Page 19 of Fall into Place

“In the time we’ve been arguing about this, you could have just done it already,” skirt-suit huffed. “I’m going to be late to my meeting because you’re throwing a tantrum about helping me when you’re literally just sitting here doing nothing.”

“I’m not doing nothing!” the bartender retorted.

“Oh, pardon me, you’re making playlists and reading romance novels, high-stakes stuff.” Skirt-suit rolled her eyes. “I really am going to be late. Can I please go?”

“Fine.” The bartender exhaled. “Go ahead.”

Skirt-suit sauntered off without so much as a thank-you toward a door on the left side of the bar that Tess was pretty sure hadn’t been there when she walked in. There was a faint flash of blue light as the door thwacked shut behind her, but the light faded almost instantly as the outline of the door melted seamlessly back into the wall. The bartender folded her arms and gazed sulkily after her sister, but she straightened and flushed when she saw Tess.

“Oh! Sorry, didn’t see you come in. You want a drink?” She indicated one of the open stools; Tess was grateful the seats had backs and wide, supple leather cushions.

“I really like your playlist,” Tess said as she sat.

“Oh yeah?” The bartender brightened. “It’s Japanese city pop, I’ve been kind of obsessed lately—it’s not a genre, more like a style? I love how it has this eighties synth sensibility, but it still weaves in elements of jazz and funk, and it can be almost kind of nostalgic, you know?”

“Yeah, totally.” Tess nodded emphatically despite having understood at most twenty percent of what the bartender had just said.

“Anyway, hi! I’m Flora, and you are…” She peered at Tess, and Tess felt the most peculiar sensation of being understood very deeply by this perfect stranger. “Oh. Okay. Okay. Your first time here. What’s your name?”

“It’s Tess,” Tess said quietly, somehow afraid of giving the wrong answer to a question as simple as her name.

“Right, Tess, but that’s short for something, right?”

“Anastasia,” Tess offered, the syllables feeling foreign in her mouth. Her given name was so stuffy and ornate; she’d always preferred the simplicity of her nickname. “Are you a mind reader?”

“Mm, not exactly.” Flora leaned on the bar. “Portal magic is all about desire, you know? Understanding where someone wants to be—that’s the connection between being here and being there. So when you tell me your name is Tess, I can feel the desire there—the desire to be seen one way, and not another.”

“I don’t know what your sister was talking about,” Tess murmured. “Seems like pretty powerful magic to me.”

“Fucking Fern.” Flora rolled her eyes. “She actually is a super powerful telepath, runs around performing ultracomplex spells for the magical authorities, potion expert, gemology savant, thinks she’s the world’s hottest shit, and everyone treats her like she is, so why not? Anyway, look at me rambling and you have nothing to drink. What can I get you?”

Tess opened her mouth, but Flora cut her off.

“Wait! I’ll tell you.” She gazed at Tess again, then frowned in disappointment. “Really, Tess? A beer? I get that you don’t want anything already open, but you’re at an interdimensional bar between worlds! Live a little!”

Flora pulled out a crate from beneath the bar and deposited it with a thud on the credenza behind her. She rummaged through it, bottles clanking until she extracted the one she’d been looking for: It looked like a miniature wine bottle, sealed with wax and covered in dust.

“Is that port?” Tess asked.

“Close—Madeira, from Portugal, 1600s I think, and quite un-tampered with.” She held out the bottle for Tess to inspect, but Tess pushed it back toward her.

“That’s okay,” Tess mumbled. “I don’t have to look. I believe you.”

“Hey.” Flora caught Tess’s eye for a moment. “Don’t be ashamed to ask for what you need.”

Tess closed her eyes—the familiar images flashed before her: Snowfall over the Hudson. A rocks glass full of whiskey. The pile of clothes on the floor.

But none of that was here. She smiled and thanked Flora as she poured two small glasses of the thick, garnet-red liquid. They clinked glasses and drank—the flavor exploded in Tess’s mouth, nutty and rich with caramel, blackberries, and figs.

“Oh my god.” Tess turned to Flora, who was grinning.

“Right? I wouldn’t do you wrong.” She pulled up a stool on her side of the bar and took a seat, leaning closer to Tess. “So tell me, Tess. Where would you like to go?”

“To the Isle. I need to deliver a message,” Tess said carefully, her pulse speeding up.

“The Isle!” Flora beamed. “And you’re not worried about being killed by vampires? Oh, you are a little, but you’re also super excited, which I take it means you’re a big fan of a certain series of novels?”

“Guilty as charged!” Tess grinned. “I’m a total Feudie, I love those books so much.”