“Oh, great. While you’re at it, maybe you can break out the tea leaves, too. Or if Juliette’s up to it, maybe you can do a séance,” Francesca called out.
Starley chuckled. “No dead people. That stuff creeps me out.”
Martin arrived right on time to pick up Francesca for their date. He smiled and helped her with her coat. He held the door for her and opened the car door, too. He behaved like a perfect gentleman and he smelled crisp and clean like cool water.
“I thought we could drive to Lake Providence if that’s okay with you?” Martin asked as he slid into the driver’s seat and buckled his seatbelt.
“That’s fine,” Francesca said.
They drove in companionable silence until they reached the restaurant. After they had been seated and their orders placed, Francesca decided it was time to talk. Not more superficial weather chit chat, but real, important things.
“So, Martin, before you and your brothers moved to Prosperity, where did you call home?” Francesca asked.
“We’ve been living in New Orleans for several years,” Martin said. He added some sugar to his iced tea and stirred. “But, before that, Prosperity was home.”
Francesca blinked. “Really?”
Martin smiled and chuckled. “I know, hard to believe anyone who left Prosperity would ever come back.”
“It’s not such a bad little town, I suppose,” Francesca said. “Your mother and father are still here, then?”
Martin sipped from his drink and nodded. “Yes, that’s why we’re back.”
“Oh?” Francesca said. She had sensed there was something going on with his mother, but she didn’t want to come right out and ask. “Is everything okay?”
He sighed heavily. “No, not at all. Mother’s got stage four cancer. She and dad haven’t been apart for more than a day the entire time they’ve been married. This is extremely hard on us all.”
“I’m so sorry, Martin,” Francesca put her hand on top of his and squeezed. “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Don’t be silly, you’re not prying,” he said with a thin smile.
“I think it’s wonderful they way you’re all rallying together in support. Moving to Prosperity, buying a house,” Francesca said. “Did the three of you live together in New Orleans?”
Before Martin could answer, the waiter returned to refill their drinks and bring the salads. Rather than answer, he dove into his food. Francesca got the impression he didn’t want to talk anymore, so she didn’t press.
After the meal, on the ride back to Prosperity, Martin began to open up again.
“My brothers and I owned a business together in New Orleans,” Martin said, peering sideways at Francesca. “Romero and I ran Bouvier’s Curiosity Shop. Landon helped out after school and weekends.”
“Curiosity shop? That sounds fascinating. Are you thinking about opening one here in Prosperity?” Francesca asked.
“As a matter of fact, we are,” Martine said.
“What kind of things do you sell?” Francesca asked.
“A little of this, a little of that, oddities, antiques, collectibles. Think Stephen King’s ‘Needful Things,’” Martin said.
“It sounds really interesting,” Francesca said.
“Oh, it is. Everything’s boxed up and in storage. As soon as we find a place to open up here in Prosperity, I’ll have it all shipped in,” Martin said.
“You know, the building next to The Perfumery will be available in a few weeks,” Francesca said.
“Isn’t that the flower shop?” Martin asked.
“Yes, the flower shop is moving to a larger location across the street,” Francesca said.
“Hmm, thank you,” Martin said. He slid his hand across the center console and found Francesca’s. “I’ll look into that.”
When they got back to Prosperity, Martin parked the car and walked Francesca to the door. “Thank you for tonight. It felt good to get away from over-thinking things for a night.”
Francesca tilted her head. “Is that a good thing?”
“Yes, it’s a really good thing,” Martin said. He leaned in and gave Francesca a polite kiss on the cheek. “Would it be terribly forward of me to invite you and your sisters to our house for dinner next week?”
“Yes,” Francesca said, grinning. “I mean, yes, we’d love to come.”
Martin laughed. “Great, it’s settled then. Next Friday night. The three of you, the three of us. Our house. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect,” Francesca said. She stood on her tip-toes and boldly gave Martin a peck on the lips. “Tonight was nice. Thank you, and good night.”
