Dexter had stuck his cocktail umbrella behind his ear now,
the girl collapsing into enchanted laughter at the genius of it.
‘Certainly seems that way,‘ said Emma. What was it, shewondered, this need to brandish his shiny new metropolitan lifeat her? As soon as she‘d met him at the arrivals gate on his returnfrom Thailand, lithe and brown and shaven-headed, she knewthat there was no chance of a relationship between them. Toomuch had happened to him, too little had happened to her. Evenso this would be the third girlfriend, lover, whatever, that she hadmet in the last nine months, Dexter presenting them up to herlike a dog with a fat pigeon in his mouth. Was it some kind ofsick revenge for something? Because she got a better degree thanhim? Didn‘t he know what this was doing to her, sat at table ninewith their groins jammed in each other‘s faces?
aa