I reached across and put my hand over his.
He looked at me.
"Okay?" I said quietly.
"Ask me tomorrow."
I nodded and left it there.
The bill came and Victor took it before anyone else could reach for it. That told me everything about how the rest of this evening was going to go. He wasn't punishing anyone. He was simply a man who had said what needed to be said and was now moving forward the only way he knew how.
Goodbyes were brief but not cold. Victor shook Ethan's hand and held it a second longer than necessary before letting go. Something passed between them in that second that didn't need words. Whatever assessment Victor had been running all evening had reached its conclusion and the handshake was the result.
He looked at me one more time before turning toward the door.
"Good
