Practically Angels

by Melanie James

  Daryl blushed and fidgeted, unsure of where the conversation was headed. Obviously, he was becoming very uneasy. It was then I realized the three of us were staring at him like three cats eyeing up a canary.

  “Uh, anyway. I wanted to let you know there’s a town social on Friday night. It’s being held down at the pavilion on the beach. There will be music and free food. It’s an annual tradition here for everyone to get together before we’re overrun by seasonal tourists. I hope to see you all there. It’d be a great way to meet everyone,” he said, quickly giving me a handshake.

  “We’ll be there,” I promised.

  Jade squeezed in alongside me, stealing his hand. “Most definitely. Thanks for stopping by, Officer Sexy-err, Officer Daryl. It was nice to meet you.”

  Chloe wouldn’t miss her chance to touch the rare, exotic beast who had stumbled into our shop. Sliding into position, she swiped his hand away from Jade. “See you soon.”

  Daryl smiled and quickly left us.

  “Dang it! You guys scared him off,” Chloe said.

  Jade gasped. “Excuse me, but you and Emmy are the ones who were talking about handcuffing the poor guy. I was the only one who appeared civilized. Therefore, I claim him.”

  “Actually, it was Chloe who first brought up handcuffing him. And you, civilized? Wanting to play with his big, juicy pistol? No way. Nobody gets to claim him. He’s not a stray dog.”

  “He’s probably still running,” Chloe added, and we were once again laughing hysterically.

  Our attractive surprise guest and the news of a town party completely reenergized us. With a little extra effort, we had the shop ready to go by Thursday of that week. And up to that point, there was nothing as satisfying as the moment I flipped over the little sign in the window from “Closed” to “Open”.

  “A pivotal moment?” Jade teased.

  “Now you sound like my dad,” I replied.

  “You’re a lizard, Harry.” Holding the bearded dragon, Chloe spoke to it in a forced, gruff British accent.

  “I’m a what?” she squeaked.

  “Why, a lizard o’course,” she replied, back in her gruff sounding British man’s voice.

  “Harry gasped,” she said, switching to third person dramatic narration, setting the poor creature down next to its resin castle.

  “Hey, Chloe, when you’re done playing Frogwarts, you can help me set out the grand opening flags,” I shouted.

  I had just picked up the flag when the jingling bells above the door announced that our very first customer had arrived.

  With just one glance, I could tell she was a serious woman. You know the kind of woman I’m talking about—tall, confident, short no-nonsense black hair, dressed in jeans, hiking boots and a chambray shirt. If I had to guess, I’d have said she was a farmer or rancher.

  She casually browsed, pausing to peer—quite amusedly into the lizard’s habitat.

  “Good morning! Welcome to Heavenly Treasures. Let us know if we can help you find something,” I said.

  Chloe called out, “Or if you’re having any problems, we can whip up something…ouch! Why’d you pinch me?”

  I could hear Jade whispering, “Geez, don’t just blurt it out like that.”

  “I’m just looking around,” the woman said, perusing the rack of herbal teas. “I was curious to meet Midge’s heirs. Funny, she never mentioned her family.”

  “Oh, that’s because we’re so distantly related,” I said, hoping to dismiss the uncomfortable topic. My stomach cramped up. Lying, even telling a little white lie, wasn’t something we were used to.

  “Well, it’s nice to see some young entrepreneurs take over—new blood as they say. Fresh ideas. I’m Evelyn Vidma, but please call me Eve.” She extended her arm.

  “Emerald, but just call me Emmy,” I said, shaking her hand. I spotted a tiny tattoo of a circled star on the back of her right hand, nestled in the base of her thumb and index finger. On her right hand, in the same location, she had a tattoo of a crescent moon. “And these are my partners, Chloe and Jade.”

  “Nice to meet you all. Besides all of the wonderful crystals and old books, you seem to be adding quite a few herbal teas and medicines.”

  “Well, we’re trying. We’ve got quite a few…um, recipes. One of the things we’re lacking is a good selection of fresh herbs.”

