The Aristocrat Page 4

  “This place has really good food,” Melanie said, her eyes wide with excitement.

  “Glad to hear.” I placed the cloth napkin on my lap. “While Sigmund here is a pretty good cook, it’ll be a nice change to sample some of the local delicacies.”

  The conversation over the next several minutes was stale at best. A busboy brought some waters and assured us our waitress would be with us shortly.

  Then from the corner of my eye, I spotted her. And suddenly my night became a lot more interesting.

  Felicity. What the hell is she doing here?

  She wore a white, collared shirt and a black smock. She works here? Narragansett was clearly a small world.

  Felicity seemed tense, whispering to herself as if she were memorizing something. Then she began walking in our direction.

  When her eyes met mine, she looked like she’d seen a ghost. “What are you doing here?”

  “Dining out?” I smiled.

  “Oh, of course.” She shook her head. “That was a dumb question.”

  “I suppose I should ask what you’re doing here…but it seems you got the job you were looking for?”

  “Yeah.” She licked her lips. “It’s my first night, actually.”

  “Well, lucky to have caught you, then.”

  Flipping back a piece of paper on her pad, she said, “I’m still learning the ropes, so bear with me.”

  “Take your time,” I said, my eyes getting lost in hers for a moment.

  My cousin took it upon himself to introduce Felicity to the table.

  “Felicity, this is Shiva.” He pointed to my date, sitting across from me. “And that’s Melanie.”

  She nodded toward both women. “Good to meet you.”

  “Felicity is our neighbor across the bay,” Sigmund said.

  “You grew up in Narragansett?” Shiva asked.

  “Yes,” Felicity answered.

  “We’re from Warwick.”

  “Ah.” Felicity moved a piece of hair behind her ear. “They have a nice…mall over there.” She took a pen out of her pocket, but it slipped out of her hands. She bent to pick it up and said, “Anyway, have you all decided what you’d like to order?” She shut her eyes as if she’d made a mistake. “Actually, can I start you off with anything to drink?” She whispered, “I forgot I was supposed to ask that first.”

  “I take it you’ve never waitressed before,” Sigmund cracked.

  “How did you know?”

  “Wild guess.” He smirked.

  She took our drink orders and returned about ten minutes later.

  “Are you ready to order?” she asked.

  Everyone nodded but me.

  Wanting to prolong her presence at the table, I asked, “What do you recommend to eat here?”

  She breathed out, as if my question caused her stress. “It’s my first night, so I don’t really have the expertise to make a recommendation yet. But I did hear someone say the red snapper tacos are good.”

  As she made her way around the table, taking the orders of our dates first, I couldn’t help but notice how anxious she continued to seem, tapping her pen and bouncing her leg. I couldn’t figure out if it had to do with this being her first night, or whether seeing me made her uneasy.

  But I did know that my “date” didn’t hold a candle to the fiery redhead in all her freckled glory before me. Seeing her tonight certainly wasn’t going to help my efforts to forget about her.

  Felicity’s voice startled me. “And you?”

  “Hmm?”

  “What would you like?”

  You, I wanted to say. I fucking want you. Time with you. Time to get to know you, to count the freckles. But I was pretty sure admitting that wouldn’t go off too well.

  “I’ll have the snapper tacos, since you’ve heard good things. I prefer not to take my chances, although sometimes taking a chance might be worth it—just not with food.”

  Her eyes landed on mine and stayed there for a few seconds. My cryptic message might have gotten through to her.

  She left the table to put in our orders, and immediately I yearned for her return, all the while pretending to be somewhat interested in what Melanie had to say about her job as a schoolteacher. My eyes kept wandering the room, waiting for any glimpse of Felicity as she made her way in and out of the kitchen in the distance.

  Finally, she approached us, carrying a gigantic circular tray that I assumed held our food.

  Once she arrived, her hands seemed a bit shaky; she was most definitely still on edge as she placed the hot dishes in front of each of us.

  When she got to mine, though, somehow the tacos slipped off the plate—and right into my lap. I looked down to find a hot mess of red sauce saturating my crotch. And then came the burn.

  Hot.

  Hot.

  Hot.

  Sigmund broke out into hysterical laughter. “Not exactly the fire crotch you wished for from her, is it?” he whispered.

  * * *

  Felicity

  Track 4: “Rock the Boat” by Aaliyah

  My heart raced. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”

  Instinctively, I grabbed a cloth napkin and began wiping his lap. When it hit me how inappropriate that was, I whipped my hand away.

  “Felicity, it’s really all right.”

  Before Leo could say anything more, I ran to the kitchen and grabbed a towel. Taking it over to the sink, I wet it and added some dish soap.

  “Gino, I’m going to need another order of the snapper tacos. The last one accidentally fell…onto someone. I’m so sorry.”

  The chef didn’t look too happy, but what choice did I have but to ask him?

  I took the wet cloth back to Leo’s table and handed it to him. “Again, I’m so sorry.”

  “No need to apologize. It was funny, actually,” he said, placing his hand gently on my wrist.

