Page 39 of Two’s A Charm

A GATHERING OF MAGIC

Bonnie

Late. She was late. And while Bonnie enjoyed the attention and awe that came with being fashionably late, there were certain things even she didn’t want to be late to.

Like the one-year memorial of Mom’s death that Effie had circled on the calendar in the kitchen.

Which she should be at right now. But she’d spent the morning trying to help a patron who’d fallen asleep in the patio hammock the previous night find their way home – they must have been a tourist, because apparently, they had no idea where they lived – while dealing with calls about no fewer than five lost wallets.

Bonnie floored the Cadillac, pulling out from her dedicated parking spot behind The Silver Slipper with a roar that made Paige at Girl with a Curl poke her head out the door, checking whether the Moody boys in their lifted truck were at it again.

‘Just me, Paige,’ Bonnie muttered, waving as she hurtled through the quiet square, rolling through the stop sign that led to the town’s main thoroughfare.

To her right, something flashed silver, and she was vaguely aware of movement in front of her car.

The car jolted as she slammed on the brakes.

Hands pressed against the hood of the car as a scooter rider braced against the car, pushing himself backwards and out of the way.

Bonnie put the car in park and jumped out.

Under the car was one of those annoying rental scooters that jammed up the square and the college, and which no one ever put back in the racks.

Well, except for Effie, who did so quietly with magic under the cover of night.

And Bobby, but Bobby hadn’t been by much these days.

The last time she’d seen him, he’d been walking hand in hand with Kirsty with what looked like a telescope slung over his shoulder.

Bonnie had crossed the street to avoid them.

Oh shit. It was Bobby’s little brother, Kevvie.

‘Are you okay, Kevvie?’ Bonnie went to grab his shoulder, but decided against it, checking him over for injuries from afar. She couldn’t see any scrapes or bruises, although he was breathing hard.

Kevvie nodded – he seemed fine, just shaken.

‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you there. Forgive me?’ She offered him the fist bump that she knew was the standard of communication between Kevvie and his friends.

Kevvie bumped her fist and stooped down to pull the scooter out from under the car. ‘All good, Bonnie. Although the scooter’s having a bad time.’

Bonnie grimaced. She wasn’t sure what the proper course of action was to repair one of the communal scooters. She supposed she’d have to call the phone number emblazoned on the side, but later. She had to get to the cemetery.

‘It’ll survive,’ she promised. Then she hesitated. ‘Hey, how’s Bobby doing lately?’

Kevvie made a face. ‘He’s been so weird. And Kirsty is always over. She keeps asking me to be in her videos, too. I always thought you were way better. Why did you stop hanging out?’

Bonnie wished Kevvie was still small enough that she could brush that cowlick of hair away from his cute little face. But those days were long gone.

‘It’s complicated,’ said Bonnie. ‘I still care about your brother, though, I promise. But I really have to go. You sure you’re okay? Do you need me to take you to the doctor?’

Kevvie snorted. ‘I’ve done way worse on my skateboard. You should know, with Effie on her skates and all.’

How come everyone in town other than Bonnie had seen the mysterious skating Effie? When had the sisters become so separate?

‘I’m just glad you’re okay,’ she said, pushing all thoughts of Effie out of her head. ‘And that I finally clobbered one of those annoying scooters.’

‘They’re the worst,’ agreed Kevvie. ‘But I snapped my skateboard the other day, so.’ He shrugged.

Bonnie dumped the scooter on the sidewalk and went to hop back in the car. But a swirl of red and blue lit up the street. Officer Brigsley, the town’s police officer. They’d become quite well acquainted through Bonnie’s shenanigans over the years.

‘Hi, Terry,’ she said, flashing her biggest smile and crinkling her eyes. ‘All good, just a mistiming. I was on my way to the cemetery for my mom. Grief plays funny tricks on your peripheral vision.’

‘You rolled through the stop sign,’ Terry pointed out. His mouth turned down at the corners, signalling a very specific dad kind of disappointment.