His eyes widened a fraction, and Francesca darted inside the house. She stood with her back against the door and giggled.
ROMERO AND JULIETTE
Juliette wasn’t prone to falling in love at the drop of the hat. She tended to think of herself as the least romantic of the Duchesne women. Unlike Francesca, who fell in love with the idea of love often, Juliette hadn’t given it much thought. They had moved so frequently, giving them a lack of roots. Without roots, Juliette reasoned, true love would never be able to blossom.
So, going to dinner at the Bouvier’s house didn’t mean as much to Juliette as it did to Francesca. Francesca had been walking on air with her head in the clouds all week, every since her date with Martin.
“Don’t you think Romero is an attractive man?” Francesca asked, sliding Juliette a glance.
“I suppose he’s a good looking guy, yes,” Juliette admitted. “But Frank, seriously, we never stay in one place long enough to start a relationship with anyone, let alone a good looking eligible bachelor.”
“We moved to Prosperity for a reason, sister dear,” Francesca said. “Don’t you believe in fate, and things that are meant to be?”
Francesca tugged on her mittens and watched her breathe curl in the air around her face when she sighed. “You’re the dreamer, not me.”
Starley tagged along behind her sisters with her face buried in a book. “Remind me again why we’re walking. It’s freezing out here.”
“The air is brisk, it’ll give you rosy cheeks,” Francesca said. “It’s not that cold.”
“It’s December,” Starley pointed out. “It is that cold.”
Francesca tipped her head back and looked at the clear night sky. “I love this time of the year. I think we’re going to have a white Christmas.”
“Look, Frank, I know you like Martin,” Juliette said, glancing over her shoulder at Starley. “But that doesn’t mean you need to drag us with you. You don’t have to include Starley and me in all of your plans.”
“Nobody’s forcing either of you into anything,” Francesca said. “I thought you might enjoy a good home cooked meal prepared by someone else for a change.”
“Nobody’s forcing us? Excuse me?” Starley stopped walking. “I’ll just turn around and go back home now then.”
Juliette bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling. “Me, too.”
Francesca huffed. “You are not going back home. You’re going with me to the Bouvier’s house, and you will both be pleasant.”
“So, you are forcing us,” Starley mumbled.
Francesca narrowed her eyes at Starley. “Don’t you think Landon’s nice?”
Starley snapped her book shut and shook her head. “Oh, no you don’t. Landon Bouvier is a nerd. A walking eyeglass wearing brain that does nothing but read, study, and get A’s in every one of his classes. And no, I don’t think he’s nice. He doesn’t talk to a single soul at school and, God, have you seen how he dresses?”
“Might I remind you, Starley, it wasn’t so long ago that we could have used those very same words to describe you. People change, young lady. You of all people should know this,” Francesca pointed out.
Starley’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. “True, but don’t go getting any ideas about Landon and me hooking up. I swore off boys right after I nearly killed my last date.”
Juliette gig
gled. “Just what are your intentions, anyway?”
“What makes you think I have ulterior motives?” Francesca said as they turned the corner and started down the street toward the Bouvier house.
“Because you made us come with you, that’s why,” Starley grumbled.
Francesca’s jaw clenched. “I won’t ask either of you to go anywhere with me, ever again. Let’s just have a pleasant evening. Try to be cordial, please.”
The Bouvier’s home was a huge old Victorian with a wrap-around porch that had been lit up with tiny blue Christmas lights. Francesca took a deep breath; the smell of wood smoke tickled her senses.
Francesca rang the doorbell and the front door slowly opened. Martin greeted her warmly and welcomed them inside. The house was warm and inviting with so many sense-pleasing aromas it nearly made her dizzy.
They shrugged out of their coats and Romero hung them in the coat closet beneath the open staircase while Martin lead them to the parlor for before dinner drinks in front of one of the many fireplaces.
