“I’LL TAKE A LARGE COFFEE, cream and no sugar,” Andrea informed me the moment I entered the space. She was seated at a corner booth where she could watch all activity both outside and inside while being largely hidden in shadows herself. Despite the less-than-adequate lighting, though, my lupine eyes could pick my opponent out quite admirably.
And as I filled the female’s order, my surreptitious glances proved that she wasn’t nearly as poised as she wanted to appear. Instead, one shoe tapped repeatedly against the floor tiles even as her fingernails drummed against the table top three feet above. Meanwhile, Andrea’s gaze slid in my direction far too frequently to maintain her pretense of aloof boredom.
No, the conclusion was obvious—despite her heavy-handed tactics, my current companion
