The Perfect Ten Boxed Set

by Dianna Love

  Hiss, hiss. Mr. Prince Charming jumped down, and arched his back. He raced off and jumped in the back of the Green Machine. Like a light switch had gone off, the wind stopped.

  The Karima twins tilted their heads and stared at Mr. Prince Charming with a scowl on their faces.

  “We were just trying to figure out if he’s sick.” Constance’s long finger uncurled, exposing a long black fingernail pointing towards my cat.

  Hisssss.

  “Yes, sick,” Patience repeated.

  Isadora’s A-line skirt swayed as she gracefully walked down the steps, coming face to face with me and the Karima sisters.

  “You’ll have to forgive my dear friends.” She stood between them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “They own Two Sisters and A Funeral. The only funeral home in town, and they are always looking for business.”

  “No, someone’s definitely sick.” Constance nodded to Patience who nodded to Izzy.

  God, I hope I was nowhere near death, even though my heart was about to pound out of my chest from sheer freaking out. Whispering Falls was definitely not for me.

  “No one is sick,” Isadora reassured everyone. Only it sure didn’t make me feel better.

  “Wow, nice car,” said a voice from behind me.

  I spun around to find an older gentleman with black coattails and a top hat checking out the Green Machine.

  “I haven’t seen one of these since the eighties.” He ran his gloved hand down the side of it, and then stopped when he reached Mr. Prince Charming, who was hovering in the bed of the Green Machine. He took his hat off and bowed down. “Good day, sir.”

  Meow, meow.

  I winked at Mr. Prince Charming. I had had enough too. It was time to go home and get back to our real life. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Oscar Park and give him a piece of my mind.

  When I turned back around, everyone was looking at Mr. Prince Charming as if he was the first cat they’d ever seen.

  “I guess we better go.” I finger waved, trying not to be rude.

  “Very nice.” The man reached out and touched the turtle charm dangling from my wrist. “Turtles mean protection, and your cat seems to know it.”

  Slowly I pulled my wrist away from his fingers, causing the charm to slip out of his grasp.

  “I guess you could say that.” I covered it with my other hand, and brought it close to me. “That’s how my cat got his name. He showed up on my tenth birthday with this on his collar and has never left my side.”

  “Hmmm.” He scratched the right side of his mustache, and then pushed the round glasses up on his nose. “I’m Gerald Regiula. I own The Gathering Grove Tea Shoppe. You should stop in and have a cup. And bring your friend.” He glanced over my shoulder looking at Mr. Prince Charming, who had jumped up on the Green Machine’s roof and began to clean himself.

  “Thank you.” There wasn’t any more time for me to spare. I had already wasted the few minutes I had been in Whispering Falls, when I should’ve been in Locust Grove working on Darla’s Mr. Sandman’s Sprinkles.

  “And, if I might add, you should stop in Bellatrix Baubles.” He gestured down the road. “She has some amazing charms to add to your collection.”

  I followed Gerald’s eyes because he wasn’t talking to me. He was talking to Mr. Prince Charming. And for a second, I could’ve sworn I saw Mr. Prince Charming nod.

  Chapter Four

  “Traitor,” I scolded Mr. Prince Charming as I drove down the main street. I noticed the dash clock read that I had been in the village for over three hours. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. It didn’t seem that long. Just like when you went to the circus. You’re there for a couple of hours, but you were so entertained that it only felt like fifteen minutes.

  Mr. Prince Charming stared at me like he knew exactly what I was saying.

  “You were the life of the party.” Reaching under the driver’s seat, I pulled out a Ding Dong I had stashed in case of an emergency. Hearing an evil spirit was after me definitely qualified as an emergency. The foil crinkled as I unwrapped it, and Mr. Prince Charming knew what was coming next. I tore off a piece of chocolate and fed him. “You weren’t the same cat.”

  Purr, purr. He wiggled his head under my hand and took the chocolaty treat.

  We passed a few more of the cottage shops. When someone rushed in front of the Green Machine, I slammed on the brakes.

  Mewwwwlll, hissss. Mr. Prince Charming’s claws dug in the vinyl dashboard where he caught himself.

