Chapter 28
Giorgio
As I walked back into the dress shop, it felt like my shoes were made of lead. My guts hurt like I’d been sucker-punched.
Especially my heart. That hurt worst of all.
Thank God Adriano wasn’t there. I didn’t think I could handle any of his ribbing.
What’s a matter, you fuckin’ pussy? One girl turns you down, and you act like the world is ending!
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’s hot. Wait – you asked her out and she said no?”
“Could we not talk about it?” I pleaded.
“How could she turn you down?!” Lucia fumed. “You’re Gorgeous George! Next to Massimo, you’re the hottest guy around!”
“Hey!” Bianca shouted good-naturedly.
“Okay, fine, your husband’s hot, too,” Lucia said in a placating voice.
I chuckled.
Lucia was being kind. All the Rosolini brothers were incredibly handsome – not to mention Lars. Next to them, I was nothing special.
“Wait – is she married?” Lucia asked me.
“No,” I replied.
“So she has a boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Then what the fuck’s her problem?!” Lucia shouted angrily.
“Let’s just say she doesn’t like guys in my line of work.”
“Wha– …ohhhhh,” Lucia said, like she finally understood. Then she shrugged. “Well, fuck her. You’re a great guy, and you’re handsome. I’ll bet you’ve got a shitload of options.”
“To be honest, I kind of liked her because she wasn’t into me just for my looks.”
“Yeah…” Lucia gave a tragic sigh. “That’s the curse of being hot.”
Bianca looked at her in amusement. “Are you implying you’re cursed?”
“Oh, don’t pretend like you didn’t have a lot of guys who wanted to bang you just because of your looks,” Lucia shot back.
“I didn’t.”
“STOP! I don’t wanna hear fake protests of, ‘Oh, I never knew I was pretty!’ Cut it out with the fake modesty.”
Bianca looked shocked. “I wasn’t going to – ”
“WHATEVER,” Lucia said, and turned back to me. “Sorry, dude, that sucks. But you know what you should do? Go out and get laid. Best way to get over one chick is to get inside another one.”
“LUCIA!” Bianca shouted.
“What?!”
I was worried Bianca was going to start explaining ‘the thunderbolt’ –
But instead she just told me, “You can have the rest of the day off, Giorgio.”
“I already told Vincenzo he could go home.”
“I’ll call Adriano and get him to send somebody else.”
“OH no. If your husband finds out I skipped out on work because a woman turned me down, I’d never hear the end of it.”
“I’ll handle Adriano. You don’t worry about – ”
“Signora,” I said patiently, “I really appreciate what you’re trying to do, but the worst thing for me right now would be to go home and stare at the wall. The nicest thing you could do for me would be to put me to work so I don’t have time to think.”
Bianca looked around at all the unpacked boxes. “Well, if you insist, there’s plenty to do around here.”
“It would be a kindness.”
“Alright. But would it help if I could get you reassigned the next couple of days so you’re not around here?” she said, gesturing with her head towards the café.
“Now that I’ll take you up on,” I said gratefully.