Page 39 of Fairy Godmothers Aren't Cheap

“Of course not. Where’s your sense of humour?” Estelle chided and Josie nodded, taking a side that most definitely wasn’t with her party-trickless friend. “Char, if you’d like another wish, you are welcome to go now.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “No, I’m good.”

“Was that a spell that hid YFGM’s door?” Josie asked. “And Samantha and Gabby couldn’t see it when we did because they don’t believe?”

“I don’t believe!” The words felt heavy, like a lie.

“It’s a security enchantment,” Estelle said, one eye on me.

Josie smiled smugly. “Thought so!” It was as though she thought she was a step ahead of Tamara and me in regards to the whole paranormal fairy world thing and its magic. She turned to me. “Think about how long the line would be outside her door if everyone knew what she could do.”

“They’d burn me at the stake,” Estelle said.

“Pretty sure that ended a few centuries ago,” I muttered.

“Or run me out of town.”

Yeah, that could happen. Maybe less so in a city, but in a small town she’d be gone in a minute.

“Estelle could just…” I tried to think of the right word to explain what I saw as a solution, but failed to find it. “Invisible herself?”

Josie giggled.

“Well, I don’t know what it’s called!” I said hotly, my hands aflutter. “But you understand what I mean? Beam me up, Scotty! Or make it look like you’re here, but you’re actually somewhere else. Somewhere safe.”

“I have to pass a few more levels before I can do high-powered magic like that,” Estelle said kindly.

The idea that she might not be safe or able to protect herself made me uncomfortable. Did that mean I was starting to believe? Or was I just a softie for someone who seemed nice, even though delusional about reality?

I sighed in defeat, my brain tired of going around in circles and trying to make sense of illogical happenings. Right now, I wanted to go home and have this problem behind me. Even if that meant believing.

“Could you imagine if everyone knew about our fairy godmother services? We’d have to hire five trolls as office security and about forty more ogres and goblins to do my accounting!” Estelle laughed, Josie joining in. “It’s hard to find good accountants. Especially ones that speak English and don’t mind working for fairies.”

“I’ll bet!”

“I forgot to ask!” Estelle stood. “Would you like some Canada Dry?” She was smiling, looking more comfortable than I wanted her to be. So certain. So sure. “I have it back in stock.” She opened the mini fridge to display rows and rows of green cans. She lifted her perfect eyebrows in question. She must spend a lot at the salon or time in front of the mirror trying out eyebrow-shaping tutorials she found online.

“Did you wish for it? To restock itself?” I asked. I’d die for a fridge that magically restocked itself.

“We can’t grant wishes that might benefit us.”

“What if we made the wishforyou?”

Estelle shook her head.

I eyed Estelle’s brows again. “So you wake up looking gorgeous? Because that really is a wasted wish area. It would be a total time saver.” I needed to learn her skin care regimeandwhatever it was she did to her brows.

“Thank you,” Estelle said kindly.

I rubbed my face, aware I was veering off track again. We needed to focus on details and get to the bottom of this. “You said there was a loophole or something where I don’t have to pay my tab?” I noted her thick book, the layers of dust, the hum of the mini fridge, a framed photo on the desk of two women, one in pink, one in brown.

“You were warned the fees would come due, and we haven’t charged you interest?—”

I sat up straight, no longer hearing Estelle. The woman wearing brown in the framed photo. I knew that face. Seeing it again after so long was like being socked in the gut.

“That’s her! The one from the dream,” I croaked, pointing at the framed photo. That was the woman who’d stumbled into my bedroom when I was thirteen, and had thoroughly freaked me out.

Estelle twisted to look at the photo. “That’s Paxi. Your former fairy godmother.”

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