Couture and Curses

by Danielle Garrett

  “I can’t fathom that you have the nerve to compare your cheap and tawdry knock offs to mine!” I cringed as I recognized Aurelia’s furious voice at once.

  “Oh, pah-leeze,” another woman said. “You’ve been nipping at my heels since design school!”

  “Excuse me,” I said, gently prodding at the couple in front of me.

  They didn’t move.

  “You stole my design, and as if that’s not bad enough, you put it in the show!” the other woman snorted. “Unbelievable!”

  “You’re jealous, Kara, you always have been and this little stunt to embarrass me isn’t going to work,” Aurelia huffed. “If you’re so sure I took your design, then please, produce the original sketch and prove it.”

  “I don’t have to prove anything,” the other woman spat.

  Aurelia laughed. That’s when the sparks started flying.

  Literally.

  “Excuse me!” I repeated with more emphasis, shoving a little harder to get the couple’s attention. The woman looked over her shoulder and gave me a cold look but when Caleb raised his SPA badge, she moved.

  “SPA, clear the way,” he barked.

  As people shuffled out of our way, I caught a glimpse of Aurelia, wand raised, a blast of magic flying from its tip. The blast sailed past the other designer, who ducked behind one of the mannequins in what I assumed was her own booth. A hole appeared in the mannequin’s chest and the crowd yelped and scrambled back, realizing the seriousness of the fight.

  This wasn’t a cat fight; these witches were out for blood.

  Caleb shouted, alarm straining his voice, and the lingering lookey-lous dispersed.

  “Ladies! Enough!” he bellowed. “Wands down. Now!”

  Aurelia and the other designer, Kara Kirk, shrank back into their respective booths and after a nasty glare, they both dropped their wands to the ground.

  “That’s nice, thank you, ladies,” Caleb said, stepping between them. “Now, it’s my day off, but if any more spells go flying, I’m going to have to call in for backup and miss my dinner reservations, which isn’t going to convince me to lift a finger to help either of you when you go before the Haven Council.”

  I rushed to Aurelia’s side. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. “Anastasia?”

  “Are you all right?” I asked her, giving her a quick once-over. Despite her fashion prowess, I rarely saw her in anything flashy or elegant. Whenever I visited her studio with a client, she usually wore black leggings and some kind of earth-tone tunic or sweater dress and plain ballet flats. Her long brown hair hung just past her shoulders and always looked as though she’d had a fresh trim, the ends crisp in a single length. Today she wore a dark green wrap-dress and black flats, her only adornment a pair of small golden hoop earrings.

  “I’m fine,” she replied, her voice terse as she continued glaring across the aisle. A snarl pricked at her upper lip and I turned to see Kara speaking with Caleb, gesturing wildly. “I can’t believe I let her get to me.”

  The anger faded and Aurelia looked up at me. “I told the organizers I wanted to be on the other side of the convention center from her, but they insisted that all fashion designers were to be in the same block of booths.” She scoffed and crossed her arms. “They’re going to get an earful come Monday.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I told her. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. As long as that agent doesn’t arrest us both.”

  I glanced at Caleb and smiled. “I think I can convince him to take it easy on you.”

  She barked a dry laugh. “I certainly won’t object to you putting those sharp negotiating skills of yours to use on my behalf.”

  “Well,” I paused to clear my throat, “actually, that’s my boyfriend. But he is a real agent!” I hurried to add.

  Aurelia’s almond-shaped eyes went wide. “Boyfriend?”

  My cheeks warmed as I nodded.

  Aurelia clapped her hands once and shook her head, her smile spreading. “I didn’t know you were seeing someone, let alone an SPA agent!”

  “It’s new … ish.”

  Only a few trusted friends knew about Caleb. Besides my assistant, CeeCee, no one else at the firm even knew I was seeing someone. Caleb had sent flowers to my office on a few occasions, but I’d managed to shrug them off as being gifts from thankful clients to keep rumors from spreading.

  “Job well done,” Aurelia purred, nudging me with her elbow. “You’ll let me know when we can start sketching up a dress for you. With your figure, we could make magic!”

