LUKE HAD SAID he loved her, today of all days. Mya believed him the moment he said it, and she also knew she couldn’t say it back and might never be able to. The finality of the phrase bothered her, as did its limited scope. Choices, that’s what Mya valued, and the phrase that rolled so easily off Luke’s tongue had not escaped Mya’s mouth for any man thus far. She sighed and raised her head to look above her. She might’ve ignored the cloud, the fawn, the snakes, Luke’s untimely pronouncement, all together in such a short span of time, but now with Lucia taking over the business, Mya understood beyond a doubt that she was cursed. Maybe the black cloud receded until all the terrible events had been carried out. Or the curse stayed from the moment it appeared and into the tortured future, her death the final sign of its disappearance. She should’ve never sold the perfume to Zoe Bennett in the first place. Or changed the formula for her. Why did she invite this upon herself? She should’ve done nothing and allowed Zoe to tell the entire world about Lenore Incorporated’s product.
Mya pulled up her strapless purple dress and grabbed her crutches, which were leaning against the wooden table in her workshop. She hobbled her way up the stairs and down the hall to Lucia’s bedroom, where Lucia’s cell phone had been ringing earlier. Her sister’s clothes were strewn about the floor and the bed. Mya patted down the covers on the bed as if she’d been authorized to search the place. Finally she felt a lump beneath Lucia’s pillow. She’d been sleeping on her phone this whole time.
The greasy fingertip prints on the phone cover presented themselves in the sunlight. Mya wiped the screen on her dress and then tapped the phone awake. It had no lock code. Twenty-two missed calls in three days. Clearly Lucia had neglected her phone since she arrived. She probably knew Jonah had tried to call her many, many times, and she obviously hadn’t phoned him back. His urgency made this so much easier. Mya sat down on Lucia’s daybed with her crutches beside her and listened for her mother and Lucia, who’d gone out without even telling Mya. They’d cite her injury as the reason, but they left Mya out these days like bullies on the playground.
Silence in the house—she made the call. As the line rang it occurred to Mya that she’d never actually spoken to this guy before and he might not even know that Lucia had a sister. She couldn’t be sure what Lucia had divulged about their family history, if anything. Back when Lucia had called out of nowhere to tell them she was getting married, Willow advised Lucia to sign the prenuptial agreement Jonah’s parents wanted, but she told Lucia never to expose their business, not even to her “soul mate.” That phrase of Lucia’s made Mya want to vomit. “Soul sucker” was more accurate.
Mya almost hung up the phone but then she heard static, and Jonah said “Finally,” in not the kindest tone. “Where the hell are you?”
“Jonah,” Mya said.
“Who is this?” he said, and he sounded pissed.
“This is Lucia’s sister.”
“Mya?” he asked. So he did know about her. This was not a good sign. Of all the stories Lucia would’ve told him about her, Mya doubted the kindest versions were at the top of the list. She needed him to trust her. “Is Lucia hurt?”
“No,” Mya said.
“Then why are you calling me and not her?”
“She doesn’t want to speak to you, that’s why.” This little jab felt good. She was not so fond of her sister at the moment, but she liked this guy even less.
“Are you calling to harass me?” He told someone in the background to be quiet.
Mya said, “Lucia’s here and she’s an absolute mess. Refuses to go back to the city. Wants to give up on acting. And there’s nothing here for her, you know? She might end up substituting at the local high school and serving as assistant director for the school musicals for the rest of her life, but I think we both know that’s not good for her.”
“I hate that,” Jonah said. “But I can’t do anything. We’re divorced. I assume you know that.”
“I do. You’re still friends, though, right? She said so, anyway, and I’d like to think you two are mature enough for that. Between us, she’s already met someone here, and they’re sleeping together, and I think she’ll hitch on to anything at this point because she’s so miserable about you. She can’t waste away here. It’s empty of opportunity for her.”
“You two aren’t close.” Now he sounded suspicious. She’d gone too far.
“Family’s family,” Mya told him. “She came back here, but I think she needs you more than us right now.”
“All right,” Jonah said. “Have her call me. Tell her it’s about the lease and it’s important.”
“She needs a reminder of what was good there,” Mya said, and all she heard was Jonah’s breath in response. “You there?” she said.
“Yeah,” he said. “Look, I’ve got a meeting here. I stepped out for this call, so . . .”
“I’ll let you go,” Mya said, “just expect a call from us soon.” Jonah hung up without a good-bye. Mya slipped Lucia’s cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans. She glanced over her shoulder as she left the room, as though she’d burgled the place.
The phone in Willow’s office was ringing, and it rang and rang and rang. Mya did her best to rush on her crutches but dropped them in favor of a rapid hop. She pushed back the drapes to the office and caught the phone just before it stopped ringing. “Lenore Incorporated,” Mya said, slightly out of breath.
“Is Lucia there?” The unmistakable voice of Jennifer Katz.
“No, but this is Mya Lenore. Can I help you, Miss Katz?”
“Hi, Mya,” Jennifer said sweetly, like they’d been best friends in middle school. “Lucia left a message for me, about your perfume for Zoe. I just wanted to tell her I got the message and I’ll be placing another year’s order for my perfume.”
Mya closed her eyes, grateful for this small break. “Glad to hear it,” she said.
“Thanks for doing that.”
