I got to work early the next morning, anxious to learn the ropes. I’d always loved to browse through shell shops, and now I’d be working in one. Life was looking up. Cat unlocked the door when she saw me.

“Here you go,” she said as she held out her hand with four keys hooked on a fob with a silver starfish charm. Her hair was up in a messy bun that looked like a million bucks. If I did that with my hair, I’d scare small children. Not fair!

“Did you make thi...