The Hearts Series

  “Fuck off, that can’t be my card.”

  “Go get it and see,” Jay replies, gesturing for her to go forward.

  After hesitating for only a moment, the girl starts to walk through the club. She climbs onto the stage where the DJ’s booth is and goes to the screen, grabbing the card that’s been stuck to it. She stares down at it in her hand as she walks back, her mouth open in disbelief.

  “It’s my card,” she says, lifting it up to the camera to show her writing. There in a list it reads: Beyoncé “Single Ladies,” purple, and turtle. “I’m freaking out right now,” she goes on, running her hand through her hair.

  You can hear whoever’s holding the camera chuckling, and Jay turns to smile at them. He really does have a gorgeous smile. Jay goes to the girl and throws his arm around her shoulder. “Come on, let’s go get you that drink.”

  The next clip is during the daytime, in a beer garden where there are a bunch of men and women wearing football jerseys watching a game. Jay stumbles through to a group of burly-looking men holding pints of beer. He’s unsteady on his feet and looks drunk off his face. Going to one of the men (the biggest and burliest of them all, by the way), he grabs the beer right out of his hand and brings it to his own mouth before downing the entire thing in one go.

  The big guy looks at Jay like he can’t believe he just had the balls to do that. Then his expression turns angry.

  “You fucking shithead, you just robbed my beer,” says the man, looking to his friends for support. “This fuck just took the beer right out of my hand.”

  Seeming pleased with himself, Jay sets the empty glass primly down on a table just as one of the friends grabs his shoulder. “That’s not okay, dude.”

  I was thirsty,” says Jay with a casual shrug, almost as though goading the man to hit him. No more than a second later he does, swinging his fist through the air, aiming straight for Jay’s face. Jay ducks and sidesteps out of the way before he’s hit. “Hey, no need to get violent. I have every intention of replacing it.”

  “Go get me a fucking beer, then,” says the burly one.

  “Okay, okay, just watch,” says Jay as he hovers his hand over the empty glass. “I bet you fifty bucks I can make your drink reappear without even touching this glass.”

  “Yeah, you’ll make it reappear by marching your ass over to the bar and buying me a new one.”

  “Nope. That’s not how I’m gonna do it. Do we have a bet?”

  The other men seem interested now, their attention on Jay and Mr Burly, the football game long forgotten. “You’re a nut, but fine, it’s a bet.”

  “Shake on it,” says Jay, thrusting out his hand, and they shake. I notice that he’s not acting drunk at all anymore, and I suddenly realise it was only an act before. Part of the ruse. The camera focuses in on Jay’s hand above the empty glass. He moves it in circles, like he’s about to conjure a rabbit from a hat (or beer from a glass, in this case).

  Slowly, something brown starts to appear, and then liquid is rising from the bottom of the glass, moving upward. The men around him let out a whole bunch of expletives as Jay proves that he could do it. He just made the drink reappear, seemingly out of thin air. Now the glass is full again.

  “You’re joking me,” Mr Burly exclaims, rubbing at his head, a confused look on his face.

  “Ah, shit, I’ll give you fifty bucks and a beer,” says one of the others as he steps forward to slap Jay on the back. “That was amazing.”

  “Do you do parties?” a woman, presumably one of their wives, asks. Jay gives her an arch look and shakes his head before all the men start crowding around to congratulate him on his trick. Mr Burly chuckles. “Okay, you win, but I ain’t drinking that beer. That was fucking freaky.”

  The video ends and I sit back, a big stupid smile on my face. There are more videos that I could watch, but I decide not to, knowing I’ll be up all night if I do. Instead I do a quick read-up on how to play blackjack before passing out cold.

  My alarm springs to life with its peaceful morning sounds and I wake up, having dreamt of Jay shrinking me to the size of a penny and dropping me into a pint of beer. I don’t think I’ll be finding any interpretations for that one in a book.

  I hear the shower come on in the spare room, so I know he’s just woken up, too. There’s something exciting about knowing we’re going to be living our lives side by side for the next couple of months.

