Page 39 of The Scent of Happiness

Theo blamed the botanical gardens. He’d been lost in a world of beauty and fragrance, where logic didn’t matter. He’d let himself slip into Brooke’s way of thinking. No, not thinking. Being. Brooke acted on whim and impulse, so he had done the same.

It had been amazing. All of it. Talking, laughing, sharing memories. Kissing her had been easy. Even bumping noses hadn’t seemed like a big deal, especially since Brooke had giggled and immediately tried again. Their kiss had started sweet, ended hot, and in that upside-down world filled with floral essence, it had also seemed like the right thing to do.

Thank goodness her phone alarm had ended the moment.

Theo rubbed the back of his neck. Mistake. He caught the scent of Brooke on his sleeve—freshness with a soft earthy undertone that made him want to lean over and take her in his arms. He brought his hand down and gripped the steering wheel. I’ve got to walk this back. But how? Apologize? How could he? For one thing, he wasn’t sorry. He didn’t think Brooke was either, so why lie about it?

“Theo?” Brooke fiddled with the straps of her canvas tote bag.

“Mmm hmm?”

“You’ve been quiet a long time.”

Theo slowed for a red light. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Me too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I do that sometimes.” Brooke’s tone was tart. She brushed her fingertips across her lips. “Light’s green.”

Theo focused on the road and pulled ahead with traffic. “Sorry.”

“No, I’m…if we’re pretending that never happened, shouldn’t we be talking about football, or movies, or whatever viral video we saw on the internet this week? Maybe gossiping about people we went to school with?”

“Absolutely. We should be doing that.” This is fine. They could put this behind them. Working together would be no problem. They’d keep everything professional, finish the case, become friends, stay in touch. They’d look back on this and laugh. Totally fine.

Brooke slipped her fingers into the door handle. “So do you, uh…do you still hang out with anyone from school?”

“Derek Reyes is my roommate.”

“That’s great that you guys are still friends. Where do you live?”

“Over by the campus.” Theo didn’t say more than that. She didn’t need to know that their apartment was smack in the midst of co-ops and cheap student housing, or that only two burners worked on the stove and the bathroom sink had a persistent drip, or that he was dying to get his own place, but it was taking forever to climb out of student debt one billable hour at a time. “I emailed you a contract.”

“Saw it.” Brooke stared straight ahead. “I’ll get you the money.”

“There are payment plans.”

“Thanks.”

Theo winced inwardly. This. This was why you didn’t get involved with clients. He turned onto Spruce Street. “Have you photocopied your journal pages?”

“Crap. That’s what I forgot to do today.” She scrambled in her bag for her phone and typed into it. “I didn’t write it down. I forgot. I’m making a note right now and setting an alarm. I’ll do it at work tomorrow. I promise.”

“No hurry on the—” Theo cut himself off when he saw the Cannondale Police car in Brooke’s driveway. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. My parents!” Brooke opened the door before the car came to a full stop. She scrambled out and headed toward the house.

Theo parked at the curb and followed Brooke up the driveway. Mr. and Mrs. Nesbitt stood between the patrol car and the garage. They both looked okay, which was a relief, but a visit from Cannondale’s finest couldn’t be good.

While Brooke hugged her parents, Theo paused to button his collar button and tighten his tie. He took a photo of the patrol car number so he could follow up later.

A uniformed officer stood next to the car. He was about Theo’s age, with a similar broad-shouldered build. He wasn’t wearing his cap, but his red hair was mashed down on his head as if he’d just taken it off. His eyes were partially hidden behind amber aviators.

Theo arrived in time to hear Mr. Nesbitt say, “Of course, Officer. I’ll go get the keys,” before heading into the house.

The cop turned to Mrs. Nesbitt. “Do you keep your garage locked at all times, ma’am?”