Bella sat stiffly across from Gerald in the corner of the café, her arms folded loosely on the table. Her eyes were fixed on the older man in front of her, searching his expression.
Gerald, however, looked perfectly at ease. He leaned back in his chair, hands folded across his chest, studying her with a faintly amused smile tugging at the edges of his mouth.
“I was surprised,” he said finally, breaking the silence that had stretched a little too long between them. “When I saw your call. And then when you asked me to meet you here… well, let’s just say, I didn’t think you’d come around so soon.”
Bella inhaled sharply, annoyed at the way he spoke as if he had known all along that she’d give in. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she said coolly. “I thought about everything you said the other day.
