[partly – more than the other chapters – based on SB’s original dialogue, which, I’m sure, you’ll enjoy]

In a couple of days they called Mason back. “Mr. Capwell. We’ve decided on giving Ms Wainwright a term of probation.”

“Very well,” he said coolly. “Thank you. When shall I get down to work?”

He had had little hope they would comply; but for him there had been no choice how to act in this situation, actually.

“Please do not tell Ms Wainwright I had anything at all to do with your decision.”
She’d probably walk out if she learnt he was behind it, Mason thought with a smile. And why? He felt he needed to make up to Julia for what she had lost due to the trial, but had he ever asked her to sacrifice her career? Never. Her own foolishness – her own damned straightforwardness, that was all.

Mason did get his reward for the risk taken. Julia’s absolutely stunned look when Smith introduced her immediate boss.

“Delighted to meet you, Ms Wainwright,” said Mason with a grin.

“The pleasure is mine,” she muttered.


*
Time went by. Little by little Mason and Julia worked out a routine between them. They bickered and bantered and had fun working together. Mason enjoyed pushing Julia’s buttons and seeing her irate, or else confusing her with his sudden sweetness. And if it looked sometimes like flirting, what of it? And why the hell not?

With Matthew, Mason kept his distance. Somehow he had come to terms with the existence of the baby and even with his presence in Mason’s apartment and life; that, but no more. He never bathed Matthew or played with him; the nannies did all that was necessary. Sometimes he talked to him.

Julia visited quite often; as she invariably put it, to love Matt up. It was she who made Mason read to the baby; let it be his everyday newspaper and the stock news. If he was useless in everything else, she said, he could at least read aloud. And she saw to it being done.

Mason enjoyed watching Julia and Matt interact. Once it occurred to him that it was so because at such moments it was easy to pretend the baby was Julia’s, and not his. Mason berated himself severely the moment the idea crossed his mind, of course.


*
Once, as Mason and Julia were working on a case together and had just had their usual stormy discussion, he caught her gaze. They were supposed to have plunged into reading their briefs, but instead she was studying his face.

“Julia,” he called softly. “A penny for your thoughts.”

She seemed to come to her senses. She gave a gentle smile.

“Ah,” she said. “Want to know what I’ve been thinking about?”

“Yeah. You seemed miles away.” As she kept silent, he ventured, “Musing on your baby plans?”

“Y-yes,” Julia stumbled. “Mason. What do you think of me?”

“Me?”

“Yes. I mean what am I to you? A stranger?”

“Of course not.” He pondered the question. “A good friend. My best friend, I daresay.”


He watched her intently: did she agree. She nodded, her expression unreadable.

“You, you know the worst of me, you should have run away screaming, and you’re still here,” he pointed out.

Julia looked up. “What do you mean? What is it, the worst of you?”

“Why, my attitude to my own baby, what else can it be. You think there actually is anything worse? I’d like to hear the kind of monstrosity you are ascribing to me, then,” he said with a smile.

The smile he had! When they were but strangers, Julia could have sworn Mason did not know how to smile. It seemed he could either grin sarcastically or smirk. But his real smile, if he chose to share it, started in his heart and touched his eyes. Oh, this kind of smile knocked you off your feet; it took your breath away…

On this the talk was over.


In the evening, Julia and Mason went to his place again. She wanted to visit Matt.

It was quite peaceful, as usual. Julia was sitting quietly on the sofa, Matt next to her engaged in studying a rattle, mostly by means of sucking it. Mason stayed at his desk, watching them, and his expression seemed unusual.

“What are you thinking about?” Julia asked.

“Nothing in particular.”

“Liar.”

“You’re not comfortable with silence, are you, Julia?” Mason chuckled.

“No, I have never been,” Julia said. “So?”

“Actually, I was thinking about love,” Mason said.

“Love??”

“Don’t look so horrified.”

“Actually, love isn''t one of my favorite subjects,” confessed Julia. “It scares me to death.”

Mason looked at her attentively. He used all the soft notes in his voice to comment on it, “That''s not surprising considering your choices in the past. I''m sorry.”

Julia nodded slowly. Mason went on, “But I think, maybe, it''s supposed to frighten us. I don''t think anything can be that powerful without reminding us of how vulnerable we really are. Doesn''t mean that we should avoid it.”

Julia thought the matter over. “There have been times in my life that I wanted love so badly that I didn''t give any thought at all to whether the guy was good for me or not... but I suppose when someone''s starving, they aren''t very particular about where the next meal is coming from.” She paused. “You see, when I care about someone... I forget about who I am. I forget about me. I just focus on what they want and what makes them happy.”

Mason shook his head. “Any man who would ask that of a woman like you, isn''t much of a man.”

Julia stared at him.

He went on, “When it''s right, what you get back makes you... whole, complete. Not less than the person you were to start with. And once it''s happened, you realize that you won''t be able to settle for anything less. Ever again.”

Julia had to look away, and she looked down at Matt. She knew it was all about his mother. It almost had her in tears. “Maybe you''ll find it again, Mason,” she said. “I hope so.”

He smiled and was about to add something when the telephone rang. “Excuse me.” He picked it up.

/Olga Lissenkova/

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