“How did you get in?”
“The door opened. Just like that one did.” She pointed up. “But manners first as my Mama says. Hi, I’m Cleo Fabares.”
“Anna Doyle.”
“I know. I recognized you from your website. Wonderful work, by the way. The site and the pottery. And would you look! It’s now five-oh-two. Give me some wine, Son. I’ve had my first solo adventure.”
“Sit in the parlor with Anna.”
“Anna doesn’t need to sit in the parlor,” Anna said. “The kitchen’s fine. I’d like to hear about the solo adventure. You don’t seem worried about it.”
“Got some chills, literally, but no, I’m not worried. We have this fierce guard dog.” She crooned to Yoda, gave him some loving rubs. “You’re even more adorable in person.”
She straightened, and continued as they started back, “And I’ve got one of my grand-mère’s charms in my pocket.”
“Her grandmother’s a Creole witch. Maybe.”
“You’ve got my full attention.”
“You get the drinks, Sonya; I’ll put the groceries away.”
“What would you like, Anna?”
Still studying Cleo as if fascinated, Anna said, “Ginger ale if you have it.”
“Okay. To start,” Cleo said to Anna, “a friend’s taken over my apartment. A friend I’m fond of, but grew less fond of every day since she moved in. She’s not easy to live with. Sonya is. So when I realized I had everything done, I ran. Since I’m also fond of the surprise, I didn’t give Sonya a heads-up. That’s on me.”
“I would’ve been here.”
“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have had my first solo adventure. You got Toaster Strudels! She knows I have a weakness. So, when I didn’t see Sonya’s car, I realized my surprise might have been a little ill-conceived, but what the hell. She’d be back. I hauled one of my ridiculously heavy suitcases to the door. And it opened.”
She picked up the wine Sonya set in front of her. “I came in.”
“I don’t think of myself as a coward.” Anna considered as she sipped her drink. “But I don’t think I’d have done that.”
“She would.”
“And did. And the house sang ‘Welcome Back.’ Or I should say Clover played me in.”
“Clover?”
“You haven’t filled her in?”
“I guess not.”
“Then over to you for that.”
Sonya picked up her wine. “Let’s sit at the table.”
She filled in some gaps.
“And you knew that, and still came in?”
“I think Clover and I will get along fine. We’ll see about the rest. So, I dragged the first suitcase up those awesome stairs—I love clothes.”
“Me, too!”
“We’ll shop. I dragged up the suitcase, and the secret door opened.”
“And you walked in there, too?”
“I thought about it for a second, since I heard those bells? The call bells downstairs?”
“I remember those, sure. They were actually ringing?”
“One was. I started down, and the door slammed behind me.”
Shaking back her hair, she lifted her glass.
“I admit, without shame, that scared the shit out of me. But the lights came on when I found the switch, so that was better. When I got down there, the bell for the Gold Room’s banging, doors are slamming. The TV in the media room came on, top volume. A lot of screaming seeing as it came on with the latest Halloween movie.
“I love Jamie Lee Curtis.”
“Jesus, Cleo.”
With a shrug, Cleo topped off her wine. “I wasn’t what you’d call sanguine about it at the time. Then everything stopped. The slamming, the banging, the screaming. And I felt this cold, a whoosh of it. Did you see my hair when I came out? It blew right through it.
“Then you texted. So either Grand-mère’s charm or you coming home, or both, shut her off.”
“I wish I could have some wine,” Anna murmured.
“I dedicate this glass to you and your adorable baby bump. I’m going to white sage down there,” Cleo decided. “I don’t think that’s nearly enough, but I’ll do it anyway.” Already at home, she put her feet up on the empty chair, turned to Anna. “So how many weeks along are you?”
“Almost twenty.”
“Halfway.” Cleo lifted her glass in toast. “Do you know the variety?”