‘Barely,’ she said. ‘I was going, like, fifteen. Kevvie was cruising faster than I was.’

Terry shook his head. ‘Maybe, but I can’t let this one slide, Bon. I’m sorry. It’s a blind intersection. Anything could’ve happened.’

‘But Kevvie’s fine,’ she protested. ‘No one got hurt.’

‘Because you got lucky,’ said Officer Brigsley. ‘Next time, you might not be so charmed.’

Charmed , thought Bonnie darkly as he wrote out a ticket.

Apparently the Chalmers family luck only applied to one sister at a time, and this time for once it wasn’t her.

No, Bonnie was breaking her back trying to keep the rowdy bar patrons in line, whip up commercial quantities of Oswald’s magical cocktails, and pay for the new electrical box, while Effie sat around at the library reading books, eating cupcakes and complaining about Bonnie using up all of the hot water.

Bonnie deserved those showers! She needed them to get the tension out of her shoulders, because unlike Effie, she couldn’t cast a spell to get the knots out.

Needless to say, by the time Bonnie arrived at the cemetery, she was in a sour mood.

‘Nice of you to stop by,’ said Effie drily.

It was all Bonnie could do not to shove her into the duck pond.

Instead, she turned towards the vast weeping willow that marked Mom’s resting place, its leafy boughs lush and laden with memories and dreams. The tree calmed Bonnie.

It made her feel like Mom was still there, watching over them, her spirit twining through the branches and streaming foliage, reaching down to hug them in the only way she still could.

This had been a special spot for the trio long before Mom’s death.

The three of them would come here for picnics under the tranquil shade of the giant tree, basking in the dappled light it cast. They’d share all the stories they could remember of the people buried around them, doing their bit to keep their memories alive.

So it had seemed fitting to make this Mom’s own place, to have endless reasons to return and continue the tradition.

Fitting, but not easy. They’d managed a few quiet picnics together in the year since Mom’s death, occasionally with Tessa or Sabine joining them.

But the gaps between each gathering were growing.

Effie was better about coming than Bonnie, although not because Bonnie didn’t care.

Quite the opposite. Bonnie hurt so much at the loss of Mom that being this close to her was unbearable.

Worse than that was how these visits brought out something dark in her.

A resentment at Mom for leaving them, at all the moments and milestones they’d never share, at how alone she was when she was barely an adult.

Effie at least had been guided into adulthood by Mom, had had someone beside her to help her become who she was.

But Bonnie? She’d barely made it into her twenties before Mom’s diagnosis and the vanishingly small distance between that and what came after.

Where had the magic been then? Why hadn’t the special talent the Chalmers women shared been able to save her?

Why had Mom accepted so easily the words of doctors and the hand of fate?

Oswald had hinted that there might have been another path, and maybe he’d been right. They should have at least tried.

Bonnie clenched her fists, the purple sparkle of her magic crackling around her wrists.

Seeing Bonnie’s anguished, empty hands, Effie passed her one of the small wildflower bouquets arranged in the effusive style of Flora from A Pocket Full of Posies.

‘Here, I brought two.’

Of course she’d brought two. Of course she’d assumed that Bonnie would arrive empty-handed.

Bonnie wanted to snap at her sister that she hadn’t forgotten.

She’d meant to stop off for a bouquet of her own but fate and circumstance were conspiring against her today.

But she didn’t want to fight with her sister in front of Mom’s resting place.

She didn’t need dark energy polluting the beautiful willow tree and the serene space it offered.

‘Thanks,’ Bonnie said, trying to keep her voice level. Maybe Effie was just looking out for her.

‘They had a buy one, get one free,’ said Effie. ‘I figured Mom wouldn’t mind.’

Bonnie frowned. ‘I’m surprised Sabine isn’t here yet. She said she was coming.’

