Scent of Magic Read Free

block letters announcing The Perfumery to the whole world.
    Francesca refused to let Starley and Juliette rain on her parade and hummed to herself while scrubbing the grease coated interior with pine cleaner.
    Starley volunteered to clean the front window. Her reasons were two-fold. She could sit while she worked, and she could also people watch. People watching had become one of her favorite things to do. She liked making up stories about the strangers as they walked by.
    Since the store was the last business on the block, Starley giggled to herself as several curiosity seekers passed the window more than once, craning their necks to peek inside. Some of them were so bold as to stop to take a rock out of their shoe or scratch the back of their neck, gawking, for as long as they dared under her watchful eyes.
    Just before noon a man came right up to the window and cupped his hands on the glass to get a better look inside. He was tall, thin and dressed in paint-splattered coveralls. Starley knew he had to be the man Francesca had hired to paint the letters on the front window. She resisted the urge to stick out her tongue at him because he looked like he might be afraid of his own shadow and she decided that scaring him away before he painted the sign would royally piss off Francesca.
    "Frank, I think this guy's looking for you," Starley called out over her shoulder.
    Francesca spun around to see what Starley was talking about. She grinned when she recognized the man, and stuck her head out the door.
    "Simon, come on in. We don't bite," Francesca said.
    "Speak for yourself," Juliette whispered.
    "Simon's here to letter the front window for us," Francesca said.
    Simon nodded at the women and gave Starley a pointed look, silently telling her she was in his space.
    Starley unfolded her legs and climbed from the window. She bowed and said, "It's all yours Picasso."
    Juliette bit her lip to keep from snickering and elbowed Starley after Francesca gave them a withering glare.
    "Okay then," Starley said quietly. She walked behind the counter and opened the Styrofoam cooler. "On that note, I think I'll just help myself to something to eat."
    Francesca had packed a few bologna and mustard sandwiches and cans of soda for lunch. It was nearly noon, and they'd already been working for several hours. "That's a good idea. Why don't we go across the street to that little park?"
    Juliette's eyes darted to Simon, who was busy setting up his painting supplies in the front window. Not that she didn't trust him, but it didn't hurt to be cautious in a strange town. "I'm not that hungry right now. You two go on without me."
    "Starley and I'll be right over there," Francesca said nodding in the direction of the park, which was nothing more than a picnic table and a trash can. "Holler if you need us."
    By the end of the day, the sisters had made a great deal of progress with the cleaning of the shop. Simon had painted a perfect sign that spanned the entire width, and nearly the total height of the front window. The lettering declared that the name of the business was "The Perfumery." Not very original, but Francesca was superstitious, so wherever they went the name always remained the same.
    At dusk, the sisters linked arms and with a satisfied sigh, turned and headed toward home.

PROSPERITY
     
    Prosperity, Arkansas was a small town way down in the southeastern tip of the state. A small dot on the map that time seemed to have forgotten after the new highway had been rerouted through larger cities. That their town had been lost in time didn't seem to bother the residents of Prosperity. To the contrary, they liked their sleepy little town and went out of their way to keep it that way.
    The women referred to it as quaint, and the men likened it to a lazy day spent doing nothing while still earning a living. Everyone knew everyone, and any newcomers were either deemed an international spy or regarded highly suspicious until it was determined that they