‘That’s it! This Memory Lane drink of yours. Tell me, whatmakes it so unforgettable?’ Cassandra held up a finger. ‘You know what? I think I will record.’
For the first time in her life, Bonnie was sweating with anxiety. Her underarms prickled and her heart thrummed. Her words felt thick in her mouth, and instead of charming and chatty, she felt awkward and unbecoming. Was this what it felt like to be Effie?
But then, a reprieve. Tessa and Alana were pushing their way through the patio side door. Bonnie could’ve kissed them. Although, from how close together they were standing, it looked like she might be the third wheel in that situation.
‘I’m so sorry, but I’ve double-booked,’ she said, doing everything in her power not to crow with relief. ‘It’s a business thing. Could we reschedule?’
Cassandra hit pause on her recording app. ‘Sure. Anything for the proprietor of The Golden Stiletto.’
Bonnie didn’t even bother to correct her. Besides, the poor girl would probably have forgotten about this whole interaction by the time she got out to the square. Which was a relief, because Cassandra gave Alana and Tessa a look that suggested she might not entirely have believed Bonnie’s excuse. But there was nothing Bonnie could do about that now.
‘Hey, babes,’ Bonnie said, giving Alana a hug and, in a first, extending the same to Tessa. ‘Given up yoga for day-drinking, huh? Now this is a quality-of-life choice I love to see.’
‘Glad you’re looking out for us.’ Alana shook out her auburn hair. ‘We just came from a session in the studio. We’re going to go check out Tessa’s new space.’
Bonnie raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re really going for it, huh. Well, let me know if you still want to collab. A craft market, maybe. Or a pot and papercraft night.’
‘Beers and beading,’ suggested Tessa.
‘Chardonnay and crochet,’ added Alana.
Tessa and Bonnie both laughed.
‘ABC. Anything but chardonnay,’ Bonnie and Alana chimed in together, courtesy of a twenty-one-year-old Bonnie’s favourite catchphrase.
‘Noted for future reference,’ said Tessa. ‘Do you want to see the space? Hannah’s meeting us in a few. Hopefully.’
‘She completely flaked last time,’ confided Alana.
Bonnie swallowed. This was at least the second time Hannah had flaked on a client appointment. And who knew what else she was flaking on in her life – hopefully not her responsibilities to her dad, who needed her now more than ever. She might have to switch her friend to wine only until she sorted herself out.
Perhaps it was time to go back to the recipe book and give some of the other spells a try. But where would she even get the time for that? She was already run ragged with just the Memory Lane concentrate.
‘Babe,’ said Alana, who was squirming on the spot, ‘I gotta pee. Way too much reverse osmosis water. Is that okay?’
Bonnie stepped aside – she’d never stand between a famously small bladder and a bathroom. ‘Be my guest. You know where to find the good paper.’
‘Always.’ Alana hurried inside, doing the thigh-squishing pee walk that Bonnie saw all too often among her patrons.
Watching her go with a lovesick gaze, Tessa plonked down on one of the plush outdoor couches that packed the patio area. At Bonnie’s request, Clark brought out some lemonade and brownies, which Bonnie had taken to outsourcing since the introduction of the Memory Lane concentrate. A girl could only juggle so much.
‘So, how’re things going with the two of you?’ Bonnie asked, curious. It was so odd to see one of her friends spending time with Effie’s one and only friend, but stranger things had happened in the past few weeks. And besides, she was beginning to quite like Tessa. She was like Effie, but less likely to tell you off.
Tessa smiled shyly. ‘Really...well. It’s new, obviously, and we haven’t put a label on it yet – I don’t even know ifI’mready for a label – but it’s great.’
‘I love it for you,’ said Bonnie, who meant it. Tessa’s interest in Alana hadn’t gone unnoticed over the years. Not with Bonnie, anyway, and she’d long thought that the feelings had been reciprocated. Alana had always lingered at the door of the Chalmers house whenever Tessa was over. She’d even signed up for a library card after Bonnie had mentioned that Tessa spent almost as much time as Effie at the library. And in recent months she’d taken a surprise interest in crocheting, despite having had a lifelong passion for one hundred per cent cotton clothing.
‘I’m glad at least one sister does,’ said Tessa.
Bonnie was surprised at this.
‘Has Effie said something? Because she’s not a bigot or anything. She’s the biggest champion of Pride Month the library has ever seen.’
‘Oh, it’s not like that,’ said Tessa. ‘It’s more...’ She waved her arms in a circular motion, encapsulating their two very separate friendship groups.
‘It’s me,’ realized Bonnie. ‘In the iconic words of our goddess Taylor Swift,I’mthe problem.’
‘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.’
