Page 49 of The Rules of Magic

“It’s always the same story,” Vincent said with a grin. “Parent trouble.”

“You know so much and yet so little,” April remarked.

No one mentioned Vincent’s involvement with William. Franny because she didn’t think to do so, and Jet because she knew it would be painful news for April. She wanted this evening to be a happy time, and it was exactly that. Thankfully, April had never had the ability to get inside Vincent’s head. Regina took to him, just as she had when she was a baby. After dinner, she begged him to read aloud from Half Magic by Edward Eager, her favorite book, and he obliged. Vincent thought the novel was advanced for her age, but Regina was not a typical child. She had taught herself to read, and always carried a book with her. Vincent was especially funny when he acted out the dialogue of a cat that was half real and could only half talk. Regina was soon enough in fits of bright laughter.

Vincent’s dog was at his feet, his shadow, silent and dignified and more than a little mortified when Regina laid her cuddly stuffed bunny rabbit beside him.

“I call her Maggie,” Regina said.

“Do you?” Vincent said, giving April a grin.

“What did you expect her to call it? Mrs. Russell?” April teased.

“How did you know about that?” Vincent asked. Then he saw a look exchanged between April and Jet. “Does everyone know all the details of my life?”

“Not all,” Jet said.

“Hardly anything,” April assured him.

When the chocolate cake was ready they had it hot from the oven, served with mounds of vanilla ice cream.

“Am I allowed to have that?” Regina asked.

“Of course,” Vincent told her. “Always remember,” he whispered, “live a lot.”

Regina ate most of her cake. “You can have the rest,” she told Vincent, as she set to work on a drawing of Harry and Wren. In her rendering the two were best friends who held each other’s paws.

Vincent was charmed by the child, but when he glanced at his watch he stood up. “I’m late,” he said.

“For a very important date?” April said, blinking.

“Indeed,” Vincent said. “I’m involved with someone.”

“Don’t tell me you actually care about someone?”

“We’re not supposed to, are we?” Vincent joked.

“No,” April said. “We’re not.”

Vincent grinned and kissed the little girl good-bye on the forehead, then went out with his dog, two shadows spilling into the night. “See you when I see you,” he called over his shoulder.

“See you when I see you,” Regina called back.

“He’s still the same,” April said.

“Not completely,” Jet said. There was no need to go into details and hurt April any more than she already was.

“Vincent is Vincent, thank goodness,” Franny said as she started in on the dishes.

April shook her head. She pulled her daughter onto her lap. “Will he ever grow up?”

“Yes,” Jet said. “And we’ll be sad when he does.”

In the morning, the cousins were gone. Regina’s drawing of a black dog and a black cat had been left on the kitchen table. Franny had it framed later that afternoon, and from then on she kept it in the parlor, and even years later, when she moved and left almost everything behind, she took it with her, bundled in brown paper and string.

PART FOUR

Elemental