tourists who come in the busy season should be pretty happy. And transient.” I turn to face Violet. “And the ocean should help, right?”
She smiles and inhales, her arms lifting like wings. “Yes, it does. It’s wonderful.”
Blue looks around. “So, what, we’re going to become shopkeepers?”
We’ve always known that—although we’ve never known what a store called Shenanigans might be, exactly. I look around, letting details sink in for the first time. It’s full enough that Violet’s fingers are probably itching to create space, but it doesn’t feel cluttered. Things are placed with care. With intention. An interesting hodgepodge of things. Books. Candles. Tarot cards. Small paintings. A cute set of stone carvings in the shape of roly-poly bear cubs.
Blue holds up a set of red leather cuffs and grins. “There were some details missing in your visions, Vee.”
Violet’s laughter rings brightly in the store. “I like those.”
I slap my hands over my ears. The two of them can be deadly when their earth signs get rambunctious. Which is a side of Violet that rarely comes out to play. I already like this town if it gives her that kind of freedom.
She turns towards me, smiling. “Yes. This place would take good care of me. What about the two of you?”
I shrug. “I’m easy. My work is portable.” Snarky astrology can happen from anywhere.
She raises an eyebrow. “There are cows. And the whole town probably shuts down by sunset.”
I didn’t see the cows, which is probably a good thing. “I like new experiences, remember? If we’ve got nice views upstairs, Blue can fix me up with anything else I need.” I’m self aware enough to know that I’ll need a nest that soothes my urban soul, especially if there are livestock lurking in the woods.
“I could do some things down here, too.” Blue grimaces. “But my work doesn’t move with me. Violet’s clients might traipse over here on the ferry, but mine expect me to show up at their place with my tools.”
Violet’s clients fly in to see her from all over the world. The design maven who makes spaces fit their people.
“I might do less client work,” Violet says quietly, still touching random things in the shop. “We’d all be putting in time here at the store. Maybe I can offer consultations for tourists. You could do that too, Indi. Maybe even small workshops. There’s a nice space over there in the corner for a table and some cozy chairs.”
I nod slowly. That sounds oddly appealing, given how much of my brand is built around being a hermit. “Less time online, more time talking to real people.”
Violet lays her hand on my arm. “You feel happy when you think about doing that.”
I inhale a breath and blow it out slowly, checking in with the parts of me that don’t handle change as well as my inner travel demon. “Yeah. I do.”
Blue clears her throat. “That sets the two of you up pretty nicely.”
And leaves the one who most needs a solid foundation with her butt hanging in the wind. Violet shoots me a worried look. Whatever Blue is supposed to do here, she can’t see it yet.
We flank Blue, leaning in like bookends. Offering support in the way she needs it most. I think fast. “I saw some pretty nice homes around here when I drove in. There’s probably work to be had locally. The kinds of projects where you could do most of the work yourself.” Those are the ones she likes best. Unfortunately for her, she’s one of the best finishing carpenters in Vancouver, so they’re the kind she rarely gets.
She frowns, unconvinced.
Capricorns like solid plans, not whiffs of possibility.
“You can start here.” Violet looks around. “The energy is right, but we’ll need a different layout if we’re going to do workshops, and the apartments likely need some work, too. That will give you time to make local connections.”
Blue nods slowly. “I can probably do enough odd jobs to cover my share of the bills.”
Neither of us bother arguing. Mountains don’t change their minds, and paying her own way has always been one of Blue’s hottest buttons. One the asshat enjoyed pushing far too much.
I slide my arm around her waist. “Want to go find Jeannie at the coffee shop and start laying out some numbers?” Violet and I can do math if it’s absolutely required. Blue plays with numbers in her head the same way that I feel my way through an astrological chart.
She looks around, nodding