knowledgeable to convince MacPherson that he’s wrong. Again.”
Declan blew Morag a kiss, and the concertina began a lilting triple-meter introduction.
“This is your judgeship, Jules,” Hendershot said, tipping his chair back on two legs. “I can have us on a flight out of here tomorrow morning. You’ll be back in the office on Monday, and we can start making the rounds in Annapolis next week. You’ve got this, baby. I can feel it.”
Julie was wavering. In her quiet, in her stillness, Niall sensed her wavering.
She shouldn’t waver—
this was her dream coming true
—but she shouldn’t trust the bastard who’d cheated on her either.
Niall had little to offer her, nothing but his conviction that she deserved to be happy on her own terms. He could give her time to think, though, time to figure out what her terms were.
“Julie, the musicians are warming up for a waltz,” Niall said. “Will you dance with me?”
Declan rolled his eyes, took Morag by the hand, and led her off to the dance floor.
Hendershot let his seat tip forward, so the chair legs hit the floor with a hard thump.
“Jules, I moved heaven and earth to make this happen for you. This is me, saying I’m sorry, I was wrong, and I want you back. If I fly home alone tomorrow, don’t expect me to be receptive to any reconciliation overtures. We’re either a team, or we’re not.
I did this.
I pointed out to Dad what a good fit Davidson would be for the company, made sure the offer to Davidson was one he couldn’t refuse. I did this for us, because nothing else I’ve said or done has gotten through your pride and stubbornness.”
Self-respect was not pride and stubbornness.
Niall held the basket of pretzels out to Julie, willing to her look at him. She took a broken piece and considered it, considered Niall for a moment, then set the pretzel down without taking a bite.
“You cheated on me, Derek,” she said, “and we’re divorced. That has
gotten through
to me.”
“We’re divorced for now, sweetie,” Hendershot retorted.
He didn’t deny the cheating, and he was up to something. Niall knew not what, but the stink of it was thick in the air and curling the edges of Hendershot’s smile.
“Niall, I’d like to dance,” Julie said, rising. “Derek, you should not have come all this way. I’ll consider applying for the interim judgeship, but I’ve waited five years for this vacation, and I needed it more than I knew. I’m staying in Scotland for now. I’ll wish you a safe journey home.”
Julie accepted Niall’s outstretched hand and snuggled right up against him as the violin joined the concertina.
“So that’s how a prosecutor says, ‘Let me think about it’?” Niall asked.
Or was that how a woman announced a change of dreams?
Chapter Six
----
“The problem is, I feel safe here,” Julie said, taking a sip of her water. The waltz with Niall had been perfect, a simple, tactile means of restoring equilibrium shot all to hell by Derek’s ambush.
Had Niall not been here, not given her the quiet, calm support that steadied her rioting nerves, the encounter with Derek could have gone very differently.
“Safe in what way?” Niall asked, patting Henry’s back.
The baby had fallen asleep, despite the noise and the crowd, and his mother was on the dance floor with a piper. Niall held Henry against his shoulder, and the infant looked so right there, Julie wanted to cuddle in with them.
“It’s hard to explain what I mean by safe,” she said, brushing pretzel crumbs onto the floor. “I was bushwhacked, seeing Derek here. I wasn’t expecting to have to think in self-defense mode, to get my deflector shields up against his I’ve-missed-you-sweetie/ you’ve-put-on-weight schtick. Back home, the very sight of him became a cue to duck emotionally, though it took me years to see that. My reflexes were slow here.”
“He was counting on the advantage of surprise,” Niall said. “You didn’t give him an
Declan blew Morag a kiss, and the concertina began a lilting triple-meter introduction.
“This is your judgeship, Jules,” Hendershot said, tipping his chair back on two legs. “I can have us on a flight out of here tomorrow morning. You’ll be back in the office on Monday, and we can start making the rounds in Annapolis next week. You’ve got this, baby. I can feel it.”
Julie was wavering. In her quiet, in her stillness, Niall sensed her wavering.
She shouldn’t waver—
this was her dream coming true
—but she shouldn’t trust the bastard who’d cheated on her either.
Niall had little to offer her, nothing but his conviction that she deserved to be happy on her own terms. He could give her time to think, though, time to figure out what her terms were.
“Julie, the musicians are warming up for a waltz,” Niall said. “Will you dance with me?”
Declan rolled his eyes, took Morag by the hand, and led her off to the dance floor.
Hendershot let his seat tip forward, so the chair legs hit the floor with a hard thump.
“Jules, I moved heaven and earth to make this happen for you. This is me, saying I’m sorry, I was wrong, and I want you back. If I fly home alone tomorrow, don’t expect me to be receptive to any reconciliation overtures. We’re either a team, or we’re not.
I did this.
I pointed out to Dad what a good fit Davidson would be for the company, made sure the offer to Davidson was one he couldn’t refuse. I did this for us, because nothing else I’ve said or done has gotten through your pride and stubbornness.”
Self-respect was not pride and stubbornness.
Niall held the basket of pretzels out to Julie, willing to her look at him. She took a broken piece and considered it, considered Niall for a moment, then set the pretzel down without taking a bite.
“You cheated on me, Derek,” she said, “and we’re divorced. That has
gotten through
to me.”
“We’re divorced for now, sweetie,” Hendershot retorted.
He didn’t deny the cheating, and he was up to something. Niall knew not what, but the stink of it was thick in the air and curling the edges of Hendershot’s smile.
“Niall, I’d like to dance,” Julie said, rising. “Derek, you should not have come all this way. I’ll consider applying for the interim judgeship, but I’ve waited five years for this vacation, and I needed it more than I knew. I’m staying in Scotland for now. I’ll wish you a safe journey home.”
Julie accepted Niall’s outstretched hand and snuggled right up against him as the violin joined the concertina.
“So that’s how a prosecutor says, ‘Let me think about it’?” Niall asked.
Or was that how a woman announced a change of dreams?
Chapter Six
----
“The problem is, I feel safe here,” Julie said, taking a sip of her water. The waltz with Niall had been perfect, a simple, tactile means of restoring equilibrium shot all to hell by Derek’s ambush.
Had Niall not been here, not given her the quiet, calm support that steadied her rioting nerves, the encounter with Derek could have gone very differently.
“Safe in what way?” Niall asked, patting Henry’s back.
The baby had fallen asleep, despite the noise and the crowd, and his mother was on the dance floor with a piper. Niall held Henry against his shoulder, and the infant looked so right there, Julie wanted to cuddle in with them.
“It’s hard to explain what I mean by safe,” she said, brushing pretzel crumbs onto the floor. “I was bushwhacked, seeing Derek here. I wasn’t expecting to have to think in self-defense mode, to get my deflector shields up against his I’ve-missed-you-sweetie/ you’ve-put-on-weight schtick. Back home, the very sight of him became a cue to duck emotionally, though it took me years to see that. My reflexes were slow here.”
“He was counting on the advantage of surprise,” Niall said. “You didn’t give him an
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