Page 31 of Little Miss Fortune

‘Right.’ He thinks it over, assessing whether he is satisfied with the answer. ‘And the bell?’

‘Is a gift from a monk. It rang before I got this job.’

‘And never again?’

‘Nope.’

‘And you think I’m lucky?’

‘Yup, I just don’t know if it’s big or small luck.’

‘Wow, what is your reasoning? Did you guys see my mum’s socials?’

We did. ‘I don’t know what you mean. But snatching the last slice of cheesecake, hopping onto the Tube before the doors close, getting a date with a Ukrainian model. And that’s only in the last few weeks.’

‘Those are so trivial.’

Ugh, sure, for someone lucky they might be.

‘And your knee healed quickly. You said so yourself. I just need more time to fully figure you out.’

The mention of his knee makes him tense, but he smiles, dropping his shoulders, seeing the silent question on my face.

‘Let’s figure it out, then.’ He scavenges his pockets and pulls out a ten-pence coin. ‘But we need some stakes.’

‘I’m not that hungry right now.’

‘Not what I meant, something small.’

‘How about... The loser calls FM to get rid of the printer,’ I suggest.

The printers have been pissing me right off. Every day, we form spiralling queues just because there is only one machine that’s working. Even if I lose, at least it will get done.

‘Fuko, no. That’s too great a risk.’

‘Heads.’

‘Fuko...’ His voice tapers, as if he is about to let go of my hand whilst I’m hanging off a cliff.

He throws the coin. Tails. One-nil Toby. Toby decides the best of three. He chooses heads. Heads. Two-nil Toby.

He suggests best of five, but I roll my eyes.

I log in a call as Toby bites his nails.

It might be my imagination, but as soon as I submit a complaint, the temperature drops by about 10°C. I swear I can see my breath all of a sudden.

‘Did somebody call FM?’ Adzo bellows from the office.

‘Fuko did!’ Toby throws me under the bus.

Gasps. Cries. Prayers.

‘God be with you, child,’ whispers in the wind.

What have I just done?

CHAPTER 10