The Scent of Rain Read Free Page B

she was dried up at twenty-seven.
    â€œIt is,” Sophie said, as though she could will it into being so. “Relax, and everything will be fine by the time you get to Dayton. But you have to promise me: if you feel too alone, you’ll come back. You can stay with me, and your parents won’t even need to know you’re here.”
    But what if Sophie was wrong? What if creating Mark’s scent had destroyed her most valuable asset: her sense of smell? Without it, she was utterly worthless. Even in Dayton, Ohio.

Chapter 2
    O n Wednesday morning Jesse Lightner eased into the chair in his home office and checked the numbers again. His predecessor had forecast a 10 percent increase in sales. It hadn’t mattered that the stats were optimistic at best; now Jesse was responsible for meeting those numbers for the stockholders. Ben played on the floor with his wooden trains, making choo-choo noises. Jesse smiled down at his son, and the feat of making impossible numbers work paled in importance.
    His cell phone rang, and he saw his boss’s name on the display.
    â€œBen, Daddy has to take this call. Can you be quiet for a minute?”
    Ben nodded and continued his noises at a quieter pitch.
    â€œJesse here.”
    â€œIt’s Dave,” his boss answered. “You figure out a way to get that nose in the budget? How are those forecasts coming along? We’ve got shareholders to answer to.”
    Jesse waited for the barrage of questions to subside.
    â€œWell?” Dave asked.
    â€œI’ve been over the numbers a dozen times. I have to say that I can’t see an expensive nose helping our bottom line. Lemon floor wax will smell like lemons, and it doesn’t take an expert to tell us what lemons smell like. My four-year-old could tell us that.”
    â€œDid you read the statistics I sent you on how P&G raised its sales with professional noses?”
    â€œI read it. P&G has the money to hire professional noses.” And to make a mistake , he added silently. “We have to do what they do on a fraction of the budget.” He covered the speaker. “Ben.” He tried to keep his voice calm as he looked down at his son. “Ben, take that out of your nose! Right now.”
    Ben peered up with his wide, innocent eyes, two prominently displayed dots sticking out of his nostrils. “Raisins, Daddy!”
    â€œRaisins are for eating, Ben. They don’t belong in our noses.”
    â€œJesse, you there?” Dave’s imposing voice boomed over the line.
    â€œI’m here. My sister went to get her hair done. It’s just Ben and me this morning.”
    Dave cruised over the fact that Jesse had a life outside Gibraltar. “Excuses, Jesse. What separates the good from the great? Excuses. I’m giving you the chance of a lifetime with this nose. She can put us on an international playing field.”
    If playing on an international field was just a matter of hiring one employee, he imagined he’d have done it long ago. “I have nothing against your professional nose, Dave. I just want her to come out of beauty’s budget. Why put her in household products?”
    â€œDaddy, it’s stuck.” Ben tilted his head back to show a raisin clear in the back of his nostril.
    â€œI have to go, Dave. We’ll talk about the professional nose when I’m in the office. I’ll be there in about an hour.”
    â€œJust wait until you meet her. You’ll see.”
    â€œLook, Daddy! I’m a profeshnal nose.” Ben had stuck more raisins up his nose, which he wiggled proudly.
    â€œBen, you can get those stuck. Come here.”
    Ben scampered in the other direction.
    â€œDave, I really have to go.”
    â€œDidn’t you want that new piece of equipment for the lab?”
    Jesse nearly stopped in his tracks. Catching up with Ben in the hallway, he swooped the boy up with one arm and answered his boss. “Are you saying if I