Page 53 of Impractical Magic

“We are, it’s just . . . Nothing. Forget it.”

Aphra made a face. “Not nothing.”

“Yeah it’s . . . I mean . . . Argh! Okay. Fine. I’m just gonna ask you. Polly and Nate. Are they a thing or what? He says they aren’t, and when he’s with me, he sure acts like they aren’t. But they looked very thing-like at the town meeting tonight. What do you think?”

“Aha! At last, we have arrived at the root of the matter.” Aphra added a bit more whiskey to their teacups. “Well, since you asked what I think, I shall tell you. I think that Polly is a charming woman in the prime of life who was left in the lurch by her blockhead of an ex and forced to raise a troubled teen on her own. I think that Nate is a handsome, capable, and highly eligible bachelor with a good heart and an appropriate level of respect for women. And so, I think it’s quite natural that Nate is absolute fucking catnip to Ms. Triple P, and honestly, who can blame her.”

Scarlett stared down at her tea-and-whiskey concoction, wishing it were made entirely of whiskey.

“I also think . . .” Aphra leaned across the table to take Scarlett’s hand in hers “. . . that Nate has only ever really loved one person. Then and now. But she left him. Remember that bit? If she came back—and I mean came back to stay—I think that Nate would no longer be able to so much as remember Polly’s name.”

Scarlett looked up to find Aphra’s emerald green eyes staring straight into hers.

“What I’m saying is: it’s in your court, my friend.”

***

Over a little more tea and whiskey, the old friends reminisced and joked and made the world feel right again. But then came an impatient call from upstairs.

“Babe! I am pushing play on this episode in five minutes! With or without you.”

Aphra chuckled. “Duty calls, I’m afraid . . .”

“Perfectly okay.” Scarlett stood. “I should go before it gets any later. Maybe Polly will open the bookstore for me, to get a look at that . . . what was it called?”

“Myrmex Arcana.”

“That’s the one. You never know: if I go back to the inn with some actionable information? Maybe my sisters will cut me some slack.”

“Worth a shot,” Aphra smiled. “C’mon, let me walk you out.”

“Bye, Dayo—nice to meet you!” Scarlett hollered upstairs. “I’m giving you your wife back now.”

“Thank you kindly,” came the reply.

Aphra unlocked the door, and the old friends embraced. “It’s so good to have you back. I hope you’ll consider staying. San Francisco doesn’t deserve you.”

Scarlett had to laugh. “Right now, Oak Haven wants me to get what I deserve, so we’ll have to see. And listen . . . Aphra . . . I just want to say . . .”

“What’s up, hon?”

She paused, not sure how to find the words. “I guess I just wanted to say . . . I’m sorry.”

Aphra frowned. “Not the magic thing again! We’ve covered that.”

“No, I mean, about when we were growing up. Like . . . you and I used to hang out and . . . . and you must have been struggling. Right? You were dealing with this huge identity issue, and it must have been hard. And I had no clue. I never thought for a second what might have been going on with you.”

“Oh, Scarlett. Look, first of all—as far as me being a struggling teenager, show me one who isn’t. Right? We all had stuff to deal with. We were just kids—it wasn’t your job to figure me out any more than the other way around. And anyway, what were you supposed to say? Hey, have you considered that maybe you are miserable living as a boy, and all that spellcasting is just subconscious overcompensation? Come on! That was my journey to go on. Mine. Okay?”

“Okay.” Scarlett impulsively hugged Aphra again.

“Now go, find that book. And be nice to Polly when you see her. She’s had a rough time. I mean, talk about struggling teens! Have you tried to have a conversation with her daughter Violet?”

“I have yet to successfully make eye contact with Violet. Much less conversation.”

“That’s what I’m talking about.”

Scarlett left Aphra standing in the doorway, but she only walked a few steps down the sidewalk before turning back. “Hey, Aphra! I thought of something else to apologize for.”