After a wonderful meal, they met back in the parlor, and Romero surprised Juliette by challenging her to a game of pool. Martin and Francesca joined them in a game of doubles. Starley sat in opposite corners of the room reading. Seems Starley needn’t have worried about Landon. He found her just as appealing as she found him.
Many laughs were shared. Francesca couldn’t be sure if it had been the after dinner spiked apple cider, their full bellies, or the comfortable laughter. She noticed, on more than several occasions, the times Juliette and Romero locked eyes. Perhaps, she mused, there was hope after all for her unromantic sister.
“Oh, my. Look at the time.” Francesca stood, a bit wobbly from the alcohol. “We really should be going.”
“Let me drive you,” Romero offered.
Francesca opened her mouth to decline but changed her mind when she noticed Juliette subtly shaking her head behind Romero’s back. “If you’re sure it’s no trouble?”
“Not at all,” he grinned.
Martin cleared his throat. “Francesca, could I see you in the kitchen for a moment before you leave?”
Francesca felt warmth spread through her body. She was pretty sure that the heady feeling wasn’t from the booze. “Of course.”
Romero glanced right and left and sighed. “I didn’t think we’d ever have a second alone,” he said.
Juliette cocked and eyebrow. “Alone, for what?”
Romero leaned into her and kissed her on the lips, tentatively at first. When Juliette responded by linking her hands around his neck, he relaxed into a much more passionate kiss.
Juliette felt her stomach come alive with a million butterflies, and she kissed him back. It was at that moment she decided maybe there was something to that romance stuff after all.
Starley walked into the room and quickly retreated, but not before uttering a disgusted, “Ugh.”
Romero and Juliette jumped apart and began laughing.
“I guess we’d better get you home,” Romero whispered before sneaking another quick kiss.
Francesca and Martin came out from the kitchen, and Juliette knew from the color in Frank’s cheeks, they’d been enjoying the same covert exchange.
Plans were made to get together over Christmas before they said goodnight.
Juliette and Francesca sat up over a pot of coffee and talked until the wee hours of the morning before going to bed.
A CURIOUS CHRISTMAS FORTUNE
Francesca drove, Juliette sat beside her in the passenger seat, and Starley sat in the back. They were on their way to Bouvier’s Curiosity Shop. Francesca pulled to the curb in front of the store and turned off the ignition. Tiny white lights twinkled in the storefront window, a stark contrast to the darkness inside the building.
“I thought you said we were meeting them here?” Starley said as she stared out the car window.
“We are,” Francesca said. She glanced over her shoulder at Starley. “Don’t forget to bring the gifts.”
“I won’t,” Starley said, rolling her eyes. “Please tell me there isn’t a gift from me to Landon inside this bag.”
“Of course there is,” Francesca said. “It would be rude to show up with a gift for everyone but Landon.”
“You didn’t sign my name to the card, did you?” Starley asked.
“Starley, please,” Francesca admonished. “Just try to be civil.”
Starley grasped the handle of the gift bag and opened the car door. “When have you ever known me to be anything but nice?”
“Did you want me to answer that?” Juliette called out just as the door slammed shut.
Landon unlocked the deadbolt to let them inside. He greeted the three women with a slight nod and stood aside to allow them passage.
Landon locked the door behind them and said, “Follow me.”
“He’s not very talkative, is he?” Juliette whispered to Starley.
“Ya think?” Starley murmured.
Francesca shot them both pointed look and nudged them forward.
The store overflowed with oddities from every corner of the world. Every inch of the shelf space contained item after item. Starley was mesmerized by the clocks of every shape and size imaginable that lined the walls from ceiling to floor.
Landon pulled back a heavy burgundy curtain separating the front of the store from the back and motioned for them to go through. They were alone when the curtain closed behind them. The room had been dimly lit by a few strategically placed candles.
“I smell nutmeg and cinnamon,” Francesca whispered to Juliette.
