Sense of Smell

"I believe everyone here knows what all this means, so the only question is whether or not we can come up with the right balance in time."

"I'll work overtime for free," the same woman offered. Several more said the same thing and Connie waved them off.

"No, that won't happen. You'll all be paid for your time or none of us will get paid. For now, we have enough cash on hand to make payroll, pay expenses, and purchase ingredients. But if we don't have this done in 90 days or less, I'm afraid we'll be running on fumes."

"We have four months so if we're close, we'll all pitch in," the woman said as others nodded in agreement.

"Okay. Everyone go home, talk to your families, and let's get at this tomorrow morning first thing," Connie said almost cheerleading in her tone.

Without exception, every person there walked by Adam and either shook his hand or hugged him as they thanked him.

He wasn't sure what to say since this wasn't a talent he'd worked at to develop, but he wished them all the best as sincerely as he could.

Once everyone else was gone, Connie thanked him again profusely then reached out to offer him another hug. This one wasn't quite as long, but it stirred something in both of them, and when it ended, Connie saw him looking at her in a way that once again made her ask if everything was okay.

"Oh, sure. I guess I was just doing some more imagining," he told her.

"Should I ask what the imagining is about?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

For all of his internal bravado and confidence, Adam was suddenly paralyzed and couldn't speak.

"No?" she asked after he didn't reply.

"I...I'm not sure I should say because..."

"That's okay. Your private thoughts are yours, and you've already done so much. I have no way to thank you, but if you think of something, I hope you'll let me know," Connie told him with a warm smile.

As much as he wanted to ask her to go out with him, all he could find to say was, "I hope you'll keep buying our roses."

"If we get this done, you can count on it," she told him. "In fact, we're going to need a huge amount in short order if we can get the balance right, as roses are the primary ingredient."

Adam smiled politely then said, "They'll be ready. Anytime you need them."

Connie walked with him out to his car and thanked him yet again.

"My pleasure. I just hope I got it right," he told her.

"We'll know soon enough," she said before quickly saying, "or maybe not all that quickly, but I do hope we'll know in time."

He opened the door and went to get in when Connie said, "I had a really nice time today, Adam."

"Yeah. Me, too," he told her.

He sat down then looked up at her and said, "It might be nice to do that again sometime when it isn't just business."

His words took her back to that same feeling she'd experienced several times so fast it startled her.

"I...that...that would be very nice," she told him, as butterflies swirled in her tummy.

Adam realized he'd somehow said what he'd wanted to say, and yet it all seemed so jumbled up, he wasn't sure what to say next.

"Can you maybe keep me in the loop as to how things are going?" he asked, not sure what else to say.

"Yes. Of course," Connie told him, now realizing he wasn't actually asking her out, but saying the polite thing that any decent guy would say.

She also realized it was somewhere between wishful thinking and ridiculous to imagine this very handsome, much-younger man would ever see her like that. She was 38 years old, and he...wasn't. He didn't even date, and whenever he was ready, she knew it would be with someone in her early-to-mid 20s, not her late 30s. And with that, she pushed the thought out of her mind as he closed the door and started the car.

She stood there and waved goodbye as Adam drove off then forced herself to focus her attention on how to go about finding the perfect amount of each necessary ingredient in the shortest time possible. The task was still daunting but not impossible, and as she walked back inside, she looked up and asked her late father for his help, not knowing whether or not he could even hear her.

For the next two weeks, Connie spent close to 14 hours a day in the lab seven days a week. They had all of the elements they needed ready to go, and now the hardest part began.

It wasn't that she'd completely forgotten about Adam, it was more that work had required all of her attention. And now that some time had passed, she realized the mild fantasies she may have briefly had were just that—fantasies.

But the one thing those fleeting moments did was to awaken a part of her that had always taken a back seat to science. Once this mystery was solved and Dynex was back on its feet, she promised herself she'd at least be open to finding love or possibly letting it find her.

That short mental conversation with herself reminded her she hadn't even called Adam as she'd promised. She finished what she was doing then went to the office where she sat down and called his number. He picked up on the second ring, and his greeting made her laugh.

