“What,that?”Cat said, and waved her hand. “Don’t let Alessandra fool you, looking all innocent. She snuck in and looked at Don Rosolini’s schlong the second day she was here,beforethey were sleeping together.”
“CAT!” Alessandra yelped. Now it washerturn to blush crimson.
“Well?! Youdid!”
“Yousentme up there!” Alessandra protested.
“To deliverfood,not to check out his package! In theshower,no less!”
“CAT – !”
But I barely heard them.
I had gotten distracted by something Cat had said…
And all the blood drained from my face.
Alessandra noticed first. She put a hand on mine in concern. “Are you alright?”
“I… yeah…”
“You look like you saw a ghost!” Cat exclaimed.
“No, I…”
“What?” Cat asked, concerned. “What was it?”
“Just… when you said… ‘Don Rosolini.’”
Both women froze.
Cat glanced at Alessandra. Then she looked back at me and started babbling.
“I meant Dario. Her husband. We just call him that sometimes. You know, like, ‘Lord Rosolini!’ Cuz – ” She gestured around at the house. “Duh! Mansion! Like a… medieval lord or…”
She trailed off, then pointed back towards the front of the house. “You know what? They’re taking an awful long time in there, so I think I’m just gonna go check on them and see if they need anything.”
Cat hustled out of the kitchen, leaving Alessandra and me alone.
I looked at Alessandra fearfully. “I… I didn’t mean to…”
I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
Alessandra gave me a kind smile. “Giorgio already told us that you figured it out. ”
I stared at her in shock. “Did he tell youeverythingabout me?!”
Alessandra laughed. “He was quite taken with you from the very beginning. And he wanted advice.”
“Whatelsedid he ask for advice about?”
My mind immediately went to all the little gifts he had given me – the origami, the troll doll, the necklace.
I felt sick at thinking that maybe all those things I treasured – the things that made me fall in love with him – had been at the suggestion of a mafia family.
“Oh… just the date, really. And the whole…” Alessandra paused.“…complicated part.”
“Can I… can I ask you a question?” I asked timidly.