  “Sorry, buddy.” Ducking my head around his hanging body, I looked to see if I saw anyone on the street. There hadn’t been a thud, so I knew I hadn’t hit someone, but I swore I’d seen someone.

  Creak, creak. A wooden sign hanging from its hinges caught my eye. I gasped, threw the El Camino in park, and jumped out, leaving Mr. Prince Charming in the car.

  The sign looked awfully familiar. Scraping the moss off the rotted sign, I gaped in wonder.

  “A Dose of Darla.”

  No. It couldn’t be. There was no way Darla had a shop here or any place other than the flea market or I’d have known about it, though it was vaguely familiar. Kind of like déjà vu.

  I couldn’t comprehend what was going on. Dizzy, everything spun around me. I held on to the gate to keep from falling.

  The sign hung in front of a small cottage.

  Two little windows were covered in moss, and the rest of the outside was covered in the most beautiful wisteria vine. The purple and white flowers grew up and around the front door.

  Cautiously, I opened the front gate and moved in for a closer look. Wiping my hands across the window, I took a quick peek inside – only it was too dark to see.

  “Can I help you?” Someone’s voice startled me, causing me to jump around, landing in my best karate position. “Whoa. I’m only wanting to help.” The woman’s wonderful low voice was soft and clear. She stood with her hands folded in front of her. She wore a turban like Ann, but she was all smiles instead of snarls.

  “Did you see a man out here?” I did a 360 degree turn, keeping my hands in the air, just in case I had to chop someone. I’d seen a man, not a woman with a turban on, run out in front of me. I was sure of it.

  “Man? No. If you are looking for a man, you’ve come to the wrong village.” She tapped her temple. “Though I do think there is a romance village with a matchmaker, this is not that village.” She giggled. “If you are looking for answers you seek while getting those horrid fingernails of yours manicured, you’ve come to the right place.” She gestured toward the little pink cottage, and put her hand out.

  I thought she was going to shake it, but she flipped it over, palm up, and drew her reader glasses that hung around her neck onto the bridge of her nose.

  “I’m Chandra Shango. I own the shop next door.” A flash of humor crossed her face when she dropped my hand, and then looked at her store. “A Cleansing Spirit Spa.”

  “I sure could use a good massage right now.” I could feel my shoulders knotting up from confusion. My nerves were fried. Where had the man gone?

  I noticed two large window boxes held a few of the herb plants I had been looking for.

  “Drowsy Daisies and Moonflowers.” My mouth dropped opened when I saw the flowers perked up, standing at attention. All this time I had been searching the internet to find the ingredients in Darla’s recipe book, when I could’ve traveled twenty minutes south of Locust Grove.

  “Darla planted those. It hasn’t been the same since Darla’s been gone.” Chandra had perfectly manicured fingernails. They were painted sky blue with a tiny star in the middle of each one. She looked to be around fifty, with soft hazel eyes and short raspberry hair. “Did you know Darla Heal?”

  “Da. . .,” I stammered. “Did you say Darla Heal?”

  Dizzy again, I was sure I was going to faint.

  The tapping of heels caused us to look down the street. Isadora was running as fast as she could in her pointe
d-toe high-heeled boots. Ann was right behind her, her short legs trying to keep up with Isadora, which was virtually impossible.

  “Yoo hoo!” Isadora’s skirt flew up all over the place, her long blond hair flowing behind her. Her arms flailed in the air. “Chandra, I see you met June. She’s a homeopathic from Locust Grove.”

  Isadora’s chest heaved in and out as she tried to catch her breath. She sat down on the bench beneath the tattered sign.

  “You just might need a pedicure after that run.” Chandra cackled, clasping her hands together.

  Ann finally caught up. Her face contorted like an old cow as she rubbed her lower back.

  “Leave it to you to spill the beans.” Ann snarled at Chandra. “Izzy had it all planned out and you ruined it.”

  “That’s enough.” Isadora stood up and put her hand out for Ann to be quiet. Her eyes were dark and as powerful as her words. “Chandra did no such thing. You are walking a thin line.”

