by Nico Jaye
Trick really thought that was going to be the biggest surprise of the day, but when he stepped onto the sidewalk in front of his building and was met with the largest, most purple VW van he’d ever seen, chauffeured by none other than General Sigel, he almost swallowed his tongue.
Edwin was staring expectantly at him, clearly very pleased with himself.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
Trick was momentarily speechless but managed to summon the appropriate enthusiasm. “It’s great! Where did you find something like this? Most people just rent a U-Haul.”
“I prestidigitated it.” There was such pride in his voice.
“A pumpkin?” Trick teased.
“Eggplant.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“Not in the least. I found it in my uncle’s refrigerator this morning, and I thought it to be such a pleasing color. I’ve been practicing my skills at creating such large items and thought perhaps if we were transported in something so cheerful, it would make the unpleasant process much less so.”
“Who am I to argue with that logic?” Trick happily rounded the back of the double-parked van and loaded the first of the boxes in. There was lots of space back there, so in terms of vehicles Edwin could have chosen, this would actually work out perfectly.
Four more trips up and down the urine-stained stairs and they’d managed to retrieve all of Trick’s boxes and the one piece of furniture that meant something to him—his father’s desk. It was the first time Trick had been grateful he didn’t own much. He stood in the doorway looking at the empty space. He waited for something to happen: a pang of nostalgia, a feeling of closure, something. Anything. But there was nothing. He literally felt nothing leaving behind the place he’d spent years of his life.
He shut the door on the studio and, without looking back, walked away.
IN A sea of sleek black luxury cars and yellow taxis, their vibrant purple eggplant-mobile definitely stood out. Franz was a better driver than Trick had thought he’d be. He supposed Franz had watched the traffic along Riverside Drive long enough to pick up the basics of road rules. Or maybe Edwin had imbued him with all the knowledge needed, but whatever it was, they arrived at the little brick building on West 10th Street completely unscathed.
They found a place to park right out front, which was lucky, and Trick checked out his new neighborhood. Like most of the area, his street was a mix of residential and commercial. Everything he would ever need was within steps of his front door, including the subway station that would easily take him to work.
Right across the street was the neighborhood police station, which made Trick feel safer than he had in a long time. There was no way the crime rate in this area came close to his old one, and with the cop shop right across the street, his new apartment would be the picture of safety.
As they piled out of the van, Sandra appeared from behind the hunter green door. She carried a plate of pastries down to them, and although she eyed the bright purple vehicle, she didn’t comment on it.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” she said with a bright smile. “Something to fuel the muscles you’re going to need to move your things in.”
She extended the dish, and Edwin and Trick each took one of the chocolate croissants. Franz declined with a small shake of his head.
“Thank you,” Trick said around a mouthful of pastry.
“I have one more thing for you.” Sandra dug into her pocket and pulled out a small silver ring with two sets of keys dangling from it. “The one with the square top opens the front door, and the one with the round top is for your apartment. There’s an extra set for guests,” she said, glancing at Edwin with a smile.
“Thank you so much,” Trick repeated, his mouth empty this time.
“Welcome home.”
Trick swallowed hard, almost getting choked up at the thought. He hadn’t even walked into the building yet, and already this place felt more like home than his last place ever did.
He, Edwin, and Franz each grabbed a box from the back of the van and carried it into the building. Sandra held the front door open for them as they entered. When they stepped inside, the hallway smelled like vanilla, and Trick inhaled deeply, taking in the atmosphere of the place as much as the scent.
The walls were pale, but the dark-stained wood trim added interest and gave the building a historical feel without feeling out-of-date. They walked past the staircase that led to the upper apartments. Trick set his box on the floor and peered down at his new set of keys. He selected the one with the rounded top and slid it into the lock. It turned easily—no having to jiggle or jam it open—and with a quick twist of the knob, he was able to push the door open.
