Terrifying.
However, I didn’t want to spoil the moment.
So I pushed down my fears and forced a smile. “Okay.”
63
His place was in a really nice part of Florence, just outside the historic center.
The building was old on the outside but modern on the inside.Muchbetter than myplace.
And his apartment!
It was wide open and spacious, with a big living room and a modern kitchen.
I’d been expecting something like a dark man-cave –
But it was actually incredibly well-decorated andveryinviting.
There were polished terra-cotta tile floors with a really nice Persian rug over them…
Cream-colored plaster walls…
Big white curtains at the windows…
A coffee table with a marble platter and small glass bottles holding tiny plants…
Dark wooden bookshelves in a recessed alcove…
Comfortable tan sofas and chairs with soft pillows…
A huge television…
Beautiful black and white photos of Florence and Tuscany on the walls…
And really great lighting that bathed the room in pools of light and shadow.
“What the hell, man?” I said in shock as I looked around.
“What?” he asked defensively.
“When did youget your interior decorating license?”
He laughed. “Actually, this is all Bianca’s doing. She went shopping with me and told me exactly what to buy.”
“Ohhhhh… nowonderit looks so great.”
“Exactly. She insisted that I had to make it ‘female friendly’ if I ever wanted to invite anyone over.”
“Bianca’s a smart woman.”
“She is, indeed.” Giorgio walked over to a wooden bar stocked with expensive bottles of booze. “Cocktail?”
“Sure.”
“Any requests?”
“Surprise me.”
