Chapter 31
By Friday of that week, Brianne, Lauren, and I had taken to eating lunch at the breakroom table. It was a mostly comfortable silence. At my request, Brianne had the phone forwarded to voicemail. It rang on occasion, a single sound followed by a beep. Each time, Bri twitched.
“You can relax for an hour and enjoy your lunch, Brianne.” I pushed the lettuce on my plate around, nudging it aside to eat the few remaining chunks of cheese. As far as I was concerned, once you cleared all the good stuff out of a salad, it wasn’t worth eating anymore.
“She’s right,” Lauren said. Lauren ate her lettuce, which was a much darker green than mine. Probably healthier. But blech. “I like this new policy, Simone.”
“I’m not in a position to make policies yet, but this is a good start.” I wanted to accept the compliment at face value, but I couldn’t. And my so-called policy had really been more of a suggestion we’d all embraced.
Since Doug had given me a second chance, not a single client had canceled. My calendar was full again. There were mixed reactions to the new office, as well as my methods, but most of my clients were remaining open-minded.
I was making progress. They were making progress, too. It felt great. But it was exhausting. I no longer had the stamina of a naive young therapist treating human patients.
I had yet to dip my toes fully into the business-end of running the Magnolia.
But one thing had become very obvious very quickly: the place was full of workaholics.
Brianne spent a distracted 15-minutes at her desk, balancing a fork in one hand and the phone in the other.
Both the medspa and the salon were booked solid.
Lauren barely poked her head out between sessions.
The few times I’d run into her in the breakroom, her stomach growled so loudly we couldn’t carry on a conversation. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing given we were still on uneven footing. We’d yet to discuss our awkward encounter in Illusion Square or her relationship with Ray.
Even I knew the executives weren’t creating a sustainable business practice.
How could we claim to be a wellness center if the people who ran it were perpetually underfed and overstimulated?
Even if every division had assistance, there was no way we were operating at full potential.
Not when the folks at the top barely gave themselves time to eat.
So, I’d suggested we all take one hour of our day away from our respective desks or clients to eat lunch and commune.
Almost everyone was on board with the idea.
“One day, the Twins will join us.” Brianne nabbed a french fry from the shared basket in the center of the table. Salads were great and all, but everyone needed a few french fries to perk up their day.
As if she’d heard Brianne, the massive door to the medspa opened. Lydia sauntered out with a client I recognized as one of my own. Cindrette offered me a friendly wave before hugging Lydia goodbye.
Lydia paused for a moment, one hand on the door to the medspa.
Her eyes briefly met mine and held. I braced myself for either her wave of anger or the charm spell she liked to put on me.
Neither came. Her lip twisted on one side, like an almost smile.
She might have nodded her head hello. Then she disappeared inside.
I took it as progress.
“The Twins will join us for lunch one day. When they’re ready,” I said. I closed my eyes for a moment, to give myself time to assess whether I was casting a spell or speaking my hopes out loud.
As it turned out, there was a difference. I was learning to distinguish between my normal voice and my magic voice. It took more than hearing the change in pitch. I had to pay attention to my emotions, too, something I’d apparently stopped doing for far too long.
Given that most of my days I was still in turmoil, it was harder than it should have been. But the more I practiced, the better I got. And if constantly analyzing what I was thinking or feeling kept me from accidentally hexing someone, then I was all for it.
Happily, my throat was clear and my stomach calm. I believed the Twins would come around if I gave them time. I didn’t want or need to manipulate them.
Or anyone else.
“They’ll feel better after the board meeting.” Lauren dragged a fry across the leftover ranch dressing from her salad before popping it into her mouth. I couldn’t explain why, but it made me like her better. “Can you believe it’s only two weeks from today?”
Not only was I improving at reading my own emotions.
I was getting better at paying attention to others’, too, which was how I knew that Lauren was nervous.
There was the slight flicker of her fingers, as if she were trying to keep them from trembling.
Her voice was high and tight. And her toe tapped a consistent, but discordant, tune under the table.
It was nice to finally feel like I was out of survival mode. To be able to breathe in and take stock of the people around me. It was even nicer to have the power not only to recognize their needs, but to meet them.
When I first arrived at the Magnolia, I’d thought the lobby was empty.
I’d worried the business was failing, when what had actually failed was my ability to see things for what they were.
Even during our quiet lunch hour, a stream of supernatural creatures moved through the lobby.
A minotaur hobbled through the door to physical therapy.
A human-passing warlock bid us hello on his way to the salon.
My new position, so far, was exhilarating. There was no way I was going back to New Orleans. I barely remembered the Simone who’d stood outside the Magnolia a mere two weeks prior, picturing herself as the main character in a movie, before her life was changed forever.
