Vincent didn’t feel up to partying himself but he insisted that I go. And because he all but commanded it, I went. I hugged and kissed everyone, stood around and talked, and the moment it looked like I wouldn’t be missed, I slipped out and went home.
Valentine greeted me at my door with a lick and a bark, and I let him outside to do his business and then back in before locking up the house. Since Vincent wasn’t downstairs, I knew he must already be in bed. But that didn’t mean he was sleeping. I took the stairs in twos, anxious to see him.
He was lounging in bed with a script on his chest and his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. He pulled them off and gave me a bright smile when he saw me, but that instantly morphed into a frown.
“What are you doing home so early?”
Heari
