Page 144 of Brushed By Moonlight

Sid shook his head. “A year. At least.”

“A year?” I yelped.

Hiding the painting for a couple of months was a necessity. Hiding it any longer came with risks. What if a fire broke out in the château? What if Clem stopped by for some reason — and I was sure he would find a reason, such as checking up on my clients — and spotted it? What if Bene splattered it with coffee or used it for dart practice by mistake?

Marius squeezed my hand. “It will be fine.”

Sid chuckled. “Poor you. You have to live with your very own Van Gogh for a whole year.” He patted me on the shoulder. “I say, make the most of it.Carpe diemand all that, as they say.”

“Yes. You should seize as many carps as you can in life,” Bene quipped. “I certainly plan to.”

“May I suggest a toast?” Sid said.

Roux found a bottle of champagne while I handed out glasses.

“To Vincent?” Bene proposed once every glass was filled.

Sid shook his head. “To a mission fulfilled.”

He meant my father, but it applied to what we’d just been through in Mallorca too.

“To missions fulfilled,” Roux agreed with a wink.

“And future missions,” Bene added. “May they be as successful.”

Warning bells rang in my mind. Future missions? Including me?

God, I hoped not.

Still, I added my voice to the others when they echoed, “And future missions.”

We clinked and drank, but Marius held back, waiting for me.

He raised his glass an extra inch, toasting me, and whispered over the edge.

“To future missions.”

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