‘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 outwith 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 readGet 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 soguiltyfor 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 thatBonniemade 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 whathadbeen 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.’
