Mishaps & Fairy Dust

By Louise Nelson

Magnolia Goldsteen has pretty much one thing on her mind: watch the nose!

 

That is, until a particular mishap involving her nose has her dad grasping at straws for a reasonable explanation for his daughter's clumsiness. When doctor's visits lead to inconclusive results, there's only one thing left to do: take a cooking class.

 

Never in her wildest dreams did Magnolia think her dad would go on a mission to start healthy habits. But that might just work out for everyone. Because in the pursuit of healthy eating, they meet a woman who seems to be the perfect match for her dad.

 

Now, she has one extra thing on her mind: devise a plan with the woman's daughter to spark a budding relationship between their parents.

 

Oh, and make sure the neighbor's grandson never sees her wearing spandex ever again.

 

There's just one big problem to her matchmaking plan. Sometimes allowing love again isn't easy when grief stands in the way.

 

Mishaps & Fairy Dust is a funny, quirky, and heartfelt tale of new friendships and a budding career in matchmaking.

 

The Parent Trap meets Boy Meets World.

 

Ages 8–12

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emery Road Publications
• Release date: Apr 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9781954708341

Book preview

Mishaps & Fairy Dust eBook Cover

Mishaps & Fairy Dust

Louise Nelson

Emery Road Publications Logo

BOOKS BY LOUISE NELSON

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION (Ages 8–12)

Chickens, Girls, and Other Life Problems

Mishaps & Fairy Dust

YOUNG ADULT FICTION (Ages 12+)

Written as Jody Calkins

The Hexon Code

Shattered

Redeemed

Blackout

Outcast

No Way Out

Breakout

Sabotage

Outrage*

Tainted

Platform 273

Bought

Charged

*Titles available soon!

Mishaps & Fairy Dust

Copyright © 2024 by Louise Nelson

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Published by:

Emery Road Publications

https://emeryroad.com

ISBN: 978-1-954708-34-1

First Edition: April 2024

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Table of Contents

Title Page

Books by Louise Nelson

Copyright Page

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

About the Author

Chapter 1

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED what it would be like to have a perfect nose?

I have.

A beautiful nose.

A nose with a straight bridge and a slender end that upturns toward the sky in a soft curve.

I wonder about it often. But Dad says it doesn’t matter what my nose looks like. What matters is my behavior and personality.

The second time I broke my nose was when I tripped on the sidewalk on the way to my first day of the fifth grade. When I arrived, my new teacher ushered me immediately to the school nurse to clean up the blood and to call my dad.

He wasn’t happy. I could tell he was having a hard time containing himself. You know how parents get when they don’t want you to worry but you can see right through them? Yep. Dad being Dad, he hugged me and ushered me straight out the door and to our family doctor to reset my nose.

I had to wear a nose splint for two weeks which was embarrassing.

And to make matters worse, I had to see a specialist.

Dad said it could help keep me from stumbling. I wasn’t sure what kind of results he was expecting, but no amount of therapy was going to fix my being a klutz. I had two left feet. Plain and simple.

But Dad said I had to go whether I liked it or not.

So, with an annoyed stare and with my arms crossed over my chest, I sat in the passenger seat and let him take me across town to the medical center.

As we drove up into an empty parking space by the front entrance, I saw the business name printed on the glass door. Dr. Roberta Stevens. Office of Oncology.

What’s oncology? I asked, turning my head to look at Dad.

He glanced my way, but he couldn’t meet my gaze.

Dad?

He sighed as he turned in his seat to face me. Oncology is the study of cancer, honey.

I swallowed hard and blinked my eyes rapidly as thoughts of bald kids with sunken eyes flashed in my mind. I shook my head. No, I said, my voice shaking. Why did you bring me here? I don’t have cancer.

He reached across the truck cab and patted the back of my hand which was gripping the armrest, my knuckles white.

We need to know for sure. To rule it out, he said, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself of the matter rather than me. To make sure it’s not causing you to lose your balance.

Dad, I keep telling you, I’m just a klutz. I feel fine.

I know, honey, but after your mom… His voice trailed off and then he sighed. We need to rule this out. I need this ruled out. For my own sanity. I can’t keep wondering if I’m going to lose you, too.

Geez, he was really starting to make a mess of his face. And mine, too. All this talk about cancer and Mom… My face felt hot, and I needed out of the truck before I started to melt to the seat.

With a sigh, I said, Fine, and pushed open the door.

Dad led me into the building and to the receptionist’s desk, to a woman with long, curly blonde hair and a beautiful nose. She smiled at me. It was a warm, adult-like kind of smile.

You must be Magnolia, she said, placing a clipboard on the counter in front of me. When Dad took it, she turned her attention to him and added, Hello, Mr. Goldsteen. Please fill out this questionnaire and bring it back to me when you’re done.

He gave her a weak smile as he tipped his hat. Then he put an arm around my shoulders and led me away to the waiting room.

As I sat quietly beside him, I watched his dry, shaky hand fill out the forms. There seemed to be question after question and after only the twentieth one, he looked over at me and sighed.

Finally, after a long and dreadfully boring ten minutes, he stood up and handed the clipboard to the woman across the desk.

The nurse will come get you shortly, she said.

We waited in silence. I was too afraid to say anything, and I imagined my dad was, too.

