Page 97 of The Scent of Happiness

He opened it and held it under his nose. And there it was. Flowers. Champagne. Kisses. Laughter. Harmony. Companionship. Love.

The shoppers who were looking at Brooke’s soaps leaned over the table to take in this new scent. Customers at the next table dropped the scarves they were perusing, the jeweler across the hall lost all her business, and a mom plowed her stroller into a teenager in her haste to get to Theo. Even Brooke’s parents edged closer.

“Where do I get that?” the mom with the stroller asked.

“Is that for sale?” someone else asked.

“How much?”

“What?” Theo asked. “No, sorry. No, this is mine.” He cradled it to his chest, inhaling more of the scent. It was out of this world, but Brooke was a fragrance genius, and she’d put every bit of her passion into it, so why wouldn’t it be in demand?

Brooke stepped in front of him. “This is a custom blend. I made this. But I also made everything on this table, if you’d like to shop.”

Nobody moved. Brooke turned to her parents. “Shouldn’t you be selling?”

“Selling what?” her mom asked. “Nobody is going to buy a thing when that stuff is in the room.”

Theo capped the bottle and tried to wave the scent away, although that only dispersed it. Perhaps, in time, the hungry crowd would disperse as well.

Brooke laughed and took his hand. Everything around them seemed to fade. The customers and the vendors blurred into the background. Above them, Silent Night was muted, as if someone had covered the overhead speakers. Even the soaps on the table didn’t smell as strong.

He was completely caught up in Brooke’s laughter, the joy on her face, and the love in her eyes. It was as if a spotlight shone on her, and also through her, lighting her from within.

“I love this soap,” he whispered in her ear. “And I love you.”

He didn’t need to smell the crook of his elbow, or smell the soap she’d made for him, or the scent of Brooke’s hair as she held him close. She was his, and he was hers, and from now on, every breath would be filled with the essence of her.

Chapter Thirty

Eight months later, Brooke stepped out of the rec center doors into the blinding summer afternoon. She couldn’t believe it was August already. Summer was flying by.

Teaching a soapmaking class on top of clerking at the library and her own soap business meant she was busier than ever, but the class hardly seemed like work because she loved everything about it. Her students were enthusiastic, curious, and creative. They took the class seriously and asked great questions. They were even teaching her a few things as she let them explore new ways to design and fragrance soap.

Marci was her favorite student. She needed an outlet after moving her mother into assisted living and had fallen in love with soapmaking. She made gorgeous designs and scented them with care, making herself, her mom, and all the nurses at the facility very happy.

The rec center board had invited Brooke back for next semester to teach an advanced class. So now she could teach things like pull-throughs, frosted soaps, and pipe swirls. Her imagination was alight with ideas.

Her phone rang with Theo’s custom ringtone. She brought the phone to her ear and lowered her voice to a sultry pitch. “Well, hello there.”

“Hey,” Theo said. “I know I was supposed to pick you up, but I’m sending a Lyft to take you to Riverside Gifts.”

“What? Why?” They both had the afternoon off at the same time, which never happened, and they’d planned movies and ice cream. “Are you all right?”

“Everything is great.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “Your mom has something for you at her shop. And it looks like your driver is there. The app says it’s a white Toyota.”

The Lyft crawled into the lot and Brooke held up a hand for the driver. “I don’t get it,” she told Theo.

“You will. I’ll see you soon.” He ended the call.

* * *

Brooke’s mom was waiting for her at Riverside Gifts. She wouldn’t say why Theo was acting so odd, or what her part was in his plan. “This has been in the works for weeks, though,” Mom said.

“What is? What’s in the works?”

Mom became very busy rearranging sunglasses on a display shelf.

“It’s not my birthday. It’s not his birthday. We haven’t been dating a year so it’s not an anniversary thing.” Brooke paced in front of the checkout counter, trying to figure it out. They’d already celebrated Theo’s new job three months ago. He’d joined his friend Poppy’s firm, working on civil rights and social justice causes, and he couldn’t be happier. He’d negotiated severance from his old firm and was paying down his loans a little bit at a time.