Winter's Spell, page 16
Mo nodded, her look of concern returning.
“Hey, you don’t have to do this.” Roxy patted her gently on the arm. “I can try to get you a little job at the brewery.”
Mo wrinkled up her nose.
“What?”
“I cannot be around the smell of cooking fish all the time.” Mo made a face like she’d just smelled a fart.
“Okay, then,” said Roxy. “What do you want to do?”
Mo sighed. “It’s fine. I will try to remember what you said—it’s not real. And maybe Lisa will like me someday.” She sounded rather unconvincing.
“Oh! I just remembered. I talked to Tessa about Madame Clerval.”
Mo grabbed her by the shoulders and squeezed so hard in her excitement that Roxy yelped in pain.
“Sorry!” Mo let go of Roxy. “What did she say? Will she go talk to her?”
“Yes,” said Roxy. “Though, wait. Not her. She’s going to have Joy go. You know, the lady with the reddish hair? And red glasses? Loud voice?”
“Oh yes,” said Mo, nodding. “Why her?”
Roxy shrugged. “Tessa says it might be too obvious if she goes. If this Madame Clerval is the real deal, I mean, if she’s really evil and magical, then she might know why Tessa is there. She could sense it, you know? But Joy doesn’t know that I asked her to go, so in theory, it should be safer.”
“Okay. That sounds good. When will she see her?”
“Not for two weeks. I’m sorry. That’s the soonest she could see her.”
Mo flopped back on the pillows with a sigh of frustration.
“I know. It’s disappointing.”
Mo sat up again, flicking her bright neon green curls away from her face. “What is the next step? What else can we do? We must do something.”
“There’s still the museum library. We can check it out on Friday again. Maybe we can take a look at that grimoire?”
Mo sighed again, and Roxy felt bad she didn’t have any other ideas. It was an impossible task—find the people keeping Mo on land without actually dealing with them face-to-face. But what if there was another way to break the spell keeping Mo there?
“We could also go to the public library. Do some research? Or we could search online? If only Hazel and Elizabeth were here. We could talk to them about how to do the research.” Hazel had recently texted Roxy to let her know she would have little to no internet access for the next two weeks as they were renting a cottage in the Apennines for the last part of their honeymoon, and they’d purposefully chosen a place with no Wi-Fi. They wanted to completely disconnect and relax after a week of touring Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan.
Roxy was happy for Hazel, who rarely got to take extended vacations as the proprietor of her own small business, but her heart squeezed a bit. She was in over her head, and she could really use her best friend there to guide her through what was increasingly feeling like a dangerous situation. Evil sorcerers or magicians, a stranded mermaid, and a chance at true love? It was a lot to deal with.
Unexpectedly, Mo hugged Roxy. “Thank you for trying. Yes. Let’s try to do the research, like you suggest. But you’re also right; we should get some sleep.”
“We’ll figure this out,” said Roxy. “I promise.” She hugged Mo back, grateful for the hug. She’d been trying to reassure Mo, but in the end, it felt like they were reassuring one another.
Chapter Fourteen—Tessa
Tessa was walking on clouds and rainbows for the rest of the week, and nothing, not Lisa and her constant blowups, or Barb with her sudden arrivals and departures and Byzantine ways of running the theater, or any other number of hiccups could derail her mood.
Roxy liked her.
This thought thrummed through Tessa with every heartbeat, with every step down the labyrinthine corridors of backstage. It was a refrain that sang along with the spoon that stirred the honey into her hot tea and the song that she sang to herself in the shower: Roxy likes me. It was a solemn tattoo and a soaring pop song in her head.
“You are alarmingly bouncy this morning,” remarked Lisa as their paths crossed in the hallway near her dressing room the next morning after kissing Roxy. Tessa was determined not to let anything bring down her mood, though, so she simply smiled at Lisa and kept on humming her own made-up tune.
She was already several steps past Lisa when she heard Lisa call her.
