Page 48 of Two’s A Charm

‘It’s Effie,’ corrected Tessa. ‘She’s been pretty preoccupied with Theo, to start. And on top of that, I think she’s worried that I’m going to defect to your side.’

‘My side,’ said Bonnie, amused. Fair. She sipped her lemonade.

Tessa held up her hands. ‘I am absolutely not getting in the middle of that. But come on. We all know that the two of you have a weird dynamic.’ She let out a breath. ‘Which is why I wanted to ask you something.’

‘Go on,’ said Bonnie warily. This was going to be an Effie thing, wasn’t it? Tessa was going to ask her to be extra nice to Effie and say something to give her self-esteem a little boost.

‘Is there something going on? With the bar?’ asked Tessa.

Bonnie almost choked on her lemonade. ‘What do you mean by “going on”?’

‘It just feels like there’s maybe something in the water recently. Everyone’s...forgetful, even for Yellowbrick Grove.’

Bonnie chuckled, but she could feel the hysteria bubbling up as Tessa trained that thoughtful, bespectacled gaze on her.

Tessa was no fool. Bonnie had been around while Effie and Tessa had watched dozens of murder mystery shows together over the years, and Tessa always guessed whodunnit.

But the murderers on TV didn’t have Bonnie’s charm.

Or facility at lying, which she’d honed over years of truancy and reassuring her friends that cutting your own bangs was a great idea.

‘I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary,’ she said, pretending to think on it. ‘Although to be fair, I’m mostly dealing with drunkards. And I mean, the two of you seem fine, and you’re in here all the time.’

‘You’re right,’ said Tessa slowly.

Alana emerged from the bar, looking triumphant. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I helped myself to some cookies. Oh, and barista Terrance left these.’

She held up the ratty pack of playing cards that Terrance had been working so hard to memorize.

‘See?’ pressed Tessa, as Bonnie took the playing cards, admiring their quaint folk-art style. Maybe she’d do him a favour and drop them off at the coffee shop. It was the least she could do. Well, that and bring up the latte art talent option instead.

‘See what?’ asked Alana, but only with passing interest. She checked her phone.

‘It’s Hannah. Hey, babe!’ she said, putting it to her ear.

‘No, not the Dorothy House. Tessa’s art studio.

And don’t park near the hydrant. Officer Brigsley’s on a rampage at the moment.

Yes, I know you’re terrible at parallel parking. ’

She rang off.

‘Want to join us?’ she asked. ‘Hannah’s on her way. Or so she says.’

Bonnie yawned. ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘So long as we have time for a coffee first.’

Fifteen minutes later, coffees in hand (and playing cards delivered to Terrance), the trio arrived outside what might become Tessa’s new art studio.

Hannah was parked wonkily down the tiny laneway to one side of it, the trunk of her car far enough out in the street that she was definitely risking a ticket.

But at least she wasn’t in front of the hydrant. This time.

‘Got you a matcha,’ said Alana, passing a giant smoothie to Hannah, who was in somewhat of a state. Her usually perfectly flat-ironed hair was damp and twisted up in a clip, as if she’d just stepped out of the shower, and she was wearing false lashes on her right eye only.

‘Roll out of bed on the wrong side today?’ asked Bonnie.

‘Ugh, that’s not even the half of it,’ groaned Hannah.

‘My alarm didn’t go off, then I forgot to put the pitcher under the drip coffee – it went everywhere.

Everywhere! Then my hair straightener didn’t heat up.

Then I put cold-sore cream on my toothbrush.

And then I apparently forgot to fill up the car last night, so I had to stop for gas.

But no one was there, so I drove here on fumes.

Well, the Dorothy House first. And then here.

It’ll be a wonder if I make it back home.

I think’ – she lowered her voice – ‘I’m cursed. Do you think curses could be real?’

‘I mean, sure,’ said Bonnie, sipping her coffee as she tried to hide her growing sense of panic. ‘But think about it. Why would anyone go to the effort of cursing you?’

‘Plenty of people hate me, Bonnie,’ Hannah snapped. ‘I’m just as influential as you. Realtors are highly controversial. People loathe us for our success.’