  “Then it’s perfect we met,” she replied. “I live just outside of town, on a small farm up on the bluff. It’s the perfect climate for lavender here, so I’ve been growing it for years, but I also have quite a few herbs. You should stop by sometime. I’m sure I can help you out.”

  “Really? Thanks so much! Maybe we’ll stop by this weekend?” I said.

  “Of course.” She smiled, holding up a small amethyst owl. “Say, I notice you don’t have any prices on your merchandise.”

  “Because there are none. We believe people are inherently good. Our customers can pay us what they feel something is worth or pay us nothing at all if they need something and have no money. That’s perfectly okay too. They can have it for free.”

  “Inherently good,” she said, adding a tiny laugh—more like scoffing at the suggestion. “I admire your very noble idea, but it’s a poor business practice, I’m afraid. But what do I know? Surprise me and succeed.”

  She handed me a crisp hundred-dollar bill. “For the owl.”

  I was shocked. Our first transaction. And we’d met a supplier for our fresh herbs.

  Eve was nearly out the door when I called for her. “Eve? Will you be coming to the town festival Friday night?”

  “It’s highly unlikely. I don’t often socialize but you should go and enjoy yourselves.” She walked out the door.

  “Did you see it? The thing on her hand?” I asked, finally free to express my disbelief.

  “The dark marks of the pentagram and the moon,” Chloe whispered. “She’s a fricking witch. Just like the witch in Dark Beasts.”

  Jade openly scoffed at us. “Really? Those books of yours are rotting your brains. A lot of women have tattoos of stars and moons. It doesn’t make them all witches.”

  She glanced at the clock and checked a notebook next to the cash register. “Just in time.”

  She grabbed a pair of binoculars and raced out the door.

  Chloe and I followed her, totally perplexed.

  Settling into the wicker chairs on the front porch, we faced the blue sparkling harbor and waited for Jade to explain her weird behavior.

  “Now,” she said, adding to the mystery. Within seconds, a lean young man in shorts and a t-shirt jogged up the sidewalk across the street. He made a turn and headed to the end of the pier. Jade had her binoculars trained on him as if she’d spotted a rare rhinoceros on the African plains. To my surprise, he peeled off his shirt, revealing a trim, sculpted body.

  Ripped.

  Mouth-watering.

  Muscular.

  I may have growled out loud. I know Chloe did.

  He dove off the pier and swam out into the harbor. Once he reached a buoy, he made his way back. Then the fight for the binoculars was on. I got the upper hand on Chloe and snagged them out of Jade’s grasp. Just in time to watch our quarry climb up onto the pier, water dripping from each chiseled feature. And the way his wet shorts stuck to his body. I have to say, it made me quite curious. Reluctantly, I handed the binoculars off to Chloe so she could also appreciate the view.

  “I’m kind of disappointed in you, Jade. You’ve been keeping this little show a secret all to yourself,” I said, not truly scolding her.

  “Of course. Look how you two acted. It’s a wonder he didn’t notice you two spying on him, growling and panting like a couple of wild animals. You have to be more discreet, like me.”

  “Discreet?” Chloe clucked her tongue. “You’re the one who’s been watching him with giant binoculars!”

  A rumbling sound grew louder, like thunder coming up the road. I’m not sure if the old porch shook or if it was my chest. I’d heard it a number
of times since we moved in, but by the time I looked outside it was always gone.

  “And now, for the main course,” Jade said, nodding to the six motorcycles rumbling past our shop. The leader of the group was a dark-haired, bearded man, I guessed his age to be about forty years old. One of the riders looked like a gray-haired old Viking, and three of them were younger, probably in their thirties. But the one who caught our eye was the clean-shaven rider, last in line. He was in his early twenties, with shoulder length, dark hair. Like the others, he wore a sleeveless shirt and leather vest which really showed off his biceps.

  “What does that say on the back of their vests?” Chloe asked. Pointing out the red writing with a curious logo.

  “The writing on top says, ‘Hellions’, the logo looks like an angry baby with horns and underneath it says ‘M.C.’, which I suppose stands for motorcycle club.”

  “Hellions? They don’t sound very nice. Why the horns?”

