by Olivia Swift
“Your dowsing is amazing.”
“It certainly got my name right,” Dex answered as he entered the shop.
“No scent up there as far as I can see---or smell,” Evan added.
“Another sceptic then,” Jazz remarked. “You’ll understand in the end. Carly does crystal readings and dowsings that are really fantastic.”
“How does that work? The readings, I mean,” Dex queried.
“I drop twelve stones onto a flat surface and see where they land. In my head, there are areas for home, health, work, and so on and I say whatever comes into my head,” Carly told him.
“So, you make it up?” Evan asked, and Jazz punched him on the arm.
“No, she doesn’t make it up. Don’t be so…so close-minded.” Evan threw his hands in the air.
“Okay, I’m sorry. Just never been involved with that sort of stuff before.”
“When the stock is sorted, I’ll demonstrate for you,” Carly told him, and he offered to buy them all a coffee as an apology. They checked what had been done; Dex closed the blinds; and Carly took one last peek inside as she locked the door.
“I have such a good feeling about this shop,” Jazz said and gave her friend a hug.
“Me too. Let’s have really expensive coffees and cakes,” she laughed. “It’s on Evan.”
Carly worked away all the next day and was satisfied that the little shop looked extra special. The jewelry was so delicate and artistic that people could not help but be entranced. She had little notes around that explained the properties of rose quartz, amethyst, rhodonite and all of the other stones used. The painted-wooden wall hangings, by a local lady called Emma, were a delight and handmade pots held plants on the shelves. More plants from Kim were in planters on the porch and just inside the door. She had some scented candles burning as she worked and was happy that the shop was filled with the rose and apple perfumes. All in all, it was lovely but Carly knew in her heart that she was still worried that it might be a disaster and her dreams would be dashed. Late in the afternoon, she heard the door open and turned in surprise to find Dex stepping inside.
“Thought you might still be here,” he said and looked around. “You have worked wonders here. It looks fantastic.” She smiled and said her thanks as he brought a box out from behind his back. “I know you wanted a jingly bell and I found one,” he finished and handed her a box. “Call it an opening gift.” Carly opened the package and found an old-fashioned bell on a bent metal hanger that jumped about when you touched it. It had the turquoise patina of old copper and looked exactly right for the doorway.
“Oh, that is just perfect,” she said and reached up to kiss his cheek. Then she laughed. “I have an electric drill, so you can fix it up as well.” Dex fingered the place where her lips had touched his face as she went to find the drill. He screwed it into position, and they took turns opening and closing the door to produce the wonderful, traditional tinkle.
“Thank you, Dex,” Carly said. “Now we just have to hope that customers appear.” He dropped an arm across her shoulders as she locked up. The shutters were in place, and there was nothing more to be done until the next day.
“Can I treat you to a pizza?” he asked, and Carly suddenly realized that she hadn’t eaten since early morning and was ravenous.
“Thank you, kind sir,” she replied. “I am starving.” There was a small Italian restaurant not very far away, and they walked side by side down the street. Dex stopped himself from taking her by the hand. It was something that he almost did without thinking about it. They chatted over a meal that stretched out for some time and with a start, she realized that it was late.
“I must go,” she said jumping up. “Thanks for the meal and the wonderful bell. Got to get ready for the big day.” She kissed his cheek again and was driving away before he had finished paying the bill. Dex sat in his own car and felt the tingle that was still on his skin from her touch. It was not a sensation that had happened to him before.
3
The opening day had arrived and Carly felt her heart beating faster as she opened the shop for her first day of trading. The shutters folded away and light flooded into the shop. She walked around in the quiet and checked that everything was in place. No plants needed watering, so she started to open boxes of snacks that she had brought to offer to her customers. There were plastic tumblers for juice, spring water and Buck’s Fizz. The bottles were ready, and there was a small fridge in the rear room to keep them chilled. Carly was just about to start lighting scented candles when she found herself sniffing a lavender perfume that was not of her making. She turned around, but nothing was to be seen.
“I hope you like the shop and the jewelry,” she said out loud and was rewarded by a light whisper of lavender air on her cheek. “Thank you,” she said and started to light the candles. “I wonder who you are and if I can find out why you are here.”
“I’m here to help,” Jazz’s voice said from the door. Carly went to give her a hug.
“Our resident ghost was inspecting the shop,” she said. “I would love to know who she is.”
“It looks fabulous,” Jazz told her. “And the bell is just right.” She opened and closed the door again to make it ring. “Where did you find it?”
“I didn’t. Dex brought it late yesterday afternoon as an opening gift.”
“Mmm,” Jazz replied and looked at her friend.
“He took me out for pizza as well.”
“And then?” Jazz prompted.
“And then nothing. I rushed away to get ready for today.” Jasmine smiled knowingly at her friend who gave her a push. “He’s a nice man. Not my type,” Carly said and accepted the boxes of sweets that Evan had slaved over most of the previous evening.
“Evan is a genius in the kitchen. These are divine,” Carly said and started to find platters to be handed around.
