Breathless by Krista McLaughlin Page B

and move on, no matter how hard it is at first. It gets easier.”
    Lainey didn’t speak. The only sound came from the waves and Lainey’s occasional sniffling. After a while, Jon stood up and brushed the sand from his jeans.
    “What are you doing?” she asked.
    “I’m taking this day to help you remember Becca with joy, not just sadness.” Jon offered her his hand. “Trust me.”
    Lainey took his outstretched hand, and let him pull her up.
    “What is something you used to do with Becca all the time? One of your favorite things to do together?”
    “We went swimming here on the beach all the time.”
    Jon shook his head. “Not a good enough answer. This beach holds bad memories for you now. I need a place where you and Becca were really happy.”
    Lainey didn’t want to waste his idea and thought hard before answering. “You’ll laugh, but Becca and I used to eat those candy necklaces all the time. We actually wore them to a restaurant on Valentine’s Day when we were sixteen because we were both single and it was our gift to each other.”
    “I’ve never had a candy necklace, but it sounds good to me.”
    “They sell them at the local drug store. We should be able to pick some up. But are we going to have dinner this early?”
    Jon smiled and Lainey felt a small chip of ice melt from her heart. “Of course. I believe they call it lunch. Come on.”
     
    *~*~*
     
    Mr. Lester stood at the counter in the drug store. He looked up over the top of his glasses as Lainey pulled Jon into the dollar aisle and grabbed a package of candy necklaces. The old man gave them a smile as Lainey set them on the counter.
    “Good day, Miss Stafford. I haven’t seen you smile like this in a long time. Probably not since you bought the last package of candy necklaces.” He took her two dollars and handed her the change. “It’s nice to see you smile.”
    Lainey blushed. “Thank you, Mr. Lester. Have a good day.”
    Jon took her hand without asking, giving it a gentle squeeze before guiding her out of the store. Lainey opened the package with her teeth and pulled out one of the candy necklaces. She motioned for Jon to lean over a little. He raised an eyebrow, but did it. She stretched the thin elastic and put the candy necklace around his neck. He reached up to touch it; his fingers brushed hers. She slipped on a necklace of her own, pretending nothing happened.
    “Now what do we do with them?” Jon asked.
    “You eat them. It’s a necklace you get to wear and eat. Your snack is your jewelry.”
    Lainey lifted it and used her lips to pull two into her mouth. She bit them off. The chalky candy melted on her tongue, and she remembered how awful they actually were. Jon watched her closely before doing the same. The biggest grin crossed his face as he tasted it.
    “These are wonderful,” he murmured. “Someone had a genius idea to do this.”
    “I don’t know if I could call it genius, but it’s definitely a unique idea.”
    Jon took another bite before letting the necklace snap him in the neck. He winced before laughing. “Thank you for sharing this with me.”
    Lainey blinked the tears away, not wanting to ruin the moment. “You’re welcome.”
    Jon reached out and took her hand. Lainey didn’t let go as they walked the slightly longer trek to the restaurant. Jon kept up the conversation in between eating his necklace. She kept glancing at the smile on his face, soaking up every moment with him.
    When they finally arrived at Aunt Polly’s, Jon and Lainey were seated quickly. The restaurant wasn’t usually that busy on a weekday at lunch. It was decorated with red flowing table cloths and strings of lights tracing the ceiling and hanging down like rain falling. It was dark inside, but candles lit each table. It was the most romantic place in town, but Lainey didn’t care. She was having lunch with a friend.
    Their meal was full of laughter and stories. Lainey told him all of Becca’s secrets, the good and the