“So, naturally,” I continue, “I grabbed the nearest thing to steady myself.”
“The roulette table,” she says, sounding delighted.
“The roulette table,” I confirm miserably. “And then I threw up all over it. In front of the croupier. And two women. And half the casino.”
Anika gulps air between wheezing as amused tears slip down her cheeks.
I lean closer, wiping them with a tissue. “I’m glad my public downfall is so entertaining for you.”
“It really, really is,” she says, sniffling, “Oh my god. Ray’s precious casino.”
I slump back in the chair. “I’m never going downstairs again. In fact, I might never leave my room.”
She laughs harder. “Please don’t say that. I need more stories like this in my life.”
I point at her. “You’re evil.”
“No,” she says, still grinning, “I’m bored. There’s a difference.”
That makes me laugh, even though my cheeks are still burning.
Then her smile softens. “Did he really embarrass you that badly?”
The humour drains out of me a little. I look down at my hands. “Yeah.”
Anika goes quiet.
“He thought I was . . . I don’t know. All over some guy in a booth.” I shrug, trying to make it sound smaller than it felt. “I tried to explain, but he was already angry.”
“And then this morning?” she asks carefully.
I force a little smile that doesn’t feel real. “And then this morning he made sure I knew exactly what he thinks of me.”
Anika’s expression tightens, “You over-heard us talking?”
“Please don’t say anything to him. I just want to forget it ever happened.”
“Fine,” she says. “But for the record, I think the roulette table incident is iconic.”
Despite everything, I laugh.
My phone buzzes in my hand and I glance at the screen, groaning the second I see the name.
“Hi, Aunt Lucy,” I say, pasting on a bright smile as I answer.
“Finally,” she says. “I’ve been trying to call you for days.”
I wince and slip out into the hallway. “I’m sorry. The job’s been crazy busy.”
“Same old excuses, Wynter.” I can hear the fondness beneath the telling-off. “What are you doing today?”
“It’s my day off,” I say cautiously. “Why?”
“Perfect. We’re in London.”
I stop dead.
“What?”