By the time the nurse appeared, my stomach was twisted in knots. I swallowed hard as I got to my feet. Dad’s arm was around my shoulders again, guiding me across the floor and into a wide hallway.

The nurse, who called herself Janice, directed us into one of the rooms with a large patient table in the center. The bottom stepstool had been pulled out.

Go ahead and have a seat, she said. I’ll be right in.

Knowing the drill after my numerous accidents and broken bones, I hopped up onto the paper-lined table and dangled my feet off the edge.

Dad sat idly in the extra chair against the wall to my right.

As I sat there, my body started trembling uncontrollably and I couldn’t keep my legs still.

Dad reached over and patted my hand again. I’m sure it’s nothing, honey. We’re just ruling this out.

I nodded my head through the jitters. It’s the doctor’s office. It just makes me nervous.

He gave me a knowing nod.

No, really, I said. I’m fine.

I closed my eyes and tried to think of fun, warm places like the beach a few miles from our house. I tried to imagine burying my feet in the hot sand. But then the door handle clanged. I jerked my eyes open to see the nurse walking back into the room. She carried a metal tray containing a few medical items and set it on the counter by the sink.

As she straightened her things, she said, We’re just going to take a small blood sample so we can run some tests. Then after that, I’ll have you come down the hall with me to another room where we’ll take a look at your insides.

Insides? I asked with a shudder.

She chuckled softly. It’s called an MRI, for magnetic resonance imaging. It lets us see what’s going on inside your body. If there are any types of growths that shouldn’t be there.

I eyed Dad who was starting to look a little green now.

Nurse Janice followed my gaze. Her eyes widened slightly. She set the packaged needle back on the tray and took a few steps across the room to stand in front of my dad. Mr. Goldsteen? Are you all right?

He raised his hand and nodded his head. I’m fine, he said, his voice croaking.

The nurse grabbed a paper cup from the dispenser on the wall by the sink and filled it with tap water. Then she handed it to Dad.

Slowly, he took a small sip and then lowered his hand to rest it on his leg. He raised his other fist and held it to his mouth.

Nurse Janice looked at me, looking a little panicked. No doubt from having a grown man appear sick during a simple office visit.

I’m sure he’ll be fine, I said with a shrug.

Janice nodded though her expression was grim.

With a cheeky grin, I added, He tends to get a little queasy at doctor’s visits.

Dad shot me an annoyed look.

All right, Janice said, turning back to face me and walking back to the metal tray on the counter. Let’s get started. Have you ever had your blood drawn, Magnolia? She looked over her shoulder at me.

I nodded. Lots of times.

There’s nothing to it, is there? she asked. And it’s over so fast.

I hummed in agreement though I wouldn’t say it was a fast procedure. The twenty seconds it took for a nurse to draw blood always felt like forever.

Dad always referred to slow things as like watching paint dry. I never understood why he bothered watching paint dry. It seemed like a waste of valuable time, but I knew he wouldn’t like my comment, so I had never asked him about it. There were certain things he didn’t appreciate me asking him about.

And one of those things was Mom.

Chapter 2

AFTER WHAT FELT LIKE an eternity, which turned out to be much longer than the twenty seconds it took for Nurse Janice to draw my blood, I was finally released.

The MRI had been no big deal, but I had to lie bone-stiff, and for whatever reason, I couldn’t stop fidgeting, which only made the process take longer.

By the time Dad dropped me off at school, recess was over. I supposed, given the nature of events, that was just as well since my nose was still in a splint. Although, come to think of it, at least with my nose in a splint, it was somewhat protected from imminent danger.

As I got out of the passenger side, he handed me my lunch bag. Everything’s going to be fine, honey, he said. The nurse said we’ll get the lab results back tomorrow, but we’re just ruling this out. Don’t you worry.

I’m not worried.

He sighed and glanced out the windshield before turning his head to look at me again. Be careful on the walk home, okay?

Yeah, Dad. No worries, I said. See you after school.

Before he could say anything else, I slammed the rusty door closed and then hurried across the sidewalk, almost tripping on my feet before I made it to the door. I cast a quick look over my shoulder to see if he had noticed, but he was back to staring out the windshield. I let out a sigh of relief and then with more care, I walked the rest of the way and into the building.

When I walked into my classroom, my teacher stopped speaking and stared at me with concern. I gave her a questioning look and then slipped into my seat as I dropped my bag to the floor at my feet.

Mrs. Carter cleared her throat and then resumed her speech. But I couldn’t focus on what she was saying. Something about the earth shifting its polar axis. I yawned into my hand and dropped my forehead onto my arm.

I was dying to eat my lunch, but I also felt sleepy after the injection the nurse had given me at the doctor’s office. Dad would have taken me home, but he had called in sick so many times already, that he couldn’t afford to miss another day of work. He was already losing three hours of pay because of my doctor’s visit. He kept telling me we needed the money.

His employer was lucky to have him as an employee. Not only did he show up to work on time, but he seemed pretty dedicated to his work. Always telling me he had to work extra hours to catch up.

On days when he worked late, a babysitter came to watch over me. I kept telling him I was old enough to handle being on my own, but ever since my first nose break two months earlier, he had insisted that someone needed to be with me at all times.

It was a wonder I was able to go to the bathroom by myself. Sometimes I went in there just to be alone. To get away from the babysitter who was overbearing and in my face all the time. At least until she started getting concerned with me being in there for so long. Usually I came up with a good excuse.