“I do hope you know how grateful I am that you brought me here. It’s absolutely beautiful.” “Yes, well,” he said, taking a sharp breath. “You strike me as precisely the sort of maudlin person who would appreciate the company of flowers while crying.” She sat with that for a moment, trying to decode it. “Do you know,” she said finally, “I think that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” “It wasn’t a compliment.” “Yes,” she said, smiling. “I think it was.”
