Genuine Sweet by Faith Harkey Read Free Book Online Page B

contagious.
    â€œThis is a sign, Genuine. You and me, we’re gonna be unstoppable! I can’t wait to see what we’ll do next!” Jura took my hands and pulled me into a big hug.
    Let me tell you, there is nothing like the feeling you get when you’ve really helped somebody. Nothing could douse my smile!
    Turned out I didn’t have enough for that chicken breast, but I practically danced home anyway.
    Â 
    Principles are all well and good, but when I got home and found Gram fretting over an overdue bill—second notice—I sank down to earth right quick.
    There was no avoiding it. It was time for me to set up shop.
    Â 
    I took three wish biscuits and headed to Miss Faye’s Hair, Nails, Beauty Supply, and Leatherworks. Faye, a relative of my pa’s, was a big woman, always smiling. I liked her very much.
    â€œHey, cuz!” I called, swinging the door open wide.
    It takes new customers a little time to get used to the mash of odors at Faye’s—nail-polish remover and hide-tanning formula—but I was long used to it. I quick-glanced around to get a feel for my audience. Three local ladies sat under those helmet-style hair dryers, cackling over a little he-said, she-said. Another soaked her nails.
    Faye looked up from the leather she was stitching. “Genuine! What brings you to my fine establishment?”
    She was busy, so I got right down to it. “I’m sort of starting a business, and I thought you might let me make an announcement to your customers.”
    â€œShore! What sort of business?”
    â€œWish fetching,” I replied.
    â€œWhat’s that?”
    â€œYou know, granting people’s wishes,” I explained.
    Her smile fell a little as she tried to puzzle this out. “You mean, like doing their chores when they’s too busy?”
    â€œNo. Like, ‘I wish I may, I wish I might.’ Ping! Wish granted.”
    Faye nodded slowly. “That’s an interesting line of work you’ve chosen.”
    I would not be deterred. “So, can I? Make my announcement?”
    â€œBe my guest! They sure ain’t goin’ nowhere!” she told me, smiling again. “You sure you wouldn’t rather sell hand-wove potholders, though?”
    Figuring some things only suffer by explanation, I left to fetch a box from the supply room. Setting it in the center of the salon, I gave Faye a nod.
    â€œY’all listen up!” Faye called from the nail station, where she was now trimming Missus Binset’s cuticles. “Genuine’s got something to say!”
    The ladies’ jawing died down. Three pink-rollered heads turned my way.
    I hopped up on my box. “Thank you for your, uh, allowing me to interrupt your, uh, fancifying regimens.”
    â€œProbably taking up a collection for her daddy’s bail,” I heard one of them whisper.
    I felt my cheeks turn red.
    â€œGo ahead, sugar.” Faye gave me an encouraging bob of the head.
    â€œUm,” I began. “So—I’m Genuine. Guess y’all know that. And, uh, I’m here to ask y’all to think on something in your lives that isn’t quite as fine as you’d like it to be. Maybe you’ve got more chores than you can manage. Or your bunions might be troubling you, and nothing but nothing will give you relief. Every one of us has things we need, you see. And that’s where I hope to be of, uh, service.”
    I paused to give each lady some eye-to-eye contact.
    â€œNot long ago, a woman needed work in Sass.
Sass!
you might say.
There ain’t no work in Sass!
And, of course, you’d be right. But I was able to help her out, and in less than three days’ time, she had her a job in town!
How?
you might ask.”
    No one did ask, which deflated me some, but I went on. “By sending her to the day labor office? No, ma’am! I used my own special inheritance! I’m a fourth-generation wish fetcher, you see. And