“I think it is.” I chuckled. “Sounds about right.”
“Pink. What sin is that?”
“Stoooop,” I said, drawing out the word obnoxiously. “You’re driving me insane.” I parked the car, and we climbed out as I popped the trunk to grab our bags. The front doors flew open, and the familiar squeal came running out.
“You’re here!” Ludovica ran down her stairs and hurried to hug me from behind. “I knew you’d come!”
I laughed and dropped my suitcase to turn around and give her a real hug. “I said I’d come. How have you been, Ludovica?”
“Just amazing. Come. Oh, and is this your girlfriend?” She dropped me for Scout. She ran over and threw her arms over Scout like she had known her for just as long as she had known me. “Welcome, friend! What is your name?”
Scout’s eyes were big as the woman who was very similar in size picked her off her feet and swung her around like a rag doll. Elvie put her down and bounced a step back to give Scout a good look over. Scout did the same.
I stood there, slightly amused. Scout had on a green sweater and a black sweatpants with her high-tops. She looked every part like the cute yet relaxed goth girl. Elvie was Elvie. She was dressed in all-pink, the same shade as her impressive home. There were lots of frills, sequins, and puffy sleeves. She reminded me of those creepy porcelain dolls that used to be popular in the eighties and nineties.
I hurried over and put my arm over Scout’s shoulder. “This is Scout.”
“Yourgirlfriend?” Elvie pushed a lock of her very short dark hair behind her ear. I made a face.
“We haven’t really—” I glanced down at Scout. I was making things worse with every word. Elvie laughed and gave me a knowing look. Scout extended her hand, and they shook.
“I’m Ludovica. Welcome to my home, Scout—and you, Desiderio—of course.” She grinned and reached for Scout’s hand again. “You come in when you’re ready. I want to give you the full tour.” She then dragged Scout into the house, both laughing.
I relaxed and went for our bags, closed the trunk, and hurried to join them inside. The sun was starting to rise.
I could hear their excited talking echoing from somewhere in the massive place. I was greeted by a butler dressed in a uniform like in the movies. He took our bags.
“I’ll take these to your room, sir.” He disappeared and left me to explore.
The house reminded me of Arsenio’s in that it was huge, and the decor was rather minimalist. The major difference was that while Arsenio had chosen whites and golds to accent his home, Ludovica had told her designer to toss pink and purple pastels everywhere. It was like stepping into a sleepy, romantic dream.
I walked into a giant foyer with large pillars and sweeping curtains.
“Desiderio, oh, Desiderio! Come find us!” Elvie called from above my head. I looked up to see the pair of women I cared for most giggling and smiling down at me. They waved. I looked around and found the spiral staircase. I hurried up it, and just as I stepped onto the second floor, heard giggles, and watched as Elvie pulled Scout into a room to presumably hide.
Amused, albeit exhausted, I followed to find them in a giant suite. The room was mint green, a nice change from the princess theme everywhere else.
“My butler brought your things in here. I told him you’d rather not stay in a pink room.” Elvie giggled from the bed. Scout was coming out of the attached bathroom.
“Thank you. The bed does look inviting. I’ve been driving all night.”
“We’ll save the full tour for tonight then. What do you think so far?” She patted for me to come sit next to her. I shook my head and went for my bags on the floor. I grabbed mine and tossed it on the little stool in front of the bed.
“It’s exactly what I imagined you’d live in. A castle for a princess.” I laughed.
“Right? It was my first major purchase when we all parted ways. I needed something to focus on.”
“I hear you’ve been quite focused. You’ve got an empire.”
She waved my comment away and grinned. “You could say that. I don’t like to talk business. I have people for that now. I just collect and sign the checks.” She turned her attention to Scout. “What do you do?” she asked her.
“I work at a movie theater.” Scout shifted uncomfortably.
I watched Elvie’s face contort into confusion but then smile again. “Ooh, so you can watch all the new movies for free, all the time!”
Scout nodded. “I’m saving up for art school.”
“You’re an artist? I need to see your work. I love decorating my place with real art.”
