"Can I talk to you?" she said, parking herself on the huge bed in a way that said she wasn’t taking no for an answer. Looking at her, he was struck by the fact that she was barefoot, her toes curled up, pink soles contrasting with the polished brown of the upper sides of her feet. It was an incongruous perception. But then Serrin always tended to see details when he wanted to avoid the big picture.