Effy grinned at Kate's burst of confidence— not that Marshall was placing the bar too high. As much as Effy liked the boy from what she saw of him, she certainly felt that Kate had the upper hand in that overall level of comfort that she displayed, and in many areas of life, that made all the difference. The only reason why Effy had gotten half as far as she did with people was because she learned that too from Tony, how to smile, how to affect others without hardly raising a finger. She didn't need that confidence to be honest. People just had to believe it.

Sometimes, she wondered if part of that strength on Kate's side was also tugged about with grit teeth. For the most part, Effy would have named Kate as the stronger between the two of them, no question. But she wondered if that was ever not true.

"Two years," she replied, leaning forward slightly to squint at the second island, paddling a little faster on her side to turn them towards the alcove. "He was like... the one who practically raised me, though. Started chasing after him as soon as I could walk. Held my hand lots."