Hm. He was very easy. Simon had been difficult for him, and yet if the gifts and money came around? Apparently that was all it took in the end. He had deluded himself into thinking Simon saw him for himself, and found some sort of charm in that.

Hilarious. Not-Richard was the closest someone had come to expressing those sentiments – and how long would that hold?

“How easy?” he said, jokingly … though the intent way he watched him seemed rather serious.

He had half a mind to linger until Crane took his seat, but he paused only two breaths before returning to his own.

“There is a manservant,” he said, dismissively, to his concerns of dirtying the place. “And I doubt the hat is that dirty.”

Too obvious? The height of subtlety, hopefully. What if he was not into that? … Maybe he could trick him into being into it. ‘Spontaneous’ was more romantic, right?

Zechariah squirmed under the compliments. It was nice, but the last time someone had paid him one, his family was literally paying the establishment. What did he do with that? File it under ways to get him to wear the copper hat?

Oh, God. This was flustering. He reached for the nearest liquor, paused, then pretended to have some self-control by pouring a white wine instead.

“I had a nice time, too,” he said, then winced. “I mean, I have been looking forward to tonight.”

And it had totally felt awesome to be his white knight, but he knew he was not supposed to say as much. He took a long sip of wine.

“Good day, all things considered.”

Amazing day that had ended this poor, self-loathing Catholic up in his dungeon beach home.