  I go grab a shower, and by the time I’m dressed and ready for work, the smell of bacon is drifting up from downstairs. Dad never cooks breakfast; he always just grabs something easy, so I know it has to be Jay. My heels click on the wood floor as I walk into the kitchen, wearing a plain black shift dress and a cream cardigan, my hair down. I’m wearing minimal makeup, mostly just some concealer over my scar, lip gloss, and mascara.

  I’m not a great fan of applying makeup in the morning. Or ever, really. I think that when you have to put it on to cover something up, it becomes more of a chore than an enjoyment. And then you’re always worrying if it’s rubbed off and people can see what you’ve been trying to hide.

  When I was fifteen I had a crush on this boy who lived down the street. When I tried to talk to him one day on my way home from school, he pointed and asked me what was wrong with my neck. It wasn’t so much what he said, but the disgusted look on his face that made it a horrid experience. Ever since then I’ve always tried to cover it up.

  In the kitchen, Jay’s standing by the cooker with his back turned to me, while Dad sits at the table, happily reading the paper and eating bacon and eggs. I admire the sexy, muscular lines of Jay’s back and get a fright when he asks, “You hungry, Watson?”

  How did he know I was there? It must have been the telltale click of my heels.

  Dad chuckles at the nickname, getting the meaning right off the bat. Ever since I was a child I’ve had a curious nature, always wanting to figure out mysteries, not that I’m really any good at it. Dad used to call me Harriet the Spy, but I always hated it. I like it when Jay calls me Watson, though. It kind of makes me feel like I could be his sidekick. And that makes me cool by association.

  “A little,” I answer as he turns around and puts some food on a plate for me.

  “I figured I’d pay you back for dinner last night,” he says, setting the plate down as I pour orange juice into a glass.

  “That was thoughtful of you. Thanks,” I reply with a smile.

  “I hear you two have a night of gambling planned,” says Dad, folding his newspaper and putting it away. “I used to love the slot machines when I was young. Never won much money. I don’t have the luck for it.”

  “Luck has nothing to do with it, Hugh. You’re playing poker, you learn how to read your opponents. You’re playing roulette, you weigh your odds. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

  “I’m afraid I’m going to be disastrously bad at blackjack,” I put in. “Isn’t there some easier game I could play?”

  “You can watch me play a few rounds first. You’ll pick it up quick,” Jay reassures me with a warm smile as he takes a bite of toast.

  “I’m not so sure, but I’ll take your word for it,” I say modestly, and Dad gets up from the table, done with his breakfast. “I’m going to catch the earlier bus, Matilda, but I’ll see you at the office.” He gives me a quick peck on the cheek, and then goes to grab his coat and briefcase. I eye the battered leather, thinking I could get him a new one for Christmas.

  The front door opens and shuts.

  “You look nice today,” says Jay, and I can’t bring myself to look at him, so I focus on eating.

  “Thanks,” I mumble, brushing my hair close to my neck.

  “You do that a lot, you know.”

  Now I glance up. “What?”

  “Your hair. You run your hand through it a lot, moving it to hide your scar.”

  “Oh.” Crap, he noticed the scar. I suppose he saw it when I’d had my hair up in a bun last night. “Yeah, it’s unconscious most of
the time.” I shrug.

  “I could teach you how to stop. It’s pretty easy.”

  “That’s okay. It’s not like one of those awful habits, like biting your nails until they bleed or something.” Biting your nails until they bleed? Lovely imagery, Matilda.

  Jay nods, still watching me eat. Right now I’m wishing I were anywhere but here. His attention is exciting, yet unnerving.

  “Well, let me know if you change your mind.”

  A moment of silence elapses. “You’re not going to ask how I got the scar?” I say quietly.

  “That’s your business. Though if you wanna tell me, I’m all ears.”

  I give him a grateful look, not saying anything more. I’m not fond of reciting stories about myself, so in this case I don’t want to tell him. Perhaps another time when I’m feeling braver. Nobody feels brave at breakfast. Dinner is the meal of bravery. Lunch at a push.

  We finish eating, and Jay offers to drive me to the office.

