Margo sighed, which prevented him from saying anything he might have later regretted. “You’re odd, Malcolm,” she said slowly.
”Am I?”
”Yes. You…” She didn’t finish.
”I don’t hit on you like the other boys? Is that it?”
Or maybe, considering the wary tension in her body, it wasn’t just boys her own age who…
Malcolm forced his thoughts into less private realms of speculation. “How about some lunch? I have sandwich fixings in my fridge. We could meet somewhere for a picnic on the Commons. Unless you have another lesson?”
Margo relaxed fractionally. “Not that I know of,” she said a trifle ruefully. “A picnic on the Commons sounds nice. I …” She broke off abruptly.
”What?”
She mumbled something that sounded like “Never mind” and avoided his gaze.
Malcolm touched her shoulder very gently. “Hey. It’s me, remember? The guy you wiped up the mat with?”
Almost as though disobeying a stern command to stay down, turned, a corner of her lips quirked upward. She sniffed once. “Huh. I gotta beat up a guy before he’ll ask me out?”
Malcolm laughed. . “No, but it ought to give you a little peace of mind, knowing you can.”
She gave him an odd look, then both corners of her lips twitched upwards.
”That’s better,” he smiled. “Why don’t you find a nice spot somewhere in Castletown, maybe by one of the garden pools. We’ll have a quiet lunch.”
Her smile brightened. All right. You know, that sounds wonderful. Thanks, Malcolm.”
”My pleasure.”
He held the elevator door with a courtly flourish that brought sparkling laughter to her eyes. That brought a sense of dismay to Malcolm’s determination to remain an utter gentleman. He could fall for this kid — hard -without much trouble at all. Margo got off at the Commons level with a cheery smile and headed toward Castletown. Malcolm watched her go, then punched the button for his floor. Whatever that little girl was hiding inside, it was hurting her. He’d started out the week feeling sorry for Kit. Now he felt sorry for them both.