“Yes?” Tessa turned around to see Lisa approaching her with a warmer expression on her face.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean for that to sound so aggressive. Just getting into character, I guess.” Lisa cocked an eyebrow and smiled sheepishly.
“Sure, no problem. Thanks for starting us off yesterday with such a great first rehearsal. I appreciate you,” added Tessa. It was never a bad thing to compliment a diva, especially if she was the star of the show.
“I’m glad to hear it,” said Lisa. She was clearly still a little thrown by Tessa’s bursting energy and positivity. It wasn’t that Tessa was a negative person—it was more that in their relationship, Tessa had never shown this side of her. “I don’t suppose there’s time today to grab lunch together? I rather don’t trust my assistant to get it, if you know what I mean.”
“I hope you’ll give Mo a fair shake, Lisa. She’s clearly working through some issues, but it means a lot to me that you’ll help her out like this. This grant is all about creating opportunities for community outreach.”
“Of course, of course,” said Lisa, arms raised in the sign of surrender. “So how about it? Lunch?”
“Sorry, not today, unfortunately,” said Tessa. “I’ve got a working lunch with Joy and Chayo. But I’m actually off to meet with a local business owner to discuss some PR events in a few minutes. It’s very close by. Would you like to come with? I was thinking we could even discuss a meet and greet event focused on you.” Tessa turned on the charm and ended with a purr of admiration for effect; she knew better than most how much Lisa’s vanity controlled her decisions. She hoped Lisa wouldn’t figure out her little white lie, either. She wasn’t having lunch with Chayo and Joy, but she didn’t want Lisa to spoil her plan of surprising Roxy at work.
“That sounds good,” said Lisa. “We don’t have rehearsal until the afternoon, correct?”
“Right,” said Tessa. “I’ll meet you at the front of the theater in fifteen.”
* * *
Not much later, Tessa found herself in Lisa’s company, walking through the center of Ptown. The sun was shining brightly in that way that it does in winter, a shard of bright ice in the sky, its cold luster in harmony with the little warmth they felt from it this time of year. Just a few days earlier, it would have made Tessa wild with anxiety to think about walking around Ptown with Lisa. Today it didn’t matter at all. All that mattered was that she was going to go to the brewery at lunch and surprise Roxy—the beautiful woman who liked her.
All of Ptown was wrapped up in rainbows in Tessa’s rose-colored vision. It was winter, so there were fewer Pride flags than usual, but here and there she could spy them. She enjoyed the many colorful houses on the Cape, painted in pastel yellows and lilacs next to more traditional wood shingled homes in brown and shades of gray and white. On a sunny day in winter, they all looked stunning and joyful.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, admiring the town and thinking about Roxy and that kiss that she just about forgot where they were going—and she definitely hadn’t been listening to Lisa talking about the different inflections for part of Leontes’s speech in Act I. Oops.
“Wait! I think we were supposed to turn back there,” said Tessa just as Lisa had been about to say something else.
They doubled back and turned onto Standish Street, one of the larger thoroughfares in town, and before long, they were standing in front of a well-known bookshop in town—Recovering Hearts.
“That’s weird.” Tessa looked at the address on the scrap of paper where Joy had scribbled it down for her, comparing it to the numbers on the building. Sure enough, they were the same. “I thought this place closed.”
“Closed? That would be a tragedy,” said Lisa. She was already halfway through the door, excited about something that didn’t center around herself, Tessa noted with surprise.
Tessa waited on the sidewalk for a moment before following her. There was something odd about the whole situation. She could have sworn she’d read an article about how the shop was closing. The shop had been there for twenty-eight years and the owner was ready to retire. She was sure a friend had sent her the clipping when she’d announced her grant and how she was going to use it. She’d only been to Ptown twice before, but each time she’d loved hanging out at the bookshop. It was Lisa, in fact, who had introduced her, as Lisa’s biggest not-so-guilty pleasure was sapphic romance, and this bookstore sold it. In large quantities.