"Uh...what's up, Doc?" he said like Bugs Bunny.

Connie laughed then answered, "You have no idea how much I needed to laugh!"

"I take it's been pretty intense?"

"You can say that again," she told him.

Then, before he could actually say it again, she quickly said, "But don't."

"I believe someone is onto me," Adam told her as though she'd just stolen his thunder.

"I had no idea you were so funny," she said, the surprise genuine.

"I'm not sure I am, but when we initially met, joking around didn't seem appropriate."

"No. No, it wasn't. And shame on me for not realizing that."

"So, what is up, Doctor Martin?"

Connie gave him a quick rundown of what they'd done, and where she planned to go from there.

"You sound optimistic," Adam told her.

"Maybe I am or it could just be hopefulness masquerading as confidence."

"I have complete confidence in you, Connie. I know this is going to sound cliché, especially coming from someone you probably still see as a kid, but, your dad would be very proud of you."

Connie felt the lump in her throat appear out of nowhere, and she realized she didn't actually know his age. She knew he was a lot younger than her, but he spoke with this kind of quiet confidence she found comforting and reassuring.

"I promise you that's not how I see you, Adam. In fact, I see you as some kind of..."

He could tell she was smiling and thought she was about to make a joke of her own. But her words caught him off guard as much as his had her.

"Some kind of knight in shining armor. A kind of hero of sorts."

Now he was the one with the lump in his throat, but for a very different reason as he thought about the two friends who'd been killed in Afghanistan while he was there.

"I'm not a hero," he told her quietly. "But I did know a few."

Connie didn't understand, and Adam didn't explain.

She sat there for a moment not sure what to say then told him she should get back to work.

"Right. Of course. The clock is still ticking, isn't it?"

"And getting louder by the day," she told him.

"I'm glad you called, Connie. It was great to hear your voice again."

The way he spoke those words spoke to her, and she found herself back to where she'd been two weeks earlier after assuming all of this had passed.

"You too, Adam," she told him sincerely. "I'll call you again. Soon. I promise."

"I'll look forward to it," he told her.

"Okay. Well...I guess I'll talk to you then."

"You take care, Connie."

As she hung up, she just sat there for a good five minutes trying to understand how such a short conversation with someone she barely knew could have such an effect on her. They'd spent less then five minutes on the phone, and yet she felt such a powerfully strong connection with him that she found herself unable to even think.

"Think," she said to herself. "Everyone here is depending on me to think, and I can't shake the feelings this...man...stirs up in me every time we talk."

Connie concluded these feelings of hers were almost certainly driven by some sense of gratitude for possibly saving her family's business. Or maybe she was right before. It could be that Adam was helping her see she should start looking for someone her age with similar interests and maybe even start a family before that ship sailed forever.

Marriage had been way, way in the back of her mind all of her adult life. And kids were something she'd never seriously thought about. But since returning home to Charlotte, both of those things had moved way up her priority list. And after seeing Lexi, having a child of her own seemed like just about the most wonderful thing that could ever happen to her. Unless, of course, she could fall in love with someone who would love her completely and also be the kind of person she could love that way in return. Perhaps someone like...

A knock on her door brought her back to reality.

"Connie? We have a mixture we'd like you to take a look at," the head of production told her.

She followed him out to the floor then into a smaller room.

"What do you think?" he asked as he handed her a paper swatch with the scent on it.

She took a sniff then realized that without a 'nose' on site, they'd get there because her nose wasn't nearly sensitive enough to distinguish okay from good or good from 'that's the one'!

"Give me a minute, would you?" she told him as she went back to the office to use the landline.

"Adam? Hi. It's..."

"I know your voice," he said in a way that told her he was smiling.

"Right. We just spoke, didn't we?" she said, a smile now on her face.

"How may I help?"

She explained what was going on, and before she could finish, Adam told her he'd be right there. The roses were looking spectacular, and he knew he could well afford to take the time off. More importantly this gave him another opportunity to see this beautiful, older woman he now found himself thinking about—a lot.

Connie met him at the front door and thanked him for coming over so quickly.

"We're going to have to get you a building pass," she said as they walked toward the lab.

