Enemy Mine

Chapter 58

Vincent had been napping on the couch before I arrived home. I deduced this when he failed to rise from his reclined position as I walked in, and he only opened his eyes halfway to acknowledge me. Of course, Bonnie and Clyde needed sustenance from the pantry, and I talked to Vincent as I rummaged for treats.

"So, what night is the Christmas party?" I asked, making a bold assumption based on the fragment of conversation I overheard earlier.

Vincent chuckled as he sat upright and brushed the wrinkles from his shirt. "Nothing gets by you. It's tomorrow night. Formal dress. Does that interfere with your plans? I can cancel."

"No, don't cancel. I haven't been to a formal Christmas party since I left DC. Should I wear black?"

"You don't have to."

"But you would prefer it, right?" I rounded the corner after indulging the whimsies of the whippets. "Actually, I'm partial to a simple black dress, and I have four to choose from."

"I've seen your black dresses. None of them will pass Beth's scrutiny." Vincent patted the marble coffee table, gesturing for me to sit on it. "Beth Martin doesn't throw shindigs. She throws festivals. This party will last from Friday until Sunday, but we'll only be attending opening night. I've arranged to have eight to twelve dresses brought here this evening by the Valentino's personal stylist. Are you familiar with Todd X?"

"Todd X? As in, the man who makes every New York socialite look like they belong on Broadway? Hell, yes. This is going to be fun."

"Don't get too carried away." Vincent pulled my hand toward him, lifting it to kiss my knuckles. "This could be your coming out party. You'll want to make an impression while keeping it lowkey."

"So basically, you're telling me to behave or it could be a long time before I live it down."

A half-smirk formed on Vincent's lips, making them look completely kissable. "Spoken like a true Manhattanite. How was the photo shoot?"

"Good. They're almost done. Next week could be my last, so the font will be back in place." I looked at him pointedly, knowing he would catch my drift.

"Do you think our window of opportunity will be gone when the font goes back up?" Vincent said.

"Who knows? But, Jonathan said I should talk to your mom about it. He thinks her knowledge of hybrids might help trigger my gifts. My theory is, he just wants to see me throw a fireball."

My levity had little effect on Vincent. He had that thoughtful look, and there was no stopping him once an idea sprouted in his head. "That picture your mother drew..." he said. "Do you have easy access to it?"

"Sure. I'll go get it."

I hurried into the spare room and fetched the drawing from its position on the dresser. The dollar store frame made it look cheap, but I planned to upgrade it as soon as I found the time. When I returned, I handed it over, and Vincent took a moment to study it.

"I wanted to see the signature again," he said. "She wrote it in Latin. Why was she using Latin and not English?"

"I thought all gollums studied Latin."

"We do, but we don't usually write it, not anymore. I'm just curious if she wrote more on the back. May I take it out of the frame?"

"Of course."

I watched intently as Vincent unlatched the cardboard backing and let the paper slowly slip away from the glass. It was like watching someone else unwrap my birthday gift. He set the frame on his lap as he turned over the drawing, and sure enough, an eight word scrawl of Latin had been penned in blue ink.