Page 27 of The Gambler's Prize
We all take seats around the kitchen table. Breta pours pre-dinner wine for the adults and juice in wine glasses for the kids. Florian glances at me, a question in his eyes. He’s waiting for permission to drink alcohol? I nod, feeling uncomfortable. I don’t want Breta to know how many rules I’ve made for him, even if I technically have the legal right.
Breta lifts the lid of the pot to check on the soup, and the delicious scent intensifies a hundred-fold. My stomach grumbles in anticipation. Florian giggles, and cuts it off fast as I glare at him. Trust me to embarrass myself. So much for competing with him. Of course his flawless manners are going over a charm. And wouldn’t you know, he’s managed to seat himself beside the eldest daughter somehow. The two of them keep snatching glances at each other as everyone makes small talk.
“So, Florian, how do you like working for Grimes?” Breta says.
“Oh, it’s fine,” Florian says. “I think at first he didn’t know what he’d gotten himself into. I didn’t have much clue about digging and all that.” He gives me a shy look. “But I’m a little better at it now.”
“He’s more than adequate,” I say, sounding stiff and pompous.
“You work hard for him?” Breta says to Florian.
“Oh, yes,” Florian says. “I want to do my best, of course.”
He takes an elegant sip of wine, the move emphasizing the delicate line of his jaw, his pretty hair flowing. And now I looklike the bad old ogre forcing the sweet little prince to toil at my wicked schemes. Breta narrows her eyes at me. It says: look at this precious creature you’re torturing. I resist the urge to roll my eyes back. If only she knew what this precious creature was capable of.
“You’re building a boxing gym, aren’t you?” Prevana, the eldest daughter, addresses her question to Florian, not me. She trails a lock of lustrous dark hair around her finger as she speaks. She and Florian match in that regard: I guess they can bond over their extreme beauty.
“Yes, though Boss is pretty quiet about it,” Florian says, glancing at me.
“There’s no big secret,” I say. “It’ll be the biggest for miles around when it’s done.”
The little kids grin, wide-eyed.
“Can we come to fight at the gym?” Tav says.
“Of course, once it’s open,” I say.
“We’ll see,” Breta says, giving me another glare. I’m being a bad influence.
“Can I come?” Prevana says.
“Sure, as long as you go easy on the other customers,” I say.
She has quite a reputation for brawling in the city pubs. Something I haven’t told Florian yet. Why forewarn him? It would be funny if he pissed her off and got thumped in that regal nose of his.
“We could spar,” Florian says to her, arms folded prettily on the table, flirtatiousness oozing from him. “You could teach me.”
She leans forward, meeting the flirty note with interest. “Don’t be so modest. I’ve heard you’re the best at Stav’s gym.”
I look at him sharply. “Is that true?”
“Well I don’t know about thebest…” His cheeks go prettily pink. Prevana smiles at him.
Breta gives me an amused look, which I’m much too sour to share. If I’d known Florian was going to flaunt himself like this, I never would’ve brought him here. Prevana’s younger sisters are watching. Not to mention her mother. He’s embarrassing himself. And me.
“I didn’t know you could box,” I say to him. He mentioned something about visiting a gym weeks ago, but I didn’t take him that seriously. I assumed he just played at training.
“Not like you,” he says, still disarmingly modest. “But I try.”
“I bet you’re really good,” says Beveen loyally.
“I betyouare,” Florian counters. He puts up his fists. “Show me what you’ve got.”
Florian and the kid start trading teeny, adorable little fake punches. I drain half my glass to hide my jealousy. I’ve known the family for longer, but he’s already surpassing me in popularity.
“Well, dinner’s ready,” Breta announces, getting to her feet. She ladles out the soup. The ingredients are much cheaper than what Florian would be used to back in Rhennes, but he digs in with obvious enjoyment.
“Is this flying rice in the soup?” Florian asks.