Juliette nodded and slowly turned in a circle to take in the unusual furnishings. An old fashioned fortune teller behind glass sat in a corner. Juliette nudged Francesca and pointed toward the carnival-like display. A sign at the top of the machine read, “Grandmother’s Predictions.”
Francesca’s eyes lit up, and she walked toward the machine. “It’s in perfect condition,” she marveled. She reached out to touch the ornately carved wooden base, and the thing suddenly came to life. Francesca started and stepped back.
Calliope music filled the small space and with a whirring sound the machine lit up, and Grandmother’s hand began to move slowly back and forth over the arched row of playing cards before her. “Pick a card, any card,” she said.
Starley stepped around Francesca and said, “That one right there.”
Grandmother’s hand stopped, and a card slid from the table, down a chute and flew out onto the floor at Starley’s feet. She bent to retrieve it.
“Jack of Hearts,” Starley said.
“You will meet a fair-haired admirer and begin a new romance,” Grandmother said.
Starley’s eyebrows squished together. “I don’t think that card was meant for me.”
“The cards never lie,” Grandmother said.
With that, the fortune telling machine went dark, and the mechanical gypsy grew silent.
“I see you’ve met Grandmother,” Martin said. He walked over to Francesca and kissed her on the cheek. “I hope that card wasn’t supposed to be yours.”
“I hope it was,” Starley mumbled.
“Landon, would you take our guest’s coats?” Martin said.
Landon nodded and gathered their coats, and disappeared.
“We don’t officially open until January second,” Romero said, taking Juliette’s hand. “I’ll give you the grand tour. Things aren’t exactly where I want them yet, but you’ll get the general idea.”
Starley pointed at the Grandmother’s Predictions machine and asked,” Where did this come from?”
Martin laughed. “That one came from a collector of carnival memorabilia. After he had passed away, his widow claimed the barn where the things were stored was haunted. She wanted every last piece gone immediately and practically paid us to take the items.”
Francesca picked up a crystal ball. She was surprised by how heavy it was and held it carefully with both hands. “Was this part of the same colle
ction?”
“No, I think we got that from a pawn shop in New Orleans,” Romero said.
Francesca could have sworn the glass orb vibrated and warmed to the touch. She quickly put it back down and followed Martin as he made his way up and down the crowded aisles.
“We don’t have everything unpacked and on display yet, but we will for the grand opening,” Martine said.
They worked their way back to where the tour had started. The girls were pleasantly surprised to find a large table filled with a feast fit for kings.
Starley counted seven place settings and frowned. “I wonder who the seventh seat is for,” she whispered to Juliette.
Juliette shrugged. “Who knows, maybe Grandma is joining us.”
“Everyone please be seated,” Martin said. “I don’t know about you, but all this work has given me quite an appetite.”
After the six of them had been seated around the oblong table, the mysterious seventh guest finally appeared. Starley’s eyes widened to the size of quarters when she saw the tall, thin wizard-like man take a seat at the head of the table.
“Ladies, this is our father, Antione Bouvier,” Martin said. “Dad, this is Francesca, Juliette, and Starley. The Duchesne sisters we’ve told you so much about.”
Starley blinked and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. When she focused again on Antione, she was relieved to find a normal looking tall man, sans the pointy hat and white beard. She exhaled slowly and smiled.
After their delicious dinner, Antione made his apologies for having to eat and run, claiming he wanted to get back home to spend Christmas Eve with his wife.
Romero snapped his fingers. “We’ll just get this table cleared, and then you lovely ladies can open your gifts.”
Four short, robust men scurried into the room and quickly took away the uneaten food. Starley nearly spewed her mouthful of water. They were Munchkins. Straight out of Lollipop Land. She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples.
“Starley, do you have a headache?” Martin asked.
Starley shook her head. No, I’m just hallucinating, don’t mind me. “I’m fine.”
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