Page 56 of Eye on the Ball

“Oh, no.”

Jack rolled over and looked at me, one eyebrow raised.

“It’s about the perfume bottle.”

“What?” Eleanor said.

“Nothing. What about the bottle? You didn’t sell it, did you?”

“Well, yes, I sold it. You put it in the system. I found it beneath the counter and figured you’d forgotten to set it out. Pretty scent, too.”

“Ask her if she tried it on,” Jack said, since he could hear her side of the conversation perfectly well. There was no such thing as a private phone call near a shifter.

I put the phone on speaker, because why not, and asked.

“Oh, just a touch. My Bill quite liked it.” She giggled, which was a touch disconcerting coming from a woman in her early sixties who’d definitely never been a giggler.

I looked at Jack with alarm. “How much did he like it?”

“He followed me around all evening.” Another giggle.

We were close to getting into TMI territory.

I pushed the mute button and looked at Jack. “That means nothing. They’re engaged. Anyway, he’s always followed her around.”

“The giggle is new,” he said dryly.

“Tess? Did you hear me?”

I toggled the mute button off. “I’m sorry. What was that?”

“I sold it to the new high school chemistry teacher.”

Dead End had a terrible track record with high school chemistry teachers. Mine, who’d been a snake shifter, had almost killed my Aunt Ruby. The ones we’d had since had caused various catastrophes and then had run away from Dead End as fast as they’d arrived.

“So, what is the problem? Does she want a refund?” That would probably be best. I could toss the thing into the ocean. Or ask Rose to email Shelley directions for how to neutralize the magic.

That thought wanted to go someplace, but Eleanor was talking again.

“She said she tried it on this morning for the first time, and it was weird. Two guys at the gas station tried to follow her into her car. And then the janitor at school sniffed her?—”

“Sniffed her?”

“Sniffed her when she walked by, put down his mop, and followed her to class. She knows about magic, and she asked if the perfume could be a love potion?”

I sighed. “No, but she’s on the right track. I’m sorry. I meant to tell you about it, but then things went haywire.”

“She said she doesn’t mind the janitor so much—I should say not. Rick Peabody is a nice man and a hottie—but she’s worried.”

Jack mouthed the word “hottie” and I put my hand over his mouth to stifle the laugh I could see fighting to burst out.

“Anyway, Rick is going to take her to lunch at Beau’s today, and she wants to know if we can come get the bottle. She doesn’t have time to come back out to the shop until after school, and she’s uneasy and wants to get rid of it.”

“Sure. I can meet her there … no, wait! I actually need to go to Orlando and see Rose, Alejandro, and the babies this morning. I was going to call you to see if you minded working alone until I get back.”

“No problem, but then I can’t meet her at Beau’s.”

I sighed and thought. “Just tell her to lock it in a drawer, and we’ll get it as soon as we can and give her a refund.”