  “Maybe it means they’re horny?” I laughed. But something about them made me uneasy, yet the vision of that one younger guy—his tanned arms, his jet-black hair flowing in the wind, made me feel something completely different. A feeling I’d never known in Heaven. I tried to come up with a word for it. The closest word that sprang to mind.

  Naughty.

  Chapter Seven

  It wasn’t even our official opening day and we’d already welcomed seven customers besides Eve. Not too bad for our first day as business owners. But it was our last customer of the day who would finally offer us an opportunity to exercise our angelic powers.

  “Excuse me, miss.” A portly, middle-aged man peered into one of the lighted curio cabinets filled with glass and crystal knickknacks.

  “Emmy at your service.” I tried to use my cheeriest voice.

  “Nelson, Charles Nelson. I’m looking for a gift and hoping you can help me.”

  “Okay. Is the gift for a woman? Perhaps a special occasion?” I asked.

  “You’re correct on both counts. Her name is Susan. Susan McDermott and her birthday is right around the corner. She’s my…well, she’s not quite a girlfriend yet. You could say she is a special friend of mine, but hopefully, she’ll be more than that soon. Impressing her with the right gift might help things along, if you know what I mean.”

  “Ah, I see. You’re hoping this gift might kickstart a romance between the two of you. I love it. Is there anything she collects or something she’s really into? Butterflies, unicorns, maybe ladybugs?” I offered a few suggestions to gage the types of things Susan was interested in.

  “Some people really like dragonflies. I know I do.” Chloe joined the conversation.

  Mr. Nelson looked as if he was deep in thought for a few moments, trying to remember a conversation. “Elephants. She once told me she loves elephants.”

  “Then we have just the thing for you.” I retrieved a beautiful elephant statue covered in a bright mosaic pattern from another cabinet. “What do you think of this?”

  His eyes widened and his mouth hung open like a dog waiting to catch a treat. “It’s absolutely amazing. I think she’ll love it. It’s the perfect gift for her,” he said.

  “Great! We can giftwrap it for you if you like, Mr. Nelson.”

  “That would be wonderful. Thank you.”

  “Why don’t you look around some more while I take this elephant into the back to wrap it. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll take care of it for you,” I said.

  Walking past Chloe and Jade, I nodded my head, silently signaling them to follow me into the stock room.

  My excitement was starting to bubble over. “Did you hear that? Mr. Nelson needs our help jumpstarting his love life. How exciting! We finally get to test our angelic powers.”

  Jade tapped an open book. “I’m way ahead of you. As soon as I heard his story, I started searching for love potions. We must have a dozen recipes that will easily do the job, but I like this one right here. It’s ideal because it takes all three of us to make it work. And since this is our first time using our powers, I think it’s better if we do this together for safety reasons. Anyway, we need to mix all of the ingredients together into some sort of paste, write both his and her names on the object we want to turn into the love charm, and dab some of the potion we create onto the object. Next, we say these words three times, and voila! We’ve created a lucky love charm. All Mr. Nelson has to do is touch the statue, then give it to Susan. I already gathered all the herbs and oils we’ll need.”

  “It sounds perfect. I’ll write their names on the elephant.” Using a fine tipped marker, I discreetly added Charles and Susan’s names to the elephant’s belly.

  Chloe smeared the concoction we created on the statue’s feet. “That should do it.”

  “Next, we need to place our hands on the statue before we start the chant,” Jade instructed.

  Now, things were getting exciting. We were finally using our special power. Who knew where this could lead? If we could truly help Mr. Nelson with his love life, what else could we do?

  “Until death do they part, I command. Their passionate love will be grand,” we chanted, repeating the verse three times. As soon as we completed the last word, the elephant began to glow with an electric blue aura so intense, we were forced to squint. Thankfully, it faded away just as quickly as it had appeared. It left goosebumps on my arm.

  “I guess that means it worked.” Jade shrugged.

  “He probably needs to touch the elephant again to activate the potion. I’ll hand Mr. Nelson a gift bag to place the elephant in that way we know he touches it before he hands it to Susan.”

