Rachel was closing up shop that day, when the bell over the door tinkled and she heard someone walk in. Even though her back was to him, Rachel could tell that it was Brandon. She turned around, and he was standing sheepishly with one hand gripping the back of his neck. A bouquet was in his hand.
"I can't accept your flowers," Rachel said. "I won't."
"It's not what you think," Brandon said hurriedly. "I'm moving back to San Francisco. I can't handle Swaddle's fast-paced life. Two murders in a week, and I could have been a third victim—if it wasn't for you, and Scott, and Emily."
Rachel bowed her head. "Then shouldn't you be giving Scott and Emily the flowers?"
"I sent them a token of my appreciation in the post," Brandon said. "But I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to you properly, and without asking if you'd reconsider."
"Reconsider?"
Brandon stepped up, and held her hands in his. "Me. Reconsider me, Rachel."
"I was sick the last few days," Rachel said. "How come you didn't come see me?"
"Oh, that . . ." Brandon shrugged. "I was just out of the hospital; I didn't want to be around someone sick. Secondary infections are dangerous, you know."
Rachel smiled. Brandon was just . . . Brandon. He could be infuriatingly narcissistic one moment, then charming and sweet the next. She'd somehow missed this self-centered streak of his until he'd done something drastic like selling her company, and she supposed that it was perhaps because she had a streak like that herself. After all, not too far in the past, she had chosen to skip her aunt's funeral just because she had an important meeting at the company.
"You know, I never said this before, but selling that company was one of the best things you ever did for me," Rachel said. "It transformed my life. When I walked away from you and started life again in Swaddle, it was the hardest thing I'd ever done. But I've changed now. I'm a new person—thanks to you, in a way." Brandon blinked, looking confused.
"Thing is, Brandon, I'm a new me. I let my past hold me back from fully enjoying my present. Like it or not, you're in my past now. That's never going to change."
Brandon looked sad, but nodded. "Alright then," he said. "It's for the best, I guess. I'll go out there and find myself a new life the way you've done."
"Good luck," Rachel said, and she meant it.
Brandon had his hand on the door and was about to push it open when she let out a little shout. "Hold on!" she cried.
Brandon turned around, confused. "What?"
"Listen. That day at the hospital . . . you talked about how you owed me money for my share of the company," Rachel said. "Remember?"
"Yeah. You never wanted the money cause you said you'd feel dirty or something." Brandon laughed. "What happened? Did you change your mind?"
"Kind of," Rachel said. "Here's what I want . . ."
*****
Chapter 25
The Third Galaxy
"I LOVE IT!" Ollie screamed. He gave a high whoop of delight and ran around in a frenzied circle.
"Stand still, Ollie!" Emily exclaimed. "Don't touch the cake yet. We haven't sung 'Happy Birthday' yet!"
"I'm five now!" Ollie said happily. "I'm a grown-up."
Emily's house was filled with balloons and hanging streamers shaped like planets, stars, and spaceships. There was quite a crowd, too. Rachel stood near a wall, trying to reattach a balloon to it with a piece of scotch tape. Ollie looked very uncomfortable, but very cute, in a full-sleeved plaid shirt and a dark blue bow tie. He had a plastic crown around his head, and was acting like he was king for a day. Jay had a large camera to his face, and was photographing him every other minute. Ollie posed proudly next to the galaxy cake that Rachel had baked for him. It was two tiered, and she'd added a chocolate spaceman on top, with a tentacled space monster with M&M's eyes peeking out from one side of the cake. Ollie seemed to identify with the monster more than the spaceman. He walked around the room making growling noises, and drawing his friends into some complicated imaginary game.
"Adorable, isn't it?" Tricia sidled up next to Rachel.
"Hello, you." Rachel smiled at her. "You're glowing today."
Tricia's hair was loose, and she was wearing a floaty cotton dress. Her smile was radiant, and that tired look that often shadowed her eyes was entirely missing. "I am glowing," Tricia said. "I'm the luckiest woman alive right now."
"Really? What happened?" Rachel asked innocently.