But I’d yet to share my intentions with anyone other than Ethan. Maybe I was afraid that if I told them I was staying and screwed up again I’d make an even bigger mess. Or maybe it was because I wanted everyone to accept me for who I was before I made declared myself Supreme.
Besides, Agatha’s final warning still lived in my head rent free.
The chains of magic can bind, but the bonds of family can shatter even the strongest link.
What the heck did that even mean?
Whatever it was, I got the feeling the board meeting was the first of my hurdles, not the last. And friendship was a two-way street.
If Lauren was nervous, the least I could do was soothe her.
I closed my eyes again and searched for my gift.
It was cool in my throat, like I’d swallowed concentrated peppermint.
When I opened my eyes and spoke, it was as if my words were carried on the wind. I couldn’t hear my own voice, but I felt the power of it all the way down to my root.
“No one in the Magnolia can see or hear us for the next five minutes. Not even our mystical protector.”
I hadn’t actually known Gumbo was near until I noticed Brianne’s hand was under the table. He let out an indignant meow and scampered away from the table. Brianne wiped her fingers on a napkin and grinned at me.
“I know they’re bad for him, but he’s so dang cute.”
“He is. But this is for the three of us only.” I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to say, but I had their attention. “Agatha and I had a nice chat last Sunday. And an unexpected visit to Bridge Island helped me recover my memories from my youth. All my memories.”
I halted to stare pointedly at Lauren, whose pretty peach skin blushed red.
“I’m settling into my position as the Division Head for Magnolia Mental Health. I wanted you both to know I have every intention of accepting my position at the next board meeting.”
The response was more than I’d expected. Brianne leaned all the way over to hug me. Lauren bounced up and down, clapping in a way that reminded me of her old cheerleader days. Without the self-important smirk. They started speaking over each other, peppering me with questions.
I appreciated their enthusiasm, but apparently, I wasn’t done speaking. I held up a hand to silence them. Vivid blue lightning danced across my palm. Whoa.
“But my position as Supreme is not secure. Someone is coming.”
Bolts flew from my fingers, zapping the air around us. They barraged the table with a dozen charred scratches.
“Who is coming, Simone?” Lauren ran her hands over her arms with a shudder.
“I’m not sure,” I answered between chattering teeth. I had a chill of my own. “All I know is they’re coming to challenge me, and I’ll need all the support I can get.”
It felt like my body was acting without my control. I had no idea what I would do next. I placed both hands on the table, rubbing them like I was trying to start a fire. My palms were like ice against the charred surface. I exhaled, and the marks of my lightning attack disappeared.
Well, that was cool.
“What I need to know today is whether or not I have your support.”
“Brianne?” I turned to her first, already knowing the answer. She laid her hand over my left hand, still resting on the table.
“Abso-effing-lutely.” I’d take it. It was as close to a cuss word as Brianne would get.
“Lauren?” Even with this power weaving through me, my uncertainty was apparent in my voice. I did my best to hold still and keep her stare.
I had to admit, her confident smile and the fact that she didn’t hesitate were a shock to my system.
“You have my support, Simone.” She laid her hand over my right hand, then reached across the table to take Brianne’s, forming a circle. “I’m on your side.”
“Good. Thank you. Thank you both.” I blew out my breath and stood up. “We’re clear.”
Gumbo hopped on my chair, propping his front paws on the table. His claws matched his bow, a brilliant shade of blue reminiscent of the Blue Hoard. And the lightning that had flown from my hands.
He angled his wide-eyed gaze at Brianne. “I can haz?”
“No more, little one.” She scratched him behind his ear while I scooped the fries off the table. Lauren followed me into the kitchenette, chewing on her lip like it was dessert.
“Um, I wanted you to know that Ray’s weekly session is today. He’ll be here soon.” She checked her watch, even though I suspected she knew exactly how much time we had.
“I can handle it, Lauren.” I paused to listen to my own voice. Sure enough, I could handle it.
“You know,” I continued, turning to lean against the counter and face her, “it occurred to me the other day that you did me a favor.”
“I did?” Lauren crinkled her eyebrows. “When?”
“Thirty years ago, when you told Ray that Ethan and I were sneaking around together and broke us up.”
“Oh.” She hung her head, yanking on her ponytail. “About that …”
“No, I mean it.” I waited until she’d looked up to continue. “Whatever your reasons were, because we both know you didn’t believe Ethan and I had a thing, you did me a favor. I was going to choose him.”
We walked into the lobby just as the front door opened. Ray strode in, halting when he saw the two of us talking. I hugged Lauren close, whispering in her ear in case Ray had super wolf hearing.
“The mistakes I made these past thirty years—and there have been plenty—they’re mine. If we’d stayed together, I would have followed him. Chosen him. I got to choose me instead. Even if I didn't realize it at the time.”
I pulled away, pausing at the door to my office.
“If I can screw up that powerfully without realizing it, imagine what I can do now that I’m paying attention.”