That’s why it’d been a big deal to everyone in the sapphic community around Boston and the Cape—and beyond—when it was announced the shop was closing. It was the end of an era, truly.
Except it wasn’t, apparently.
Why was the shop still here? There were natural explanations, of course—the closing was delayed or the owner had found a buyer who shared her vision and wanted to continue her legacy. But something didn’t sit right with Tessa.
She took a moment to steady herself, right there on the sidewalk, and reached out with her magic to sense the aura of the place. Strangely, she could find no aura at all. It was like a black hole had sucked up any traces—and that was suspicious. A place like Recovering Hearts should have an aura and yet, inexplicably, it didn’t.
She pulled back the threads of magic to herself and fingered the moonstone necklace she’d been wearing for protection ever since Roxy had warned her that something wasn’t right. More than ever, she was glad she’d hung up those wards in the theater. Perhaps she needed to use additional protections. Something was off.
Gingerly, she entered the shop and found Lisa already with a stack of books in her hands. Her favorites were always the ones about doctors and nurses and paramedics saving lives and falling in love.
“God, I love this place,” said Lisa. “I’m so glad it didn’t close.”
“Oh no, we could not let that happen, now could we?”
Lisa and Tessa turned toward this new voice that seemingly came out of nowhere, coming face-to-face with a woman who was, evidently, the new proprietor.
She was a tall woman of indeterminate age, very elegantly dressed in a white blouse, white slacks, and long white duster, her blond, nearly white hair pulled away from her face in a delicate if somewhat dated chignon. Her eyes sparkled brightly, almost unnaturally, in the light, though Tessa couldn’t tell what color they were. She was an imposing figure and very beautiful if somewhat unearthly.
She was also a witch or magician of some sort—that much was obvious to Tessa. The fact that she didn’t bother to hide it was more confounding.
“Hello, I’m Isidora.” The woman reached out a hand. The last thing Tessa wanted to do was shake this woman’s hand, but there didn’t appear a way around it that wouldn’t be hopelessly rude.
“I’m Tessa. From the theater,” she said, finally grasping Isidora’s hand and suppressing a shudder. There was something in her handshake that made her skin crawl.
“Yes, I’ve been expecting you.” Her smile lacked any warmth, and her words sounded less inviting and more like a threat. Tessa had to work not to touch her talisman in front of her.
She glanced over at Lisa, but Lisa appeared completely unconcerned. She smiled back at Isidora and was already following her to one of the displays in the store. Reluctantly, Tessa followed them.
Isidora gestured to a particular display, and for a moment, Tessa’s misgivings fell away. Here were copies of A Winter’s Tale, tastefully displayed, in the edition Tessa had recommended, with just enough glosses for an interested reader to understand the play and its contexts, but not too many so as to make it overwhelming. As she took in the display, she noticed that there were also several modern rewrites and adaptations of the play on the shelves below, as well as a small selection of other Shakespeare plays. It was eye-catching and attractive, and Tessa couldn’t help gushing.
“Wow, this looks great,” she said, smiling genuinely at Isidora.
“I’m so glad you approve,” said Isidora. “I thought it would be a nice addition to the display to have some related books.”
“I agree completely.” Tessa glanced around the space, noting that this part of the bookshop was a little less cluttered and more open than the rest. “Would this be the event space, if we did any events here?”
Isidora nodded. “Yes. There is room here, I think, for a small, intimate sort of meet and greet type of event that Joy described to me over the phone.”
“It’s very small,” said Lisa, looking a bit worried. “Don’t you think it would get crowded?”
“Not at all,” said Isidora. “We would keep it very exclusive.” The emphasis on the word “exclusive” achieved the desired effect. Lisa was both reassured and flattered.
They spent the rest of their short appointment there discussing some details for the event, which would take place closer to the play’s opening in March. As they went into logistics and event planning, Tessa let go of some of her misgivings and let her theater director and producer brain take over. She was also pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to have Lisa there. Lisa could be a professional when she wanted to, and she was perfectly suited to this situation, asking pertinent questions and making suggestions.
