Page 89 of Someone Exactly Like Me (Wounded Hearts 1)
“What? What is it?”
He smiles. “You kind of look like a tourist. It’s my fault. I didn’t tell you. Most women in Italy wear dresses. You don’t have to wear one if you’re not comfortable. But you would look nice if you wore one.”
“Oh. Well, I had a dress, but it seems Candi switched out a few of my things. So, all I have is a dinner dress and a less suitable dress Candi snuck into my suitcase.”
He laughs. “Candi has good taste in dressing models. I’d like to see it on you.”
“Uh, it’s not really for a day walking around town.”
“Okay, then I’ll take you shopping first.”
I hadn’t planned on spending money on anything but food while I’m here. I suppose it would be kind of fun to get a new dress,inItaly. It’ll be a souvenir from my trip.
“Okay. A new dress would be nice. And it seems I have some extra money to pay for it.” I squint at him.
He shoots me a wicked smile. “I thought you meant $100.00 an hour.”
“No, you didn’t. You knew exactly what I meant.”
“Well, it’s done now.” He shrugs and smiles.
He drives us to a little town close to where we’ll be exploring and takes me straight to a small boutique shop. When we walk in, the shop is quiet with only two women shopping. The woman behind the counter looks up, stops what she’s doing, and smiles broadly as she steps out from behind the counter.
Walking toward us, she opens her arms and embraces Nicco as they kiss one another on both cheeks. Then they engage in a quick chat in Italian.
“Destiny, this is Maria. She’s my mother’s best friend’s daughter and she owns this boutique.” He then says something in Italian using my name so he must be introducing me.
I smile at her and she beams back at me saying something to him. I have no idea what she said, but she seems very excited. She steps in toward me and kisses me on both cheeks, holding my shoulders in her chubby hands.
“Pleasure,” she says, still beaming at me.
“Si, pleasure.”
They start rattling off in Italian again, both of them eyeing me up and down. She makes different hand gestures, sizing me up. It sounds like he’s explaining to her the things we’ll be doing because I hear some of the words he said last night. She says lots of, “ah”s.
She tilts her head and cinches her hands together around my imaginary waist. “Lei é cosí piccola.”
He chuckles. “Si.” Then he says something else I don’t understand.
“Si, si,” she says and scurries off, her thighs swishing together under her dress.
“I told her a few of the things we’ll be doing and she’s going to pull some dresses for you. She said you’re tiny, but she has some things that will fit you. You’ll need a sweater to cover your shoulders when we go to the churches. Did you bring one?”
“I brought a sweatshirt.” I cringe a little, thinking that a sweatshirt probably isn’t suitable.
He chuckles. “Okay, we’ll get you a sweater. Feel free to look around while Maria gets some dresses.”
“Okay.” I wander through the boutique. It’s filled with so many pretty dresses from casual dresses to full length gowns you’d wear to a ball. There’s a whole separate room with stylish shoes, classy jewelry, and beautiful handbags. Though I don’t need a dress, I have to admit that walking around the Italian boutique feels like I’m living in someone else’s dream life.
“Destiny,” Maria sings out my name and waves me toward her.
I walk over to her and Nicco meets me there. She talks excitedly in Italian and gestures to the dresses in the fitting room, holding up a few to show me the backs of them.
She walks out and I walk in. “Grazie.” I tried to learn a few important words and phrases before I came.
“Prego.” She claps her hands together, her smile spreads across her full cheeks.
Nicco sits across from the fitting room in a large fancy chair that’s covered in red velvet. “Come out when you try them on. I want to see them on you.”