“Evan and Dex will be down in about an hour,” she said. The doorbell did its job and tinkled prettily. Both girls turned to see two ladies come inside and look around.
“Good morning, ladies,” Carly said. “Thank you for coming. There are snacks and drinks whenever you would like something.” She glanced at Jazz who smiled.
“Let the day begin,” Jazz told her. “It’s so exciting.” More customers trickled in, and the little shop filled up. Dex and Evan arrived together and suddenly the place was full to bursting. The men moved into the rear room, and Evan started to hand out snacks. Carly was kept busy explaining the properties of the stones and why she used them, and the goods began to disappear from the shelves. Jazz helped on the counter and left the men to the refreshments. It was all working so well that Carly started to panic about how much stock was left. She was relieved to see Kim arrive with a large and beautiful fern in a huge pot to stand at the door. Jazz’s’ sister had a small plant shop at the nursery and was used to serving behind a counter. She was delegated to that so Jazz could open more boxes of stock to replenish the shelves.
It was lunchtime before they knew it, and the two men went out to buy sandwiches to keep everyone going. They thought that there might be a lull over the lunch hour but the opposite happened, and people who had been at work came in when they were free. Some of them were school friends of the girls and chattered away about local news. It was cheerful and working well but exhausting at the same time. Carly’s ex-colleague, Ben, arrived to lend a hand with anything needed but ended up eating lots of the snacks instead. The three men gravitated to the back of the shop and left the girls to man the counter. When the younger customers departed back to work, older ladies with their partners and friends popped in and wished Carly well. As the afternoon wore on, things did calm down. A woman came in leaning heavily on the arm of a man who was quite elderly himself. Evan brought out a chair in case she needed to sit. The woman thanked him and sat down to get back her breath.
“Thank you,” she said. “I had to come and see inside the shop. It’s part of my family history.” Carly heard that remark
and introduced herself.
“It’s my shop,” she told the lady and held out a hand. “Carly James,” she said.
“Rebecca Montblanc,” The woman replied. “I was Rebecca Howard, and my grandmother was born in this building.” Carly knelt beside the chair.
“I would love to hear about it,” she said. “When was she born?”
“Eighteen ninety-two,” Mrs. Montblanc told her. “Her parents owned the hotel, and she grew up here until she married and moved away.” She paused. “I brought the only photograph I have for you to see,” she said, as her husband handed over an envelope. Carly took it and looked at the front of what was the Raigmore Hotel at round about nineteen hundred. The three shops that were now in place were one building with decorative wooden fronts and a veranda that ran along all three. It was on some sort of dirt road, but the group in front of the main doors were dressed in the formal black attire of the time.
“The girl is my grandmother, Eleanor,” Rebecca told them, and everyone crowded round to take a look.
“Would you mind if I photographed this?” Dex asked. “I’m a building engineer, and the original look is fascinating.” She said she didn’t mind at all. He pulled out his iPhone and took a couple of close shots.
“I am so glad you came to visit,” Carly told her. “Can you remember if there was anyone here who loved the scent of lavender?” Rebecca Montblanc turned her head and looked directly at Carly.
“Have you sensed something, my dear?” she asked, and Carly nodded.
“A strong scent of lavender on the top floor and last night, I felt there was someone down here, and the lavender scent was very strong.” Rebecca Montblanc held onto Carly’s arm and told the story that her grandmother had repeated of a young woman who had come to work at the hotel and she had given birth to a son.
“The father never appeared and the woman continued to work at the hotel while the son was growing up.”
“Do you remember her name?” Jazz asked, but the woman shook her head.
“Sorry. My grandmother never mentioned her name but she did say that the woman loved to grow things and her favorite plant was lavender. Guests used to say how lovely the perfume was in the hotel. Funny how that has stuck in my mind all of these years.” She struggled to her feet and said she would like to see the jewelry. She chose a pendant made from turquoise and her husband paid for it.
“I wish you all the luck in the world, my dear,” she told Carly. “You make beautiful things.” She laughed. “I wish I was young enough to wear them all.” Her husband, assisted by Evan and Dex, made sure that she reached the car safely, then Evan and Dex came back inside.
“Well what a coincidence,” Dex said. Carly shook her head.
“No coincidence. It was meant to happen. I have to find out about this woman who loved lavender.”
“In the meantime,” Kim said, “I will bring down some pots of Lavandula angustifolia. She might love to see them around.” Carly gave Kim a hug and thanked her. There were still some customers browsing, and one lady asked about crystal readings.
“I would like one,” she said, “but I can come when it is convenient.” They arranged for a meeting the next morning, and Carly tucked the card that the customer had given her in the drawer. The last visitors drifted away, and the door was locked. Kim had gone back to her own shop and nursery. As he left, Ben said that his grandmother had history books and he would ask about the hotel. After everyone was gone, the four friends collapsed onto chairs in the rear room.
“Wow. That was fantastic,” Carly said. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Do you need help tomorrow as well?” Jazz asked, and Carly told her that it would be a great help because she would have to start making more stock.
