“Who?!”
“She works in a coffee shop next to Bianca’s shop in Florence.”
I normally would have said ‘SignoraRosolini’ instead of ‘Bianca,’ but since there were sixSignoraRosolinis, it was a little difficult to be precise without using first names.
“OoooOOOH!” Cat said gleefully. “Tell me everything!”
“Nothing to tell,” I said, then added, “Yet.”
“What’s she look like?”
“She’s blonde.”
“Real or bottle blonde?”
“Real.”
“Is she from the north?”
“Milan,” I confirmed.
“Have you used all your charm on her yet?” Cat teased me.
“I’m trying, but she’s playing hard to get.” I grimaced. “I think she might’ve figured out what I do for a living.”
“Ohhhhhh,” Alessandra and Cat both said at the same time.
“Yeah.”
“You think it’s a dealbreaker?” Cat asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“At least she’s not the kind of girl who would chaseafteryou because of your job,” Alessandra pointed out.
“Yeah,” I said glumly, although at the moment, I probably would have taken that option.
“I bet it’s not a dealbreaker,” Cat reassured me. “It all depends on the guy. I was crazy about Valentino, so it didn’t matter to me what he did. You’re a great guy, so I’m betting she’ll come around. Right, Ale?”
Alessandra looked like a deer caught in headlights. “…uh… yeah.”
Cat gave her a look like,Come ON, you’re supposed to be ENCOURAGING him!
Alessandra forced herself to smile. “Well… I’m obviously nothappyabout what Dario does for a living, but… you learn to look past it.”
Not exactly words that inspired confidence.
Cat frowned at her.What was THAT?!
Alessandra looked at her back likeLeave me alone!
That’s when Raffaelo chimed in with an affected lisp. “I knowIlearned to loveMYboyfriend even though he’s in the mafia.”
Everybody laughed – me most of all.
“Because he’s hot, right?” Cat asked him.
“SO hot,” Raffaelo said with the same lisp.
