Dreams, desires, the most outlandish wishes: all are for sale at Esther May Morrow's timeless antiques and sundries store, for the bargain price of...well, that would be telling. You'll have to see for yourself. So come on in. Don't be shy. Make her an offer. She never refuses anyone.
There's just one thing I should mention: each purchase comes with an absolute guarantee--no one who leaves her shop will be ever the same again.
LOT 62 (A Short Story):
Julie Blalock is approaching thirty and has an unfulfilling job with an accountancy firm. But she also has a secret--she was once an MI6 Agent. A personal tragedy forced her to quit eight years ago, but a chance offer to return for a one-time op is too tempting to ignore. Her mission: to pose as a rich socialite at Sotheby's, to gain critical intelligence during the most anticipated high-class auction of the year--Esther May Morrow's sale of antique treasures, featuring Lot 62, a prize that has even the Ministry of Defence worried.
What secrets will Julie discover on her impromptu return to espionage?
9,000 words
Other stories from The Little Shop of Wonders* include: Cretaceous, Gin Rummy, Spellbound, The Conscripted Man, Miss Olivia, Phenomenal, Happy Meal, and The Temporal Man
*Available separately or in The Complete Anthology