  Chandra shielded her smile with her hands. “I told you this was going to blow up.” Ann threw her hands in the air. “But no. You had to be all secretive and go behind everyone’s back trying to find Darla’s daughter when Darla didn’t want her to be found.”

  “I said enough!” Isadora’s eyes narrowed.

  “And the shed!” Ann stomped. “Do you know how many ingredients I tried before the darn thing would explode?”

  I felt the blood drain from my face. Slowly I took a seat on the bench, trying to wrap my head around Ann’s words.

  My shed? She blew up my shed?

  “Look at her. She’s definitely nothing like Darla.” Ann tapped my foot with her shoe. “She’s just like her dad. But she did see something in one of the crystal balls.”

  “Crystal balls?” I asked. I stood up, keeping one hand on the bench to make sure I was stable enough to balance. This bunch was crazy. Crystal balls were for those psychic types. I walked around in a complete circle, carefully looking at each shop and the people milling around. Sure there were some strange shops with some very weird names, and some of the people wore turbans, cloaks, pointy-toed shoes, and other weird getups, but who was I to pass judgment?

  “Is Madame Torres in the crystal ball?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Ann said.

  “You’ve said enough!” Isadora slapped Ann across the face just as a clap of thunder was heard in the bright blue sky.

  Ann cowed down. She rubbed her face while she straightened her turban. Her eyes pierced my soul.

  “You blew up my shed?” The question flooded my head and drained out my mouth. My eyes darted back and forth between them. “Are evil spirits really after me?”

  “I’m sorry. So sorry.” Chandra fumbled with her words, worry evident in her eyes. “I had no clue. I really shouldn’t have mentioned your mother.”

  Flashbacks of the old wooden door came flooding back. Faint memories of what lurked inside the cottage began to emerge from deep in my mind. The richness of Darla’s bottles that held her homeopathic remedies glistened inside the shop so long ago. The smell of cinnamon, sage, dill, and thyme entangled and wrapped around me as if I were five years old again. Darla’s laughter filled the inside of my head as though she was standing there helping someone with a bad case of gout.

  “I’ve got just the cure for what ails you,” she’d say and then grab a couple bottles, combining them into one without even looking at a book or her journal.

  Was I expected to move here and take over Darla’s old shop? Was this why I had become so good at making remedies? I eased myself onto the bench again.

  Stunned, I just sat there while everyone around me yelled. There were so many questions to be answered. But one stuck out in my head. Why did Darla keep this from me?

  “Are you beginning to remember, June?” Isadora kneeled down between my legs. “June, dear?”

  “I told you she was weak,” Ann spoke with a voice full of hatred and her fat finger jabbed at me.

  “Shut up!” I jumped to my feet and pushed Isadora out of the way. I shoved Ann so hard, she fell into the wisteria vine and the purple petals fell around her. “And you blew up my shed! You could’ve killed me!”

  “If I had wanted to kill you, I would have!” She brushed the fallen flowers off her clothes. “Go home. You don’t belong here.”

  I should go home, but now I questioned where that was. Deep down, I knew I belonged here. Even if it was just to find out why Darla had kept Whispering Falls a secret. And what they knew about my dad. But I drew back my fist anyway. This woman was going to get it. “I’ll show you the meaning of hurt!”

  The slamming of car doors wasn’t going to stop me from opening a can of whoop ass on Ann.

  “June?” Jordan and Oscar Park had gone unnoticed when they pulled up behind the Green Machine and stood next to Ann. “Are you okay?”

  I took my fist out of the air and put it back down to my side where it belonged.

  “I want to press charges!” Ann stomped her foot like a child. “She harassed me. She even threatened me!”

  “Of course you do.” Chandra stood nose to nose with Ann. “You want to sue anyone and everyone that crosses you. I was a witness, you harassed her first!”

  “That is enough!” Isadora’s voice boomed over everyone. Then she said in a softer voice to Jordan and Oscar, “Everything is fine. Go on back to the shop, Ann.”

  She shooed Ann back down the street toward Mystic Lights, and pointed Chandra back to A Cleansing Spirit Spa, leaving us alone with Oscar and his uncle.