His apartment was easily twice the size of his old place, with high ceilings adorned with decorative medallions in the center to highlight where the lights dropped down. Crown moldings were painted out in the same white as the walls and ceilings, but as monochromatic as it was, the effect was clean and crisp rather than boring.
Trick carried the box into the center of the bright room and set it down once more. The back wall curved out into a bay window that overlooked the small patio garden at the back. He turned around slowly, taking it all in.
He’d toured the apartment with Edwin just after they’d met Sandra. She wanted to make sure he was happy with the accommodations before he signed the lease. He tried to tell her that literally anything was better than the place he was currently residing in, but she insisted.
Being here now, knowing this was his, filled him with a sense of belonging he hadn’t felt in a long time. It was even more beautiful than he remembered. Walking around in a daze, he explored the spacious studio again and felt as though he was seeing the place for the first time.
The tiny galley kitchen was the perfect size for him, and he was certain all of the appliances worked. The bathroom was just as pristine as the rest of the apartment, with white subway tiles and a white claw-foot tub against the far wall.
His favorite area of the house was the sleeping alcove, though. It had large bay windows to let the light in, and it overlooked the garden. One wall was brick and he guessed the other would be stained in green in the summer when the light filtered through the trees outside. Trick couldn’t wait.
He returned to the living room where everyone was waiting for him. Identical smiles painted Edwin and Sandra’s faces, and Trick couldn’t help but beam back at them. This was the happiest he’d felt in years, and it was all because of Edwin. He wanted to launch himself across the room and kiss him, but all good feelings fled when Trick’s phone rang, the ominous ringtone designated for Redden splitting the peace of the quiet apartment.
He dug the cell from his pocket and answered the call.
“Hello, Mr. Redden.”
“Patrick. I need you to come into the office.”
“But sir,” Trick protested. “It’s Sunday.”
“You think I don’t know what day it is? I’ll expect to see you in my office by three o’clock.”
Trick paused, trying to come up with the right words. “I’m not sure I’ll be able—”
“If you want to keep your goddamn job, you’d better be in my goddamn office by three o’clock.”
“Yes, sir.”
The harsh click of the line going dead was Trick’s only indication that Redden had hung up.
“We’ll finish moving your things in,” Edwin offered.
“You shouldn’t have to do that.” Trick felt like shit, but what other choice did he have? If he wasn’t there by three, Redden would have his head.
“Go. And don’t worry about a thing. Come home when you’re finished.”
Trick grinned in spite of the situation. “You’ll be here?”
“If you wish.”
“I do.”
“Very well, then. I will take Franz home, and then I’ll return to wait for you.”
“We can celebrate tonight. Oh, I almost forgot. You’ll need keys.” Trick dug into his pocke
t and produced the small ring Sandra had given him. He unhooked two of the keys from the loop—one for each of the doors—and offered them to Edwin.
With that, Trick said good-bye and hurried out the door toward the subway station.
REDDEN WAS in his office when Trick arrived. He stood in the doorway, waiting for Redden to acknowledge him.
“About goddamn time you got your lazy ass in here. Why the hell did it take you so long?”
“I came as quickly as I could.”
Redden just shook his head like he’d never heard anything dumber in his life.
“What can I do for you, sir?”
“Gloria has revised the guest list for the Christmas party. We need to add another seventy-five guests to the list.”
Trick stood there, processing his words. “But sir, you were already at capacity for the venue.”
“Then you’re going to need to find us another venue, aren’t you?” Redden glared at him. “And since you’re too stupid to figure it out on your own, that also means you’ll need to contact all the guests and inform them of the change. I don’t want anyone showing up at the wrong place and making me look like a fool for not informing them.”
“But the party is less than a week away.”
Redden narrowed his eyes. “Then you’d better get started.”
“Of course, sir.”
Trick backed out of the office, his mind reeling. It was going to take him hours to contact all of the guests. The original list had been set at two hundred, and with the added seventy-five, the task was nearly insurmountable. That was assuming he could even find an alternate venue. Acceptable spaces booked up months in advance for the holiday season, and Redden’s criteria was intractable.
