Scent of Magic Read Online Free PDF Page A

you think you could show me how to put on a little makeup?"
    Francesca dropped a glass, and it shattered into thousands of tiny slivers on the kitchen floor. "Oh, my stars. Could it be our little sister is finally growing up?"
    Starley rolled her eyes at Francesca's theatrics and looked at Juliette for an answer.
    "Yes, of course," Juliette said. "It's just a little mascara and blush, Frank. When she starts begging us to take her shopping for clothes … then we'll talk about the birds and the bees."
    Starley's mouth dropped open and her ears burned. "That's not even funny, you guys!" She ran from the room, too embarrassed to breathe.

LET THE MAGIC BEGIN
     
    People often believed that The Perfumery was either a blessing sent from above or the work of the devil himself. There were the select few who didn't care how it worked; they just knew it was no less than miraculous and who were they to judge.
    The non-believers were often small-minded individuals who saw everything as either completely black or completely white. There was no such thing as gray, and anything unexplainable that didn't fall under the label of good had to be bad.
    Even the people who benefited from Francesca and Juliette's little shop of miracles couldn't explain how it worked or what had happened. Back in the days when they burned witches at the stake, it was typically for unexplainable things thought to be the work of something evil and otherworldly.
    The women had worked many miracles over the years, but as with anything in life, there were no guarantees. Sometimes, things didn't go exactly as planned. The instances of failure were few and far between, but there were times when something went haywire and the exact opposite of what was supposed to happen, happened.
    Francesca and Juliette were revered for the things they did right. Unfortunately, it was the mistakes that people remembered. Goof-ups were the reason they had to leave town in a hurry. Maybe witches weren't burned at the stake anymore, but facing daily scorn wasn't exactly a walk in the park, either.
    The Duchesne sisters got most of their business through word of mouth, and it was vital they did everything in their power to make sure The Perfumery clientele was one hundred percent, completely satisfied.
    With each passing day, more and more women -- and a few men -- trickled into the little shop, and business slowly began to pick up, and when Nearsighted Nancy breezed through the front door, out of breath and wearing a mile-wide smile, Francesca was pleased as punch.
    Francesca glanced up from the crossword puzzle she was working, and her eyebrows shot up when as she recognized her latest customer. Judging from the sparkle in the woman's eyes, and the bounce in her step, Nancy had returned for more perfume.
    "Good morning, Nancy." Francesca smiled warmly and came out from behind the counter to greet her.
    Nancy threw her arms around Francesca and pulled her into a tight hug. "I've come back for more of that perfume. If I didn't know better, I'd say that stuff was pure magic in a bottle."
    Francesca extracted herself from Nancy's grip as politely as she could. "Oh, what makes you say that?"
    "Well, you might think this is darn near the craziest thing you've ever heard," Nancy started. She lowered her voice, and her eyes darted around the store to make sure no one was within earshot to overhear her wacky confession. "I got out of bed the other morning and made my way all the way downstairs to the kitchen before I realized I didn't have my glasses on."
    "Is that right?" Francesca said.
    "Yes, and, well, you saw how thick my lenses were. I am -- was -- nearly legally blind!"
    "That's wonderful news!" Francesca laughed, to downplay what she already knew. "Have you been to the optometrist?"
    Nancy waved her hand in the air and frowned. "No, that old coot. I know what I know, and I know I can see better than … well better than I ever have in my whole life."
    "And you think the perfume sample