  Jaw clenched, Oscar didn’t take his eyes off me. He knew something was wrong. There was a magical bond between us. We each knew when the other one was in trouble, and this was one of those times.

  I was glad he showed up. He was the only thing in my life that did make sense. My entire existence was questionable. I’d even go as far as saying that Mr. Prince Charming was questionable—he was far from a normal cat.

  “Izzy, this is my uncle, Jordan Parks.” Oscar turned the attention away from me. He was good at doing that when I got myself in hot water, and I’d say that me about to punch Ann was dipping my toe in hot water. “I was telling him about the position you offered me.”

  “I wanted to see for myself.” Jordan planted his hand on his holster and looked around. He didn’t seem too impressed with the unique village. “I think we should talk about putting Whispering Falls under the protection umbrella of Locust Grove since you are such a small community.”

  “That wouldn’t work.” She was on a mission and it showed. “Oscar will have to live in Whispering Falls if he takes the job. He’s a big boy, Mr. Park. I think he can decide for himself.”

  There was an undeniable tension brewing between them. A gate rattled in the distance catching my attention. A top hat peeked out of The Gathering Grove Tea Shoppe, but quickly slipped back behind the door as it shut.

  What had been crystal blue skies had darkened to a dull grey.

  Jordan shrugged, and walked back to his cruiser. He called over his shoulder, “Let’s go, Oscar.”

  Oscar looked at Isadora. “I’ll take the job.”

  “What?” Jordan stopped dead in his tracks. “We need to talk about this.”

  “I’m not ten years old anymore. Izzy is right.” Oscar’s determination didn’t falter. “I can decide for myself. I like it here.”

  “Wonderful news.” Isadora clasped her hands together. The grey clouds parted to make way for the brightest sun I’d ever seen.

  Chapter Five

  The closer I got to Locust Grove, the more I wanted to turn around and go back to explore Whispering Falls. Granted, nothing had gone right while I was there, but Madame Torres got my wheels turning with all her “someone’s out to get you” talk, and memories were flooding back. I was on a mission to find out what they knew about Darla and what nasty, mean-spirited Ann knew about my dad. Not to mention, those Karima sisters. I felt my head and I didn’t seem feverish, so I couldn’t be hallucinating. Plus I remembered!
I had been there before, but when? And why did Darla never take me back? Did it have something to do with my dad? Or his death?

  As far as I knew, my father and Jordan Park were partners on the police force, and during a traffic stop gone horribly wrong, Jordan and my father had gotten shot. Jordan’s crazy looking scar on his abdomen proved it.

  Meow, meow. Mr. Prince Charming tapped my hand with his nose. He tried everything he could to get me to pet him while I drove, but I kept my hands on the steering wheel instead. Deep in thought, I tried to figure out the parts of my life I thought I knew.

  He finally gave up and batted at the turtle charm.

  What did Gerald mean by the turtle charm meaning “protection”?

  “Have you been protecting me all these years?” Reaching over, I gave him a good scratch under his chin, one of his favorite spots. He didn’t answer in his usual cat way.

  Not a moment too soon, we pulled into my driveway.

  Seeing Oscar’s car parked in front of my house was a welcome sight. There were a lot of questions that needed to be answered. I never gave Isadora a definitive answer about me moving to Whispering Falls. According to Oscar, we were.

  Since when did we become a package deal?

  “Didn’t you love Whispering Falls?” Oscar had already made it up to the Green Machine before I had gotten out. “Right up your alley.”

  “No! And that woman burned down my shed.” Only ashes remained from my poor burnt down chemical shop.

  “What woman?” His eyes bore with questions.

  “Ann. She admitted it.” That was another reason for me to go back and snoop around Whispering Falls. Why in the world would they want to burn down my shed? Were they desperate to get me there or did they want Darla’s remedies so bad they would stop at nothing to get them?

  “June, you were in the shed mixing stuff when it blew up.” He crossed his arms. “You are saying she hooked it up and blew it up?”

  “No.” I shook my head. Was it impossible for him to believe me? “The ingredients I was mixing should not have exploded. And she admitted it. I don’t know how she did it, but she did.” I stomped up to the porch.