Rory's eyes widened in innocence at Pippa's proclamation of the porcine nature of the male gender, then narrowed in amusement at her addendum. He hoped all this helped hide the jolt of protective irritation he found himself feeling after her description of the other gaffers' behavior. She's handling them just fine, laddie-buck, and doesn't need you leaping to her defense. He'd erred on the side of over-protectiveness with Pippa once already; he didn't need to make the same mistake twice.

When she pulled out those keys, however ... oh yes, he was intrigued. "I have, yes. Tadhg and I borrow a speedboat from a friend of his now and again. Haven't wrecked or overturned it yet." Reaching for the keys with a ooo-new-plaything brand of eagerness, he asked, "Are there any 'rules of the road' I need to know about Venetian canals?"