“Yeah,” I said, surprised. “How’d you know?”
“‘Cause she’sgorgeous.I was even thinking about asking if she would model some of my dresses.”
“How much do you like this chick?” Adriano asked me.
“A lot,” I confessed.
“You barely know her,” Bianca said gently.
“Doesn’t matter,” Adriano said. “Not if he got hit by the thunderbolt.”
“Thewhat?”Bianca and I both asked at the same time.
“That’s right, you’re both from Tuscany,” Adriano mused. “In Sicily, they call love at first sight ‘the thunderbolt’ – except it’s not exactly love at first sight. It’s more like obsession.”
I made a face likeOh shit.“Actually, that fits.”
“Well, don’t give up,” Adriano advised me.
“I’m not.”
“Good. Bianca fuckin’ hated mygutswhen we first met.”
“I didn’t hate your guts,” Bianca protested. “I just knew you were in the mafia, and I hated the mafia, notyou.”
“Oh yeah?” Adriano said with a grin. “Remember our very first conversation? How you slapped me, then told me to go stick my money up my ass?”
Bianca sighed. “…okay, yeah… I hated your guts.”
Adriano grinned as he looked at me, likeSEE? I was right!
“ButyouhatedME,too,” Bianca pointed out.
“No – you annoyed the hell out of me, yeah, but I liked how ballsy you were. Plus you were hot.”
Bianca smiled as she went back to arranging the mannequin display. “Well, I thought you were hot, too.”
Adriano smirked. “I know.”
She gave him an annoyed look. Then she glanced over at me. “So as long as she thinks you’re hot, you’ve probably got a chance.”
“Good,” I said, relieved.
“What are you going to do?” Bianca asked.
I grinned. “Kill her with kindness.”
24
And thus began my charm offensive.
For the next two weeks, I went into the café every day.
Sometimes Emilia wasn’t working, and I would have to wait to see her…
But mostly she was there.
And every time, I would order an espresso, stand there at the bar, and drink it.
