* * *
Felicity
Track 2: “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” by the Original Broadway Cast of Annie
“What exactly does one wear to tea?” I asked.
“I’ll tell you what they don’t wear. That raggedy ‘gamer girl’ T-shirt you’ve got on.”
My best friend, Bailey, was entering her second year of grad school at Brown. She lived about forty minutes away in Providence, but was visiting me a couple of hours before I was set to head over to the neighbors’ house.
“That’s why I’m asking you. You have much better fashion sense than I do.”
She sifted through my closet. “I’m thinking…something buttoned up and proper, yet chic.”
“Really? Aside from their accents, these guys don’t seem that proper at all. They’re more wild.”
“Think about it. Tea? That’s like synonymous with high necks and buttons.” She reached for a white blouse I often wore to interviews. “This looks nice. What do you have for skirts?”
“I don’t really wear them.”
“Seriously. Your entire closet is jeans, the same few T-shirts in different colors, and a couple of sweatshirts.”
“Well, that’s what I like.”
“You need something for special occasions, though.”
“I don’t really go anywhere.”
She managed to find the one skirt I had in the back of my closet. “What’s this?”
“That’s the skirt I wore to concert choir performances in high school.”
“Does it fit?”
“I think so, but don’t you think that’s too formal?”
“Nah. Try it on.”
I undressed, putting on the white shirt and buttoning it before slipping the long, black skirt over my legs.
Bailey looked me up and down. “You look nice.” She continued searching through my closet. “What about this over it?” She took a gray blazer off one of the hangers. “You need something to spruce up the white shirt.”
“It’s June. Isn’t it too warm out for a blazer?”
“Well, you’ll be in the air conditioning, right?”
“Maybe. Not sure.” I slipped the jacket over my shoulders.
“Why are these guys renting that house again?”
“He said they picked Narragansett randomly. They’re on a six-month vacation here in the States.”
“Weird. But cool at the same time.” She beamed. “You think this guy likes you?”
I closed the last button on the jacket. “I don’t know.”
“Well, he has no clue he’s invited the chess champion of Narragansett High over for tea.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s something to advertise. It’s bad enough I’m dressed like I’m going to a job interview. I don’t need to highlight my nerd tendencies.”
She laughed. “Okay. Well, I gotta run. Let me know how it goes, okay?”
“Will do.”
“And Felicity? Come meet me in the city next week. Let’s go shopping. I didn’t realize how bad this closet situation was.”
“Not necessary.”
“Oh, believe me, it’s necessary.”
I parked my tiny car in front of the beautiful property, which had a circular driveway. The house featured wood-shingle siding and a stunning front porch with four white Adirondack chairs. This was the quintessential Narragansett house, yet most people could only afford it in their dreams.
Before I could walk to their front door, Sig came out to greet me. I faced him as I stood in front of my car.
He gave me a once-over. “I didn’t realize we’d invited Mary Poppins to tea.”
Great.
Is it that bad? I looked down at myself. It is that bad. Long, black skirt with a white shirt and blazer. The only thing missing was the umbrella. Damn you, Bailey.
Glancing at his shirtless chest, I understood now that this was most definitely a casual “tea.” Leo, who happened to have a T-shirt on, finally appeared, running toward us as if to stop his cousin from doing further damage.
“There you are,” Leo said.
“I’ve never been invited to tea before,” I told him. “I assumed it was more formal. But clearly I was wrong.”
Leo smiled. “I think it’s adorable that you dressed up. And for the record, you look lovely.”
“And you’re a liar.” I laughed, wiping some lint off my skirt. “But thank you anyway.”
Sig looked over at my tiny, mint green Fiat 500. “Would you like to bring your toy car inside as well?”
“Leave my car alone. It’s easy to park and good on gas.”
“Sigmund can relate to being small and gassy,” Leo joked. He placed his hand lightly at the small of my back, sending a chill down my spine. “Welcome to our humble abode. Let’s go inside.”
“Hardly humble.” I chuckled, looking up at the massive property.
They led me through a large foyer to a spacious kitchen with cream-colored cabinets and sparkling granite countertops.
“What can I get you to drink?” Leo asked.
“I thought tea was the default beverage today.”
“I bet you like it with just a spoonful of sugar, yeah?” Sig chided.
I rolled my eyes. “Spoonful of Sugar”—the famous song from Mary Poppins. This guy was a pill.
I don’t think Leo got the joke. He just squinted at his cousin. “Well, when I invited you for tea, I was using the term loosely,” he said. “I do have other options. But I can make tea, if that’s what you want.”
“In that case, I’d love some tequila. Have any?” I teased.
“Tea-quila. Coming right up, gorgeous.”
“I was kidding, but I certainly won’t turn it down.”
“Tea-quila is much better than tea anyway.” He winked.
Sig had left the kitchen, and Leo ventured into an adjacent room that must have been where the liquor was stored. For the brief time I was left alone, I gazed out through the French doors at the bay.
His voice startled me. “It’s a beautiful day.” Leo stood holding what I recognized as a bottle of Casamigos Reposado tequila and two shot glasses.
“It’s gorgeous out, yes.”
He gestured with his head. “Let’s enjoy these drinks outside, shall we? I’m eager to learn more about you.”
“About me? I thought I was supposed to be teaching you about Narragansett.”
“Oh. Well, I suppose we can talk about that, too.” He smiled.
Leo led me out to the large deck and placed the alcohol and glasses on a table. I sat in one of the chairs, and he sat across from me.
He opened the bottle and poured the tequila nearly up to the rim of my shot glass before serving himself.
He reached his glass toward mine. “Cheers.”
We both threw back at the same time. The tequila burned my throat as it went down.
So much for tea. Bottoms up! Almost instantly, I felt the buzz, my cheeks tingling. Looking across the sparkling bay, I said, “It’s weird to see my house from this angle. Mrs. Angelini’s property looks even more beautiful from here. In fact, I think this view—the back of her house—is the best part.”