Trick sighed. He was going to need a miracle.
Chapter Fourteen
THE CRUNCH of the dry grass alerted Edwin to Trick’s return. Once he and Franz had finished unloading the vehicle, Edwin had returned both Franz and the eggplant to their appropriate places and come back to Trick’s new home.
The curtains on the windows, while serviceable, had no flair, so a quick wave of the wand and an envisioning of their replacements made things much more cheery inside the little place. He’d chosen the mossy color because it would highlight the greenery outside.
Rather than unpack Trick’s belongings, which Edwin felt could be a tad intrusive, he’d decided the garden might do with a little sprucing up.
“Those are pretty,” Trick said, crouching down beside him.
Edwin glanced up, smiling, then turned back to his task. “Thank you! I saw similar flowers for sale at a nearby corner shop and thought they’d be a nice addition.”
“They are. Not sure if birds of paradise are really, um, native to New York, but they look great.”
Trick’s voice was somewhat subdued, and when Edwin looked at him more carefully, he saw the distracted and fretful expression on Trick’s face. After completing the current bloom quickly, Edwin straightened, and Trick followed suit a moment later.
“Is everything okay? What did Mr. Redden want?” Edwin asked with concern.
Trick grimaced. “Nothing good, that’s for sure.”
As they headed back inside, Trick explained the situation with the expanded guest list and the search for a new venue. “And all in the next… five days,” Trick finished, visibly slumping. “God, it sucks.”
Edwin’s mind raced. This was definitely a job for a fairy godfather in training, but again… he couldn’t very well manifest a location in the city. He’d managed with the eggplant because he’d been able to base the vehicle’s concept on certain transportation he’d operated in Paravale. Creating space in a city that already was so tightly packed, though, was inconceivable. Edwin chewed on his lip as he watched Trick hunt through some boxes to pull out a couple of mismatched cups. After rinsing them out in the little kitchen, he filled them with water from the tap and came back into the main living area.
Trick’s bed was tucked up in the alcove, and Edwin had taken a seat in the familiar desk chair. Trick handed one of the mugs to Edwin and sank into the navy chair-slash-former-crate Edwin had transformed last week.
“Grazie,” Edwin said, the word flashing across his mind for no particular reason.
“You’re welcome,” Trick responded after a moment. “Uh… are we speaking Italian now? Because that’s gonna be a short conversation since all I can say are thank you, hello, good-bye, and a few, er, less polite phrases.”
“No, no,” Edwin said, the word taking full form in his mind, along with a visual of a sophisticated and sleek gray edifice with a large picture window and set of glass doors. “Grazie. The Grazie Hotel. Does that mean anything to you?”
Trick watched Edwin, brows furrowed, and took a sip from his glass. “I… think there’s a hotel downtown called the Grazie,” Trick said slowly. “Why?”
“I can’t really explain the feeling other than to say it’s a good one,” Edwin ventured. “And that perhaps you should contact them?”
After a long look at Edwin, Trick shrugged, put down his cup, and pulled out his mobile device. Frederick had one—a cell phone—and when Edwin had asked if they operated similarly to his communicator, Frederick had procured one for him as well. Trick ran his finger along the surface a few times before he glanced back up with a nod. “Yep, it’s a hotel downtown. A boutique hotel, or so they claim,” Trick said, offering the phone to Edwin.
Setting aside his mug, Edwin glanced at the screen without taking it and saw exactly what he expected to see: clean gray lines and large panes of glass. “It looks quite modern.”
“Yeah, Redden would approve,” Trick said, almost to himself. “Well, doesn’t hurt to try, huh?”
Trick tapped the screen a few more times and lifted the phone to his ear.
“Hi, yes, I’m calling from Redden and Sons. May I speak with your events manager? Yes, I’ll hold.”
