Prior Arrangements — Day 2

Genre:  Romance / Drama

Protagonist:  Ben Prior, age 16

Premise:  A family in turmoil flees NYC to open a flower shop in a small New England town—only to discover that there is a mysterious, unseen helper in the shop who expertly arranges flowers when no one is looking. The flower shop, it seems, has a ghost—and a very artistically talented one at that. As the fame of their incredible flower arrangements grows within the community, and their fortunes rise, the family fears what will happen if the truth about their artistic genius is discovered. Eventually, they learn that the ghost was a young woman who died in her 20s, almost 60 years ago, and soon realize that she is not just helping out of generosity, but out of a desire to reconnect with someone she left behind. So the family embarks upon a mission to find the childhood sweetheart of the ghost—a gentleman whom, if still alive, would now be in his 90s.

Plot lines:  The spine of the story are three intertwined "love affairs." The first is between Ben's parents, Barbara and Henry Prior, as their marriage has frayed and divorce becomes a real possibility. The second is a courtship between young Ben Prior and a local girl name Carissa whom Ben has a crush on, and who comes to work in the flower shop with the Priors for the Summer. And the third love affair is between the unseen young female ghost and her childhood sweetheart. It is the resolution of this third love affair—the quest to reunite the long-parted lovers—that ultimately inspires the outcome of all three.

Background / Inspiration:  Inspired by a bouquet of Easter flowers sitting on my dining room table.