Page 48 of Under the Northern Lights
“Gage, I’d love to take some candles home with me, but I’m pretty sure they’re not permitted in a carry-on,” Aurora said.
“Then I’ll mail them to you in Seattle.”
“If she finds any other candles she wants, I can mail them all to her together,” Sidney offered. “It would save on postage.”
“I’ll accept your gift,” Aurora said with an appreciative smile, “but I insist on paying for my own shipping for anything I buy, plus the candle you’re buying for me.”
He nodded. At least, she was accepting his gift.
Looking to Sidney, she said, “Can I smell the candles in the Northern Candlelights Collection?”
“Absolutely,” the younger woman replied. “They’re over here on this wall,” she said, motioning for Aurora to follow as she crossed the room.
Gage walked over and took a seat in one of two leather armchairs in front of a large candle display window. The perfect spot for husbands to wait while their wives shopped. Or, in his case, while his guest, who felt oddly like something more, shopped.
“So, what was the candle I smelled coming in called again?” Aurora asked.
“That was Solar Flare.”
“It smelled so unbelievably good,” Aurora told her. “I absolutely love the candle scents that come out in the fall and at Christmas.”
Sidney beamed with pride. “Then you’ve come to the right place.” She motioned around the shop where dark metal shelves held rows and rows of single and two-wick candles for purchase. “These are all made from one hundred percent soy wax and are handmade daily in the back of the shop by my mother.”
“I’m guessing Melissa is busy at work right now, creating her next incredible scent,” Gage said from the other side of the room.
“She is.” Sidney turned to Aurora. “Mom is the candle chemist around here. She pours and packages the candles while I handle the sales, shipping, and marketing. We’ve started working on our line for the upcoming holidays, so she’s been really busy with perfecting festive scents. Our candles sell well, but go like hotcakes over the holiday season.”
“Maybe we should offer some in our gift shop at the retreat,” Gage thought aloud.
“You should.” Aurora moved along the towering shelf, smelling each of the special collection’s candle scents. “I can’t speak for men, but most women enjoy candles. Especially when there is a variety of scents to choose from.”
After about five minutes of sampling the scents of every candle in the Northern Candlelights Collection, along with a few others, Aurora turned toward the checkout counter where Sidney stood talking to Gage.
“Do you sell your candles online?” Aurora asked. “There are so many I would love to try.”
“We do,” Sidney replied.
Picking up one of the jars she hadn’t gotten to yet, Aurora lowered her head and took a slow, studying sniff. “Mmm ... I get vanilla, I think, and possibly nutmeg.”
“She has a great nose,” Sidney told Gage.
And a great smile.Gage somehow managed to keep that thought to himself.
“These would make the most perfect Christmas gift.” She looked at Gage. “And before you say anything, I know Christmas is still three months away. I happen to be one of those who likes to start shopping early.”
He put up his hands. “Hey, I wasn’t going to say anything, but since you brought it up ...”
Ignoring his teasing, she set that candle down and picked up another from the neatly organized black shelf, one of several that lined the wall from ceiling to floor. Lifting its lid, she sniffed the scented soy wax. “All of these candles smell so good. This is definitely pumpkin and something else that I can’t quite put a mental finger on.”
“Autumn fig,” Sidney said. “The scents are printed on the sides of the jar labels.”
Aurora turned the jar and laughed. “I guess they are. I was so distracted by the incredibly yummy smell that I didn’t even notice.”
Gage was soaking up everything about Aurora. The simplest things made her so happy. And seeing her joy madehimhappy.
“The sampler packs with their assorted two-point-five-ounce candles make wonderful little stocking stuffers.”
“I guess the only way to really know which scents are my favorite is to burn them. So I’ll have you ship me one of the sampler sets also. Once I get them and have a chance to try them out, I’ll no doubt be ordering more.”