  The contact sent an unexpected blast of arousal through me. “It’s not funny to me.” I pulled my wrist away. “I’ve put in another order. And it’s on me. Not on you this time. By on me, I mean I’ll cover the cost.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  I walked away again before he could say anything further.

  When I returned to the kitchen, I took a few moments to compose myself before Gino announced the replacement snapper tacos were ready. Sweating, I took the plate off the counter and headed back into the dining room.

  Placing the plate down carefully in front of Leo, I refused to make eye contact with him, instead looking over at a smirking Sig.

  The rest of the evening, I did my best to avoid the table of doom altogether. I suppose that made me a terrible waitress, but I couldn’t risk making an even bigger fool of myself. Sometimes when I’d glance over at them, I’d notice Leo’s eyes on me. He must have felt sorry for my pathetic ass tonight. Yes, this was my first shift, but I was mostly nervous because I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since he’d asked me out that day at his house. And now, seeing him on a date with a gorgeous girl was jarring. But that’s the way it goes, right? You snooze, you lose.

  The following morning at breakfast, Mrs. Angelini seemed to sense that something was bothering me.

  “Is everything okay, Felicity?”

  I put my coffee mug down. “Why do you ask?”

  “You haven’t said a word all morning. How did your first night at the restaurant go?”

  “Oh.” I shook my head. “It was…weird.”

  “Why is that?”

  “You know the neighbors across the bay? They dined at Jane’s last night.”

  “The handsome boys from Britain? What’s wrong with that?”

  “Well, for one, I dropped a hot plate of tacos on Leo’s crotch.”

  Her mouth dropped. “You what?”

  “Yeah. It was a total accident, but nevertheless awful. I ordered him a replacement and left the tacos off their bill, but after they’d gone, there was a mound of cash on the table. They left me a huge tip.”

&
nbsp; “That doesn’t sound like a bad thing.”

  “It’s not. But…”

  Mrs. Angelini’s brow furrowed. “Did something happen when you went over there for tea the other day? You never filled me in. I feel like I’m missing part of the story.”

  I exhaled. “They were on a double date last night with two gorgeous women. It threw me off, particularly because Leo asked me out that day at their house.”

  She frowned. “So, you agreed to go out with him, and now he’s dating someone else? The nerve!”

  “No, no. That’s not it. I told him I wasn’t interested.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “You did?”

  I hesitated. “I find him extremely attractive and charismatic. But I don’t think it’s a good idea to get involved with someone who’s only on this side of the Atlantic for a few months. That would be a recipe for disaster.”

  “But he’s not looking to get involved. He just wants to have some fun.”

  Her response shocked me a little. It also made me doubt again whether I’d made the right decision.

  “That’s not my thing.”

  “Fun isn’t your thing?” She chuckled.

  “I like…fun. Just not with charming men who are leaving the country.”

  “That’s fair. You’re trying to protect yourself. I understand.” She got up to pour herself another cup of coffee, then looked back at me. “You know, one of the biggest regrets I have about my youth is that I always played it safe. Henry was the best thing that ever happened to me, but I always wished I’d had a bit more fun before getting married.”

  “You think I should’ve said yes to him, even though it can’t go anywhere?”

  She stirred her java. “I do see your point in telling him no, and I certainly don’t want you to get hurt. But I also recognize that you take life very seriously—too seriously for someone your age.” She tapped the spoon. “You’ve hidden behind your schoolwork and other obligatory things for as long as I’ve known you. But you’re only young once. This is the time in your life to make memories you can look back on when you’re old like me.” Returning to her seat, she said, “You have plenty of years to worry about monogamy and stability.”

  “You’re not making me feel any better.”

  “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad about your decision. I just want to see you have some fun. That’s all. You deserve it, Felicity. You’ve worked so hard. And you’re about to embark on law school, where I’m sure you’ll bury yourself in the books for another few years. Before you know it, your twenties will have flashed before your eyes. So maybe take this summer to let go a little.”

  My head felt like it was spinning. “I appreciate the advice.”

  After breakfast, I continued thinking about everything she’d said as I retreated to my room to organize my June planner. I was a total planner nerd, collecting various notebooks and stickers to organize my time. When I looked at some of the entries for this month, it hit me that there was not a single “fun” thing. Every item listed was some obligatory thing I needed to get done before leaving at the end of the summer: doctors’ appointments I needed to get in, items for school I needed to purchase. This only supported Mrs. Angelini’s argument.

  I closed the planner and shoved it in my drawer, deciding to go outside and get some sun. I was fair-skinned and needed lots of protection, but I tried to make a point of getting at least fifteen minutes of good sunlight each day for the vitamin D.

  Grabbing a can of seltzer from the fridge, I headed out back and planted myself in one of the Adirondack chairs. After a few minutes, I noticed something moving toward me in the distance. It was a boat, and with every second, it came closer to my side of the bay. I walked over to the edge of the water.

  The boat was now close enough that I could see the driver. He waved. Oh my God. My heart accelerated. It was Leo driving this boat toward me.

  “What are you doing?” I asked as he docked.

  “What does it look like I’m doing?” He laughed.

  “Did you buy this thing?”

  “It’s a summer rental.”

