I gathered her into my arms and kissed the top of her head, and then on the oddest impulse, I lifted a lock of her long, dark hair and kissed the curl around my palm. “Go inside, then. I’ll give you a few minutes, and then I’ll come inside the courtyard for your grand entrance on the balcony.”
“Don’t peek!”
Lexi scampered under the carved Capulet coat of arms and through the arched tunnel, ten feet through stone defenses, and into the small courtyard.
That odd white pail of a purse swung from her wrist. She might have brought one of Clemmy’s new purchases, but no matter. Clemmy would persuade her to use them in due time.
Three of my security detail trailed Lexi as her personal bodyguards.
I wasn’t going to let her walk about entirely alone, even if the area had been locked off all night.
The whimsy of restaging our supposed meeting struck me.
I didn’t do whimsy, or delight, or spontaneity.
Except with her.
With her, I seemed to always be on the verge of smiling, and it made me feel rather lighthearted. She had called me unserious. None of my other friends would have applied that term to me, ever.
Lexi had also mentioned she’d never been to a Disney park. Next week, I had every intention of renting Disneyland Paris for a late-night jaunt so we could enjoy some fun.
Did I abhor her sheltered upbringing, and was I saddened by the way she’d been taken advantage of?
Of course.
But it gave me a lot to do for her, and I wanted to show her everything in the world.
I stood outside the arch and ticket booth for the Casa di Giulietta, waiting on the Via Cappello, while a few more tourists strayed in search of breakfast and coffee.
My security operator Abimbola chatted with the docent who’d let Lexi through the portcullis and shut it behind her. The woman leaned against the iron grate, her hands behind her back, fluttering her eyelashes as she gazed up at Abimbola with big doe eyes.
Ah, there she went, twirling her hair on one finger.
Abimbola just smiled and spoke slowly in his deep bass voice with a deliberate Yoruba accent. He was attractive to women just walking down the street, but as soon as he opened his mouth, womenlovedhim. Aymeric and Konrad constantly gave him shit about it, but Aymeric was an incorrigible flirt, too.
Too often, my security team treated my safety like a singles cruise.
Their distraction made them a lot easier to slip away from when I wanted to go walkabout, but with Lexi also at risk now, they’d need to shape up.
Lexi was, of course, safe within the high fourteenth-century walls, but already, I wanted to see her on that balcony, gesturing to the rising sun instead of the moon.
I just wanted to see her.
I gave her ten minutes to explore the medieval tower house on her own before I had the docent let me in to stroll inside the pebble-paved courtyard, the stones a little slick with morning dew under my loafers.
The statue of Juliet, installed only fifty years or so before, beckoned me inside.
Lexi wasn’t standing on the balcony yet.
No matter. I could wait. The antique stonework was interesting to look at.
Five more minutes passed.
I texted her.I’m here in the courtyard.
The tower house was three stories tall, each room with high ceilings to allow Italy’s summer heat to rise. Every space inside had interesting historical or cinematic displays. She’d probably gotten sidetracked. It was easy to do.
Minutes passed.
