A large box of crystals sat by the door, along with a sign that said, Take One. Or Two! Find the Crystals that Speak to You. Luckily, the pink crystal dick had not been left out as the recommended method of selection, although he was certain it was hidden somewhere within the house. Small blessings.
The big dining room table had been set up with pads of paper, colored pencils, and even some paints (which were liable to get all over the place if things got really raucous).
Honor Buchanan as it was. Imagine it as it will be, the sign said. There was a box for finished pieces.
Another sign advertised fortune-tellings, the arrow pointing toward the room that had been River’s. Find out your future…if you dare, the sign said. In smaller text beneath that, it read, At least ¼ may learn something devastating.
He followed the sign and discovered a small two-person beach tent that had been set up within the room, taking up nearly all the available space. Although he knew it to be a fortune-telling tent owing to the scarfs that had been chaotically cast over the top, the ends brushing over the open side facing one of the house’s rear-facing window, it didn’t much look like one. It had a design of waves on the side and the slogan Ride the wave, with a little handwritten sign taped up next to it reading of fate. Any larger employees would have to crouch to fit into it.
For a second, River just stood there and took it in. Then he turned and smiled at Josie, who’d followed him. “This is perfect.”
“I knew you wouldn’t mind that we put it in here,” Josie said. “Dottie said it was your old room.”
And his old tent, it looked like.
“No, I don’t mind at all.”
“Your aunt suggested it might be a good idea to allow for privacy. You know, in case someone learns something they don’t like. Wait until you see out back!” she said with a grin.
He headed over to the plate glass door at the back of the living room and looked out. More of those paper lanterns were everywhere, and he had to admit it looked kind of nice beyond being an obvious fire hazard. There was a tub of tiny flashlights just beyond the door, and he could tell they’d been bedazzled with a generous hand.
Take one. Make your inner light an outer light, the sign read.
Lurch stood by a large table of drinks and refreshments—which were luckily not limited to earth tones—making his mixed beers like Frankenstein had his monster, and setting them out on a small side table in red plastic cups. Seeing him, Lurch waved and grinned. He must’ve been sampling what he was pouring, because he’d drawn a smiley face on his bald head with a Sharpie.
While there wasn’t a trampoline, someone had gotten a giant bouncy castle, which was surely just as questionable. There also looked to be some sort of raffle station, with prizes laid out with buckets in front of them.
His grin grew wider. This was crazy. This was magical. This was Aunt Dottie, through and through, and not the darker side of her that had been on display that night at the séance. Tonight was about celebration. He put his hand in his pocket and felt the watch. Remembered what his aunt had told him about it. “You guys really went all out, huh? This is going to be the best party Asheville has ever seen.”
If Georgie came.
“Just wait until the donkey gets here,” Josie commented. “Aren’t you going to pick your crystal?”
He reached into the box and picked a pink one, sending up positive wishes as he pocketed it.
“Can you do me a favor?” he asked, and Josie lit up as if he’d offered to do one for her.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Dottie had tried to get Georgie to leave for the after-party with her, before everyone else took off, but Georgie had dug in her heels. She was still digging them in, although Adalia had taken over where Dottie had left off. There’d been an actual look exchanged between the two as Dottie left, as if she were passing on the baton. But Georgie could be stubborn when the situation required it. She didn’t want to go to the party in the first place, and if they were among the last to arrive, then surely they could leave that much sooner. “I need to straighten up my office.”
“Please,” Adalia groaned dramatically. “Your desk is so clean you could lick ice cream off it. Let’s go. I’m dying to see the crystal statue in person.”
Georgie’s brow lifted. “He’s supposed to be wearing clothes now, but with Dottie, there’s no guarantee.”
“Well, I should hope not,” Adalia said. “I want to see it in all of its glory.”
Shuddering, Georgie said, “Do I need to remind you that it’s a naked statue of our grandfather? I saw it in person and my retinas are probably permanently scarred. I’m not sure you should risk your art career.”
Adalia’s smile fell.
Georgie felt awful for being so flippant. “Sorry, Addy. Your career’s not over, you know.”
With a weary exhale, Adalia said, “This isn’t about me. It’s about you.” She made a face. “Wait. This is about me. I want to see the crystal dick sculpture, and I need you to make it happen.”
So Georgie grudgingly agreed to leave, knowing she wouldn’t be able to keep stalling for long. Most of the staff had already left.
The street was lined with cars and Dottie’s entire purple house was lit up. K-pop music boomed from the backyard, seeming wildly incongruous with the location, and the front was filled with paper lanterns—total fire hazard—and a mini Stonehenge, made with three-foot-tall stones and a small water garden in the middle.
“Is that what I think it is?” Adalia asked as they walked toward the driveway.
Georgie gave her the side-eye. “If you’re asking if we can time travel to seventeenth-century Scotland by touching the stones, then I find that an acceptable alternative to attending this party.”
Adalia rolled her eyes. “And I thought that I was the dramatic one. You’re supposed to be the voice of reason.”
And ordinarily she would be, but she’d held it together for hours, and all she wanted to do was go home, open a bottle of wine, and drown her sorrows. Of course, the only bottle of wine she had in her possession was the second bottle River had left, which made it even more bittersweet. She stopped, then took a slow step backward. “I think I’m going to just head home.”
“No,” Adalia cried out. “You’re already here. You should at least come in and make an appearance.”
Georgie cringed. “No…I think it would be better if I just go.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Georgie. Just come inside.” Adalia grabbed her arm and started to tug.
“Georgie!” Lurch shouted from behind her, and she turned to see him riding on a donkey down the center of the street. “It’s your turn for a ride. You can enter the party like Jesus.”
Georgie squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again, worried the stress of the day was causing her to hallucinate, but sure enough, Lurch was sitting on top of a donkey while a man in a cowboy hat tugged on the reins, leading them both.
Bursting out laughing, Adalia exclaimed, “This party just keeps getting better and better. How could you even think of missing this?”
Ignoring her sister, Georgie scrambled to get out of the way just as she realized what Lurch had said. “Oh, no, no, no, no.” She shook her head vigorously. “I’m not getting on top of that thing.”