“Shall we proceed?” I gesture to the door.
“I think we shall.”
Then, together, we head out the door and start walking toward town.
“So tell me what the plan is,” Rupert says.
“The plan is, Tilly and Aunt Kitty are supposed to meet her at the C-shell.”
“Is that the one that sits directly on the beach?”
“That’s the one. The tables are actually immersed in the sand. Kitty was saying that Renley loves going there but doesn’t go often because it’s expensive. Since that isn’t a problem for me, I asked her to set up a reservation under her name and I’d meet Renley there.”
“The perfect swap-a-roo plan,” Rupert says with a twirl of his finger.
“It is. Let’s just hope that Renley doesn’t despise me for doing it.”
“How can she when you look as dapper as you do?”
He has a point.
Thankfully, the sky is clear again tonight—not a cloud in sight—and the temperature is perfect to be comfortable outside in a T-shirt and shorts. And since she got a late start on staining, we’re closing in on sunset for dinner, so it might turn out to be an incredibly beautiful night.
When we hit the main street of town, we turn right and head toward the beach. “Good evening,” a store owner to the right says.
“Hello.” Rupert waves.
“How are you two fine gentlemen?”
“Great. Enjoying a promenade.”
“I see. And quite the romantic evening for that.”
Oh boy.
I see where this is going.
Smiling, I slip my arm through Rupert’s and say, “That it is.” Then, with a nod, we keep walking down the footpath toward the ocean.
“I can feel the pride you have, walking arm in arm with me. Should Renley be worried?” Rupert asks, mirth in his voice.
“No, you should. She’s the one taking me away from you.”
“The harlot,” he playfully seethes as I release my arm from his. He glances around and asks, “Does it seem weird that everyone is so nice to us? Every store we go in, the shop owners are sweet and helpful, and ready to assist us with anything we need. Didn’t Renley say the town was mean?”
“Yeah, she did. But think about it. They know her, they don’t know us. To them, we look like two rich arseholes walking around with tassels on our shoes.”
“Not for long,” Rupert says with a knowing smirk.
“Which means we might be treated the same way that Renley is treated after the old snip-snip.”
Rupert grips my shoulder as we reach the restaurant. “A risk I’m willing to take.” He glances around and whispers, “I don’t see her. Why don’t you sneak in and get into position?”
“Thanks for walking me.”
“What are butlers for?”
“Apparently escorting. What are you going to do now?”
