“My god, Ava, I can’t believe you’re leaving! It’s so sudden!” Barbara says, hugging me. She’s a freckled redhead from Scotland with a Sean Connery accent. Fortunately, her voice is a good octave higher than his. Always down to earth, she’s in a simple plaid dress and chunky boots, although she said the garment isn’t at all authentic—she picked it up in Shibuya. She looks at Lucas curiously. “And who is this fine specimen?”
“Barbara, say hello to Lucas. He’s my, um—”
“Boyfriend,” Lucas says.
Pleasure unfurls at the designation. We never called each other boyfriend and girlfriend before. We never really had the chance, since we were rarely out in public where we could run into people we knew.
“Hadn’t the slightest you were dating.” Barbara winks. “No wonder you didn’t show him around. He’s a catch, he is.”
I sense him stiffen through our linked hands, but she seems oblivious.
“Good for you,” she continues. “The two of you going back together, then?”
“Yes.” I look up briefly at Lucas who smiles his distant smile. His aloof attitude bothers me, but maybe he just doesn’t know how to behave around people who are really gregarious. “Have you seen Bennie? I want to say hi.”
“Aye, sure. The laddie went back there”—she gestures toward the shaded area near the kitchen and storage—“with Drew.”
Oh no. My spider sense tingles, and not in a good way. Bennie doesn’t do well when he feels cornered, and Drew going with him may not be the best thing for either of them.
I turn to Lucas. “I’m going to go say hello. Can you get me a beer?”
Lucas’s forehead creases, and I smooth it with my left forefinger. “Anything in particular you want?” he asks.
“I’m not picky.” I grin. “Surprise me.”
While Lucas moves through the crowd to get the bartender’s attention, I head back to look for Bennie. If things are going well between him and Drew, I plan to retreat quietly. Otherwise I want to stop Bennie before he does anything he might regret.
I spot them easily in the back. Bennie is in his favorite black long-sleeved shirt paired with frayed black jeans. His hair is sticking up like he hasn’t combed it in days. Meanwhile Drew is smartly dressed in a button-down gray shirt and navy blue jeans. The Converse sneakers on his feet are fire-engine red, lending a splash of color to the otherwise conservative ensemble.
They’re facing each other, their bodies slightly angled away from me. Bennie’s hands are fisted, and he looks like he’s about to throw a punch. Drew doesn’t seem to be close to violence, but he isn’t relaxed either.
“I told you already,” Bennie hisses.
“No, you didn’t. You walked out and started ignoring my calls and texts. That is not telling me anything. That is being an arse.”
“Do I have to explain everything?”
“Yes. You don’t get to storm out on me and then shut me out.”
“You’re abandoning me.”
Drew pulls back. “What? I am not. I asked you to come with me to England!”
“What the hell am I going to do there while you…” Bennie rolls his wrist rapidly in the air. “…do whatever it is you do?”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re the son of an earl!”
Holy crap. Drew is an English peer?
Drew’s jaw slackens. “Is that what this is about? I simply cannot—” He throws his arms up in the air. “Yes, I’m the son of an earl. The third son.”
“So?”
“I’m not going to inherit the title. It’s my oldest brother’s. What does it… Wait. Are you upset about that?”
“No.” Bennie bristles. “I’m upset that you didn’t tell me from the beginning.”