Chapter 30: Consideration

Callum chose the table himself. Vivian had requested the corner under the painted ceiling, and he took one by the pillar instead, where he could see the entrance, the service door, and Sau-lin reflected in the mirror behind the bottles. She sat at the far end of the bar under a brass lamp with Winnie's chipped cup between her hands. The tea had long since gone cold, but its gift still held color in her face. A menu screened her from the nearest table. The bartender had objected to the outside cup until she looked at him, and then he had decided the policy allowed exceptions. She was forty-two feet away. The tether approved. His heart kept its current rhythm, which was the most praise the arrangement ever offered. Vivian Ashby entered at nine precisely. She wore a charcoal coat over black silk, with the narrow gold watch at her…