“I cannot believe how many items I have sold…the wooden pieces as well. I need to see if I can get extras. Then there is the reading to do as well,” she looked around. “I’ll have to do the reading in this back room.” She started to tidy but Jazz stopped her.
“Home. Rest. We’ll start really early tomorrow.” Carly gave in, so they locked up and left the shop for the evening. It had been a really long but successful day.
The two girls met up at what seemed a ridiculously early hour, but there was a lot of clearing up to do, stock to replenish, and new customers to prepare to meet. Word had seemingly spread because people arrived from the first opening, and when the lady arrived for her reading, Carly left Jazz to manage the shop and sat down at the table with the client.
“I need your first name,” Carly said, and the client stated that she was Beverley. Carly dropped the stones onto the table in front of her and looked at how they were placed. She smiled at the client to reassure her that there was nothing to be worried about and started to explain what she saw. The bell to the shop jingled three or four times, and she could hear Jazz’s voice quietly talking to people, but it did not intrude. She explained that perhaps the lady was caring for someone and maybe it would be a help to think about herself from time to time.
“Even if that is just to give yourself the strength to carry on. I can see lots of small changes in the home area, and I wonder if you are maybe planning to decorate or change things around. They are not earth-shattering changes but overall will please you.” She paused and looked up. The woman was smiling and nodding and said that her elderly mother was the one she was caring for.
“You’re right. I’ll arrange to have a break and give myself some breathing space. We are altering the house so that my mom can have a room on the ground floor.” Carly was pleased that she had hit the right note and finished the reading after talking about health, areas of importance to the client, and her spirituality. She dowsed over the stones and suggested that the most important stone for Beverley was turquoise.
“It is a stone of protection that has been used for centuries. Maybe carry a piece in your pocket and feel it against your hand from time to time.” She finished and waited for a reaction. Beverley had tears in her eyes and thanked Carly several times.
“I needed to hear from someone not involved in the family, and you hit the nail completely on the head. Thank you so much.” Beverley paid for the reading and went out to choose something in turquoise to take home with her. Carly sat back in the seat and breathed a sigh of relief. Reading crystals sometimes told people things they would rather not hear. It was draining for Carly, but that one had gone down well. A sound at the door made her open her eyes, and she saw Dex leaning against the frame.
“Sorry, I was just overhearing the end of your reading. I shouldn’t have listened, but it was quite fascinating,” he said and stepped inside. “If you have to do readings in here, then you will have to employ somebody in the shop. You can’t be in two places at once.” She nodded, and Jazz stepped inside as well.
“He’s right. It’s great that people like what you sell, but you are going to need help. We are off to New York tomorrow.” Carly knew they were right and started to make coffee. Doing the readings always made her thirsty for some reason.
“I know that I need someone, but what if this is just a beginner’s luck thing and I can’t afford to pay them?” She queried.
“What if you only book readings in the afternoons on certain days and I come in for those times just now. No payment needed and if it works, you can find somebody permanently.” Dex said.
“When Dex goes back to finish his move to the house, the rest of us can fill in until you are sure it will be okay,” Jazz finished.
“I can do a week now to let you get started,” he offered and was rewarded with a smile that lit her face like a beam of sunshine.
“Thank you,” she said and gave them both a hug. “What would I do without my friends?”
Jazz said that she had to go and check out a new garden job and she picked up her things and left.
“You need to replace the intuition necklaces. I sold two this morning,” she called as the bell jingled and she ran to the car.
4
The shop was surprisingly empty for once, and Carly handed Dex a mug of coffee. They both took the drinks back into the shop, and she surveyed what needed to be replaced.
“Some of these I have in boxes. That’s easy; but I need to make a few pieces as well,” she told him. His serious expression gazed back at her with concern.
“You know what you told the lady in the reading about giving yourself some breathing space?” She smiled.
“I know. I’ll sit and make the earrings here at the counter. People can see that I do really make the jewelry myself and I will be here if anyone arrives.”
“What about a bargain? If I help you out here getting started, will you help out when I make the move and start to alter the house?” He held out a hand and she shook it.
“Deal,” she said and felt the little tingles of adrenalin spread up her arm and into her bloodstream. She rubbed at her arm and noticed that Dex was doing much the same thing. For his part, he knew that something was drawing him to this woman which seemed such an unlikely attraction for a logical, serious-minded man.
“I’ll try and read the notes about the stones,” he suggested, and she laughed.
“Does a building engineer not know a lot about geology and how they are formed? I could use a little of that information as well,” she joked, and he took the question seriously.
“Of course, I do,” he slapped his forehead. “I’ll jot some notes about some of the most used ones you have around.”
“So, you are becoming a convert to the power of the crystal?” Carly smiled, and he shook his head.
“I still think that you must just hit lucky with the things you say.”
“There are no customers. Sit there and I will read the stones for you.” She gave his chest a little push, and he sat down by the counter. Carly brought in her little velvet bag of crystals and held them in her hands.
