The Aristocrat

“Precisely.” Leo bent his head back in laughter. “And I love that you don’t mince words.”

“I am a bit of a straight shooter once I get comfortable around someone. Life’s too short not to be.”

“I can’t tell you what a breath of fresh air it is to talk to someone who isn’t trying to be someone they’re not. I envy you in many ways.”

“Envy? How so?”

“Back home—the life I was born into—you’re expected to act a certain way, conduct yourself in a way that’s very mechanical, for lack of a better word. I never feel like it’s okay to be my authentic self, not only because I’m constantly being watched and judged, but because no one will accept me unless I fit their expectations. As difficult as I know your upbringing was, clearly it allowed you to grow into yourself, a strong woman who says what she wants, who makes her own choices. A family who nurtures you can be a wonderful thing. But family can also be a burden…stifling.”

I arched a brow. “You don’t expect me to feel sorry for you…”

He shook his head. “God, no. I’m sorry if I came across that way—”

“No worries. I’m just teasing. I can’t begin to understand your struggles, just as you wouldn’t understand mine. Clearly we come from two different worlds.”

Leo continued to stare through me as my heart raced. I looked away.

Then I looked down at my watch. “Well, it’s actually later than I thought. I’d better get back.” I got up from my chair. “Thank you so much for the tea, and the tea-quila.”

Leo stood, his chair skidding against the ground. “You sure you have to leave?”

“Yeah, I’d really better.”

He blinked, seeming taken aback. I couldn’t say I fully understood this myself.

“I’ll walk you to your car.”

“Thanks.”

My shoes clicked against the marble floor of the foyer as Leo led the way back to the front of the house.

We stood face to face as a light breeze blew my long, thick red hair around. It was neither straight nor curly in its natural state, just a fluffy mane of waves. A strand flew into my mouth, and I blew some air out to get it off my face.

I was just about to say goodbye when Leo surprised me with a question.

“Why do you not like your freckles?” His eyes fell to my cheeks.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. When I was younger, people teased me about them, and I guess that made me hate them.”

Leo glanced down at my neck. “I love them, especially how they continue down your neck. They give you character.”

“A few give you character.” I looked at my feet. “I’m covered in them.”

“Yes, I know. It’s beautiful.” He paused. “You’re beautiful.”

I looked up and met his eyes.

While I hadn’t felt beautiful coming here in my Mary Poppins outfit, the man in front of me, the way he looked at me, did make me feel beautiful, for some reason. And that made me feel…like fleeing.

I lifted my hand. “Well, I’ll see you around town, I guess.”

As I began to walk toward my car, Leo called after me. “Felicity, wait.”

I turned around. “Yeah?”

He slipped his hands into his pockets. “Will you let me take you out sometime?”

My mouth opened, but all I could think to say was, “On a date?”

“Of course.” He laughed. “What else?”

He looked so handsome as he stood waiting for my answer, the sun reflecting in his blue eyes. A part of me wanted to say yes. But I knew getting closer to this guy would be a bad idea.

So I forced the words out. “Thank you so much for the offer, but I don’t think so.”

He frowned. “Can I ask why?”

Despite my openness about certain things today, I didn’t want to admit the reason I’d declined: he scared me. For some reason, I knew saying yes would lead to inevitable heartbreak by summer’s end. I needed to protect myself.

“I’m just...not interested,” I finally said. Damn, was that ever a lie.

He nodded slowly. “Okay. Fair enough.”

“Thank you again so much for tea,” I said before escaping to my car so I didn’t have to experience the lingering tension. Except in my haste, I accidentally put the car in reverse. Stepping on the brakes fast, I waved awkwardly and laughed. When Leo’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, it kind of tore through my heart.

I pulled out of the driveway and made my way down the road. Not even a minute into my ride, I was second-guessing having rejected his offer to take me out. We obviously came from two different worlds, and dating him would be futile since he was leaving, but I was deeply attracted to him—not only his looks, but his down-to-earth personality.

Without realizing it, I had long passed the street that led to my house when I finally looked around. I found myself driving over a bridge, unsure where I was headed anymore. Sort of the story of my life.