Tales From a Broad

by Melange Books, LLC

  Once inside, we paused to light a candle. As I bent my head in prayer, I couldn’t help but sneak a peek at my watch.

  Time flies when you’re having fun, and my date with Cooper was getting closer. My throat tightened, and I inhaled slowly to steady my breathing.

  While falling in love with the city, I had almost managed to forget about Cooper. Yet all of a sudden, I felt as if I were about to be executed in the piazza. I reminded myself it was just dinner with my ex. I didn’t have to count down the hours to a beheading, and I certainly didn’t need to waste valuable prayer time.

  I clasped my hands together and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to focus a little more on my spirituality, and a little less on my insanity. This was a new one for me, the first monumental decision I had made without initially bouncing it off my sister. How could I be sure I was doing the right thing? I stuffed another euro into the donation box and prayed someone would send me a sign—or at least help me blow off my family for dinner. I looked up at the stunning ceiling fresco and pleaded with the Lord.

  I still wasn’t sure how I was going to sneak away from Tess. I didn’t want to tell her about dinner with Cooper, because I knew she would tell Morgan. I needed my secret guest to remain just that, for now.

  I fretted all the way to the Ponte Vecchio and felt like I was just going through the motions as we snapped pictures of the medieval bridge across the Arno River. The bridge sat on top of three stone arches, and we took our time walking through the raised pedestrian passageway, which happened to be lined with little jewelry and goldsmith shops.

  Tess browsed through the shops while I leaned over an opening that was midway across the bridge. From where I stood, I could see the colorful wooden shutters hanging from the bridge on either side of me. Each shop had their shutters open, probably to enjoy the glorious view of the river.

  I watched a young couple fasten a lock on the bridge. Ah. I recalled reading about the legend of the Ponte Vecchio padlocks in one of the guidebooks. Apparently, so had many others before them. Several thousand locks had been fastened all over the bridge. The couple looked around and giggled. The man kissed the key and tossed it into the water.

  Once they’d locked in their love and thrown away the key for eternity, the couple walked off arm in arm. I couldn’t help but wonder if they really would be together forever. I slumped down and wrapped my arms around the railing.

  I used to be such a romantic. What had happened to me? I clung to the bridge and almost wished that I were locked to it forever. If only. What had I been thinking when I accepted Cooper’s invitation to talk? What could he possibly have to say?

  A headache was coming on, and I massaged my temples when Tess joined me to snap pictures of the sun glistening on the Arno. She agreed we had seen enough when I suggested taking a break, so we walked back over the bridge and headed to the pensione.

  It was a short walk, and I shielded my eyes from the setting sun to give the pensione a once over as we approached it.

  “Only in Europe would affordable lodging be housed in a place fit for a king,” I observed. Cornice molding lined the top of the building and looked like eyebrows over large semi-circular arched windows. “In New York, the only places that look like this are the multi-million-dollar apartments that line Central Park.”

  “Well, Landon did say that this place is quite popular with American travelers.” Tess pulled open the front door and grimaced from its weight.

  “Gee, I wonder why.” I chuckled and pointed my chin to the left toward the common room where a flat screen TV hung front and center. An X-box console was positioned directly underneath and shared a shelf with dozens of game choices. There was a vintage looking Coca-Cola sign resting on a mini-fridge, and I was so thirsty from the walk back that I could actually taste the sodas that were lined up behind the glass door.

  “It looks like the owners really do know the American way,” I murmured as I headed toward the fridge to grab a soda.

  “Either that or they got the memo that Landon was coming to town. He may have played the professional part this morning, but according to his email yesterday, he’s already logged in an awful lot of hours playing X-box. I think he wishes he was at a video gaming convention instead of the boring architect’s round-up.”

  “Well, I’m glad we’re here. You did good, kid.” I looked over at Tess, who beamed back at me.

  “Ciao, may I help you?” called a woman from behind the front desk.

  “Ciao. We would like to check in. My nephew already dropped off our bags.” I looked at my watch and felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. I had only two hours until it was time to meet Cooper.

  “Ah, si.” She traced her finger down a list of paper. “McNally and Banks?” she said.

  I nodded and smiled.

  “Un momento, por favore,” the woman said holding a finger in the air. She disappeared into a room behind the desk, and I leaned against it.

  The scent of cappuccino wafted through the room, and I wondered if having a cup after finishing my soda would be caffeine overload.

  My eyes darted around the room and went from the soft, fluffy couches to the colored photographs of Florence hanging on the walls. All sorts of books, travel guides, candles, and ceramic dishes filled the shelves.

  “This place has an interestingly cluttered vibe,” I murmured. “Pottery Barn meets Grandma Maria’s living room.”

  Tess stifled a laugh as the woman reappeared. She wrung her hands and leaned on the other side of the desk.

  “All of our doubles seem to be occupate. Mi dispiace. Is a double bed okay? Or we could give you two rooms, one for each of you?” The creases on her forehead deepened as she waited for our reply.

  “I guess a double bed is fine,” I replied. However, after the words left my mouth, I wondered how true they really were. I needed to pull out all my best beauty tricks. Quickly. How was I going to get ready for my date in front of Tess? Would I be able to pull this off?

  “Well, what do you think?” I raised an eyebrow and looked at Tess. She seemed to be lost in thought and shifted uneasily.

  “I don’t know, what do you think?”

  I exhaled impatiently. I held my palms up and shrugged. “Your call. Do you want to go solo or not?”

  “Sure.”

  “Oh.” I was momentarily taken aback.

  Tell me what you really think. That answer rolled off her tongue a little too quickly. Was she getting sick of me? Hell, I was getting sick of me. I got what I wanted. Let it go. This must be the sign I had prayed for at the church.

