She sounded a little nervous as she said it, as though she was worried that Tessa might disagree.
But Tessa nodded. ‘Of course, Effie.’
There was a sense of palpable relief between them.
‘You know I can’t let any question go unanswered,’ added Effie, an odd tone to her voice. She and Tessa exchanged a look that felt a little too pointed. Bonnie faltered. Was something going on here that she wasn’t privy to?
As Effie slid over the sign-up payment, Tessa pulled ahand-drawn sign from the purse she’d hung beneath the bar. She’d adorned it with a generous number of sparkles and bottle caps. ‘We’re going to be Tea for Two.’
‘I’ve got you down,’ said Bonnie, writing their name up on the chalkboard behind her. Her hand shook slightly as she noticed Effie glancing around the bar, settling her judgemental gaze over the patrons. Effie seemed to be looking for something. ‘Nice sign – you could use that as advertising for the new shop.’
‘Believe me, out of financial necessity, there’ll be a ton of DIY branding,’ said Tessa. ‘Maybe you can help me, Effie. We can gather up the kids from craft night.’
‘Sure,’ said Effie, with surprising readiness.
Tessa sipped her prosecco. ‘Is Theo coming? We could be Tea for Three. Or four,’ she added quietly.
‘He’s on his way,’ said Effie, with a quick glance at her watch. ‘Apparently there’s no limit to the amount of walking a terrier needs. Bernard is quite the distance runner.’
Effie didn’t even sound slighted, even though she was obsessive about punctuality. She soundedhappy. Bonnie hadn’t thought such a thing possible. Who was Effie without something to gripe about?
‘But let’s keep our team name,’ Effie added. ‘There’s magic in twos.’
Bonnie glanced up, wondering if perhaps Effie was speaking to her. There was something in that little phrase that resonated, reminding Bonnie that in spite of everything that had happened this past year, they were sisters. And that perhaps, whatever happened, maybe Effie really did have her back.
She hoped.
But no, Effie was looking at Tessa.
‘Anything for you, Effie?’ asked Bonnie at last, her hand on the soda water dispenser.
Effie considered. Bonnie could see she was intrigued by the vivid purple Memory Lane concentrate, which patronswere ordering practically in bulk. But with a slow furrow of her brow, she shook her head.
Bonnie’s smile wavered. First the look between Effie and Tessa, and now this hesitation to order a drink. Was Effie on to her? She could sniff out magic like a bloodhound, after all. And the magic was thick in the air tonight.
‘Just a wine,’ said Effie eventually. ‘A malbec.’
‘Wow, look at you.’ Bonnie raised an eyebrow. ‘Let me guess, you found some dusty old books in the wine bit of the non-fiction section. Here, I’ve got one from Mendoza.’ She hefted the bottle, feeling the damp prickle of anxious sweat, something that the beading of her fabulous minidress did not need.
‘All right. I trust your recommendation.’ Effie’s tone said the opposite, but she took the glass of red and slid over a generous tip.
‘It’s on the house,’ said Bonnie, though it pained her to say it.
‘No, it’s fine. I’m not going to take money out of the till of a small business. Besides...’
Besides. That one small word held a world of meaning. Bonnie’s eyes narrowed as she read the reams of judgement in Effie’s statement. She looked around, taking in the bar she’d worked so hard to get off the ground. Yes, so she’d fallen behind on some of the repairs with her busy schedule and without Bobby around to help, but shewasgoing to get that window fixed, and she already had the paint to touch up the mysterious scrape that had appeared on the back wall the other day. And sure, the crowd had been a little odd recently, but that wasn’t entirely her fault. Oswald deserved some of the blame as well. Especially given how sharply he’d responded to her suggestion that they pause the bespelled drinks until she’d figured out the side effects.
Remember, it’s our little secret, he’d snarled. The threat had been clear.
Taking Effie’s money, Bonnie affected her biggest, fakest smile.
‘Well, grab a table and do some last-minute studying. We’ll start in about half an hour.’
Chapter 33
QUIT YOUR WITCHING
Effie
