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“No, I’m happy for you to choose.”
He looks at the menu. “We’ll have a bottle of the Kusuda, please.”
I blink. It’s the most expensive red on the list and costs more than I’d expect to pay for a three-course meal. Is it what he’d normally order, or is he trying to impress me?
“Show off,” Saxon says.
Catie giggles, and I try not to laugh.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Kip says.
“Oh, I’m having great fun,” Saxon replies. Kip glares at him, and Saxon gives him a look that says, ‘I’m going to make your life a misery, and there’s nothing you can do about it.’
“Ignore them,” Catie says to me with a smile. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” I gesture at her bump. “When are you due?”
“End of March.” Her top bears the words ‘Make it a Double.’
“Twins?” I guess.
“Yeah. Two boys. Just like these guys.”
“My commiserations,” I tell her, and she chuckles, while the two of them smile wryly.
“Do you live nearby?” Saxon asks, leaning back and putting his arm around his girlfriend.
“Ah, yeah,” I say. “Not far away.” I haven’t discussed that with Kip, and at the moment I don’t intend to reveal that I’m only visiting Wellington.
“What do you do for a living?” Saxon continues, giving his brother a mischievous glance.
“I review books,” I tell him.
“Nice,” he says. “Kip likes to read. Mainly comics.”
“Saxon,” Catie scolds. “Stop it.”
I laugh, recognizing that for some reason he’s teasing his brother. “We’ve been talking a lot about books today, haven’t we?” I smile at Kip.
“Yeah,” he says. “I ordered that one you recommended… by William Gibson?”
“Neuromancer?”
“Yes. I liked the premise, and the reviews are great.”
“Apparently Gibson was a third of the way through whenBlade Runnercame out, and he was convinced that everyone would assume he’d copied the film’s look, so he rewrote that third a dozen times.”
“That’s interesting,” he says. “It’s a great movie.”
“Yeah, it’s one of my favorites. I love the music, too. I can’t remember the musician…”
“Vangelis,” he says. “He’s Greek, although he recorded it in London, I think.”
“Oh, that’s right. I thought Sean Young was so striking as the replicant, Rachael.” I continue talking about the movie, but I’m conscious of Saxon’s expression softening as he observes his brother.
“Blade Runneris an adaptation of a Philip K. Dick novel, isn’t it?” Saxon asks.
“Yes,” I say, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”
