Page 159 of Reinventing Cato
“Did you knock me out?” Vigge asked.
“Apparently.” Cato smiled.
“How long have you staring at me?”
“Forever.”
“Just as well I’m lying on my good side.”
“I rolled you over. I wouldn’t have stared at your other side.” He mock-shuddered.
Vigge laughed. “What time is it?”
“Almost eight. I want you to stay in bed and rest while I get rid of our guests. I shouldn’t have pushed you last night.”
“Hey.” Vigge cupped his chin. “Was I complaining?”
“No, but still… Are you okay? No regrets?”
“Too few to mention.”
“Is that because I did it my way?”
They both sniggered.
“Stay in bed,” Cato said. “When they’ve gone, we need to talk.”
That sounds ominous.
Vigge didn’t stay in bed. He showered and dressed and worried, and was downstairs in time to have breakfast with Devan and Jonty. Since they were already most of the way there, the pair planned to stay in Devan’s London flat for a couple of days while Devan went into the office. As they left, Devan hugged his brother and Vigge felt a pang of sadness that he’d been denied the chance to grow old with Anders. Almost as if he sensed Vigge’s sadness, Jonty gave him an enormous hug and put his mouth to his ear.
“They’re still ours. They need us even though they have each other.”
Vigge nodded, too choked to speak because Cato wasn’t his and he wasn’t sure Cato needed him as much as he needed Cato.
While Cato hugged Jonty, Devan embraced Vigge. “He’s not as strong as he looks, as he sounds, as he pretends.”
You’re wrong. Your brother is everything.
When they’d gone and the door was closed, Cato gave a long sigh. “Coffee and we’ll talk?”
Vigge headed for the kitchen with his heart lodged in his throat.
Cato didn’t say anything until they were sitting at the kitchen table. “Is there anything you want to ask me?”
Cato could have been thinking of any number of things, but Vigge realised what this was about.
“Have you accepted the job?”
“I turned it down, but they’re trying to come up with an alternative, some collaboration between them and Cambridge where I’d work for both, in both places.”
Vigge’s heart jumped in his chest. Now it was important not to say the wrong thing. Maybe it was safer not to say anything. Except Cato sat there waiting for him to say something.
“You don’t want to move to California?” Vigge whispered.
“It wasn’t the right choice for me at this moment in time.”
Vigge’s heart bounded in his chest like a frisky colt.
