Page 52 of Monsters in the Museum

“Exactly.” Drew had the smug look of somebody who knew they had argued their opponent into a corner. “He knows you’re so busy with all this new stuff that has been thrust on you, he probably suspects you’re a little overwhelmed. Plus, considering you were attacked by literal demons the last time you guys spent time together, he may be trying to be a gentleman and let you make the next move.”

Nora was growing increasingly sheepish by the second. Adam was trying to be chivalrous and here Nora was getting all up in arms like a spurned teenager. Considering she had only recently realized she was fighting a losing battle against her crush on Adam and decided to surrender, it seemed a bit silly.

Drew continued thoughtfully, “Also, I know the man is literally from ancient Greece, but he has a phone, right? You could always just shoot him a text and see if he wants to do something that doesn’t involve swords or a trip to the hospital. Although, given that it’s you, I think pretty much anything will end up involving swords.”

The next day at lunch, Nora’s thumbs hovered above her phone screen as she chewed on her tuna sandwich. She had taken Drew’s advice and decided to ask Adam if he would like to attend the gala with her. After all, they were revealing his own sword in its new position of honor in the display, and he deserved to be there to see it. Adam had responded promptly that he would love to come, and Nora was amused that he did not let the fact that he was over two millennia old deter him from the uninhibited use of emojis.

Now, Nora was in the predicament of finding herself a suitable dress for a black-tie event in a closet dominated by flannel, oversized sweaters, and a smattering of sharp suits appropriate for professional presentations. She had composed a careful message to Odelle, imploring her to take pity on her and help her pick out a dress, and to her endless relief, Odelle had replied with the name of a boutique and a time this evening.

Nora made her decision and shot off a quick text to Drew, asking him to tell Thad that she would not be coming to the Sanctuary tonight for training so he could pass the message on to Ezra. The lack of cell phone service in the Sanctuary certainly complicated things, although now that she thought about it, she wasn’t sure anybody outside of Adam or Thad used a cell phone at all.

Putting her cell phone down and taking another bite of her sandwich, guilt twisted in Nora’s stomach about calling off training tonight. Juggling her work-life balance had started to get to her, although that probably had something to do with the fact that her life outside of work had now stretched to include preparing to fight the physical incarnation of fear.

The sun was already on the horizon by the time Nora stepped off the bus near the store that Odelle had named. It was approaching the time of year when it would be dark by the time Nora left work, and she was forced to pull her scarf up to protect her face from the wind that was cold even for late fall in Chicago.

Nora shouldered her way through the door and spotted Odelle already perusing. She made her way over to the younger woman and stepped up beside her to squeeze her in a one-armed hug. “I’m glad you could make it, zaika.”

Odelle did not turn away from the rack of gowns in front of her or move to return the hug, but she did incline her head into Nora’s embrace so that the side of her head rested on Nora’s shoulder.

“Yes, well, I wouldn’t want to deprive you of my impeccable taste,” Odelle responded airily. Considering Odelle’s legendary stubbornness when it came to giving people the cold shoulder, Nora considered this greeting a win.

Odelle swept a black dress off the rack that had entirely too many straps for Nora’s taste. “This one might look nice on you.”

She handed it to a saleswoman while she continued to browse, next selecting a dress in a pomegranate color that Nora thought might be flattering, but had a slit up the side that would spark a disagreement about what was appropriate for a work event.

The next dress Odelle pulled out of the rack had Nora’s eyes widening. Lengths of shimmering gold fabric draped from a gather at one shoulder to a cinched waistline and a softly draped skirt.

“Let’s try on that one first,” Nora piped up enthusiastically.

Odelle peered at her out of the corner of her eye, smiling triumphantly as she handed the dress to the dutiful saleswoman to take to the dressing room.

“I had hoped I would convince you to go to the gala in a showstopper.”

By the time Nora was stepping out of the dressing room, she was sure Odelle wasn’t going to have to do much convincing. Sure, it might be frivolous to drop as much as she would on groceries for two weeks on a dress she was going to wear once, but it was not every week that a girl had a date with a legendary warrior sorcerer. It wasn’t unreasonable to put her best foot forward when trying to impress a man who had lived through every age of ridiculous fashion.

As Nora pushed aside the curtain and stepped out to stand in front of the mirror, Odelle looked up from her phone and let out a soft, “Damn, girl.”

Nora made eye contact with her sister in the mirror over her shoulder, and Odelle beamed. Nora made a mental note to thank Thad again for the miracle balm as she looked over herself in the mirror. Explaining so many bruises to Odelle would have been a nightmare.

Odelle circled around Nora so she could view the dress from every angle.

“I know I’m good, but we knocked it out of the park on the first try here. That’s a record even for me.”

Nora twisted this way and that in the mirror, admiring the way the fabric cascaded over her curves in soft folds. The draping was reminiscent of the clothes that a Greek goddess would be painted in, and the significance was not lost on her as she appreciated her reflection.

As Odelle stepped around once more to stand behind Nora, she let out a low whistle.

“Have you been going to the gym more or something?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve been… taking kickboxing classes,” Nora said, attempting to convince herself that this was not technically lying. “I’ve gotten a lot better.”

“It’s paid off.” Odelle’s tone was approving. “Your butt has never looked this good before.”

Nora twisted to see her backside in the mirror, and she had to admit that Odelle was right. Her training with Ezra had done her some favors when it came to the view of her posterior. What a lovely bonus that one of the side effects of training to survive an attack by evil monsters was a perkier behind.

“Be careful, or I might get jealous. Everybody knows I’m supposed to be the hot one,” Odelle teased, stepping up next to Nora in the mirror before softening her tone. “But seriously, you look breathtaking.”

“Thanks,” Nora said before pausing, taking a moment to fiddle with the waistband of her dress before continuing, “We’re good, right?”