“The judgment of people you don’t know and don’t care about shouldn’t have an impact on your life. You should never be afraid to be you. Flaws, faults, weaknesses—that’s what makes us human.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It’s not easy. But hiding isn’t easy either.”
“Where do you get all this courage from?”
“It comes from having friends who feel like the best type of family.” Mark put his pencil down. “Once you have a group of people who know who you are and love you for it, you realize that what other people think doesn’t matter.”
“That’s one of the reasons I love Valentine. He doesn’t judge me. And then there’s my dad, of course—”
“And Gabe and I.” Mark gave a crooked smile. “And I’m pretty sure Mrs. Winchester would go to bat for you, too, if she had to. If Daniel Knight is difficult, or upsets you, we’ll take him between us.”
She thought of Daniel’s powerful shoulders and razor-sharp intellect. “He wouldn’t be easy to take.” She stood up and instantly felt dizzy. “Shouldn’t have had that last glass. Too much champagne.”
“No such thing. Here—a gift for you.” He handed her the paper and on it was a sketch of Valentine. He’d captured the dog perfectly. She touched the dog’s heart-shaped nose with the tip of her finger, her heart swelling with love.
“This is brilliant. I love it so much. Thank you.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed Mark’s cheek, feeling decidedly unsteady. “I’m going home, that’s if I can get downstairs without falling over.” She picked up her shoes and walked to the table, examining his sketches. “These are gorgeous. Is this a new idea?”
“I’m playing with a few themes. Too early to know if it will work.”
“Is he a hare or a rabbit?”
“He’s an Arctic Hare. I’m working on a story about camouflage. Hiding from predators.” He gave a humorless smile. “You know all about that.”
“So do you.” With her free hand she picked up each of the drawings, following the story. “The snow melts and suddenly he’s visible.”
“That’s right.”
“Please tell me he doesn’t get eaten. In my emotionally vulnerable state, I might not be able to stand it.”
“He makes friends and they shelter him until it snows again and he’s safe.”
“A family of friends. I like that.” She put the drawings down. “You’re so talented. I’m going to frame my picture of Valentine. One day when you’re even more famous than you are now, someone will offer me a fortune for it and I will tell them it isn’t for sale. I should go. Thanks for listening and for getting me drunk enough not to care about my problems.”
“If he gets in touch, let me know.”
“He won’t. This is a man who doesn’t want complication. I’m a bigger complication than most people can handle.” She called Valentine and the dog came bounding toward her, tail wagging.
It didn’t matter what was happening in her life, there was nothing that having a dog didn’t make at least a tiny bit better.
“Thank goodness dogs can’t read. You love me unconditionally, don’t you? You’re part of my family.” She stooped to hug him and Valentine licked her and wagged his tail so hard he almost took her eye out. “You don’t care that I can’t fall in love.”
Mark grabbed the dog. “Not being in love isn’t a crime.” He opened the door and guided her through it. “Want me to walk you home?”
Hearing the word home, Valentine bounded out of the apartment and then paused at the top of the stairs, waiting for her.
She looked at his adorable face and smiled. “No, I can stumble down one flight of stairs. And if I fall, Valentine will rescue me. But thank you for offering.”
Giving Mark a quick hug, she followed the dog.
What was Daniel doing right now? Looking her up, probably. Forming
judgments.
She walked carefully, shoes dangling from her fingers, her feet silent on the stairs.
Valentine kept glancing at her, tail wagging, checking she was all right.