This was a better take than Hannah pinpointing the real culprit here: Bonnie’s delicious yet mind-numbing charmed drinks.

‘How about we just go inside?’ suggested Alana calmly.

Hannah glared at the digital door lock flashing at her as it demanded a code. ‘Hang on, it’s in my notes app...’

She pulled out her phone, which flashed, then promptly died. A bestial groan started up in her throat.

‘Here, let me,’ said Bonnie, stepping in before Hannah transformed into a werewolf or something (stranger things had happened in this town, after all). ‘Can you turn away for a sec? I don’t want you to be accessories to a crime. And not even matching accessories.’

The others did as requested.

She held her hands over the lock, letting magic sparkle through her wrists. It was coming more easily to her now, even if she was exhausted. The lock beeped, then smoked, and the door opened.

‘How did you do that?’ marvelled Alana.

‘Hairpin,’ said Bonnie, hoping that Alana wouldn’t think about this too deeply.

In fact, only Tessa seemed to suspect that more was at play – her left eyebrow seemed to have stayed raised pretty much ever since they’d left the bar.

Tessa had never explicitly mentioned the sisters’ magic, but Bonnie knew that between them, it was a bit of an open secret.

Like Tessa’s decade-long crush on Alana.

‘You might want to let the landlord know that they need a new lock,’ said Bonnie as she opened the door, heading inside in front of the others.

The studio space was small but homely. Like The Silver Slipper, it was all creaky polished hardwood floors and stained-glass windows, with a hammered-tin ceiling that had rusted in places.

Watching Tessa’s expression was everything.

Bonnie could remember how she’d felt when she’d first stepped into what would become her bar.

How every step rang out with possibilities.

The furniture that could go here. The lighting fixture she could add there.

The signage that could go up on the back wall.

‘Imagine all the cute little beasties you could crochet in here,’ marvelled Alana, turning a circle in one particularly well-lit part of the room. ‘And I’m thinking a Moroccan lamp in that corner.’

‘Built-in shelves!’ exclaimed Tessa. ‘They’d be perfect stacked with materials. Pottery blanks. Fabric bolts. And my extraordinarily expansive glitter collection.’

‘Don’t forget Effie’s book overflow,’ added Bonnie.

Tessa laughed. ‘There aren’t enough shelves in the world.’

There was a rumbling outside as a car pulled up. Bonnie hurried to the window to check that Hannah wasn’t going to get a ticket. Surely, after the side effects of Bonnie’s charmed drinks, she’d hit her limit for bad luck for the day.

But no, it wasn’t a police cruiser. It was Mom’s Jeep.

Well, Effie’s Jeep now, since Bonnie had her own ride.

One that didn’t come with memories of Mom every time you climbed into it.

Like the twiggy broomstick that hung from the rear-view mirror.

Or the old CD player with the Cranberries CD Mom had always sung along to, belting out ‘Dreams’ in a passable Dolores O’Riordan imitation.

Or the glovebox she’d kept filled with emergency sour gummies.

Or even the way she white-knuckled the handlebar above the door when Bonnie had first been learning to drive.

Effie pulled over, parallel parking flawlessly (she’d spent hours as a teenager perfecting the art), and leaving plenty of room for the fire hydrant.

Moving carefully in what looked like new shoes and wide-leg pants Bonnie actually quite liked, Effie climbed down from the Jeep, Theo following after her.

‘Now here’s a crew with overdues, if ever I saw one,’ said Theo, with a wave at the girls who’d appeared at the building door. He hefted the library tote bag he was carrying (obviously one of Effie’s, for it read Get Lit at the Library ). ‘Got books, folks?’

‘Mine are all on my Kindle,’ said Alana, shaking her head.

‘Here.’ Wincing, Hannah passed Effie a crumpled twenty-dollar note. ‘That’s for the one that I spilled a glass of water on this morning. It was on the counter because I got your email and was planning on returning it. I had good intentions. Really.’

‘Right,’ said Effie, although she did pocket the money.

She glanced around at the airy space, and then the unexpected group of people in it.