Before they left, Lisa purchased her stack of books, and they were off, heading back to the theater. As they walked away, Tessa took one last look back at the shop, and she felt her heart stop for a beat. Isidora was in the window of the shop, her eyes locked on Tessa’s. It was an odd sort of look in her eyes that gave Tessa the creeps, before turning into a smile and a friendly wave.
“I can’t wait to dive into these,” said Lisa. “I’m glad I could come with you today.”
Tessa was barely listening. Once they’d rounded the corner from the shop, she asked, “Don’t you think she was a little, I don’t know, creepy?”
“What?”
“Creepy. Isidora. She gave me the willies.”
“Really? Seemed normal to me.” Lisa gave her a sidelong glance. “She seems very competent and ready to help us out.”
Tessa began to doubt herself. Maybe she’d simply gone looking for oddities and weird feelings after what Roxy had told her about Madame Clerval. Maybe the stress from the show was already starting to drive her a little batty. “Sure,” she said finally with a smile. “I’m probably imagining things.”
“Of course you are,” said Lisa. “It’s your signature style—overthinking every little thing. It’s what makes you a fabulous director. But I promise, Isidora is just a bookshop owner with an old-fashioned name. And what really matters is that she’s keeping Recovering Hearts alive.”
Tessa nodded. That was true. She’d been devastated when she’d heard the shop was going to close. It was a Ptown institution. And it was doubly good luck that the new owner was dedicated to stocking so much sapphic literature like the owner before her.
They walked the rest of the short way to the theater together making small talk about the show and the weather. There was snow in the forecast, and everyone was starting to get excited about it. Tessa hoped it wouldn’t snow too much as she didn’t want the travel plans of the remaining cast members to get thrown out of whack. There were a lot of moving parts to the show, even at this early stage.
When they returned to the theater, they parted ways, and as Tessa walked back to her office, she marveled at what a normal interaction she’d had with Lisa. She hadn’t said as much to Roxy, but part of the reason she’d agreed to “take things slow” with her was because she wasn’t quite ready to tell Lisa they were dating. Lisa didn’t miss much, and if Tessa and Roxy were sleeping together, she’d nose it out right away. She’d already noticed Tessa’s good mood earlier that morning. And Tessa wanted to keep things with Roxy a secret. She didn’t want to examine her feelings too closely as to why that was; for now, she told herself it was because it was more special that way. And they’d only just reconnected a week ago—even if it was a whirlwind of a week. Best to take things slow, get to know one another, and enjoy their early relationship intimacy away from the prying eyes of others.
She was glad Roxy was working at the brewery today because she doubted she could hide how she felt with their kiss still fresh in her mind. She couldn’t wait to see Roxy for lunch in just a few short hours. In the meantime, she had a bunch of payroll stuff to go over with Joy, and she hoped that by throwing herself in the work, the hours would go by all the faster.
* * *
A few hours later, she found herself sitting at the bar at the Pride of Ptown. She was enjoying a very small pour of the coconut porter, trying not to drink too quickly since she had a whole afternoon of rehearsals and meetings still ahead of her. She’d only caught a glimpse of Roxy so far, and her whole body fluttered with anticipation at the sight of her, tall and ruddy, bringing in boxes of supplies from the delivery truck into the backrooms. Roxy’s face lit up at the sight of her, making Tessa’s heart beat hard in her throat. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so much nervous anticipation centered around a single person—except when she’d roomed with Roxy in college and realized she was totally crushing on her.
Finally, her food came out, along with Roxy, who placed the plate of blackened drum po’ boy with a side of fries and coleslaw in front of her with a flourish.
“Madam, your fish,” she said with a smile. “Oh, I almost forgot the pickle.” Roxy dashed back to the kitchen before Tessa could tell her it really didn’t matter; no pickle was as important as an extra few seconds in her company.