  “It’s really nice.”

  “Well, I’m happy you think so, because I was hoping you’d want to take a ride with me, show me that place where you get those clams… What are they called again?”

  “Quahogs.”

  “That’s right.” He scratched his chin. “I’ve convinced Sigmund that we should have something like a clam bake tonight. I was going to buy some lobsters from the food shop, but I thought fresh-caught clams would be a nice addition. What do you say?”

  I rubbed my chin.

  He seemed to sense my hesitation. “I don’t have an ulterior motive here, Felicity, in case that’s worrying you. You made it very clear that you weren’t interested. I’m just looking to explore Narragansett a little. I think you’d make a fantastic companion, but I understand if you’re busy.”

  He looked so adorable with that hopeful smile and the sun shining on his gorgeous, light brown hair that looked almost dark blond in the sun. My walls began to break down. He’d rented a gosh darn boat—an expensive one—to go “exploring” with me. There was no way I could say no.

  “You know you can’t go clamming without rakes and stuff, right?”

  “This is the part where I show how clueless I am despite my attempt at seeming nautical. I’ve never driven a boat before this. I got a temporary certificate to operate it. I’ve also never fished for anything other than information in my life. You’re gonna have to help me out.”

  I pointed behind me. “Well, I just so happen to have rakes and shovels in the garage.”

  “Shovels? Are we burying a dead body, too?” He winked.

  “No. But you’re about to learn how to dig for clams from an expert. I sometimes use my feet, but I think I should teach you with equipment.”

  “It’s my lucky day.” Leo smiled.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Chills ran down my spine as I entered the house on my way to the garage on the opposite side.

  Mrs. Angelini stopped me in the kitchen. “Is that the Brit in the boat?”

  “Yeah. He wants to go clamming.”

  She smiled knowingly. “Sure, he does.”

  I shrugged. “It’s just clamming.”

  “Sure, it is.”

  My face felt hot as I kept walking. “Gonna go grab the rakes and shovels.”

  She called after me. “Have fun, sweetheart.”

  After I brought out the supplies, Leo helped me board before he started up the boat and began to drive. I’d expected him to go a lot faster.

  “Is there a reason you’re going so slow?” I asked.

  “I guess I figured boating was somewhat…leisurely.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “We have work to do. Let me at the wheel.”

  Seeming amused, Leo grinned as he stepped aside.

  I moved the throttle and we took off at warp speed, our hair blowing in the wind as mists of water sprayed us.

  He shouted over the sound of the motor. “Apparently I’m only equipped to operate paddle boats.”

  “It’s okay, newbie,” I yelled.

  His teeth gleamed in the sunlight as he smiled wide. He was almost painfully handsome.

  It had been a long time since I’d driven on the water. Boating was a popular pastime here, but neither Mrs. Angelini nor I owned a boat. So the only time I went out on the water was when a friend invited me or when Mrs. Angelini’s brother drove his boat from Newport to visit us and go clamming. He sometimes let me drive it. The rakes and other tools were technically his.

  When we arrived at the part of the bay where I normally dug for clams, Leo and I docked the boat and got out.

  “You’re going to need to roll up your pants,” I said.

  “But we just met,” he teased.

  That made me think how odd it was that I’d already seen him in the buff. That felt wrong. But maybe that’s why I never stopped blushing around him. The memo
ry of his glorious physique was never far from my mind. And right now, in his dark jeans, his ass looked just as good as it had the day I saw him naked. Leo’s T-shirt was drenched from the spray of water that continually hit us on the ride here. The wet, white fabric clung to him, allowing me a clear outline of the sculpted chest underneath.

  We started out in the water, digging for quahogs with the larger rakes.

  “What is that thing?” he asked, looking down at the green plastic tool I held. It had a hole in the center.

  “This is what we use to measure the size.”

  “Interesting.” He smirked.

  It looked kind of like a mini glory hole. But I wasn’t going to point that out.

  “We have to hold our quahogs up to it, and if one of them slips through, it’s too small to keep. It’s actually illegal to take those.”

  “Really. Well, you learn something new every day. I would’ve grabbed them all,” he said.

  “No. That would be like kidnapping babies. And there’s a hefty fine if someone catches you.”

  We weren’t having much luck in the water, so we moved over to the sand.

  “You don’t want to dig too deep,” I said. “Five to eight inches…anything beyond that we won’t find anything. And only lightly move the sand around, otherwise you can murder the clam if you break the shell.”

  “And they said this was fun and stress free.”

  “You’ll get the hang of it. Just watch me.”

  “Got it,” he said, though he kept unknowingly doing what I’d told him not to.

  “These over here are too small,” I said. “Let’s move to a different spot. But we have to put the sand back first to help them survive.”

  After moving to a different location, we finally ran into some luck.

  “We hit the motherlode here!” I announced. “It’s a honey hole.”

  He scrunched his nose. “A…honey hole?”

  “Yeah. A sweet spot. A honey hole. That’s what Mrs. Angelini’s brother, Paul, calls it when you find a bunch of clams all convening together. Pretty sure he made up that name.”

  “I love it.” Leo grinned.