Page 28 of The Holy Grail
Would she have welcomed him with open arms and trust? Probably not.
Hell, shedefinitelywouldn’t have. She wouldn’t have shown up tonight, if she were being honest, because she wouldn’t have deemed him worthy of a second chance, not after all this time. She actually would’ve wanted to teach him a lesson, because she could be a bitch when she wanted.
Her tone softened a little, and she felt some of her tension ease. “So, did you see what you needed to see?”
Despite being a little unsure about her change of mood, Malcom nodded. “I think so.”
They exchanged a long, silent look, and then he motioned to the chair she’d just vacated, inviting her to sit down again. After a brief hesitation, she did, and he followed right after, with some relief.
“I’m glad you came,” she told him softly.
“I am, too.”
“If the situation was reversed, I don’t think I would have come.”
The admission shouldn’t have amused him, but it did. “No?”
“No. But if Ihad, I definitely wouldn’t have paid for your dinner, or made my presence known.”
“You would have just watched me suffer … and then left?”
She nodded and pursed her mouth for a moment before answering. “Obviously you’re the better person in all of this.”
“I don’t know about that.” He gave her a faint smile and shook his head. “I never did thank you for the flowers, which was a dick move.”
“I can understand why you didn’t, so … no harm, no foul.”
Malcom’s expression turned almost bashful, and he busied himself with taking a drink of his wine. “I’ve never gotten flowers from anyone, before. It was a really nice gesture.”
She gave him a pleased smile. “You’re welcome. Although … they were actually my dad’s idea.”
“Your dad’s?”
“Yes. When I called my mom to get some advice—”
“Advice?”
“On how to make amends with a man.” At his look of surprise, Jules said, “My mom was just as surprised as you are.”
“Because you’ve never had to make amends with a man before?”
“More like I’ve never felt the need to,” she clarified.
He seemed to appreciate that answer and smiled, before asking, “So what advice did your mom give you?”
“She never actually gave me any. By the time I was done telling her why I needed to make amends, my dad had gotten involved and told me I should send you flowers, and then my mom suggested the hydrangeas,” Jules answered, keeping out the part where neither parent had thought she’d done anything wrong.
“Well, you can tell them the flowers were appreciated.”
“I will. They’ll be glad for the opportunity to tell me they knew best.”
Silence settled over them for a moment, before he spoke. “I’d like to see you again.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, really. I’ve spent more than a year trying to get over you, and obviously that hasn’t worked.”
“Same,” she murmured.
