She was so used to her colleagues’ baggy uniforms that it had initially felt strange to see Lex sitting opposite her in his normal clothes. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a blue cardigan that suited him perfectly. His short brown hair was graying slightly at the temples. In addition to his dark eyes and his surname, he had inherited his hair color from his grandfather—Carlito Melo, a Brazilian sailor who had started a family in the Netherlands, but who hadn’t let that stop him from embarking on intimate relationships in other countries too. Lex’s father had ended up with half brothers and half sisters all over the world.

Helen used her spoon to break the caramelized sugar on her crème brûlée. “Your childhood sounds very exotic.”

“It was completely normal other than that. We mainly kept in touch via letters and photos.” He put his dessertspoon down on his plate. “My own father was a good deal less adventurous than my granddad. He thought Belgium was far away. We only ever went on one trip, when we stayed with a half uncle in Italy.”

“I always used to be jealous of children from big families.”

“They were probably jealous of you, because you had your mother’s full attention and you didn’t have to share your bedroom. Or wear your sisters’ hand-me-downs.”

“I never thought of it like that before.” Helen had to raise her voice to be heard. The Last Stand was one of the most popular bistros downtown. The food was tasty, and despite the crowds and the chaotic service, it always had a good atmosphere. There had been only one table left when they arrived—tucked away in a dimly lit corner close to the coatracks—but it didn’t matter. Lex was great company. There were no awkward silences; one topic of conversation flowed seamlessly into the next. Helen enjoyed listening to him but realized that she perhaps liked looking at him even more. He gestured enthusiastically as he talked about his family, and his open expression made it difficult to suppress the desire to touch him. Her good sense warned her not to compare him with Werner, but she couldn’t stop herself from doing so.

“I just don’t understand how you can still be single after three years,” she suddenly heard herself say.

Most men would have taken that as a compliment, but Lex responded seriously. “Andrea set the bar so high—I find most women aren’t fun, interesting, or attractive enough.” He looked at her so intensely, she felt bashful.

“Well, you won’t meet any of those fun single ladies if you keep spending your Saturday nights with married women,” she joked.

“You’re the only married woman I spend time with, Helen.”