“Absolutely, bro. No problem at all. I’m happy to help your little sister. There is one small thing, though.”
There’s a tense pause before he speaks again and I can hear the worry in his response. “What’s that?”
My eyes move around the cobblestone street outside the back door of the tavern. The team is still here tonight and we don’t return to Florence until tomorrow morning.
“I’m here in Bologna tonight and theteam won’t be back in Florence until tomorrow morning.Will your sister be okay until then? Otherwise, I can call my landlady to see if she can let her in.”
I can hear Cade’s relief as he exhales into the phone. “Ah, shit. I thought it was something worse,” he laughs good-naturedly. “It’s cool. Kady’s got a place for tonight. And I’m wiring her some money to get her by until she can get her ID and passport situation taken care of. She won’t be mooching off you, bro. I swear.”
“Dude, I’m not worried about that.”
“Great, man.So where and when can I tell her she can meet you tomorrow?What time works best for you?”
I recommend a place just across the piazza from my flat, which is in the Mercato Centrale and the Basilica of San Lorenzo.
Cade ends the call by thanking me again for my willingness to help his sister.
“Just knowing there’s someone else in the same city that I trust gives me a tremendous amount of relief. I can’t thank you enough, Gavin.”
He gives me her cell and says he’ll call Kadence right away.
As I hang up, I realize that I forgot to ask him what she looks like or get a description of who I should look for. I have no idea how I’ll recognize her when I meet her.
All I can picture is Cade’s face. And while I’m sure he’s admired by throngs of womenfor his looks, I can’t imagine a girl looking like him. That would be weird and creepy.
God, what if she’s hideous and that’s why Cade didn’t mention it. An involuntary shiver runs down my spine as I imagine her looking like the ogre-Fiona fromShrek. Or worse, the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Or even the witch fromSnow White.
Laughing to myself over my lame animated references, I decide to head back to the hotel for the night instead of going back inside to locate Natalia. Maybe that’s a prick move, and I should feel bad for leaving and not returning the favor, but she knew the score when she took me into the bathroom to blow me.
Shaking off my guilty conscience, my mind begins to wander as I consider the changes I might have to make over the next week while having a female house guest. I’ve never had a female roommate before. In fact, I’ve never even brought a girl into my flat. That’s been intentional. Once a chick knows where you live, there are expectations. And my sole focus is on my game and future, not on getting involved with anyone.
My imagination gets the best of me as I picture pink towels, hair products and tampons strewn across my bathroom counter.
Shit, I didn’t think this through very well.
But then I’m struck with another thought.
What if she’s fucking hot? What if she likes to walk around the flat in skimpy lingerie? Tiny boy shorts and tank tops? Those are my Kryptonite.
I adjust my stiffening length in my shorts as I make my way down the quiet street toward my hotel.
This favor for Cade just got really complicated in my over-active imagination. If she does turn out to be any of these things, how will I be able to keep my hands off her out of respect for Cade? He is adamant about keeping his sister safe – probably away from guys who think like me. He even said he trusts me. Which means his little sister is strictly off limits while she’s here.
As I walk by a small Duomo at the corner of the piazza, I make the sign of the cross and say a little prayer that Kadence Griffin will turn out to be a homely, nun-like prude. That way, I’ll have no problem keeping my word and keeping my hands off her.
Let’s hope my prayers are answered.
