Page 75 of Honorable Convictions
“I’m going,” Mitchell promised with a wink. Grabbing the doorknob, he hesitated a moment before turning it. “Have a good day, Blondie.”
“You too,” Pierson responded, sitting behind his desk.
Because he always hated leaving his side, Mitchell blew him a kiss, which earned him a smile, then left to get to his towering stack of cases.
∞∞∞
A knock on the open door of Pierson’s office interrupted his mental checklist to wrap up his first file. Lifting his head with an automatic smile since he’d been expecting his mate to have found some reason to return, it faltered for a moment at the sight of Peter Malcolmson with a plant in his hands.
“Good morning,” Pierson offered, determined to make inroads into mending his relationships. Although he didn’t know Peter well, he was a friend of Mitchell’s. Considering their past animosity, he had to wonder if Peter had the same poor opinion of him that Mitchell had perpetuated throughout the office.
“Good morning and welcome back,” Peter replied with a tentative grin. “I thought I’d bring you a little gift for your office.” The small pot was set at the edge of Pierson’s desk.
“Thank you. I bought my first plant last week.”
Peter’s blue eyes widened. “Your very first? Aren’t you over a century old?”
“Yes, but I’ve learned in the past few months that I’ve only recently started living,” Pierson told him candidly. It was moving away and finding love that had given him the strength to melt his own ice.
“It’s easy to get lost in our jobs. This plant was designed by the druids to not require much light, so it’s perfect for offices. It’s fun too, because they don’t tell you on the little stick what color the flowers are, so it’s guesswork until it blooms. Mine turned out to be red.”
“That’s clever, I look forward to finding out what color this one is.”
“It needs water no more than once a week too.”
“I can definitely appreciate the low-maintenance requirement.”
Peter sat in one of the guest chairs without an invitation, which both surprised and delighted Pierson. Perhaps Mitchell was right, and it simply took some kindness to get the same from his coworkers. “So, tell me about your other new plant. The one you bought,” Peter prompted.
“I visited the big Circle of Druids’ garden in town and found one designed to honor fallen knights. The blooms are gray and black. I made a home for it on the windowsill.”
“I have a couple of the different creations for our race. My place has a lot of greenery; I enjoy caring for them and being surrounded by the flowers.”
“Perhaps you were a druid before your death.”
“I’ve thought that or maybe my mate is one.”
“Good point, could be.”
“Honestly, I don’t care what he is, but I’d sure like to meet him. Do you have a guess as to what your mate might be?”
Pierson smiled despite himself as a picture of Mitchell formed in his head. “I’d have to think with the way I’ve always buried myself into my work that he’d be a fellow fallen knight.”
“Speaking of work, do you mind me popping in here now and again with tricky stuff? Your memory is awe-inspiring, and I could definitely use your expertise.”
“My recall is something that I both cherish and resent,” Pierson confessed. “But I’m happy to help you whenever you want. I’d certainly welcome your insight on cases of my own.”
Peter laughed and his dimples flashed. “If you can’t figure something out, I doubt I’d be able to help you, but you’re free to ask.”
“One of the things I’ve learned on my little road of self-discovery is that no one should sell themselves short, and the experience of every Juris Knight is different. It allows us to bring to the table diverse understandings of people, and the way we approach a case is unique. There are certainly things in your casework that could help me.”
“Okay, yeah, I see what you’re saying. If you want my opinion on something, you can definitely come and talk to me. You mind if I ask you a couple of questions now?”
“Not at all.”
“Of a more personal nature?”
Pierson tensed without thought but forced his shoulders to relax. Building friendships often meant walking outside his comfort zones, so Pierson firmed his mouth. “Sure.”
