Vincenzo, one of my fellow foot soldiers, was keeping guard in the corner of the shop. He stood there, still as a statue, his arms crossed over his chest.
When he saw me, he frowned. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied. “I can take over now.”
“My shift’s not finished yet.”
“Don’t worry, I got it.”
“If you’re sure…”
“I’m sure.”
“Thanks,” he said as he walked out.
I headed towards the rear of the shop.
Lucia was in today. She was wearing one of Bianca’s newest creations, a shimmering blue and green dress that glimmered like a peacock feather. She slowly twirled around, holding her phone out at arm’s length to capture a selfie video.
Then she caught sight of me.
“Hey, Gorgeous George!” she called out happily –
But stopped when she saw my expression.
“Holy shit, dude – who killed your puppy dog?”
Bianca looked up from the counter and winced. “Oh no… did you ask her?”
“Yeah,” I said glumly.
Lucia frowned. “Asked who what?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Bianca said, then asked me, “I’m guessing it didn’t go that great?”
I gave a dark laugh. “No.”
“What the hell is going on?!” Lucia demanded.
“There was a girl I liked,” I told her.
“The blonde barista next door,” Bianca told Lucia.
“OHHHH,” Lucia said. “She’shot.Wait – you asked her out and she saidno?”
“Could we not talk about it?” I pleaded.
“How could she turn youdown?!” Lucia fumed. “You’re Gorgeous George! Next to Massimo, you’re the hottest guy around!”
“Hey!” Bianca shouted good-naturedly.
“Okay, fine,yourhusband’s hot, too,” Lucia said in a placating voice.
I chuckled.
Lucia was being kind.Allthe Rosolini brothers were incredibly handsome – not to mention Lars. Next to them, I was nothing special.
“Wait – is she married?” Lucia asked me.
