Page 9

Gabriella set her bag beside her and pulled out the sandwich she’d made that morning, and her flask of coffee.

Liz already had her sandwich on her lap, with a bite out of it, and a battered, tartan-pattern thermos with some tea poured into the lid that doubled as a cup.

“Cheers.” Gabriella tapped her own cup to Liz’s and took a sip of hot coffee.

“It smells nice,” Liz said, looking at her coffee with interest. “Not like the instant stuff.”

“My mother’s family is originally from Italy,” Gabriella said. “I would be excommunicated if I ever thought to drink instant coffee.”

She had found a secondhand stove top percolator at a fete held by the church near her flat, and James had bought her a bean grinder as a gift, so she had proper coffee every day.

She’d made the sandwich from a sourdough loaf she’d baked yesterday, and despite the cold wind whipping around them, she reckoned she’d be hard pressed to find a better lunch in a cafe.

“So what’s up? You don’t look as happy as a girl whose boyfriend came back home yesterday after nearly a week away should. Did you have a falling out?” Liz took another sip of her tea.

“No, everything with James is great. He took me out to dinner last night. The problem is a friend of Ruby’s and Teddy Roe’s is missing. Jerry. It’s like he vanished into thin air.” Gabriella glanced at Liz, and realized she was the one who didn’t look all that happy. “What about you? What’s wrong?”

Liz sighed dramatically and took a huge bite of her sandwich, so Gabriella had to wait until she’d chewed and swallowed for her answer.

“It’s Melvin.” Liz shot her a look. “You didn’t see him last night, did you?”

“No. James and I took Mr. Rodney and Jerome to the club for dinner, but we just dropped them off out the front.” Melvin was part of the Trinidad and Tobago Cultural Club, but he was usually working as a bouncer at Liz’s favorite night club in the evenings.

Liz had set her eye on him, but he seemed resistant to her charms.

Which, Gabriella acknowledged, were many.

Liz was beautiful, bubbly, and kind, and had a sense of humor that was both edgy and dry.

Spending time with her was always fun.

“So Melvin is avoiding you?” Gabriella couldn’t really believe it.

“Not avoiding me, exactly. He says there’ll be too much trouble if he steps out with me, and then he looks at me like I’m the bee’s knees.” She took another big bite of her sandwich and chewed angrily.

“He’s not wrong.” Gabriella knew it wasn’t right that people would judge them, and even try to attack Melvin if they saw him out with Liz, but it was reality.

“I know he’s not wrong, and I know he’ll probably suffer more than me, so I’m going to do the right thing and ease off.” She set her sandwich back in her lap and Gabriella saw she had tears in her eyes.

“Oh, Liz. It stinks.” Gabriella put her arm around her and drew her in.

“I really fancy him,” Liz said, sniffing against Gabriella’s navy warden’s jacket. “But I respect his choices.”

“What are you going to do?” Gabriella asked.

“I’ll start going to different places to dance. No more Dance-A-Go-Go for me.” Liz sat up and used the backs of her hands to wipe away her tears. “Maybe even stay in a bit more. Be boring like you.”

“Hey!” Gabriella nudged her.

They sat together, sipping their drinks and eating their sandwiches, neat and official in their uniforms and caps, looking at the ducks swimming in the little pond.

“What a pretty picture you two make. Mind you don’t cause a traffic accident, now.” The old man who walked past them with his little dog gave a leer in their direction as he walked by, his gaze fixed on their chests.

Liz made a face at his back and Gabriella met her gaze and made a face herself.

They stood, dusting off the crumbs and packing up their things.

“Will you look out for Jerry on your rounds for me?” Gabriella asked. “He’s about mid-60s, quite short and thin. He’s got a missing tooth, blue eyes, and thinning gray hair.”