  “You always make magic,” I pointed out, not bothering to protest the offer. Aurelia was the type who wouldn’t take no for an answer. Besides, it couldn’t hurt to have one of the haven’s top designers hell-bent on making me a custom gown if and when the time came.

  Caleb sidled over and gave Aurelia an apprising glance as if expecting her to hurl another spell at any moment. “We’re all right over here,” I told him, placing an assuring hand on his forearm. “No more drama.”

  Aurelia gave a begrudging nod. “Thank you for stepping in. I got … carried away.”

  Caleb gave her a stern look. “It might be appropriate to pay to replace the damaged mannequin,” he said, before quietly adding, “There’s a sentence I never thought I’d say,” under his breath.

  Aurelia flapped a hand. “Yes, yes. Whatever will shut that hag up.”

  Caleb cleared his throat but Aurelia wasn’t paying attention. Her expression lightened and a mischievous quirk plucked at the corners of her mouth. “I hear congratulations are in order. I’ve just heard you’ve managed to steal the heart of my favorite wedding planner.”

  My eyes widened and a nervous laugh escaped my lips.

  “I’m doing my best,” Caleb said good-naturedly, the heightened tension all but dissolved from his broad shoulders.

  “Well, as you can imagine, I have quite the waiting list, but you say the word and I’ll bump Anastasia right to the front of the line and make her a gown that will knock you speechless!”

  Caleb chuckled. “I don’t doubt it.”

  My hand gripped Caleb’s arm a little tighter and I feigned a glance at my watch. “Oh, look at the time, we have reservations to make!”

  Aurelia was still laughing as we scurried for the nearest exit.

  Chapter 2

  Aurelia and Kara Kirk’s public battle was the toast of the office on the following Monday. I feigned ignorance of the entire thing and kept my office door closed most of the day. If anyone in the office got wind that I’d had front row seats to the whole altercation, my office would turn into a gossip hotspot and I’d get nothing done.

  As it was, my phone was ringing off the hook with a smattering of minor emergencies and inquiries for a rare, double-wedding weekend I had coming up. I rarely booked two weddings in one weekend, but as the newest full-fledged wedding planner in the department, I had a lot to prove if I wanted to keep my place on the roster. The more ambitious—read: crazy—the better.

  “Knock, knock,” my close friend and trusted ally, Charlotte Carlisle, aka CeeCee, said, peeking inside my office. “I brought you lunch.”

  Confused, I glanced at my watch and let out a sigh. “Stars. I didn’t realize it was so late.”

  CeeCee laughed softly and came inside, shutting the door behind her. “Yeah, I figured. Either that, or you’re on some weird cleanse I didn’t know about.”

  I barked a laugh. “Hardly. I stuffed myself silly this weekend. Caleb is good for my heart, not as good for my waistline.”

  CeeCee giggled and placed a takeout bag on the corner of my desk. A savory blend of scents wafted toward me. “Soup and sandwich from Junebug.”

  “You’re a goddess,” I told her, eagerly digging into the sack.

  She plopped down on one of the wingback chairs opposite me and crossed one long leg over the other. “I don’t think I’m in the running for deity, but I think I might have a shot at assistant of the
month.”

  I laughed and opened the lid on the bowl of soup. “Month? Stars, I’d say decade. If I could convince Hyacinth to give you a raise, I would, but I think we both know I’m still the gum on the bottom of her Manolos at this point.”

  CeeCee pulled a sympathetic face but didn’t try to argue my statement. Hyacinth Greary was many things; unfortunately, reasonable was not among them.

  “I should probably fess up and admit I did have slightly ulterior motives in bringing you lunch,” CeeCee said, a catlike grin on her delicate face. “Word around the watercolor is you had a plus one at the wedding convention on Saturday. A tall, dark, and handsome plus one.”

  I blushed and CeeCee laughed. “That took guts, lady! Six months in and you’re taking him to a wedding show?”

