Lavender

Chapter Six

Saturday afternoon my hand is acting as a shield to block my eyes from the blinding sun as I walk along the wooden planks of the boardwalk, in search of the perfect new outfit for the party tonight.

There's not a cloud in the bright blue sky, the wind is blowing ever so faintly, and you can smell the salt in the air. In other words, it's a perfect day.

Stopping into Sunset Bee, I walk towards to the counter to see if Theo is there, but he's not. Instead, a short woman with a blond bob and big blue eyes takes his place.

Roaming up and down the aisles, I finally spot him hunched over some cardboard boxes, taking lotions out and placing them meticulously on shelves with their labels all facing the same way.

"Hey you!"

His head whips around and he grins when he sees me.

"Matthews! I'm glad you're here. We got something in stock today that I think you'll really like."

He grabs my hand and guides me down the next aisle over, then hands me a bottle off of the shelf. The light pink label states that it's a lavender infused lotion.

"Lavender is my favorite!"

"I noticed." He smirks and leads me to the counter.

I follow him silently, shocked that he was paying close enough attention to notice such a small detail about me. I can't help but to smile.

"Well hello. Who's this?" The woman I spotted when I came in asks from behind the register, with a smile that's exactly the same as Theo's.

"Mother, this is Cora Matthews. Cora, this is my mom." Theo has referred to me by my last name for so long now that it almost sounds funny when he calls me by my actual name.

"Oh I've heard so much about you!" She almost yells as she holds out her petite hand in front of me.

It's no wonder she's so successful with her business, her personality was pure saleswoman.

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am." I take her hand and give it a slight shake, wondering what all Theo has told her about me.

"Geez mom, don't tell her ALL of my secrets." Theo rolls his eyes while handing her the bottle of lotion. "I'm going to use my employee discount for this by the way."

"Oh sweetie, just have it. A gift from me to you." She pushes it back to him and leans across the counter to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thanks mom!" He yells as he wipes red lipstick off of his tawny cheek and pushes me towards the door.

"Nice to meet you Cora," she calls before we reach the door, and I turn to give her a small wave goodbye.

"She won't stop talking unless you just leave," he explains with a roll of his eyes when we're outside. "Is that for tonight?" He asks eying my shopping bag.

"It is! And no, you can't see it until later tonight," I answer his next question before it even comes out of his mouth, flipping the sack over my shoulder.

"And speaking of tonight, you're still picking me up, right?"

"Yeah I get off in about an hour then I'll go get ready and meet you at your house," he says glancing at his watch and then back at me through the thick lashes encompassing his ocean blue eyes.

"Great! Thanks again for my lotion, I love it!" I open up the top and close my eyes, taking in a whiff of the sweet lavender scent to distract me from his intense gaze.

"I'm glad." He smiles, "But I should get back inside and finish stocking. See you later, Matthews."

Then he turns to walk back inside the store, and I walk in the opposite direction, back to my house, smiling the whole way.