high point of his career, not the low point. Instead, he’s a low-level advertising guy and hates his job. That’s not good news for you. And you may be very good news for him. I don’t want to see that happen to you. You deserve better than that. He seems more like a play and party guy to me. He’s charming as hell, and he loves you, but you should have someone who contributes more than that. He wants kids, but how is he going to support them, and you?” She knew that her mother had lived on her father’s meager earnings when she’d married him, and worked herself. She wasn’t sure how ambitious Nigel was. He talked about people, and their social plans, and the house parties they were going to, not about work, or building anything for the future, or saving money. Sam was giving her good advice.
“I feel rude snooping into his financial situation. He says he has no money. His brother got everything, and he got nothing when his father died. What more do I need to know? He already told me. He’s not hiding anything.”
“That’s the British system,” Sam commented, and poured himself another cup of coffee. “I don’t think this is about being rude. You have to protect yourself. He leads a very high-end life with a lot of jet-set people. This is not the ‘normal’ guy we were talking about. He’s another highflyer, a flashy guy like Ed, but maybe with no way to get the plane off the ground, unless you pay for it. Check it out. Ed could do it for you. It’s not that complicated.”
“This is none of Ed’s business,” Coco said immediately. It complicated everything that she had slept with her trustee, and shouldn’t have. She regretted it now. “I’ll see what I can figure out.” Sam nodded. He had raised some good points.
“Have you met his brother?”
“No, they hate each other, and they don’t speak, if they can avoid it. His brother got everything, and gave him nothing.”
“That’s not good news either. He seems like a sweet guy. I like him. His life is a little fancy for me, with dukes and duchesses, and counts and castles. That all matters a lot to him. Is that what you want, Coco?” He was surprised. It seemed so unlike her. But Nigel was very seductive and glamorous in a boyish way, and the people around him and their lifestyle were very appealing too. They seemed to play all the time. It was a throwback to another era. Nigel readily admitted that many of the aristocrats he knew had lost their money but refused to give up the lifestyle that went with it. He didn’t seem to mind since they gave a lot of the parties he went to.
“It’s kind of fun. A lot of it is very superficial, but I’ve met some interesting people with him. And I love him. He’s kind of like Prince Charming. He’s generous with me. He paid for everything in Paris and he always pays when we go out to dinner.” But he had a miserable, seedy little apartment. She suspected that he was spending his entire salary on her. And the house parties they went to cost him nothing.
“Just make sure Prince Charming has a little something in the bank and won’t be totally dependent on you. Or if that’s the case, at least you’ll know what to expect. It’s hard to talk about money, but if you’re thinking about this long-term, you should know.” She nodded, and knew he was right. Maybe Nigel found it hard to talk about it too. It was embarrassing for both of them. He had said he was poor since they met, so he hadn’t misled her. No matter how in love with her he was, he wasn’t proposing marriage, so she didn’t need to worry about it. And by no stretch of the imagination could she see herself married at twenty-two. So Sam was worried for nothing, but she was grateful for his concern.
They talked about Tamar too. Sam said he loved her, but Coco wasn’t convinced. She was the kind of girl his parents wanted him to marry, but Coco thought he needed someone more interesting than a religious bank clerk who wanted six kids. It sounded like a dismal future to her, and to Sam too. She didn’t want to see him give up his dreams just to please his parents, and