  “I’m fine getting the bus,” I say, not wanting to put him out, even though I really want to go with him.

  Jay cocks a brow. “You want to ride the boring bus or experience the fucking sexy beast that is my car again?”

  An unexpected laugh erupts from my throat. “I think it’s a little early for experiencing sexy beasts.”

  My response surprises me. There’s something about Jay that brings out my flirtatious side, and, to be honest, I never really knew I had one until now.

  Jay steps closer, his smile matching my own. “It’s never too early for that.”

  I shake my head and go to grab my handbag, needing to put some distance between us. He’s definitely unnerving. So unnerving. But in the best way.

  “Okay, then, you can drive me.”

  “Get ready for the ride of your life, Watson.”

  I have to say, his confidence is quite the turn-on.

  Five

  “So, eh, you’re not planning on cheating tonight, are you?” I ask on the drive.

  Last night while I’d been reading up on blackjack, I’d noticed an article about counting cards and got a little nervous. I had this vision of being hauled into the back offices of the casino by some scary bouncers. There’d be a bunch of migrant workers sitting at long tables, counting money in their underwear, while some old mob boss character would threaten me with a gun for trying to cheat the system.

  Okay, so maybe I’ve been watching a few too many heist movies. I’m not even sure if there are mob bosses in Ireland. Not the proper Italian ones, anyway. Chinese triad, maybe.

  Jay laughs quietly, his hands loose on the steering wheel. “You really think I’m a shifty fuck, don’t you?”

  “I never said that! It’s just that you do what you do…and I’m sure you must know how to count cards.”

  “You been doing some detective work, Watson?”

  “I don’t know what you mean,” I reply, crossing my arms.

  “I mean, have you been looking me up?”

  I snort (rather unattractively). “Noooo.”

  “Lie.”

  “I’m not lying.”

  “Another lie.” He chuckles. “You’ve got to remember the behavioural science crazy uncle, Matilda. I can tell when someone’s telling a fib. Mostly.”

  I let out a sigh. “Fine. I might have come across a YouTube video.”

  “Now we’re getting somewhere.” He looks at me sideways, his eyes smiling. “Were you impressed?”

  “Obviously. I’m still trying to figure out how you managed to get that girl’s card up onto the screen in the nightclub.”

  “That was a fun one. But if you’re hedging for me to reveal my secrets you’re shit out of luck.”

  “Ugh, you’re no fun.”

  He nudges me with his shoulder. “Hey, don’t look so sad. Maybe I’ll tell you one or two sometime if you’re really, really nice to me.”

  “Okay, that doesn’t sound sinister at all,” I say, deadpan.

  Jay laughs. “Look, I’m not going to be counting cards, so you don’t have to worry. The secret to good gambling is to know when to bet and when to stop.”

  “How very vague. That tells me nothing,” I groan.

  “Watch me tonight and you’ll learn,” he says, pulling the car into a parking spot close to the office. “Now, out you get, and have a good day at work, munchkin.”

  I slide out of the car and turn to face him. “Oh, please, no. Watson I can handle, munchkin, not so much.”

  He raises his hands in the air. “Hey, we’ve got to eat a few sour grapes before we get to the sweet ones.”

  I just shake my head at him and turn to leave. All the way to the office I can hardly keep the smile off my face.

  My day passes in the usual mundane fashion. Every hour that brings me closer to home time makes me more and more anxious. I’ve gone through a number of outfit possibilities in my head for tonight. Jay said to wear something nice, but I can’t tell if he meant “nicey nice” or “sexy nice.” I’ve always adored fashion, but I’ve never been able to pull off “sexy nice,” so I suppose “nicey nice” is the direction I’m going to have to take.

  I settle on a pretty dark blue tea dress that I made myself. It reaches just past my knees, and I’ll match it with my coveted black Louboutins. They’re probably the only “sexy nice” item I own. I mostly wear them for special occasions, but I’m thinking my first foray into the world of casino gambling definitely counts as special.