Edwin wandered around the perimeter of the large room and used his wand to remove some of the more noticeable scuff marks on the walls and floors. The unit was obviously aged, but it was well-kept, unlike the disastrous space Trick had previously occupied. While he wandered, Edwin tried not to look too interested in the conversation, even though he kept his ears attuned to what Trick was saying.
“Thank you, happy holidays to you too. I’m calling on behalf of Redden and Sons. I understand it’s a busy time of the year, but we suddenly find ourselves in need of a new venue for our holiday party this Friday. Uh huh,” Trick said, his eyes wide. “We’re—” Trick cleared his throat. “—we’re expecting between two and three hundred people.”
Edwin gave up the pretense of cleaning up the apartment to stop in his tracks and watch Trick, whose face was doing a dance of amazement, wonder, and flat-out disbelief.
“No, I don’t think that will be a problem. We have catering already arranged with an outside company. Yes,” Trick said, nodding. “Yes. If you’ll wait one moment, I’ll get my company card and give you the number.”
After setting down the phone, Trick caught Edwin’s gaze and gave him a buggy-eyed look that Edwin associated with Trick’s “oh my God!” exclamation. Sure enough….
“Oh my God,” Trick whispered. “Let me find my wallet.”
Once Trick had a plastic card in hand, he picked up the phone again. “Hello? Hi, yes, are you ready?” Trick then read off a series of numbers and also gave the person another set of numbers, confirming with them something about a fax and a contract.
“Yes, I’ll make sure it’s sent back signed first thing in the morning.” Trick paused, then nodded his head. “I’m sure it’ll be fine based on the pictures on your website, but if you’re available now, I can come down to view it.” Another pause, then Trick nodded again. “Yes. Okay, that’s understandable if it’s your policy. I’ll meet you there at five o’clock.”
When Trick set down the phone, he sat there and stared at it for a moment, then turned to Edwin. “Holy shit, Edwin, you and your fee
lings. You’re a goddamn genius! I could kiss you right now!”
At that last statement, a flush passed over Trick’s face, and he glanced away. Edwin was a little taken aback himself. Kissing wasn’t something fairy godfathers did with their charges. In fact, it wasn’t something he, specifically, should be doing, given his circumstances and the responsibilities he would have upon his return to Paravale.
Trick cleared his throat loudly. “I need to go take a look at the ballroom, but it sounds like they had a last-minute cancellation. God, I have no idea how or why, but that is the most ridiculous and fortunate coincidence ever.”
Pushing aside thoughts of kissing, Edwin teased Trick. “Almost… magical?”
Trick rolled his eyes, but he nevertheless returned the grin as he stood and began shrugging on his coat. “You and your magical feelings are welcome anytime. Anytime.”
EDWIN CHECKED in with his mother later that evening. Today her hair was a cloud of pink and glitter, and it faintly resembled the fairy floss Edwin had found so delicious.
“Mother, how are things at Paravale?”
“Everything is going well, Edwin,” Estella responded. “How are things with your charge?”
“They continue to improve as I improve my skills.” Remembering the most recent feelings he’d had, Edwin straightened and said proudly, “My intuition has been particularly keen lately, and I’ve helped him out of a few difficult situations.”
“Well, that’s wonderful,” Estella said warmly. “We miss you here at the castle. How is your progress with achieving his heart’s desire?”
“I think it’s going well. There’s a party this week for which I’ll help him prepare,” Edwin said, ignoring the little pang in his belly that twisted when he thought about Trick’s desire for Preston Ward.
“It sounds like a perfect opportunity for you to use your skills. Perhaps you’ll be back at Paravale sooner than you’d expected.”
At the thought of leaving New York—of leaving Trick—Edwin felt the little pang twist even more painfully. He knew he had obligations in Paravale. He knew a charge was not meant to be long-term, especially when he was still only a fairy godfather in training, but he’d grown fond of Trick… perhaps more than was prudent.