Page 77 of All In Good Time

People would be asking him about it at his next shift, and maybe the rumors would still be going around at the start of the school year.

Whatever. There were too many candles to smell, and he’d promised he would pick up Becca and go for a drive in two hours. At this rate, he’d be late.

He wasn’t aware that candles had so many possible scents. Lemon, rose, pumpkin, and, strangely, linen.

None of them stood out to him, and after about twenty different scents, they started to meld together into a single unidentifiable concoction that was distinctly candle and nothing else.

Maybe this was another dead end, too many candles and none worth pursuing.

One more. He would try one more and leave.

He picked a pastel purple one, and read the name written across it—Lavender.

Twisting the lid off, he inhaled.

He’d smelled this before.

Waking in the mornings, driving in his car, late in the middle of the night, eating ice cream.

It washer.It was the scent he had smelled in any situation that Rebecca was a part of and that he had long since come to associate with the memories and moments of her.

He didn’t know it had a name.

It was perfect. Clearly, she loved this scent, because it followed her everywhere. Silly, but this was the perfect gift for her.

He took his findings and checked out with Candice—according to her nametag—placing two of the candles on the counter. She looked from him to the candles, then back at him, a single eyebrow raised.

He leaned against the surface and crooked a corner of his mouth up at her. “Put them in two different bags for me.”

She enjoyed the attention and tucked a piece of hair behind her. “Sure thing, Derek.”

He left the store satisfied with himself. Becca would be happy with anything he gifted her—she was that type of person—but the effort he’d put into finding her something she’d actually like would make it even better.

He leaned against the escalator railing, holding up his purchase, and took another look at the two bags, grinning in delight. He couldn’t wait to see her smile when she opened this. Of course, he would only be giving her one bag.

The other candle was for him. Silly, sure, but the thought of having something that smelled like her all the time in his room made him—

His grin fell, and halfway down the escalator, Derek was hit with the realization…like he was opening his eyes for the first time.

He loved her.

First it had been gratitude he felt. That quickly morphed into trust, then turned into an unfamiliar longing and nervousness, and all it took was a mall candle for him to realize he was madly, fantastically in love with this girl. Even if it was just her scent, he wanted to imagine she was with him, even when she wasn’t. He wanted it to wrap around him, to give him the comfort he had when she was there, the tenderness, the happiness.

God, helovedher. So much, it ached when she was away. So much, he saw her in the tiniest things around him. So much that, if there was a single person to have for the rest of his life, he would pick her without hesitation.

“Fuck.”

30

October 1985 | After

Picking up her old job at the theater was Marty’s idea. She’d quit after the summer, thinking that her time would be taken up with classes, studying, college applications, exams, and…other things.

Unfortunately, the main thing she had counted on filling all her free time was gone now, and she had a glaring vacancy for a much-needed diversion.

It took her all of five minutes to get the job back—being the valuable and reliable employee she was—and then she’d been in the theater after school three days a week and on the weekend for the past week. Scooping popcorn and filling sodas was never her ideal way of earning money, but it was easier having Nicole and Marty there to help distract her. They made everything else bearable.

“Let’s get something to eat.” Marty leaned against the counter as Becca wiped down the greasy outside of the popcorn machine to give her hands something to do during an early stall in customers.

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