"If I'm going to be stopping by fairly often, that sounds like a good idea."

Feeling the best she'd felt since learning her father had passed away, Connie cheerfully told Adam he could stop by anytime he liked.

"Be careful what you wish for," he replied just as cheerfully.

"I'm always careful," she told him with a look that told him she might not just be kidding.

"Okay, so what have we got?" he asked once they were back in her office.

"Our first stab at the formula," Connie told him after explaining what they'd done.

"Let's go give it a whirl. Or maybe a sniff."

Still happy, Connie laughed and smiled at him, and that smile, along with the earlier look, told him something had changed.

The production chief's name was Bill, and they shook hands again as they met in the testing room. He pulled the swatch out of the plastic bag it was in and said, "Here's to success."

Connie stayed outside as Adam took it then gently moved it back and forth letting the scent make its way to his nose.

"Wow," he said before moving it closer and trying again.

"We're too heavy on the leather smell. And we're missing some of the woodiness in the original."

"Can you try and quantify that?" Connie asked, knowing all he could do was say things like 'a little more' or 'a tad less' or 'a whole lot less'.

"The leathery smell should be the faintest of scents. So reduce that and add in a bit more of the wood smell and let's try again."

"Got it," Bill told them as he replaced the swatch in the bag marked Trial #1.

"How long will it take to change the mix?" Adam asked Connie when Bill left the room.

"We should have it within a day," she told him. "Was there anything else at all?"

"That's tough. I don't really know. All I can say for sure is that's not a bad first try, in my very inexperienced opinion."

"Getting close isn't hard. It's getting it right that takes so much time and effort."

"Right. The 'house of cards' thing," he said, remembering what she'd told him before about any change, no matter how small, affecting everything else.

"You uh, you don't have to stay, Adam. I've already taken up enough of your time for one day," she reluctantly told him.

"I don't consider any time I spend with you to be 'taken up'," he told her. "I see more as time pleasantly spent."

His smile warmed her heart, and her good mood got even better.

"That's interesting. I was thinking the same thing about the time I spend with you."

Connie was trying to remember the last time she flirted with anyone, and the only answer she could come up with was her senior year in high school. She'd had the worst crush on the cutest guy in school, a guy was completely wrong for her in every way, and yet she'd been inexorably drawn to him like the proverbial moth to a flame. When she finally got up the nerve to tell him how she felt, he'd unintentionally crushed her by saying, "Oh, wow. That's pretty cool."

She was amazed at how just the thought of that moment could alter her mood, and for the briefest of moments, that sting of rejection was right there. But when she looked at Adam again it melted away.

"Then maybe we should spend more time together," he told her, pleasantly surprising her.

She looked at him to make sure he wasn't just saying that, and once she was convinced he meant it she told him that sounded very nice.

"Do you take time off for dinner?" he asked, again not joking.

"Oh, my. We've been working late every day, but if you can hold out until say...8 o'clock...I can leave here at seven and be ready by then."

"I could probably do that," he replied with a smile. "That's Lexi's bedtime, so it works out perfectly."

Just the mention of that sweet little girl made her heart soar.

"I wouldn't mind doing something with both of you sometime," Connie told him, now feeling much more confident.

"We'd both like that," he told her, that smile of his setting off all kinds of chemical reactions in her brain.

"Can I walk you out?" she asked, aware she should have used 'may' instead of 'can'.

"I don't think I'd mind too much," Adam told her trying not to smile.

He was now certain things had changed, so he offered her his arm which she took without hesitation.

"I know I sound like a broken record, but I can't thank you enough," Connie told them as they walked toward the front of the building.

"Being able to see you is thanks enough," Adam said in a tone of voice that made her stomach flip-flop.

"We...we should stop by personnel and get you that badge," she said, her heart now beating noticeably faster.

"Right. The old mugshot," he said, aware of the sudden change which caused him to think he was pushing things too fast.

Less than 20 minutes later, Adam had his own pass complete with the 'mugshot'.

"It's not that bad," Connie told him when he showed it to her.

"Try and tamp down the enthusiasm, would you?" Adam teased.

Connie laughed then said, "What I mean is, the photo isn't nearly as nice as...the real thing."

