Twenties Girl

I can’t help a little smile. Talking to Ed puts everything into perspective a bit. I’m not the only person in the world to feel like a fool. And at least Josh didn’t two-time me. At least I didn’t end up marooned all alone in a strange city.

“Hey, let’s do something that wasn’t on your list,” I say on impulse. “Let’s see some sight that was never in the plan. Is there anything?”

Ed breaks off a piece of bread, mulling.

“Cori

I knew I didn’t like this woman. How can anyone think the London Eye is dumb?

“London Eye it is,” I say firmly. “And then maybe Ye Olde Starbucks? It’s a traditional English custom, very quaint.”

I wait for Ed to laugh, but he just gives me an appraising look as he eats his bread.

“Starbucks. Interesting. You don’t go to Lingtons Coffee?”

Oh, right. So he’s worked it out.

“Sometimes. Depends.” I shrug defensively. “So… you know I’m related.”

“I told you, I asked around about you.”

His face is impassive. He hasn’t done what people usually do when they find out about Uncle Bill, which is say, “Oh, wow, that’s amazing, what’s he like in real life?”

Ed’s in big business, it occurs to me. He must have come across Uncle Bill in some way or another.

“What do you think of my uncle?” I say lightly.

“Lingtons Coffee is a successful organization,” he replies. “Very profitable. Very efficient.”

He’s avoiding the question. “What about Bill?” I persist. “Have you ever come across him?”

“Yes. I have.” He swallows his wine. “And I think Two Little Coins is manipulative bullshit. Sorry.”

I’ve never heard anyone be so rude about Uncle Bill, not to my face. It’s kind of refreshing.

“Don’t be sorry,” I say at once. “Say what you think. Tell me.”

“What I think is… your uncle is the one in the million. And I’m sure a lot of different factors went into his success. But that’s not the message he’s selling. He’s selling the message ‘It’s easy! Come be a millionaire like me!’” Ed sounds curt, almost angry. “The only people who go to those seminars will be self-deluding fantasists, and the only person who’ll make any money is your uncle. He’s exploiting a lot of sad, desperate people. Just an opinion.”

The instant he says all this, I know it’s true. I saw the people at the Two Little Coins seminar. Some of them had traveled miles. Some of them did look desperate. And it’s not like the seminar cost nothing.

“I went to one of his day seminars once,” I admit. “Just to see what it was all about.”

“Oh, really. And did you instantly make your fortune?”

“Of course I did! Didn’t you spot my limo earlier?”

“Oh, that was yours. I assumed you’d use your helicopter.”

We’re both gri

“So, why do you carry cards with you?” I say, deciding it’s my turn to start. “Do you play patience the whole time or something?”

“Poker. If I can find anyone to play with. You’d be great at poker,” he adds.

“I’d be terrible!” I contradict him. “I’m crap at gambling, and-” I stop as Ed shakes his head.

“Poker’s not about gambling. It’s about being able to read people. Your Eastern mind-reading powers would come in handy.”

“Oh, right.” I blush. “Well… my powers seem to have abandoned me.”

Ed raises an eyebrow. “You’re not hustling me here, Miss Lington?”

“No!” I laugh. “They really have! I’m a total novice.”

“OK, then.” He takes out the pack of cards and shuffles it expertly. “All you need to know is, do the other players have good cards or bad? Simple as that. So you look at your opponents’ faces. And you ask yourself, Is something going on? And that’s the game.”

“‘Is something going on?’” I repeat. “And how can you tell?”

Ed deals himself three cards and glances at them. Then he gazes at me. “Good or bad?”

Oh God. I have no idea. His face is dead straight. I survey his smooth forehead, the tiny lines around his eyes, the hint of weekend stubble-searching for clues. There’s a glint in his eye, but that could mean anything.

“Du

Ed looks amused. “Those Eastern powers really did desert you. They’re terrible.” He shows me three low cards. “Now your turn.” He shuffles the pack again, deals out three cards and watches me pick them up.

I’ve got the three of clubs, the four of hearts, and the ace of spades. I study them, then look up with my most inscrutable expression.

“Relax,” says Ed. “Don’t laugh.”

Of course, now he’s said that, I can feel my mouth twitching.

“You have a terrible poker face,” says Ed. “You know that?”

“You’re putting me off!” I wriggle my mouth around a bit, getting rid of the laugh. “OK, then, what have I got?”

Ed’s dark brown eyes lock on mine. We’re both silent and still, gazing at each other. After a few seconds I feel a weird flip in my stomach. This feels… strange. Too intimate. Like he can see more of me than he should. Pretending to cough, I break the spell and turn away. I take a gulp of wine and look back to see Ed sipping his wine too.

“You have one high card, probably an ace,” he says matter-of-factly. “And two low ones.”

“No!” I put the cards down. “How do you know?”

“Your eyes popped out of your face when you saw the ace.” Ed sounds amused. “It was totally obvious. Like, ‘Oh wow! A high one!’ Then you looked right and left as though you might have given yourself away. Then you put your hand over the high one and gave me a dirty look.” He’s starting to laugh now. “Remind me not to give you any state secrets to keep anytime soon.”

I can’t believe it. I thought I was being really inscrutable.

“But, seriously.” Ed begins shuffling the cards again. “Your mind-reading trick. It’s all based on analyzing behavioral traits, isn’t it?”

“Er… that’s right,” I say cautiously.

“That can’t have just deserted you. Either you know that stuff or you don’t. So what’s going on, Lara? What’s the story?”

He leans forward intently, as though waiting for an answer. I feel a bit thrown. I’m not used to this kind of focused attention. If he were Josh, I’d have been able to fob him off easily. Josh always took everything at face value. He’d have said, “Right, babe,” and I could have moved the subject on quickly and he never would have questioned it or thought about it again…

Because Josh was never really that interested in me.

It hits me like a drench of cold water. A final, mortifying insight that instantly has the feel and ring of truth to it. All the time we were together, Josh never challenged me, never gave me a hard time, barely even remembered the fine details of my life. I thought he was just easygoing and laid-back. I loved him for it. I saw it as a plus. But now I understand better. The truth is, he was laid-back because he didn’t really care. Not about me. Not enough, anyway.

I feel like I’m finally stepping out of some trance. I was so busy chasing after him, so desperate, so sure of myself, I never looked closely enough at what I was chasing. I never stopped to ask if he really was the answer. I’ve been such an idiot.

I look up to see Ed’s dark, intelligent eyes still keenly sca

Only I can’t tell him. Obviously.