“Wow.” I slide my handbag off my shoulder and set it down next to me. “I mean that’s great for Lin, but sad that we might not be able to have a secret hideaway much longer.”
“No, we might not.” Liz nods as she reaches for her tea. Her leg is bouncing up and down with nervous energy.
I sigh. “What do you wanting to know?”
“Everything! Start again with the bit about your sketchbook. What was this accident you alluded to earlier?”
I reach for a pod of edamame. The skin is rubbery underneath my fingers as I work on prying the case open to reach the precious snap peas. “I spilled coffee on it at Horse Guards Parade.”
“Min!” She face-palms. “How could you let that happen?”
“I was being robbed,” I mutter in a low tone.
Liz’s body jerks. “Hold on? You were robbed? Are you okay? Why didn’t you ring me straightaway?”
“Physically, I’m fine. I couldn’t call anyone because my phone was broken.”
“But you picked up my call on the way here.”
“One of the tech guys at the museum worked their magic to get it to turn on. It’s only a temporary fix though. I’m going to get a new one tomorrow. The screen shattered, and he said something’s wonky with the chip. There’s no telling how long it’ll function.”
Liz looks me up and down, confirming I’m telling her the truth, and that I really am all right. Knowing she won’t let the issue drop until I bring her up to speed on all the details, I recount the story again from the beginning.
I clear my throat. “Everything started when I decided to be a nice person and return a spur I found on the ground that belonged to a soldier...”
By now, I’ve relived this several times over. I’m tired of it and ready to move past it, but thankfully, Liz is patient and doesn’t ask me anything until I finish.
“...so I left the museum and then I met you fordinner.”
“That’s a lot to take in.” Liz’s eyes are wide. We were both so wrapped up in the story, neither of us has noticed that our food has been sitting in front of us, growing cold. I reach for my bento box and immediately help myself to some of the rice and a piece of fried eggplant.
“Was the soldier bloke cute?”
I arch an eyebrow. “Out of everything you could possibly ask me, that’s your first question?”
“Yes. Priorities.” She slides her tea to the side and uses her chopsticks to help herself to her sushi. “It sounds like you spent a good amount of time chatting with him, which is more than you’ve done with any guy in the last year. I had to bribe you to go out with the last chap.”
I glare at her. I thought we’d agreed never to mentionthatagain. Liz didn’t tell me until it was five minutes before my blind date that it was her much younger cousin. With an eleven-year age gap, it felt like I was acting as a teenager’s chaperone rather than going out on a date. But the most humiliating part was when we ran into some of his friends, and they decided to ditch me.
After that, I swore I wouldn’t let her set me up on another date again. Not that I’ve given much thought on going on any dates. These last couple of months, between squeezing in the last couple of required school classes and working on my senior project, there simply wasn’t any time. But now that I’ve graduated, I really don’t have any excuses. When I’m not working at the gift shop, I’m technically free.
“Yeah, he was pretty cute.” I picture Sam removing his helmet and the fuzzy auburn-brown peach fuzz hiding underneath. I recall those warm chocolate-brown eyes that came to life when we were alone in the stables.
“Oh, you’re thinking about him. Darn it. Did you get his name and number?”
I blanch. Liz knows I’m not the type of person who makes the first move. I ignore the second part of her question. “His name was Sam. Sam Baker.”
She cracks a cheeky grin. “Did you remember what regiment he was with?”
“Um... his coat was a navy blue with a red collar.”
“Then he’s with the Blues and Royals.” She snaps her fingers together. “My oldest brother’s flatmate is a former member of the Blues. He’ll know who this Sam is, and if we’re lucky, maybe he’ll come through with a mobile number—and let us know if Sammy-boy is single.”
“No, Liz.” I vehemently shake my head. “I don’t want you asking your brother for any favors.”
“I suppose you’re right. He can be a tad overprotective.”
I snort. That’s the understatement of the year. All Liz’s brothers are like a pack of wolves when it comes to protecting their sister, and by default, me. The last guy she dated was scared off when he showed up with their middle brother to our flat to “borrow” a DVD he apparently loaned Liz. They ended up staying until Liz returned home and walked the guy to the Tube stop. She never heard from him again.