‘I didn’t realize we were missing a party,’ she said, with a smile belied by her furrowed brow.

Who knew that a person could smile and frown simultaneously?

Scratch that. Who knew Effie could fake-smile?

‘Oh, we were just checking out the new studio space,’ said Tessa, awkwardly. ‘Everyone was in the area, so, here we all are.’

‘So not yoga class, then?’ said Effie pointedly.

Tessa swallowed. ‘No, we already—’

‘It’s great,’ interrupted Effie. ‘I could definitely see your craft classes in here,’ she added slowly, although Bonnie could hear the hurt in her voice.

Bonnie had heard her complain a million times about being cut out of things, or being the last to know about a social gathering she’d never attend anyway.

But Effie made it so difficult. She was always lost in one of her books or hiding behind the library stacks, and you always felt so guilty for interrupting her, like whatever you had going on was horribly inferior to the themes and topics of whatever she was reading.

‘Thanks, Eff,’ said Tessa.

‘I’m just glad I could see it,’ said Effie archly. ‘Even if it was just by luck.’

Bonnie’s friends exchanged glances that spoke volumes. Here Effie was, ruining a perfectly pleasant moment with her jealousy. And Effie had the cheek to say that Bonnie made everything about herself!

‘How much is the rent?’ asked Effie, running short fingernails over the wall panelling.

There was an edge to her tone that grew sharper as she went on.

‘Did you talk to the Chamber of Commerce about a business plan? Because it’s different when it’s free at the library as opposed to people paying out of their own pockets. ’

Tessa’s shoulders slumped a little, but she smiled gamely. ‘I’ve run the numbers.’

‘She’s run the numbers,’ echoed Alana in a sing-song voice, like a 50s chorus girl.

Effie didn’t hear this – she was wandering around the room with a frown, adding her usual Effie doom and gloom to what had been a joyful outing. Effie’s lifelong streak of raining on people’s parades remained unbroken.

‘She’ll do great,’ said Bonnie, stepping in to save Tessa from Effie’s inevitable questions about diversification and lines of credit. ‘Besides, we’re going to do a cross-promotional thing.’

‘I’m sure you are,’ sniped Effie. ‘Maybe you can get Uncle Oswald in on it as well.’

Bonnie felt as though she were about two inches tall. Effie could be so imperious when she wanted to be. And she knew exactly what to say to make you hurt.

‘Maybe we should get going, Effie,’ said Theo, gently touching her arm. He gave Tessa and Bonnie a softly apologetic look. ‘We have all these books to unpack and get back.’

Effie took off her glasses and polished them with her cardigan sleeve. ‘Fine. The Jeep’s full anyway. I love the space, Tessa. Really.’

Tessa gave a small smile. ‘Thanks, Effie. Sorry I didn’t text you after yoga, but it was all just kind of impromptu.’

‘And you seem to be busy anyway,’ said Bonnie, her gaze tracking from Effie to Theo.

‘I’ll see you in a bit for craft night?’ added Tessa, hopefully.

‘Of course,’ said Effie, although her voice wavered. Bonnie had the very strange sensation that her sister might be about to cry, something she hadn’t seen her sister do since the day of Mom’s death.

Bonnie might ordinarily have felt sympathy towards her sister, but frankly, she was getting tired of tiptoeing around Effie’s moods.

So what if Bonnie had a popular bar and Tessa preferred Bonnie’s company?

Why couldn’t Effie be grateful with what she had instead of complaining about what she didn’t?

Moreover, wasn’t it about time she learned to share?

Who cared if Bonnie happened to be available to take a peek at Tessa’s new shop!

Especially since Effie had apparently had more important plans anyway.

Overdues ridealong indeed , she thought with an internal snort.

‘I for one am very excited about carving soap,’ Alana was saying with exaggerated cheerfulness, as Theo guided the huffy Effie back out to the Jeep. ‘So long as it’s vegan.’

Bonnie folded her arms and watched her sister climb dejectedly into the Jeep. Effie just couldn’t help being Effie.

Although she did have to admit that she liked her sister’s new shoes.