AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A mannequin dressed in a brown tutu, a brown shirt that hit midriff with a poop emoji on each breast, and brown thigh-high boots stopped her in her tracks. The tan, brown, and black feathery mask covering the plastic lady’s face had been the cherry on the top of the clearly crap-inspired outfit.
But when she saw it, she didn’t immediately think of poo.
With her favorite bakery a few doors down and the scent of chocolate in the air, she’d seen past the potty emojis, and a plan solidified.
A crazy plan, but a plan, nevertheless.
She’d purchased the entire ensemble, frilly tutu and all. And with a few well-placed scraps of brown fabric, she’d transformed the crap emojis into bonbons.
As crazy as the outfit looked, it brought her comfort. Bonbons and music would be her ticket to turning things around.
She didn’t know what else to do to help save the house.
But it was more than a house. The place had become her home when Babs and her grandfather had taken her in when she was five years old.
Babs had been a celebrated harpist, performing with the Denver orchestra, and her grandpa Reeves had been a gifted conductor. They’d made a decent living, but they didn’t have much to spare. Despite their tight budget, they’d insisted on one sweet splurge.
Once a week, they strolled down to the Baxter Park Bakery, making up silly songs along the way, before purchasing three decadent bonbons. While she and her grandmother would choose a different flavored treat each time they visited the shop, butterscotch bonbons had been her grandfather’s favorite. The man had passed away from a sudden heart attack when she was a teen, and she and her grandmother had continued the bonbon tradition in his memory.
Sitting outside the shop, it was like he was still with them, humming a melody as they noshed on the chocolatey confection. That hit of sweetness elicited a decadent rush of endorphins, and for a brief sliver of time, nothing weighed heavy on her heart.
She swallowed past the emotion in her throat as the muscles in her chest tightened.
If today was a bust, Babs would lose everything.
She couldn’t fail.
Her grandfather would have wanted her to do everything in her power to keep the house.
And that’s precisely what brought her to Las Vegas.
“Miss, you’ve got to move your car,” the bellhop repeated, recovering from his bout of amusement.
She needed to get this guy to buzz off.
She checked her watch. “I’m expected inside the hotel shortly.”
He reared back and took in her sad heap of a car. “You’re staying at the Luxe Grandiose?”
She toyed with one of the mask’s feathers. “Possibly.”
“Possibly?” he echoed.
She plastered on a confident grin. “It depends on how things go inside. However, I’ll have you know that I plan on working my magic and that should lead to a pile of cash. Then I’ll take care of my car.”
That’s it. Exude confidence.
Harper Barbara Presley would be kicking ass today.
The man leaned in. “Are you a working girl, honey? Did some guy with a weird poop fetish hire you?”
Gross!
“No!” she chided. “I was invited to audition for a job. That’s why I’m wearing this outfit, but I’m a little early, and I have to teach a class online before I go in.”
“You’re teaching a class in that get-up?”
“Yes, it’s a music class for neurodivergent children, teens, and young adults.”