Effie checked her watch. She still pointedly wore one, even in a world where cell phones existed. An analogue watch as well, as though she was making a statement about other people’s ability to read analogue time. ‘Sabine’s never late. She’s early, even by my standards.’

As much as it pained Bonnie to admit, Effie had a point.

Like Hannah, Sabine was chronically, frustratingly early.

She was the kind of person who’d show up fifteen minutes early to a coffee date, or who’d get Taylor Swift tickets within seconds, or who’d be at the front of the line at The Golden Hour Bakery when they announced a new pastry.

‘Maybe she got into an accident with one of those scooters in the square,’ said Bonnie. ‘Traffic’s chaotic today.’

Effie cocked her head. ‘That’s oddly specific. Maybe it just slipped her mind.’

‘I doubt it. I saw her the other day at the bar. We talked about it then.’

‘Ah, of course, at the bar,’ said Effie stiffly. She adjusted her glasses, then added, ‘I would’ve stopped by to see her if I’d known.’

Effie, wanting to come to the bar? Had she been bopped on the head?

Bonnie fiddled with the bouquet Effie had given her, thinking it could do with a touch more colour and character. ‘I thought you hated the bar.’

‘Obviously it’s not my preferred scene. But I’m not entirely a hermit. I’m perfectly willing to stop by if it means seeing someone I care about. Like Sabine.’

‘Well, I’ll let you know next time. Promise.’

‘All right,’ said Effie, even though saying so seemed like it hurt.

‘You should come to the next Trivia Night, perhaps,’ offered Bonnie, trying to assuage her guilt. ‘It’s not far off. And someone needs to keep Winston and Gerald in their place. I mentioned it to Tessa the other day, actually. I’m surprised she didn’t pass it along.’

Effie frowned. ‘Tessa came by as well?’

Hmm. Interesting that Tessa hadn’t mentioned it to Effie. Bonnie had thought they shared everything.

‘She was looking cute,’ offered Bonnie. ‘I think she was meeting someone, but she was a bit coy about it.’

She waited to see whether Effie would dish any gossip, but of course not.

‘Speaking of meeting someone,’ muttered Effie, a look of disdain flitting over her face. Not that this look was so different from her usual expression. ‘Look who it is.’

Uncle Oswald’s cane clacked as he came up, in full fusty magician-wannabe regalia, clutching a fistful of lilies in his free hand. Mom had always warned about lilies, which were deadly to cats and had an energy that scared her.

‘Well, if it isn’t my magical nieces,’ Uncle Oswald said, adjusting his waistcoat and straightening his paisley bow tie.

‘You’re both looking beautiful as usual.

Even on such a sad day as this.’ He didn’t seem especially sorrowful, for he immediately added, ‘I went by your bar, Bonnie, but that new bartender of yours told me you were down here. How about we head back up together when we’re done showing our respects to my loving sister? ’

‘Um, sure,’ said Bonnie, feeling suddenly off-kilter. Was he checking up on her? And if so, why?

‘Which reminds me,’ went on Oswald, ‘her loopy friend from the hotel – Sabine, that’s it – stopped into the shop the other day. She shopped up quite the storm as well. Excellent job on that, Bonnie.’

Effie raised an eyebrow that could do with some threading.

‘I, um, recommended some of Oswald’s crystals,’ Bonnie told Effie, hoping that her sister wouldn’t press her any further on this. She was absolutely not about to explain the specifics of the business arrangement. Certainly not with Oswald leaning over her in his trademark slimy, leery fashion.

‘Oh, here’s Sabine,’ said Bonnie, relieved. She waved as Sabine made her way over, all flowing skirts and dangly earrings – and a new bracelet that gleamed with crystals.

‘I’m so sorry,’ said Sabine as she joined the group, sounding slightly out of breath. She embraced the sisters in turn, then gave Oswald a quick hug. ‘My head’s just full of fog today. Just a touch of hay fever, I’m sure, but I’m all out of sorts. Shall we get started?’