"Don't tell anyone." Tricia dropped her voice to a whisper. "Someone made an anonymous donation to the bookstore. It's huge, Rachel. Enough to keep me in business for quite some time! I think I know exactly who did it, too."
"Oh." Rachel blushed. She'd asked Brandon to be anonymous, but . . .
"Dorothy Stickman!" Tricia exclaimed.
"Huh?" Rachel stared at her.
"Dorothy probably donated the money to me after I canceled that horrible seance," Tricia said. "So good deeds don't always go unrewarded. What a saint of a woman! It's in a good cause, too. Swaddle's people and its kids need a bookstore. It's a vital ingredient for a smart, successful town."
"Congratulations." Rachel didn't want to correct her. She gave her a hug instead. "I hope you'll be running it for years and years. I'll bring my kids in one day, and maybe my grandkids too."
Tricia nodded, and the lights in the room dimmed a little as Emily lit the candles on Ollie's cake. Everyone started clapping and singing "Happy Birthday."
Rachel felt her heart fill as she looked around the room. Scott was laughing as Ollie deliberately missed feeding him cake and instead smooshed it into the side of his face. Scott responded by covering the birthday boy's entire face with icing. Emily scolded them both but hid a smile as she marched Ollie off to the bathroom to clean up. Scott joked around with a few others in the room, and then headed to the kitchen to clean himself up too.
Rachel slipped in behind him as he was toweling his face dry.
"You missed a spot," she said.
He looked up, and his smile broadened automatically, as it did every time he saw her. "What'd I miss?" he asked.
"Well, right here." She put a finger up to his cheek, and flicked away a crumb.
"The cake was delicious, by the way. Ollie loves it." Scott smiled. "Everyone loves it."
"Do you?" Rachel asked, her voice suddenly quiet. "Love it, I mean?"
"Um . . ." Scott gulped. "I . . . well . . . I guess I don't know it well enough yet. I'd have to eat a lot more cake before I could love it."
"True," Rachel said.
"So Brandon's leaving town, I hear?" Scott changed the subject hurriedly.
"Yes. He decided Swaddle's too dangerous for his taste," Rachel said. "You know, I was talking to Emily the other day, and she asked me if I was regretting the past or the present."
"What's that mean?" Scott's nose wrinkled.
"Emily's as mysterious as she is wise." Rachel grinned. "But I thought about it, and I decided I don't want to regret either. My past is in the past now, and as for my present . . ." She took a deep breath. "Scott, will you go out with me? Next Tuesday? Dinner?"
"I thought you'd never ask," Scott said with a smile. He put a hand around her waist and drew her close to him. "I wanted to ask you myself, but you were sick, and the whole Wilbur thing. And then you were sick again."
"And also you're a stubborn blockhead," Rachel pointed out.
"And also, you'd insulted me badly by implying I was being unfair to Brandon," Scott pointed out.
"Oh, that," Rachel said. "I'm really sorry, you know. I didn't mean . . ."
"You weren't wrong," Scott said. "I mean, you were wrong about me being a biased sheriff, but you weren't wrong that I hated Brandon and wanted to deck him every time he stood next to you."
"Scott!" Rachel exclaimed with a laugh. "Are you serious?"
"Very," Scott said, his voice dropping low. He leaned over, and his breath tickled her neck. She shivered. "You know, it occurs to me that I never thanked you for helping catch Wilbur. The Swaddle Sherif
f's department owes you big time."
"Does the Swaddle sheriff owe me big time too?"
"Oh yes." Scott's breath was on her cheek now, and Rachel had to remind herself to keep inhaling and exhaling lest she pass out. "So Rachel, will you allow me to take you out next Tuesday?"
"It's a date," Rachel said, before kissing him hard. The future would come when it would, and the past could stay buried for all she cared. But right now, in this moment, all Rachel wanted was Scott, and that was the greatest present of all.
The End
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Rights & Disclaimer
This is entirely a work of fiction. All people, places and events contained have been completely fabricated by the author. Any similarities to real people, places, or events are completely coincidental.
Guilt & Galaxy Cake Copyright © 2018 Nancy McGovern
All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any manner or used in any way without advanced written permission by the author.
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