How the Light Gets In (Cracks Duet #2)(45)
I saw us on the roof of the Villas, so young and innocent, falling in love.
I saw us spending every day together, full of passion and excitement to have found someone that fit us so perfectly.
It amazed me how something so simple, just a combination of scents could propel me through a porthole into the past. And if I concentrated hard enough, I could pretend I was back there, just for a little while.
I could be in a place where I was happy, a moment captured in time, before everything changed.
Chapter 14
“I got your text,” I said as I entered Dylan’s office.
He stood by his desk, a mess of tubes containing different essential oils in front of him. There were notes scribbled on paper and discarded paper coffee cups galore. He looked manic and exhausted. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, the top few buttons of his shirt undone. His hair was rumpled in a way that made me want to run my hands through it and mess it up even more.
“Great, you’re here. Come in,” he said and ushered me forward.
I unbuttoned my coat and slipped it off, wondering what he was in such a hurry for.
“What’s going on, Dylan?”
He levelled his eyes on me, his brimming over with frenetic energy. “I think I’ve found it.”
“Found what?”
“The combination of scents.”
“Oh,” I exclaimed. “That’s fantastic. Can I smell?
“Of course. Why do you think I asked you over?” Dylan picked up a container and started adding lots of different oils. He placed them in an odd little machine that mixed them all up, then he removed the container and held it out to me.
I eyed him curiously. “You don’t want to smell it first?”
He shook his head. “No. It has to be you. I want to see your reaction, then I’ll know if it’s right.”
This felt like an important moment.
He was bestowing a responsibility on me—an honour—that I wasn’t sure I was worthy of. Swallowing back my nerves, I took it from him.
I inhaled and closed my eyes. A medley of freesia, fig leaf, tiare flower and poinsettia captured my senses. It was the original mixture we’d come up with together, but there was more and it was all Dylan. I would never have the nose, the creative intuition and genius to pick out such a perfect combination. Sam’s smile flashed in my mind’s eye, his blue eyes shining in a moment of happiness, and I knew Dylan had gotten it right. There was orchid and vanilla and something else . . .
“Is that pepper?”
“Yes,” Dylan exclaimed, his smile huge, eyes so alight they practically sparkled.
I concentrated, trying hard to figure out the base note. “And sandalwood?”
“Perfect,” he breathed.
“You took the words right out of my mouth.”
“No, I mean your reaction. It’s perfect. That’s exactly what I wanted to see.”
“You can tell if a perfume’s right from just one person’s reaction?”
“Not just anybody’s. Yours.”
My cheeks reddened as I set the container down on his desk. “So, what next?”
Dylan started to pace, his mind moving faster than his words. “I’ll have my lab in California create a number of samples. We’ll test them on my marketing team, collect their responses and ideas. After that we’ll figure out what direction we want to take.”
I stared at him, feeling truly hopeful and inspired for the first time in a long time.
“I’m excited,” I breathed.
He came and stood in front of me, then pulled me close to his chest with his arms wrapped around me. “We did it, Ev.” He almost sounded like a giddy little boy, but hints of sadness permeated his excitement as if he still wasn’t sure it was enough. It is enough, Dylan. It is. You are.
He pulled back and took each of my hands in his. “Thank you.”
He kissed my forehead, lingering a little longer than perhaps necessary when he said, “I’ve been meaning to ask, what are your and Yvonne’s plans for Christmas?”
I gave a gentle shrug. “We’ll probably just hang out at the apartment and gorge on turkey. Why?”
His expression softened. “What do you think about coming to stay at my place? My dad and Bridget will be there, and Conor’s parents and his sister, Bethany, are coming, too.”
My heart swelled, because that sounded lovely. I’d never had a big family Christmas in a houseful of people before. For so long it had been Yvonne and me, then Gran and me if Yvonne couldn’t make it home to visit.
I looked up at Dylan and nodded. “Sure, I’ll ask Yvonne, but I’m sure she’d love to.”
His answering smile took my breath away.
*
It was Christmas Eve morning when Dylan and I were scheduled to meet with his marketing team. I thought it was an odd day to do it, but Dylan said he wanted to get the ball rolling so we could go full steam ahead in the new year.
I turned up at the offices, which happened to be located in Manhattan. They were on the 47th floor of a building on Park Avenue and I swore my ears popped going up in the elevator. I wore the only black pencil skirt I owned, with a deep red blouse and some heels. I hoped I looked the part and didn’t immediately give off ‘outsider’ vibes.