more impressed if I got a job as a waiter in a fancy restaurant.”
“I’m the last man in the world you need to impress.”
“Ha! Mmm. Sorry to disagree again, but you’re probably the only person either of us feels much called upon to impress at all. Anyway, what about Vignette?” Shane grinned in anticipation. “All right, tell me. What did she do now?”
SHORTLY
THE BLACKBURN-NIGHTINGALE RESIDENCE
V IGNETTE OPENED HER BEDROOM DOOR in response to Shane’s knock. Her hair was wrapped in a towel; she wore a long bathrobe and was holding a copy of Jack London’s
Call of the Wild.
“Sorry,” she said. “I’m getting ready for—”
Shane pushed past her and walked into her room without a word. He sat down on a straight-backed chair at the foot of her bed.
Vignette sighed, closed the door, and then spoke while her back was still to him. “All right, Shane, the only time you come in here and flop down like that is when you’ve got a bone to pick.”
She turned to face him. “So let’s hear it, because this is still my room and I’m not leaving.”
She waited. He said nothing.
“…I’m supposed to guess? That is just lovely, Shane.”
He still said nothing, but he finally turned to face her. When he did, he held her gaze.
Vignette sighed and shook her head. “You know it’s really very late for you to be like this with me. I ought to be asleep at this hour. Why don’t you spare us a lot of wasted time and just say whatever it is that you came here to say?”
Shane fixed her with an expectant look, but he still said nothing.
“Oh, come on, now. Is it really so bad? What could be so bad? I’m tired, Shane. Tell me what’s on your—”
She stopped and went pale.
“Oh wait. Is it…Did you hear something? Is that it? It is? That’s it?…What did you hear? Who told you?”
She spun toward the door in alarm, then back to Shane. “Was it from Randall? Did you hear it from him? Just
tell
me, Shane, damn it!
“It was Randall, wasn’t it? Isn’t that right? The point is, where did he hear it, though? You know what I mean? How many other people know?
“Damn it, Shane! You know I hate it when you stare at me like that! If you don’t stop I’m going to make you get out of here. I mean it. How much does he know?”
Shane looked away from her and slowly shook his head.
She took in a deep breath. “Everything? He knows everything? How is that possible? Who told him?”
Vignette whirled and began nervously pacing the room. “I was only going to go back for another day or two. Maybe a week. I knew it had to stop. I just, I just wanted to show that I could do it. To prove it can be done!”
Vignette kneeled next to his chair and took both his hands. “Shane, you have to believe me. I didn’t do it as some sort of reaction because you left that place. I know you didn’t belong there. Didn’t I tell you that you didn’t belong there? Hell, I don’t belong there either. But nobody
expects
me to be there, you understand? That’s the thing. You see that, right? That’s why I had to go! You do see that. Right?”
Shane regarded her for a long moment with a wary smile, before he finally exhaled and shook his head again. He nodded at her, stood up with a great sigh, then embraced her in a bear hug and did not say anything at all.
“All right, look,” she said. “I don’t think that we need to mention this again. As far as I’m concerned, anyway. You know how some people always have to go back over things and back over things? As if they could just drill them into your head? Not us. Because it’s settled. That’s what I think.”
Shane held her and gently patted her back. She tightened her grip on him the way that she liked to do, one of the only two men in the world that it was safe to hug like that. It was a quick test to see if things were all right. She knew within a few heartbeats that they were. Shane’s hug was deep and strong and did not hold back any of his love for
“I’m the last man in the world you need to impress.”
“Ha! Mmm. Sorry to disagree again, but you’re probably the only person either of us feels much called upon to impress at all. Anyway, what about Vignette?” Shane grinned in anticipation. “All right, tell me. What did she do now?”
SHORTLY
THE BLACKBURN-NIGHTINGALE RESIDENCE
V IGNETTE OPENED HER BEDROOM DOOR in response to Shane’s knock. Her hair was wrapped in a towel; she wore a long bathrobe and was holding a copy of Jack London’s
Call of the Wild.
“Sorry,” she said. “I’m getting ready for—”
Shane pushed past her and walked into her room without a word. He sat down on a straight-backed chair at the foot of her bed.
Vignette sighed, closed the door, and then spoke while her back was still to him. “All right, Shane, the only time you come in here and flop down like that is when you’ve got a bone to pick.”
She turned to face him. “So let’s hear it, because this is still my room and I’m not leaving.”
She waited. He said nothing.
“…I’m supposed to guess? That is just lovely, Shane.”
He still said nothing, but he finally turned to face her. When he did, he held her gaze.
Vignette sighed and shook her head. “You know it’s really very late for you to be like this with me. I ought to be asleep at this hour. Why don’t you spare us a lot of wasted time and just say whatever it is that you came here to say?”
Shane fixed her with an expectant look, but he still said nothing.
“Oh, come on, now. Is it really so bad? What could be so bad? I’m tired, Shane. Tell me what’s on your—”
She stopped and went pale.
“Oh wait. Is it…Did you hear something? Is that it? It is? That’s it?…What did you hear? Who told you?”
She spun toward the door in alarm, then back to Shane. “Was it from Randall? Did you hear it from him? Just
tell
me, Shane, damn it!
“It was Randall, wasn’t it? Isn’t that right? The point is, where did he hear it, though? You know what I mean? How many other people know?
“Damn it, Shane! You know I hate it when you stare at me like that! If you don’t stop I’m going to make you get out of here. I mean it. How much does he know?”
Shane looked away from her and slowly shook his head.
She took in a deep breath. “Everything? He knows everything? How is that possible? Who told him?”
Vignette whirled and began nervously pacing the room. “I was only going to go back for another day or two. Maybe a week. I knew it had to stop. I just, I just wanted to show that I could do it. To prove it can be done!”
Vignette kneeled next to his chair and took both his hands. “Shane, you have to believe me. I didn’t do it as some sort of reaction because you left that place. I know you didn’t belong there. Didn’t I tell you that you didn’t belong there? Hell, I don’t belong there either. But nobody
expects
me to be there, you understand? That’s the thing. You see that, right? That’s why I had to go! You do see that. Right?”
Shane regarded her for a long moment with a wary smile, before he finally exhaled and shook his head again. He nodded at her, stood up with a great sigh, then embraced her in a bear hug and did not say anything at all.
“All right, look,” she said. “I don’t think that we need to mention this again. As far as I’m concerned, anyway. You know how some people always have to go back over things and back over things? As if they could just drill them into your head? Not us. Because it’s settled. That’s what I think.”
Shane held her and gently patted her back. She tightened her grip on him the way that she liked to do, one of the only two men in the world that it was safe to hug like that. It was a quick test to see if things were all right. She knew within a few heartbeats that they were. Shane’s hug was deep and strong and did not hold back any of his love for
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