them by the arms and lead them back to the door. If I knew they wanted to talk about the charge against Patience of stealing animals from Petunia – which was on the agenda tonight – I would not have stopped them. “If you have forgotten, this is a place of business where our customers can feel the magic, but they don’t really know that we are the ones making the magic. Let’s keep it that way.” I opened the door and held it wide. “Now, I will see you two tonight.”
“Well.” Constance puffed. “I never.”
“Me either.” Patience huffed right behind Constance.
“Be sure to only use a little dab of that cream on each hand.” I could just see Patience covering herself in lotion from head to toe. “A dab will do you.”
Right before I shut the door behind them, Mr. Prince Charming darted right back in.
“Look mommy, a kitty!” A cute little girl with freckles across her nose ran across the store after Mr. Prince Charming, snagging the hem of one of the tablecloths and dragging it along with her.
Crash! The tablecloth fell, sending the bottles tumbling, leaving them broken all over the floor.
“I’m so sorry,” the mother apologized before grabbing her daughter and rushing to the door, only to run smack dab into Ophelia Biblio. “Excuse us.”
Ophelia smiled. “No problem,” She said in a soft-spoken voice. She tilted her head, her eyes flickered with gold specks… mesmerizing.
“Mommy, I was only trying to catch the pretty kitty.” The little girl grabbed her mom’s face with both hands.
“It’s okay!” I hollered after them, hoping they would come back in. “Geez.” I shook my head looking at the mess. Ophelia walked over and stood next to the mess. I held a finger up. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be right out!” I yelled to Ophelia on my way to the storage room to grab an empty box to put all the broken pieces in. I didn’t want her to leave. I wanted the “scoop” on Ever After Books and to ask what types of books she was carrying. Plus, I wanted to welcome her to Whispering Falls. After all, it was my presidential duty to be nosy about the new citizen.
The storage room was more like a little den that had a refrigerator and couch for those potion-making late nights. Unfortunately, I was pretty good at keeping things organized and didn’t have an empty box.
“Maybe I have one out here.” I walked out of the storage room and back into the shop, looking behind the counter just in case I had one there. No such luck. I turned my attention to Ophelia. “I guess I will have to…”
My mouth dropped. The mess had been cleaned up and everything was perfect, like the little girl was never there. Ophelia tugged at the wrinkle in the red cloth, taking the crease right out.
She brushed her hands together. “There you go.” She placed her hands in the front pockets of her jeans, and then rocked back on her wedge heels.
“Th…” I gulped. “Thanks.”
In the year I had been in Whispering Falls, I had never seen anyone clean up so fast, say nothing about putting it back exactly the way it was before.
Slowly I walked around the small table, checking out the bottles that I swore were broken all over the floor.
A faint glow coming from the counter caught my eye. My cauldron was bubbling, almost boiling over with the potion I had made for Oscar before Mary Ellen sent it crashing to the ground earlier.
“How did you do that?” I clamped my hand over my mouth and fixed my eyes on Ophelia Biblio, waiting for an explanation.
“I’m Ophelia Biblio.” Ophelia spoke with a soft, gentle tone that had a treble pitch. She stuck her hand out. I couldn’t help but notice the ring on her right ring finger.
“You like charms.” She dangled her finger. The small gold ring band had a small book charm hanging off of it.
“How did you know?” I asked. My intuition told me she had a kind soul.
She reached out and wrapped her fingers around my wrist. “You are wearing a
“Well.” Constance puffed. “I never.”
“Me either.” Patience huffed right behind Constance.
“Be sure to only use a little dab of that cream on each hand.” I could just see Patience covering herself in lotion from head to toe. “A dab will do you.”
Right before I shut the door behind them, Mr. Prince Charming darted right back in.
“Look mommy, a kitty!” A cute little girl with freckles across her nose ran across the store after Mr. Prince Charming, snagging the hem of one of the tablecloths and dragging it along with her.
Crash! The tablecloth fell, sending the bottles tumbling, leaving them broken all over the floor.
“I’m so sorry,” the mother apologized before grabbing her daughter and rushing to the door, only to run smack dab into Ophelia Biblio. “Excuse us.”
Ophelia smiled. “No problem,” She said in a soft-spoken voice. She tilted her head, her eyes flickered with gold specks… mesmerizing.
“Mommy, I was only trying to catch the pretty kitty.” The little girl grabbed her mom’s face with both hands.
“It’s okay!” I hollered after them, hoping they would come back in. “Geez.” I shook my head looking at the mess. Ophelia walked over and stood next to the mess. I held a finger up. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be right out!” I yelled to Ophelia on my way to the storage room to grab an empty box to put all the broken pieces in. I didn’t want her to leave. I wanted the “scoop” on Ever After Books and to ask what types of books she was carrying. Plus, I wanted to welcome her to Whispering Falls. After all, it was my presidential duty to be nosy about the new citizen.
The storage room was more like a little den that had a refrigerator and couch for those potion-making late nights. Unfortunately, I was pretty good at keeping things organized and didn’t have an empty box.
“Maybe I have one out here.” I walked out of the storage room and back into the shop, looking behind the counter just in case I had one there. No such luck. I turned my attention to Ophelia. “I guess I will have to…”
My mouth dropped. The mess had been cleaned up and everything was perfect, like the little girl was never there. Ophelia tugged at the wrinkle in the red cloth, taking the crease right out.
She brushed her hands together. “There you go.” She placed her hands in the front pockets of her jeans, and then rocked back on her wedge heels.
“Th…” I gulped. “Thanks.”
In the year I had been in Whispering Falls, I had never seen anyone clean up so fast, say nothing about putting it back exactly the way it was before.
Slowly I walked around the small table, checking out the bottles that I swore were broken all over the floor.
A faint glow coming from the counter caught my eye. My cauldron was bubbling, almost boiling over with the potion I had made for Oscar before Mary Ellen sent it crashing to the ground earlier.
“How did you do that?” I clamped my hand over my mouth and fixed my eyes on Ophelia Biblio, waiting for an explanation.
“I’m Ophelia Biblio.” Ophelia spoke with a soft, gentle tone that had a treble pitch. She stuck her hand out. I couldn’t help but notice the ring on her right ring finger.
“You like charms.” She dangled her finger. The small gold ring band had a small book charm hanging off of it.
“How did you know?” I asked. My intuition told me she had a kind soul.
She reached out and wrapped her fingers around my wrist. “You are wearing a
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