As he stood brooding over William's surprise concern for Peter Jones, waiting for what felt like an eternity for the elevator to arrive, he absently chewed his thumbnail, wishing in earnest for things to move more quickly.
* * *
"Hey, where're you off to so early?" Kate said, lifting her head from the pillow.
Climbing into his jeans, Peter nearly tripped himself in his pants legs as he turned to face her.
"Oops, sorry," he whispered, "I was trying to be quiet." He knelt next to the bed and kissed her. Her eyelids fluttered, wakefulness coming slowly. "Would you mind if we took a rain check on our trip to Boston today?" Her hair lay spread around the pillow, and he combed it with his fingers, smoothing it around her head.
She opened her eyes and shook her head, then smiled slowly, joyfully.
"Why the big grin?"
She lifted a hand from beneath the comforter and gently knocked her knuckles on his head. "Circus is in town," she said, cupping his chin.
"Well, I've been thinking," Peter said, running fingers through his hair.
"Mm hmm."