NautiCal (Forever Wilde 8)

I was out of my depth. Wasn’t this the kind of money royal families had? Why hadn’t it hit me until now?

My stomach started churning, and I immediately regretted all of the cinnamon bites I’d consumed. I needed help. I needed someone to tell me how to comport myself around people this rich.

A voice in my head reminded me I seemed to be doing fine so far.

They like you. I think?

Still. What if I said something stupid? I was a country kid from rural Texas for god’s sake. Surely I was going to put my foot in it at some point. Maybe the difference was… I cared more now about what they thought of me.

I thought about my brother-in-law Augie. He had big family money. But I knew if I asked him about it, he’d clam up like a little scared turtle pulling inside his shell.

Felix.

My cousin Felix would talk to me. He was married to an actual royal. He’d tell me what pitfalls to avoid.

“Excuse me,” I murmured, standing up.

“You okay?” Worth asked with a crinkle of concern on his face.

I nodded. “Just forgot something I needed to talk to my family about. Be back in a few.”

When I got back to the safety and privacy of the stateroom, I scrambled to bring up the secure app Felix and Lior used.

Cal: You around? I need some advice.

After only a couple of minutes, he responded.

Felix: Yes. Thankfully, I am exempt from the sword ceremony this morning after the last time.

Cal: What happened the last time?

Felix: I accidentally cut off the top of an ornamental topiary thing with my sword. I didn’t realize those suckers are actually really sharp, and I was trying to impress Lio with my sword fighting skills.

That sounded just like my dorky cousin.

Cal: You have sword fighting skills? Since when?

Felix: Since I chopped the shit out of an ornamental shrub like a boss. What’s going on?

I sighed and tried to figure out how to phrase my problem. Before I could come up with the words, the phone rang in my hand.

“Tell me,” he said before I even had a chance to say hello.

“Bonjour, mon petit roi,” I said. He hated it when the rest of us called him Little King, but since we’d all played a Wii game by that name when I was in middle school and Felix was in college, he was shit out of luck the minute he married an actual king.

“Ignoring you,” he said. “Also, you’re stalling. It’s what you do.”

I took a breath. “I met this guy,” I began.

The squeal over the phone bore a hole through my brain. “Tell. Me. Everything.”

“Stop. Be serious. It’s not about that. He’s not… I mean, it’s not… this isn’t a relationship guy. But I still need to ask you something.”

Felix was quiet for a moment. “Why not a relationship guy? Is he straight? Married? Ooh, is he a closeted prince getting ready to become a king? Nah, probably not. That would never happen in real life.”

“So, we’re not being serious, I see,” I muttered.

“Sorry. It’s really good to hear your voice, Calgary,” he said affectionately. “Tell me what you need. You know I’ll help in any way I can.”

His manner of speaking had changed slightly since moving to Europe. It was strange to notice it every once in a while. Felix was like a brother to me since we’d both spent so many years together at the ranch. I missed him, but I was thrilled he’d found such a wonderful life with Lior.

“It’s kind of a long and weird story, but basically I’m on a yacht this week with a really wealthy family. I knew they were rich, right? The ship itself is a big fancy deal. But then I realized that they’re like… Jay-Z rich.”

“Okay?”

“And I feel like trailer trash by comparison,” I admitted. “And I’m afraid I’m going to do something or say something that outs me as an imposter.”

He chuckled warmly. “Ah, welcome to my life. I see why I was the lucky one to get your text, then.”

“I hope you don’t mind. I just figured you’d have the best advice for the situation.”

“Of course I don’t mind, but Cal… you’re very easy to be around in every situation. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wrong-footed.”

“No, but, like… I don’t want to embarrass him. I’m bound to say something stupid.” I paused, remembering the conversation about boxed wine. “But maybe if I just keep playing it off as a joke…”

“Embarrass whom?”

I flopped down on the bed. “The guy. The guy who owns the yacht. I’m kind of… his date this week. Sort of. Kind of. Pretend, you know?”

“Are you in some kind of trouble? Has someone paid you to be their plus-one? I once saw a movie like this. Richard Gere and those eyes…”