palmed Tess’s scissors from the cutting counter as she passed, keeping herself low as the woman moved closer to the emergency exit. “Excuse me. We’re closed. How did you get in here?”

The woman eyes darted toward the door again. “Uhm, the door was unlocked. I thought you were still open.”

Izzy closed the space between her and the woman, the air between them choked with a heavy sulfur scent. Gunpowder. Her gaze dropped to the woman’s purse and her nostril flared. Isabel looked past her shoulder to Tess who motioned to the phone in her hand.

The woman tried to slip past Izzy, but before she could push past, Isabel locked her hand over her wrist. “Look, you have ten seconds to leave the premises or my friend is going to finishing dialing the police.” Heat scored Isabel’s chest and her hand tightened, strength flowing into her grip. “The front door was locked and you know it.”

The woman swallowed hard, her eyes moving from her wrist to the door. “You better let go of my arm or I’ll be the one calling the cops.”

“Go ahead. I’m sure they’ll be very interested in what you’ve got hidden in your purse.” Isabel stared her down, her eyes narrowing as a different scent overshadowed the metallic tang of the woman’s adrenaline. This one spelled true fear. “I’m going to venture a guess this was not your idea. Someone is making you do this.”

The woman’s lips trembled. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You and I both know that’s a lie,” Izzy replied softly.

The woman’s eyes widened, but she didn’t argue the point, and when Izzy loosened her grip, she slipped her hand free and darted for the door.

“Oh, and that unlicensed item in your purse,” Isabel continued, pointing to the woman’s handbag, “give it back to the man making you do this before you hurt yourself or someone else. He’s not worth it, and he doesn’t have your back the way you think. You’ll rot in jail while the coward finds some other dumb girl to do his dirty work.”

The door opened and closed in a fraction of a second and the woman was gone. “Holy shit! That was ballsy.” Hands shaking, Tessa lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. “How did you know she had a gun in her bag?”

“I smelled the gunpowder.” With a shrug, Isabel turned her back to the door. “Remember how my dad used to take me to the range with him? I used to think my keen senses made me a weird kind of psychic, but I keep losing my car keys and my sunglasses, so there goes that idea. It was later I realized the ability was something inherited from my mother’s shifter blood. It’s where I get my superhero nose.” She tapped the side of her nostril.

“Iz, she could have shot you.”

Isabel walked back toward where Tess waited by the backstairs. “I knew she didn’t have it in her to shoot. Her scent told me she was coerced. Anyway, I double-locked the door just in case she decides to be stupid and come back. You should call the police, though. It’s clear she and her partner are the ones responsible for the neighborhood break-ins.”

“You can smell tiny grains of gunpowder, but still no urge to howl at the moon?” Tessa gave a nervous laugh, the tension draining from her face.

Izzy shook her head. “Don’t you think I’d know by now if I was a full moon fur ball or not? Besides, my father’s Spanish blood makes me hairy enough, thank you very much. Thank God for home waxing kits.”

Tessa blew out a stream of smoke and then ground out what was left of her cigarette with her heel. “Your sense of smell tells you heaps about degenerate strangers, but you can’t see the forest for the trees with Candice and Alison?”

Rolling her eyes, Izzy exhaled. “And we’re back to this. It’s not the same thing, Tess.”

The older woman raised an eyebrow. “Think about it, Izzy. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck. You need to listen to your gut, just like you did with that woman. And you need to do the same thing when it comes to this guy of yours. Zander.”

Isabel exhaled, reaching for her bags on the counter. “Has anyone ever told you you’re like a dog with a bone?”

“And what if your patience is a virtue plan doesn’t work out?”

Iz shrugged. “Then you can be the first to say I told you so.”

“I don’t want to say I told you so. I want you to be happy and successful.” Tessa’s eyes found hers again. “It’s time, Isabel. You need to break out on your own and shine. You need to get out there and talk to people. Network. Let the magic flow.”

Isabel fidgeted with her sleeve. “I do talk to people.”

Tessa laughed, steering her back upstairs. “Talking to me and the old biddies that come in for crochet patterns is not what I mean. You need to meet industry insiders. That way you can show people what you can do.”

Still avoiding her friend’s eyes, Izzy inhaled, letting her breath out in a quick puff. “I know.”

Tessa sat her on the kitchen stool again. “Look at me, Iz. Something’s going to give. I feel it.” She waited for Isabel to meet her gaze. “Call it intuition, but something is stirring and you need to be ready to take the opportunity when it comes. Even if it means risking everything. I think meeting this guy was more than coincidence. Zander might be just what you need, in more ways than one.” She winked.

She smiled, patting Izzy’s hand again. “You can always move in with me if it all blows up. In the meantime, you need to make something amazing for yourself.” Tessa took her scissors back from Isabel’s hand and slit the thick craft paper on a wrapped bolt on the kitchen counter. She spread the ends wide and smiled. “…and this is just the ticket.”

Isabel’s eyes widened at the gorgeous waterfall blue fabric. “Tess! Where did you find this? I’ve been looking for ages! Ever since Alison saw something like it in Milan last year.”

“I’ve had it for a while.” The woman cracked a smile, sliding the long bolt onto the kitchen counter. “I never let on because there was no way I would let you slave over something this amazing and then hand it over to someone else. Not when the material is so perfect for you.”

Isabel stood, leaning across the counter to run a hand over the Italian silk, its watercolor iridescence shimmering in the dim kitchen light. “It’s absolutely stunning, but I can’t afford this.”

Tess smiled. “I know, honey. That’s why it’s my treat.”

Isabel shook her head. “I can’t, Tess. Not with something so expensive. Besides, it’ll probably sit on a shelf in my sewing room longer than it’s been in your shop.”

“For heaven's sake, why? I swear, Izzy. I won’t let the fabric out of the store if you’re not going to use it on yourself. The color is perfect for you, especially with your hazel eyes.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence, but how am I supposed to make something for myself with all the work I have ahead of me?” Isabel exhaled, flopping back onto the stool.

“Iz, how else are you going to take that leap of faith unless you close your eyes and trust your gut? I get you don’t have the money to market your own work, but you can be your own walking billboard. Make something extraordinary. My gut says karma will lend a hand—with everything.”