  I grabbed a cute bag from under the counter and made my way back to the front of the store.

  “Sorry it took so long, Mr. Nelson, but I think the elephant will be too awkward to wrap. You can put it in this gift bag, though.” I handed him the elephant and held the bag open for him to place it inside.

  “Thank you. What do I owe you?” he asked, taking out his checkbook.

  “Whatever your heart tells you.” I smiled. “We don’t have prices here.”

  “Huh. That’s an interesting business model. Well, I hope this is okay.” Quickly scribbling out a payment for one hundred and fifty dollars, he handed me the check and headed for the door.

  It sounds crazy, but I’d never seen a check before—at least not one that had been filled out by a human. I paused for a moment to admire Charles’ left-leaning southpaw cursive, it reminded me of my left-handed dad and made me briefly miss my parents.

  “A lefty. Just like my dad.”

  “Susan is, too. It’s just another thing we have in common,” he said before bidding us one last farewell.

  “It’s the little things, they say,” I mumbled as the door closed behind him.

  She’ll be happy. After all, who wouldn’t like a charmed birthday gift?

  Chapter Eight

  Finally, the time had come for our first Angel Bay social. After a lengthy debate, the three of us settled on wearing something cheerful and friendly—sleeveless, pastel summer dresses. My goal? To catch the full attention of my new police officer friend.

  The most beautiful sunset painted the sky and reflected on the perfectly calm water of the bay. Angel Park was located across the street from our store, right on the water’s edge. In fact, it was the home to the pier where our favorite athlete preferred to entertain us with his bare chest and skintight shorts. In the quaint white pavilion, a small band had just kicked off their first set of soft rock music.

  As soon as we stepped foot in the park, a light breeze off the bay surprised us. I began to doubt the wisdom of choosing short, sleeveless dresses.

  “Am I the only one who’s shivering with goosebumps?” Chloe asked, her voice shaking.

  “Goosebumps? Pshhh. Not as embarrassing as this,” Jade said, lifting her arms off her chest to reveal two noticeable bumps pressing against the fabric of her bust. “Fricking hurts.”

  “Bonfire! Straight ahead,” I said, maki
ng a beeline to the giant flame, nearly conjoined with Jade and Chloe.

  “Oh my god. I never thought thawing out my nipples would feel so good,” Jade whispered.

  “You might want to back up. You’re not making s’mores with those things,” Chloe replied.

  “Hey there.” A familiar voice emerged from the crowd gathering behind us. It was Daryl, and I was a little disappointed he was in uniform. Don’t get me wrong, it made him look incredibly hot. But I guessed he was working and probably too busy to hang out with us.

  Be cool.

  Not awkward.

  And not desperate. Definitely not desperate.

  Got it?

  “Daryl? What a surprise!” I said, completely shocked by the words escaping my mouth.

  A surprise? He invited you, Einstein.

  Daryl cocked his head a little and smiled.

  I was certain he’d just ran a few calculations and determined my IQ score to rank somewhere between pasta and cheeseburger.

  “I’m glad to see you made it,” he replied before suddenly turning to my friends. “All three of you, of course.”

  It was easy to see that Chloe’s and Jade’s presence was an obvious afterthought.

  “The fire feels good, doesn’t it?” I continued to warm my hands over the crackling flames.

  “It does. I was planning on taking a little break to get a bite to eat. Would you like to join me?” he asked.

  Right on time, a very observant Jade took this as her cue to bow out. “Well, my s’mores are nice and toasty. Come on, Chloe, let’s go see what wine they have.” She pointed to a tent with the words, Wine Tasting Tonight.”

  “But Daryl wants to eat,” Chloe whispered.

  “Daryl wants something to eat, all right. But we’re not on the menu. Come on.” Jade took Chloe by the hand and led her away, like she was a protesting little lamb.

  “Bon appetite!” Jade sang out as they disappeared into the crowd.

  “Sure, I’d love to get something to eat.” Instead of worrying Jade’s comment would make it seem weird every time I might use the word eat from that point forward, I decided to excuse her behavior. “Never mind her. Jade loves to crack jokes.”