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sunscreen, sugar. You’ll be a wrinkled old prune before you turn fifty.”
    Jane giggled.
    “What’s so funny?” asked Belle.
    “She’s already hit that milestone,” Alice pointed out.
    Belle smiled at Jane. “Well, you could easily pass formuch younger than that, especially if you took better care of your skin.”
    “Belle was telling me more about her dream,” said Ethel in a serious voice. “I find it very interesting.”
    Jane turned to her aunt, whose face now was covered with something that looked like pink frosting, and laughed.
    “You find her dream humorous, Jane?” Ethel’s voice had a scolding tone as she cocked her head to one side.
    “No,” said Jane, recovering. “I think you are humorous, Auntie. You look like someone pushed your face into a little girl’s birthday cake.”
    “Oh.” Ethel leaned over to peer into the little mirror in front of her. “Well, now I do, don’t I?”
    “And I wouldn’t blame y’all for laughing at my dream,” said Belle as she helped Louise to apply her facial mask. “I’m sure it must sound perfectly ridiculous to some folks.”
    “Not at all,” said Ethel. “I think it’s rather charming. And I have decided to partner with you in it.”
    “Really?” Belle stopped wiping the goop on Louise’s face. “How do you mean?”
    “Well, I know almost everyone in Acorn Hill. I don’t know if my nieces mentioned that the mayor and I are on, shall we say, very good terms. And because I am rather well respected in this town, I just thought I’d be the perfect personto introduce you around, Belle. Take you under my wing, so to speak.”
    “You’d do that for me?” Belle set down the pink tube of white mask she’d been using on Louise, whose face now resembled that of a mime, and rushed over to put her arms around Ethel’s shoulders, giving her a big squeeze. “Well, bless your heart. Thank you so much!”
    “It’ll be my pleasure,” said Aunt Ethel. “As well as introducing you to our eligible bachelors, I can also introduce you to some women friends who might be interested in your beauty products.” She chuckled. “Besides my three nieces here, there are plenty of ladies in our fair town who could use some professional assistance in the beauty department.”
    Jane rolled her eyes. Luckily, Ethel missed seeing her, but Alice hid a giggle with a cough and winked at Jane.
    “Perhaps you can introduce Belle to Betty Dunkle,” Alice suggested.
    “Good thinking,” said Ethel.
    “Betty’s a hairdresser,” said Alice. “She has a shop called Clip ’n’ Curl.”
    “Oh, I’d love to meet her.”
    “I think Belle is going to be right at home in our town,” said Ethel.
    “So what are your plans, exactly?” inquired Louise.
    “Well, first of all, I have to meet Mr. Right,” said Belle as she helped Alice to apply some toner. “That’s my top priority.”
    “But what if he’s not here?” asked Jane.
    Belle laughed. “Of course, he’s here. Just like in my dream. He has to be.”
    “But how can you be so sure?” asked Louise.
    “Because, so far, everything is happening
just like my dream.
I dreamed I drove into a sweet little town in Pennsylvania, and here I am, just like my dream. I dreamed that I would be helped to find my way. Then I stopped in the Coffee Shop to inquire about a hotel, and a nice waitress named Hope gave me directions. Just like in my dream.”
    “Hope Collins,” said Alice. “She’s a lovely person.”
    “And she could probably use some beauty help,” added Ethel. “The last time I spoke to her she was considering dying her hair blonde again.
Tsk-tsk.
Someone should give that girl some advice.”
    “So, you can see,” said Belle. “My dream really does seem to be coming true.”
    “So, let’s say you do meet Mr. Right,” said Jane. “What’s next?”
    “We get married, of course.” Belle laughed.
    “When?” asked Ethel.
    “The first Saturday in June,” said Belle dreamily.
    “You are