  When I arrive home, I pop a ready meal for one in the oven, since Dad’s working late in the office with Will and then he’s going to the book club. When I go upstairs, I pass by Jay’s room and see the door’s wide open. He’s sitting on the floor, messy stacks of books all around him and dozens of sheets of paper with indecipherable handwriting spread out on the wood floor. The bin is full to the brim with crumpled papers and his laptop is open, playing a video of a surgeon carrying out some kind of operation. Quite bizarre.

  I’ve always been squeamish about blood, so I look away.

  “I didn’t realise you were home,” I say, standing in the doorway. His head comes up, his eyes meeting mine as he scratches his jaw. His hair is all dishevelled, which for some reason makes me want to touch it.

  “Matilda. How was your day?” he asks, shoving some of the papers aside and pressing “pause” on the video. I take one step inside the room.

  “Good. Can I ask what you’re doing?”

  “Ah, just working out some new tricks.”

  So he’s not studying to become a surgeon, then. “So you’re definitely not quitting?” I ask, curious.

  He shoots me a wry look and laughs harshly. “What, because some bitch who doesn’t even know me decided to sit at her computer and rip me a new one? Hell to the fuck no. It’ll take a lot more than a few articles to put a stop to me.”

  I don’t know what to say to that. In fact, his passionate anger puts me a little on edge, even though it isn’t directed at me, so I change the subject. “Do you want dinner? I’m just making something quick.”

  “No, I’m good. I already ate.” The flat tone and faraway look in his eyes give me the impression he’s somewhere else right now, so I quickly take my leave.

  “Okay, well, I’ll leave you to it, then.”

  “Be ready for eight,” he calls after me, his eyes returning to the laptop screen.

  “Will do.”

  I close the door and go to my own room. Jay’s demeanour seemed different just now, mercurial somehow. Granted, I’ve only known him a day, so I’m sure there are many more sides to him than the witty charmer I’ve known him to be.

  I eat dinner in front of the TV. Jay doesn’t come down at all, still up in his room doing his research, or whatever it is he’s doing. A while later I’m in the bathroom, putting the finishing touches to my makeup, when there’s a tap on the door.

  “Knock, knock, can I come in?” Jay asks from outside as I clip a strand of hair at my temple.

  I get a momentary jolt
but then realise I’m decent, so I say, “Sure.” Still, I find it a little odd that he wants to come in here.

  He steps into the small room, casual as you please, wearing a dark shirt and slacks. The first button of the shirt is undone, showing a hint of the tattoos at his collarbone. He lets out a low whistle, and I can’t help but blush. “You scrub up well, Watson.”

  I focus on putting in my contact lenses as his eyes trail down my legs to my feet. “Nice shoes. Real nice. They make up for the conservative neckline.”

  “Uh, thanks. I think.”

  I have my contacts in now, and his eyes are still on my shoes, a thoughtful expression on his face. Then he swallows. What the hell is he thinking about? I brush on some lip gloss and I’m done. Jay’s still standing behind me, but now his eyes are on my face. I can’t really decipher his look, since I’ve never had a man stare at me like he is. The only way I can describe it is somewhere in between hot and smouldering. Yikes.

  I find it difficult to believe it’s directed at me, but it must be. I mean, there’s nobody else in the room.

  I cough. “Are you driving?”

  He shakes his head, and his expression clears. “Nah, I think we’ll taxi it. After we get you your eight hundred, we’re going to want to celebrate.” He flashes me a wide, toothy smile.

  “Right. I hope not too much. It’s a work night,” I say, unable to help myself. And I had almost pulled off cool. Almost.

  Jay’s hand moves to rest on my shoulder, his voice unexpectedly soft. “Don’t worry, Watson. I’ll have you home and tucked in bed by one.”

  If I were a provocative person I might say something sassy, like, “Oh, yeah, and are you going to be the one doing the tucking?” But I’m not, so I don’t. Jay says he’ll wait downstairs for me and leaves me to it.

  Dad’s coming in the door just as we’re leaving, the taxi idling by the side of the road. He tells us to have a great night, and then Jay’s ushering me in the back of the taxi. I’m nervous on the ride, while Jay makes boisterous small talk with the driver.