  “It wasn’t like that,” I argued, playfully rolling my eyes. “I didn’t drag him into every jewelry tent to make a fuss over the sparkliest engagement rings. And, on top of that, I didn’t even ask him to go with me. When I told him I was booked all weekend, he asked what I was doing, and volunteered to go with me.”

  CeeCee waved a hand. “Oh, I know! I’m just teasing you.”

  “It was a little strange,” I admitted. “And I think we got asked when our big day was at least a dozen times.”

  “Oh?” CeeCee’s eyes widened. “And what did Caleb say to that?”

  I shrugged one shoulder and then stirred the cup of tomato soup. “You know how he is, cool as a cucumber, through and through.”

  “Sounds like a keeper,” CeeCee said, wiggling her manicured brows. “What’s it been? Six months?”

  “Just about,” I replied. “But I’m not putting any rush on it. We’re still getting to know each other, really. I mean, we’re lucky if we get one date a week at this point. We’re both really busy with work and our schedules clash like crazy.”

  “Mhmm.” CeeCee grinned. “But, come on, you’ve thought about it.”

  A fresh wave of heat singed my cheeks and I stuffed the sandwich into my mouth to keep from answering. Before CeeCee could pepper me for more details, my office door flung open and Hyacinth appeared—without knocking—wearing a sharp scowl. “Anastasia, what are you doing eating? It’s nearly three o’clock.”

  I choked on the bite of food and sputtered, trying to clear it in order to defend myself, but she barreled on before I had a chance.

  “It’s not important,” she said, dismissing me with a wave of her freshly-manicured hand. “There’s been a mix up with the Taylor wedding. I need you to go to Aurelia’s tonight and pick up the right dress and make sure that Aurelia understands that while we value her partnership as our premier designer, we cannot accept these kinds of missteps in the future.”

  I frowned and darted a glance at CeeCee. She looked just as baffled by the left field request.

  “Um, the Taylor wedding? That’s not even my account,” I sputtered, hurrying to wipe my fingers off using the paper napkin in my lap.

  Hyacinth heaved a long-suffering sigh. “Did I imply that I thought it was?”

  “I—well … no, but…”

  Hyacinth blinked, her head tilting to the left, and I snapped my mouth shut. I hated when she gave me that look.

  “I could go get the dress,” CeeCee said, glancing at me. “I know Anastasia is really swamped this week, with the double-wedding weekend coming up.”

  Hyacinth shot CeeCee a glower and then made a show of pushing her thin-framed glasses up her nose. “Aurelia is already expecting Anastasia. Six o’clock. Sharp.” Hyacinth swirled away and left the office, not bothering to close the door behind her.

  “If fairy tales were real, she’d definitely be the kind of witch who baked lost children into pies,” CeeCee muttered.

  I snorted. “Perhaps, although I can’t imagine Hyacinth in a woodsy setting.”

  CeeCee pantomimed a show of horror, clasping at her silver pendant necklace. “You’re right, of course! After all, one might get a grass stain!”

  We dissolved into silly giggles. Sometimes you just had to laugh off the insanity. It was good for the soul. Or at least, a lower calorie relief than a bottle of wine or box of truffles.

  Aurelia’s shop was on the other side of the haven and usually required a quick ride on a Shimmer Bus, but as this was a quasi-emergency, I took the liberty of checking out one of A Touch of Magic’s fleet of company branded SUVs. The Seattle Haven was small, especially in comparison to Seattle proper, or the human side, as it was more commonly known, and the haven powers that be decided that it was more efficient to have its residents use public transportation over having their own cars.

  Cars were affordable enough that most supernatural families in the haven could afford them, but parking was a whole other story. If the only place you could afford to park your car was your own driveway, there wasn’t much point in having one. The haven council jacked up the price of parking haven-wide and made it so most supernaturals didn’t bother buying cars. I’d never owned my own vehicle and had only recently learned to drive so I could take the company car to events outside the haven or in case of emergency.

  It felt good to drive, to be in control. Not to mention, the air was a lot cleaner than among the random assortment of supernaturals that could be found on any random Shimmer Bus. With regard to personal hygiene, supernaturals were no different than humans and you could very well wind up sitting next to a werewolf who smelled like they hadn’t bathed since the last time Hailey’s comet made an appearance.

