For years, the store at the end of Main Street had remained empty. Once a ladies’ boutique, it was now simply a box of shadows and dusty tables.  Tourists would peer through the grey, once grand, front windows as they passed, but locals simply ignored it.  The store was an eyesore, a burden.

At first, folks blamed the empty store on the economy.  But as Main Street slowly became a collection of trendy boutiques, salons and bakeries that charmed both tourists and locals, the store at the end of the street remained empty.  It had become a game for them, like guessing the what was inside a birthday present before it was time for the birthday girl to open it.

But for the three of them, it was more than a game.

It was destiny.

It was a warm spring day, where butterflies floated on the breeze and dandelions waved from cracks in the sidewalk.  Magnolia took one look at the blue sky and knew being cooped up in her aunt’s store would be an absolute perfectly good waste of the day.  Sliding her eyes toward the boutique book shop where she was due in 10 minutes, she paused.

And then without thinking too much, her ballet flats lead her into the shop next door, Cici’s Cupcakes.  Taking a deep breath of buttercream and chocolate, she smiled.

“Sinful, isn’t it?”  A young girl about her age, her auburn hair pulled back impatiently, winked at her.  “I tell Cici every day she’s responsible for my tight jeans.”

Magnolia smiled politely, smoothing her dress over her own wide hips.  “I’m actually just trying to avoid going into my aunt’s store for my shift.  It’s too pretty of a day to work.”

“I hear you.”  The girl toasted her with a cupcake, liking coconut off of the frosting.  “I’m Bridget, by the way.”

Magnolia grinned.  “Of Bridget’s Blooms next door?”

“The one and the same.”  Bridget took a microscopic bite.  “Flowers don’t make you fat.  Plus, they always make people happy.”

“Except at funerals.”  Magnolia clamped a hand over her mouth as Bridget burst out laughing.  “I’m sorry, that was”–

“Hilarious.”  Bridget nearly snorted coconut as she waved the cupcake about, the tantlizing smell beckoning Magnolia to the counter.  “So you’re Dusty’s neice.  She was telling me we should get together, since we’re about the same age.  You go to Breckwood University?”

Magnolia nodded.  “I work here during the summer.  It’s much better than going back to Flordia.”  She clamped a hand over her mouth.  “You make me say everything I’m thinking.”

“I tend to do that.”  Bridget grinned, gesturing toward the dark shop across the street.  “So what do you think?”

“I think it’s haunted.”  Startled, Magnolia swung around to see a woman in her thirties slamming a tray of cupcakes against the counter.  “Seriously.   Why else would no one have bought it?”

“Faulty wiring, bad location, lack of funds…” Magnolia rattled, nervously smoothing back her honey blond hair.

Bridget winked at Cici, an action she seemed quite fond of.  “Magnolia works at Dusty’s, which explains her vivid imagination.  She must read a lot on her shifts.”

“I would love to read more.”  Cici’s eyes gleamed as she slid a tray of cupcakes into the display window.  “There’s a whole stack of cookbooks on my nightstand I’ve been dying to read.  But Jack’s in the monster stage and Caroline is in the TT stage.”

“TT?”  Magnolia blinked.

“Terrible twos,” Bridget translated.  “Jack’s five and thinks a monster lives in his closet.”

“And under the bed.  And in the bathtub.  And the dryer.  And the car.  And the fridge…”  Cici shook her head, peeling the wrapper off a chocolate cupcake.  “You’re right, Bridget.”

“About the shop?”  Bridget swung towards the darkened shop, one dark eyebrow crooked.

“No, about getting fat working here.”  Cici closed her eyes, savoring the last bite as she licked chocolate off her lips.  “I opened the stupid shop and have gained 15 pounds.”  She sucked the chocolate off of one finger, eying the store across the street.  “So what’s your theory, Magnolia?”

Magnolia paused, blushing as they both stared.  “Personally, I just don’t think the right owner has found it yet.”

A slow smile crept over Bridget’s face.  “You’re a romantic, aren’t you?”

“She’s young.”  Cici reached for another cupcake, then pulled her hand back.

“I just think things happen for a reason,” Magnolia protested.  “And if no one has bought the shop, there’s a reason.  It wasn’t right for them.”

“Or it’s haunted,” Cici muttered, grabbing the cupcake with a defiant stare.  Both women pretended not to look.

“Personally, I think there’s a dead body in the wall, or under the floor.”  Bridget grinned.  “Maybe there’s a secret treasure buried in the walls.”

“Talk about imagination,” Madison teased.

“She’s probably right,” Cici muttered, licking her fingers.  “Bridget’s one of the most brilliant people you’ll ever meet.  She went to college at 14 and opened her own buisness at 19 after getting her MBA.”

Magnolia swiveled around, gaping.  “Are you serious?  That means you’re only…”

“Twenty, so what?”  Bridget shoved the rest of the cupcake in her mouth.  Suddenly, she choked, her eyes widening.

“I told you to take smaller bites,” Cici chastisted, pounding her on the back.

Raising a finger, Bridget pounded her fist into her chest.  “Look!  Someone’s going in!  With a realtor!”

All the women rushed to the window.  Pressing their noses to the glass like school children, they stared unashamed.

“She’s pretty,” Cici whispered, staring at the thin blond laughing as she entered the dusty shop.

“She’s rich,” Bridget muttered, eying her designer handbag.

“She’s the one,” Magnolia breathed.  The certainty weighed in her chest like a hard knot.  “She’s going to buy it.  She’s the one.”

Bridget snorted.  “No way.

“It would take her a week at least…”  Cici trailed off, her breath fogging up the glass.  “I wonder what she’ll do with it.”

All the women stared, the question hanging unanswered.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  We have a new recipe tomorrow!  Stay tuned!

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