The Aristocrat

“Ah. You need a boat to do that?”

“Well, there’s a section of the bay where you can harvest a lot, but you need a boat to get there from here.”

“I see.” Leo licked butter off the side of his lips. “If I can get a boat, will you take us there?”

“Um…I don’t know...” I stammered.

Leo’s face fell. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to volunteer you to be our tour guide. That’s not your job.”

“I just don’t know if I can commit to anything right now. I’m in the process of looking for a summer job. I have a couple of leads, so I don’t know my schedule for much longer.”

He nodded, still seeming disappointed. “Fair enough.”

I exhaled. “So...how long are you guys here exactly?”

“Until the end of August,” Leo answered.

“Leaving sooner would be my preference,” Sig interjected. “I’m more eager to return home than Leo.”

“Then you guys head back to England?”

Leo sighed. “That’s the plan.”

“His family will have his balls if he doesn’t come back by September,” Sig interjected.

Leo chose to move on. “So, you said you’re going to law school in the fall. Tell me more. Which school and what type of law are you looking to specialize in?”

“Drexel. And I want to use my degree to work in child advocacy someday, to help children who grew up the way I did. That’s very important to me, to do something close to my heart where I can make a difference.”

“If only everyone followed their passion, the world would be a better place.” Leo smiled.

Sig looked between us. “Did I miss something? Children who grew up the way you did?”

“I told your cousin earlier that I grew up in the foster care system.”

“An orphan?”

I hated that term. “Yes.”

Sig blinked a few times. “Let me get this straight. You’re a redheaded orphan. You live with an older woman. Is her name Miss Hannigan, by any chance?” He tilted his head. “Do you have a dog named Sandy?”

Very funny. I rolled my eyes. “I think it’s pretty hysterical how well you know Annie, Sig. I wouldn’t have taken you for someone so well-versed in musicals. First Mary Poppins, now this.”

Leo’s face reddened as he turned to his cousin. “You are an absolute buffoon.”

“And you’re…Daddy Warbucks, apparently.”

Leo nearly spit out his tea.

“Actually, our nan took me to see Annie in London when I was a kid.” Sig looked over at me. “I’m sorry. I’ll stop being an arsehole for now,” he said. For the first time since I’d met him, he seemed genuinely interested. “What happened to your family?”

Before I could answer, Leo said, “I don’t think you need to be prying into her background right now. Let the girl enjoy her tea without having to give you her life’s story.”

“I don’t have a problem talking about it,” I insisted.

Leo nodded.

I braced myself to explain. “My mother died of a drug overdose when I was seven. She’d been estranged from her family long before I was born. When you’re left without a parent at that age, you don’t have people eager to adopt you. People prefer newborns, not scrawny seven-year-olds who don’t talk much. So, I was placed in various homes, but for one reason or another, no one was ever able to adopt me. I got very lucky—made it through the system without being physically or emotionally harmed. That’s not the case for many kids. So, bottom line, someday I’d like to be able to help those who are less fortunate than I was.”

Sig nodded. “That’s commendable.”

“Is that a compliment from your snarky ass?” I asked.

Leo snorted.

I shifted my focus to him. “What is it that you do, Sigmund?”

“Besides lurk in the shadows of my much better-looking and successful cousin, you mean?” He stood suddenly. “It seems I might have matched with a gorgeous Persian girl who’s approximately two miles away. I need to get ready.” He lifted his teacup toward me. “Nice chatting with you, Freckles. I mean, Felicity.” He winked.

“Good riddance,” Leo muttered when he’d gone.

“That was kind of a random way to depart.”

“That’s typical Sigmund behavior. He’s at a crossroads right now, unsure what he wants to do with his life. I think your question scared him off. Not to mention, this is the longest I’ve seen him sit in one spot since we got here. He’s always had ants in his pants. He’s never satisfied just being alone, or relaxing and enjoying life. He’s always going in search of the next big thing, the next woman, the next adventure.”

“Makes sense why he wasn’t the one who wanted to come to Narragansett, then.”

“The deal was, if we spent the first half of our trip in metropolitan cities, he had to go wherever I chose for the last half. And so far? This was just what the doctor ordered.”

“Yet even here, he’s still finding ways to get ass.”