Mya shook her head and massaged her temple. “You’re welcome,” she said, pushing herself to sound genuine.
“It’s just,” Jennifer said, “you know, I can’t stand her at all, but it’s too bad what’s happening to her.”
“Men suck sometimes,” Mya said.
“That,” Jennifer said, “but now this other stuff too. It’s all so much all of a sudden.”
Mya moved the phone to her other ear. “Not boyfriend stuff?”
“No,” Jennifer said like she couldn’t believe Mya had asked that. “She freaked out on set for that Schol shoot.”
“What do you mean ‘freaked’?”
“She kept saying everyone hated her and then she just up and quit. It’s printed in the Reporter and the Times this morning. Front page. The studio already called me. But anyway, just pass along my message to Lucia and tell her I’m well.”
“Will do.” Mya hung up the phone. So now Jennifer Katz and Lucia were best friends. It was like Lucia had come in and usurped her life while Mya had been sleeping.
Mya turned on her mother’s laptop and first went to the Hollywood Gawker to confirm what Jennifer had said, and there it was on the front page with a huge headline: HOLLYWOOD’S DREAM GIRL BREAKS DOWN.
Zoe Bennett, who has won awards for her roles in Baby Magic, The Terrible, and Like Cats and Dogs, quit her starring role in Nick Schol’s Arrow Heights. She accused the director and all the staff of sabotaging her because they cut a much-anticipated sex scene from the script. An anonymous source from the set quoted Zoe as saying, “If my audience can’t handle that sex scene, then they’re immature and ignorant and shouldn’t be in the theater in the first place.” After her public humiliation with actor/director boyfriend Clint Moore, Zoe has canceled multiple upcoming appearances for fashion and awards shows and refuses to present at the Oscars. Are we watching a star burning out? Only time will tell.
Mya swallowed and couldn’t bring herself to read any more. Hollywood loved a good meltdown. Mya had been so angry with Zoe, even irrationally and temporarily wished her dead while she made the essence from her hair. Now Mya was concerned. Very concerned. Within a day of the perfume’s arrival and application to Zoe’s skin, her heart had been broken, she’d quit her biggest film yet, and she seemed consumed by paranoia, convinced the world hated her. What could one more application do? An entire bottle? Mya’s hair and her intentions—she knew what could come of those. Would Zoe end up in the mental ward? Was that how her career would finish? That outcome was an acceptable one. But could it be much worse? She didn’t want the girl to die or to hurt anyone else.
Mya opened her mother’s contacts spreadsheet and found the number for Zoe’s manager. She called the number and it went straight to voice mail. Mya almost hung up and promised herself she’d have the nerve to call again later, but then she changed her mind and left a message: “This is Mya Lenore from Lenore Incorporated. Considering the recent events, please ask Zoe to stop using the new formula immediately until further notice. There’s been a mistake—I mean, I made a mistake, and it could be dangerous. Call if you have any questions.” Mya hung up and dropped the phone onto its base like a hot coal. Her mother might disown her for this decision, but whatever came of it was Lucia’s problem now, and that might be enough to make her leave.
The office phone rang. “Lenore Incorporated,” Mya said, and she braced herself to hear from Zoe’s manager.
Lucia said, “Just checking on you.”
“I’m fine.”
“We’re coming back from Ben’s.”
“Okay.”
“See you in a minute.” Lucia hung up.
Mya couldn’t go into the forest, so she sat on the porch swing and stretched out her bad leg. If only the deer would come back, Mya would feel better, but she hadn’t seen the herd since she killed Spots. Nothing made her feel more shunned, not even Lucia’s newfound bond with their mother. And she couldn’t go search for the herd and ask for forgiveness, not with her leg in this state.
Ivy vines hung down from the ceiling to the floor of the porch, and Mya parted them so she could see the sky. In the distance, thick blue clouds hung above the mountain range, a possible thunderstorm. But ahead of it, the sky was blue with wispy clouds, and Mya stared up. The longer she concentrated, the more the clouds shifted and whirled together to form Zoe Bennett’s face stricken by pain, thick tears moving down her cheekbones until the face dissolved almost entirely. Then Zoe vanished, and the clouds thinned to reveal a blue sky once again.
Mya pulled out her cell phone from her pocket and dialed Luke’s number just to hear his voice. After a few rings, a young, chipper female voice said, “Luke’s phone.”
“Hello?” Mya said. “Is Luke there?”
“Hang on.” The girl giggled, and then Mya heard a scrambling sound and the line cut off.
“What the hell?” Mya said, and dialed Luke’s number again, checking the screen to make sure that his name came up. It did. The line rang and rang, but nobody picked up this time. She hung up and texted him: I’m trying to call you. Mya placed the phone on her outstretched leg and tried not to stare at it.
Nothing. He’d always been lightning fast to text her back, even when he was working on the tractor. Maybe that was just one of his little sister’s friends. Had to be, Mya told herself. And maybe his phone died. The idea that he had a younger lover on the side was impossible for Mya to imagine. She couldn’t be that older woman who obsessed over her younger lover’s liaisons. Resisting the urge to call him again would be difficult. She wanted to identify that voice on the other end. Did Mya know her? How much older was Mya? How did Luke meet her? Mya squeezed the phone in her hand like she could make the innards seep out. She considered tossing it into the lily pond—she didn’t want another fucking call for the rest of her life.