Page 26 of How to Blow It with a Billionaire

“This is Arden,” Ellery said, when she was finally released. “Arden, this is Flossie, Dick, Mikhail, Janet, and John.”

I waved a little awkwardly, since I had no idea what these people had to do with each other, or with Ellery. With the exception of Mikhail, they were all in their fifties at least. John, in his tweedy, elbow-patch-sporting jacket, looked like an academic. And Janet like the subject of that Jenny Joseph poem.

Dick peered up from the latest George RR Martin. “Where’ve you been, Ellery girl? We thought you’d forgotten us.”

“Just been busy.”

“You’ve missed out.”

“Oh yeah? Highlights?”

Flossie reclaimed her seat. “This German couple took Miskha’s spot. But we soon had them put to rights.”

“I meant,” said the alien being who had replaced Ellery, “musically.”

“The Halle, I think. Gave us some smashing Mahler.”

Ellery shrugged. Now that was more like her. “Das Lied?”

They nodded.

“Eh. Every time I hear that, I’m like…hurry up and die already. Don’t hang there in D forever.”

John was polishing his glasses on the edge of his sleeve. “We should have guessed our lonely, half-forgotten Bela would draw you out.”

Another Ellery shrug.

“Did you know he was supposed to have composed much of this piece while at a nudist camp?”

“Look that up on Wikipedia, did you?”

John’s forehead went pink as the others laughed.

“Anyway”—Ellery pulled out her phone and checked the time—“we’d better get going. Got our own queue to join.”

Oh great. We were queuing as well?

My face must have reflected something of my feelings on the subject because Dick smiled up at me. “Never you mind, lad. It’s part of the fun.”

“You should come with us one day,” Flossie was saying to Ellery.

“Nah. Arena’s for people who want to be part of something. Gallery’s for people who don’t.”

“You know you’re always welcome.”

Ellery smiled—and, wow, she looked bizarrely sweet. “Save me a heave.”

“If you save us a ho.”

Then she caught me by the hand and dragged me off down the steps. And I couldn’t say I was any more illuminated. Our queue led all the way from the west side of the Hall, along a street, and past the back of a church.

“We’re good,” Ellery announced, having sized it up.

“Are we?”

“Oh yes,” said the lady in front of us, “I’ve been right at the bottom of Bremner Road and still got in.”

Since something was clearly expected of me, I offered a slightly anxious “yay.”

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