Page 56 of Two’s A Charm

WICKED SMART

Bonnie

‘I don’t see her, Bon,’ said Bobby, having returned from a reconnaissance trip to find Effie and bring her back in time to join Trivia Night.

Bonnie pretended to be unimpressed, but secretly, she had a feeling she knew exactly where Effie had disappeared to. And with whom.

‘Well, we’re just going to have to start Trivia Night without her.’

‘And without me,’ said Tessa. ‘Tea for Two are generously sitting this one out.’

‘Finally, someone else gets a chance at the meat tray,’ said Winston, rubbing his hands together in delight. ‘Gerald, have you scrubbed up on your history?’

Gerald guffawed. ‘Mate, you know my head is full of nonsense. Although I do speak six languages.’

‘I thought you were going to say you played six sports. That’s far more useful in a trivia setting. Languages, schmanguages.’

‘You say that, but I’m useful as a travel buddy.’

Winston thought about this. ‘We should do it, shouldn’t we? The Old Darts World Trip.’

‘I’ll make the T-shirts,’ offered Tessa, passing out another business card.

‘I’m impressed with your business acumen already,’ said Bonnie. ‘If you want to collab, you know where to find me.’ She paused. ‘But I’m going to be very picky about what any future collaborations entail.’

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ said Tessa, eyes bright.

Bonnie clapped her hands.

‘All right, everyone. Trivia is starting. Who’s ready?’

Tessa clenched her fists. ‘Oh, but it’s hard to sit out Trivia Night. It’s not even the meat tray. It’s the sheer joy of wiping the floor with everyone else.’

Alana reached for Tessa’s hand. ‘You could always be on my team.’

Tessa considered, then flicked her curls dramatically. ‘Only if we can be the Crafty Bitches.’

‘Oh, that we are.’ Alana smirked. ‘Bonnie, do you have a lipstick?’

Bonnie scoffed good-naturedly. ‘Do I have a lipstick?’

She pulled out one of the top drawers behind the bar, revealing a display to rival Sephora. After all, what was the point of having your own bar if you couldn’t also have your own dedicated lipstick drawer?

Tessa grabbed a napkin and scrawled her trivia duo’s team name on it with a purple lipstick.

Kirsty and Hannah came up, Kirsty looking nosy, and Hannah sporting the same dazed expression that Bobby had worn when he’d shown up at the library.

‘Um, could we join in as well?’ asked Kirsty, who despite her outward cattiness feared being left out more than anything.

Alana gave Tessa a questioning look, giving her the out that Bonnie wished she’d afforded Effie more often in life. But Tessa seemed happy to add a few extras to the team, even if they were probably going to be more hindrance than help. She waved Bonnie’s friends in with welcoming arms.

‘The only caveat is that you have to come to my opening night,’ Tessa said.

‘Deal,’ said Kirsty and Hannah.

‘But only if you let me cater,’ added Bonnie.

‘And let me help with the decorations,’ added Hannah, glancing down at her phone, which kept buzzing. ‘I have about a thousand notifications on this thing. Was there an outage or something?’

‘Something like that,’ said Bonnie gently. ‘But we’re all back on track now.’

She hoped, anyway. Because she was ready to put this whole ordeal behind her.

She drew Bobby in, sharing her question sheets with him.

‘Bobby, do you want to do the honours?’ she asked.

‘I’d love to,’ he said, beaming.

Bonnie passed him the microphone. Bobby tapped it, sending a screech of feedback through the room.

‘Sorry, sorry,’ he said, with a crooked grin.

‘Well, not really. Thanks for coming out to The Silver Slipper tonight, everyone. I know it’s been a bit of a weird night, what with the weather and the raccoons, but I think we’re on top of it.

Before we get started, I just wanted to give a shout-out to my favourite girl in the world.

And no, it’s not my budgerigar, although she comes close.

Bonnie, you’re a champ, and I can’t think of anything better than running quiz night with you until neither of us can think of another question. ’

‘Ask Effie to help!’ called Tessa.

‘Good point. There’s no excuse for us running out of questions with a librarian in the house...family...you know what I mean.’ Bobby blushed. ‘Anyway, Bon-Bon, Bons, Bonnie-Bee, thanks for letting me hang around and keep you flush with pastries.’

Bonnie dropped her gaze. ‘And thank you for lifting heavy things so I don’t have to.’

‘As you can see, we’re a team.’ Bobby reached out an arm to pull her in against him. He gave her a kiss on the forehead, a tender gesture that would have made the Bonnie of old roll her eyes ironically. But the Bonnie of tonight broke into a deep, genuine grin.

‘All right, question one: who thinks someone else should take over this quiz so I can buy my girl a drink?’

A whoop went up throughout the crowd. Bowow and Bruce Dickens pressed forward, holding hands. (It had been a big night for romance in Yellowbrick Grove.)

‘The Number of the Pooch relinquishes its place at table number six,’ called Bowow. ‘Now gimme that mic and give that woman some sugar.’

Bonnie, for the first time in her life, was beetroot red. She didn’t even have to see a reflection to know that her cheeks were veritably on fire.

‘What’ll it be?’ asked Bobby, heading behind the bar. Now that she was off the clock, he could finally make her something stronger than a lemon, lime and bitters.

‘Anything as long as it’s not purple,’ said Bonnie ruefully. ‘Or chardonnay.’

As Bowow and Bruce bellowed out questions about local lore and customs to the crowd, Bobby mixed up twin apple martinis. He slid one across the counter to Bonnie, then grabbed the other for himself.

‘Almost done,’ he said, holding up a finger. He snuck into the chilled cabinet where Bonnie kept the bar snacks, and pulled out the remaining brownies.

‘Now we’re talking,’ said Bonnie, as he plated them up.

‘They might not be your mom’s, but they’ll do. She always made the best brownies. Like magic in your mouth.’

‘That’s how Mom did things,’ said Bonnie with a smile.

‘You’re so much like her, you know. You both are.’

Bonnie grinned. ‘You know, you’re not the first person to say that.’

‘I’m sure I won’t be the last.’ Bobby’s gentle gaze met Bonnie’s. ‘Shall we take this upstairs?’

Bonnie grabbed her drink. ‘Let’s.’

They tiptoed around the perimeter of the room towards the stairwell, heading up past the private events room on the first floor and up to the apartment.

‘Sorry about the seating situation,’ she said, grimacing at the drop sheets and paint tins.

‘There’s plenty of room,’ said Bobby. He pulled over a handful of rags, laying them out like a picnic blanket. Setting down the drinks and the brownies, he pulled a candle and a stick lighter from his pocket.

Bonnie laughed. ‘Wow, okay, I’m impressed.’

Bobby cupped his hands around the wick, letting the lighter click until a soft flame spilled forth. ‘I’ve been waiting about fifteen years to hear you say that.’

‘And I’ve been pretending I didn’t feel that way for about as long,’ admitted Bonnie. She picked up her cocktail and raised it in a tentative toast. ‘To magical new things?’

‘To magical new things,’ said Bobby, clinking his glass against hers.

‘And now, please, for goddess’s sake, would you kiss me already?’

Bobby didn’t need to be asked twice. He leaned in, his fingers finding the nape of her neck, and his mouth at long last finding hers.

Bonnie wasn’t sure what was sweeter: the cocktail, or his lips.