Page 8 of Bewicched

My mother glanced down, nodding. “They did a good job. There’s depth and movement.” She surveyed the whole empty space. “And don’t be ridiculous, Syl,” she said to her sister. “This works for the gallery. Our floors are warm and cozy, which is perfect for us.”

Serena fake shivered. “It’s beautiful but cold. Don’t you think?”

Mom walked to the wall in common with my studio. “Are you planning the tea and sweets over here?”

“Yeah.” I followed her over. “Not by the back door, though. Over here, where the two steel struts meet. See? It creates a kind of alcove that helps set this area apart from the gallery.”

Mom nodded. “I trust your eye, darling. Now,” she began, clapping her hands together, “Serena has a wonderful idea that will benefit you both.” She gestured to my cousin. “Go ahead. Tell Arwyn.”

Serena brushed her long hair over her shoulder. “Right. Okay. You have a huge retail space here and while you have completed pieces ready, it won’t be enough to fill this whole gallery. My shop does great business, but it’s small.”

“That close to the Aquarium, the monthly rent is astronomical,” Sylvia added.

I didn’t like where this was going.

“You need to fill up this huge space and I could use a secondary retail spot, so I thought you could have shelves installed—maybe over here, near the tea since this already breaks with the rest of the gallery—and this could be a satellite shop, filled with my most popular soaps, lotions, fragrances. I’d be willing to split the profits—for just what’s sold here—with you.”

Calliope looked on expectantly. It was so kind of them to spring this on me. I’d be having words with my mother later, not that it would help. Once she’d decided something was a good idea, trying to dissuade her was pointless.

“Interesting idea. Let me think about that.” The only reason I was adding the tea and baked goods was because I baked everyday anyway. I might as well make some money selling them, and my mother’s teas were the best. I was more than happy to send customers her way.

It wasn’t that Serena didn’t make excellent products. It was if I said yes to her, soon other Coreys would come knocking, looking for a spot, and then I’d no longer have an art gallery. I’d have the Corey Consortium Mercantile.

My mother patted my shoulder as she walked by me. “It just makes good sense. Your grandmother gave you this Corey building for a reason. If you’d—”

“IsaidI’d think about it and I will.” I glanced at the women, who appeared shocked that I’d interrupted my mother, except for Calliope, who nodded her encouragement. “You all know that Gran didn’tgiveme this building, right? I paid for it with my art, with my readings. All the remodeling has come out ofmypocket. I have a very specific plan for my gallery, and it doesn’t include a collection of smaller retail spaces.” I shifted my attention to Serena. “I said I’d think about it, and I will. I’ll let you know if I decide it makes sense for me.”

“It could go both ways,” Calliope said, moving to stand beside her sister. “Serena could display your art in her shop with the address of your gallery.”

The earnestness in her eyes almost swayed me. Almost.

“What a lovely idea, Calliope.” My mother nodded in approval.

“Serena’s shop gets a lot of foot traffic, given it’s on Cannery Row,” Calliope continued. “Your gallery is going to be amazing, but it’s a bit off the beaten path.” When I raised my eyebrows at that, she went on. “You’re very close to the Row and on the ocean, but people driving down this road are watching the water or taking pictures. They’re not shopping.”

Pulling the scrunchie out of my hair, I stuffed it in my pocket with my dirty gloves. “So, by that logic, it doesn’t make sense for anyone to want to use my gallery as a satellite shop as this is going to be a huge failure and a financial pit. Okay, good talk.” I moved to my studio door. “Anyone want a brownie? I made them this morning.”

“Arwyn, you know your cousin didn’t mean anything of the sort.” Mom was ticked.

“Oh my goodness, no. I’m sure people will come from far and wide to visit your gallery. We all know how talented you are.” Calliope blushed and my mother ran a hand down her arm in comfort.

“Thanks. Iwillthink about it, but right now the topic of brownies is on the table. Who wants one?”

Serena ran her hands over her slim hips. “I couldn’t possibly. I don’t know how you bake those kinds of things all the time and aren’t the size of a house.” She shook her head. “I suppose overalls are good for hiding a multitude of sins, though.”

“I’ll have one,” Aunt Sylvia said. “And overalls are perfect for what Arwyn does. She’s an artist, darling, as the paint spatter should tell you.” Sylvia nudged my shoulder and winked. “If I’d had your figure, I’d have laid waste to the male population of the entire central coast.”

My mother rolled her eyes. “You did just fine on your own, Syl.” Mom turned to me. “You’re coming to dinner at your grandmother’s tonight, aren’t you? She expects to see you.”

I was sure she did. Gran was the matriarch of this coven, the crone on the Corey Council. One did not blow off a summons from Gran.

“Ladies, I need to speak with Arwyn alone a moment. Please go on ahead and save me a seat.”

I ran to get Sylvia a brownie and walked them to the entrance, saying my goodbyes to Serena and Calliope. Once they got in their car, I closed the door and leaned back against it. “Okay, Mom. What is it?”

She strode across the huge empty space, her sensible heels echoing. “You can’t keep putting this off. The petitions for intervention and help are becoming more frequent, the problems more serious. Your grandmother and I can’t handle it all anymore. We need you, Arwyn. There’s something evil wending its way through this town. We both feel it. Have your nightmares been getting worse?”

Yes, damn it.

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