  In the plush SUV, I was the captain and it smelled like a mix of citrus and pine, thanks to a permanent charm bestowed to each car in the company fleet. If you turned in a car with so much as a stray French Fry under the seat, Delphine Morris, the witch in charge of maintenance and repairs, would have your hide for it. Delphine was a petite blonde who, at first glance, looked like she could be a kindergarten teacher, but was, in fact, a sarcastic mechanic with a beauty-pageant smile and the vocabulary of a sailor.

  As I drove, I wondered what I should say to Aurelia. Would she want to talk about the scene at the wedding show, or would it be better to pretend nothing had happened? Caleb had called me the night before and told me no one was filing charges over the whole scene. It was clear Hyacinth wanted me to make some show of power, but that wasn’t going to happen. I’d run her errands, but I wasn’t going to recite her script. If Aurelia had made a mistake with the Taylor dress, it was a one-time slip-up. Nothing worth getting your Spanx in a knot over.

  Ten minutes later, I pulled up alongside the curb outside Aurelia’s shop right as the street light a few yards ahead popped on and cast a faint pool of light over the sidewalk. Aurelia’s shop was sandwiched between an art gallery and a daycare. Both of the shops looked closed for the evening. I glanced at my watch and frowned. It seemed early for the gallery to be closed, but then, it wasn’t in the right part of town to enjoy any foot traffic as people waited for their table at one of the fancy restaurants along the water.

  I cut the engine and grabbed my purse. I’d told Delphine I’d bring the vehicle back in the morning, so as soon as I was done with Aurelia and ran the dress to the venue, I’d call it a night and head back to my condo. My mind was already mentally flipping through the takeout menus in my kitchen as I approached Aurelia’s front doors. Her shop was dark except for a soft glittery light set against the back of her display window that showcased the dress she’d sent down the runway over the weekend. I smiled as I remembered the rush of emotions I’d felt when I first saw it. It was clear that Aurelia was proud of her dream-come-true design and I was happy to see it featured so prominently in her window.

  It was after her posted hours, but I knew she’d still be in waiting for me. I walked inside and called out, “Hello?”

  Shuffling noises coming from the back room caught my attention as I approached the counter and goosebumps skittered over my skin. I placed the SUV keys on the polished marble and leaned forward. The door was closed, but a sliver of light shone underneath, spilling
onto the polished tile floor. “Aurelia?” I called out. “It’s Anastasia Winters. I’m here to pick up the Taylor gown. Hyacinth said you were expecting me.”

  More shuffling. Was someone back there with her? I knew little of the designer’s personal life. Did she have children? A husband? Boyfriend? I hoped I hadn’t interrupted something. But then, she’d known I was on my way.

  I was about to offer to come back first thing in the morning—though, Hyacinth would hex me into next month—but before the words left my lips, the door opened and Aurelia stepped out. Her long hair was swept back into a sleek updo, held in place by a trio of pins with pearls nestled along the silky strands. Her complexion was flushed and I noted her hands were clasped together in front of her. “Ana,” she said softly, “I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting.”

  “Oh, no need to apologize. Is everything all right?”

  Her gaze tracked to the right but she stopped short of glancing over her shoulder. “Yes,” she said quickly. She licked her lips and then went to a brass rolling rack she had wheeled behind the counter. As she lifted her hands to flip through the garment bags hanging there to check the handwritten tags, I thought I noticed a small wavering to her nimble fingers.

  “Uh, how was the rest of the convention? I didn’t see you on Sunday,” I said, uncomfortable with the silence.

  Aurelia took down one of the hangers and rounded the counter. “It was just fine. Thank you for asking.”

  I took the bag when she presented it to me and she glanced at the empty doorway. “Aurelia, are you sure you’re all right?”

  Her eyes snapped back to mine and she swallowed hard. After a moment, she ducked her chin and offered a small nod. “Yes. Thank you. I’m quite all right. Listen, um, I’m running late for a dinner.”