Page 16 of Shout Out To My Ex

Marie shrugs, her hands extended. ‘It happens,’ she says, then draws on her cigarette again.

‘But what about after uni? Why did Leo leave London so suddenly?’ asks Cassie.

‘Pfff, I am coming to this,’ says Marie. She progresses to the next slide, which shows photos of a little girl.

‘This is the sister, Brandy.’

‘Brandy?’ scoffs Nasrin.

‘It is an American name,’ replies Marie with contempt, though it’s unclear whether it’s for the name or for Americans in general.

‘Now…’ She moves to the next slide, a single photo of Brandy with Leo – and the age difference between them appears to be about six or seven years. ‘The sister, Brandy,shehad a head for business – and the interest – from a very young age. But the father,Leonard’– she says his name as though it’s left a bad taste in her mouth – ‘he does not want to leave the company to agirl.’

‘Nowthatis out of the stone age,’ says Nasrin.

‘Oui, absolument.Alors?—’

‘Wait, when did Leo’s dad pass away? Is that why?—’

Marie pins Cassie with one of her looks and Cassie’s words dry up as if they’ve been sucked from her mouth by a vacuum cleaner.

‘Sorry,’ she says. ‘Just thought I might be piecing it together.’

In Australia, we call Marie’s sour expression a ‘cat’s bum face’. She sits back and watches the screen as she advances to the next slide, an obituary, its headline blaring:

Cattle Mogul Leonard Campbell Jr, Deceased, Aged 67

‘Look at the date,’ says Cassie. ‘That was right after Leo and Elle finished uni.’

‘Exactement. Leo returned to Texas and took over from his father to run the cattle business.’

‘That would have sucked,’ mutters Nasrin, stating the obvious.

‘But what about Brandy?’ asks Cassie. ‘If she wanted the job…’

‘Too young. Brandy was only sixteen when their father died. Leo agreed to step in until she finished school, then university.’

‘Which was when?’ Cassie asks.

‘Three years ago.’

Cassie leans past me again, pinning Marie with a forthright look. ‘So, where is Leo now? Is he still in Texas?’

‘Euh,non.’

Marie moves on to the next slide, a screenshot of an online article. A man, who I barely recognise as an older Leo, stands in front of Bergdorf’s, the famous New York department store, and in the window behind him are some of the most gorgeous shoes I’ve ever seen – and I’m not really a shoe person. The headline reads:

Reaching New Heights: The Rise of Lorenzo

‘Leo is now “Lorenzo”, based in New York and tipped to become one of the biggest names in shoes,’ says Marie.

‘He’s a famous shoe designer?’ Nasrin blurts out.

‘Not yet, but who knows…?’ Marie takes another draw on her cigarette.

‘So, Leo isLorenzo?’ Cassie asks, almost to herself.

‘You’ve heard of him?’ I ask. ‘Lorenzo, I mean?’

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