Adam saw her looking up into his eyes, and he held her stare for a couple of seconds before breaking eye contact.

"I like looking at...the real thing...too," he told her after looking at her again.

This time she stopped at the door to say goodbye and asked where to meet him.

"I was hoping I could stop by and pick you up."

"That would be even better," she said. "Do you know where I live?"

"Of course. And I'll be there at 8 o'clock sharp."

"And I'll looking forward to that," she told him, the smile on her face saying it all.

The look in her eyes let him know the answer to what he was thinking, so without a word, he leaned down and gently kissed her on the cheek.

Connie felt a surge of emotion when he did. Kissing him was out of the question, even though she wanted to with every fiber of her being. But the fear of rejection and the inappropriateness of doing so prevented it. But had he tried to kiss her, there was no doubt she'd have let him or that she'd have kissed him back.

"Bye, Adam. And thank you again."

He raised his arm in a wave as he walked away, and Connie stood there amazed at the way life sometimes worked.

Losing her father was horrible. Losing the business would be traumatic. But had her father not passed away, she'd never have met Adam, nor would she be standing there feeling like her life was about to change yet again only in a very different kind of way.

When Adam let his mom know he was going out that evening, she was pretty sure she didn't need to ask with whom.

"Anyone I know?" she asked without any hint of knowing.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Adam told her.

"Suit and tie. She must be important."

"She is. And I think I really like her."

His mom smiled because that's what she'd meant by 'important'.

"Well, whoever this lucky girl is, I'm happy to see you taking some first steps. If, of course, this is actually a date."

When Adam didn't answer she asked, "Is it?"

He only smiled then said, "Thanks for watching Lexi, Mom."

"You know I love having her with me, so that's never an issue."

He looked at her then asked her a question.

"Are you ever going to try and find someone?"

"It's different for me, honey. I'm in my late 50s and I have you and Lexi. So it's not like I feel the need to...find someone. And it's only been a year, so I need some more time, okay?"

"Okay, but if you ever do, I could probably stay home with my daughter," he told her with a smile.

His mom laughed then Adam hugged her and thanked her yet again for being such a great mom.

"Tell Connie hello for me, okay?" she said as he started to walk out.

He nearly stopped and asked how she knew, but she was his mom, and he was pretty sure she just did, so all he said was, "I will."

When he arrived at Connie's, or rather—her mom's place—he was so shocked by her appearance it took him a few seconds to recover.

"Is this okay?" she asked as he continued looking at her.

"It's...wow!" he told her unable to come up with anything else.

The dress was a kind gold lace with an open back and a mock neck. The edges were scalloped and the sleeves were sheer. It was short not but not shockingly so with the hemline falling to about three inches above her knees.

Adam had no idea what color her heels were, but he knew they went perfectly well with the dress and the matching clutch she was carrying. Her long, beautiful hair was worn down, and he could see the dangling gold earrings she wore with it.

"You look very nice yourself," she told him, snapping him out of his dream world.

"Oh. Thank you. That's very kind, but you look...amazing!" he told her as he continued to look.

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it," she told him with another smile.

Adam nearly asked about her mother and if she was home, but he really didn't want to have to deal with her coldness, so when Connie told him she was ready to go, he was more than a little relieved.

"Have you been to The Fig Tree?" he asked once they were on the road.

"Not for several years," she replied. "It's one of the nicer restaurants in town."

"So I did okay?" Adam asked with a smile.

"Yes, but it's also very expensive, and we don't have to go somewhere that pricey," she said as politely as possible.

"I'm paying so no worries, okay?" he told her.

"Wait. You're paying for me, too? Adam, that place charges $40-$50 just for one entree."

"Is there a point?" he said with a smile.

She started to explain that there was, but when he reached over and took her hand, she very quietly said, "No. No point."

Connie hadn't been kidding about the prices, but Adam didn't care. He never spent money on himself, and what little money he did spend was for Lexi. So he waited to order the most expensive entree, the Elk Chops for $44, until after Connie ordered to make sure she wasn't going to try and get by with a dinner salad with crackers and tap water or some such thing.