  “Okay,” I said to the woman. “We’ll take two rooms.”

  She gave us the keys to our rooms, and we headed up the creaky stairs and stepped onto a carpeted landing.

  “Three oh one, three oh two, three oh three... Looks like this is my stop.” I put the key in the door and turned the knob. Tess followed me into the room.

  “This is...” I paused and gave the room a quick once over. “Kind of plain, no? The owners must’ve put so much effort into making the common area an inviting place that they gave up on the bedrooms.”

  The room was Spartan in style with just a simple bed and wooden wardrobe. A tiny table by the bed held a lamp and under the window was a ladder-back chair, like one used at a desk. There were no extras. Not even a cushion on the chair. Outside I heard bells from one of the churches, and I wondered briefly if the monastic look was all the rage in Florence.

  I placed my backpack on the bed and looked down at my watch for the hundredth time. Tess was prowling around the room looking at the non-decorations, her backpack waiting in the open door. She looked over at me and suddenly I couldn’t take it anymore. I hated secrets.

  “Tess?” I took a breath to steady my nerves.

  “Yeah?” Tess walked over to the window. She opened up the shutters and threw her hands in the air towards the street. “Ahhhhhh!” she sang loudly in a soprano voice. She immediately turned around and sat on the window ledge, facing me. �
��I’m sorry.” Her cheeks had turned slightly pink, and she looked down at her feet.

  “Sorry for what? Being happy? That’s hardly a crime. I noticed how euphoric you seemed today. It must be nice for you and Landon to be together.” I smiled and looked at my niece. “Your mom may be a wackadoo, but she did some job raising a tight knit family.” I nodded in approval.

  Tess raised an eyebrow. “Oh ... yeah, it was so nice to see him, but I’m just happy in general.” Tess smiled and lowered her head.

  I couldn’t help but wonder why. It had only been a few days since Mark had crushed her hard. “What are you up to?” I narrowed my eyes.

  “Nothing.” Tess giggled and quickly shifted her gaze back to the street. “This room just makes me happy. It reminds me of one of those Italian movies with the shutters, where the guy calls up to the girl from the street,” she said wistfully.

  I walked over to the window and looked down at the cobblestone street. There was a man selling chestnuts out of a pushcart and a woman sitting on a bucket, peeling fruit. The air smelled like lemons.

  “It kind of does.” I drew in another breath, hoping to bring the conversation to this evening’s plans. “I wonder what it’s like at night.”

  “It’s so nice to have a good view,” Tess said, completely ignoring me. I momentarily closed my eyes in despair. “God, the last view we enjoyed was when you officially met Simon. Doesn’t that feel like a lifetime ago?” She looked at me searchingly.

  I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. “Tess,” I said, clasping my hands together. “I really don’t want to think about Simon. Not today.”

  “Sorry.” Tess cringed. “The other night you chased his twin, so naturally, I assumed he was on your mind.”

  “Okay, that pimply post-teen was far from Simon’s twin. Let’s be honest. Simon was hot. His olive skin, his hair...” I sighed. “That’s water under the Ponte Vecchio.”

  “It doesn’t have to be. Aunt Lu, you could’ve told me how into him you were. We didn’t have to flee Paris on my account.”

  “I wasn’t into him,” I suddenly snapped. “Can you please stop talking about Simon? I’m not that desperate that I need to date a kid from the middle of nowhere.”

  Tess gave me a sideways look. “Thirty-two isn’t a kid, and Chicago is hardly in the middle—”

  “Tess,” I said sternly. “Enough. I barely know the guy.” From the corner of my eye, I saw her look away.

  “I’m going to see if Landon’s back,” she said, jumping down from her seat at the window. “I’d like to go out with him for a quiet bite and catch up. Do you mind?”

  “No, of course not.” I felt taken aback for a moment that her plans didn’t include me. But my insecurities were immediately replaced with a gust of relief. Now I didn’t have to explain myself.

  “Enjoy,” I said with a smile.

  She left, and I perched myself in the same seat where she had looked so happy, only minutes before. I looked up at the sky and clasped my hands together in prayer. Please God, don’t let meeting Cooper be a mistake. Please do not let this sick feeling in my gut be another sign.

  I made my own sign, one of the cross, and slid from the window to the floor. When my feet hit the ground, I walked over to my backpack and pulled out the one date night option I had packed, a short black dress.

  After I tried it on, I decided it was too sexy, and since I really didn’t want to send that message, I opted for my uniform as of late: black leggings and a long, loose-fitting tank. It was far from sexy, but it was a dressier version of what I wore on my night out with Simon, and he’d seemed to find that look perfect. Anyway, I didn’t really have many other clean options from which to choose.

  I hopped in the shower, blew out my hair, and after an hour of the up-do, down-do game, I settled on leaving it loose. When I was finished, I looked in the mirror and gazed into my eyes.

  “Hi Cooper!” I exclaimed, while flipping my hair. My eyes bulged and my phony grin made me look somewhat manic. No way. That wouldn’t be a good hello.

  But I did notice a stray hair on my chin during the hair flipping process. There’s a reason for dress rehearsals, I thought as I yanked it out with tweezers. I applied a light pink gloss to my lips and cleared my throat.

  “Hi,” I said quietly and flashed myself a tight-lipped demure grin.

  I shook my head in disgust. We weren’t meeting at a funeral. Take three.

  “Hello there, dick,” I said coolly. The tone of my voice seemed to evoke a tiny feeling of confidence. My eyes lit up as I giggled in the mirror. “What’s that, jackass? Oh, I’m doing great, thank you.”

  I smiled at myself like a proud mother. “Yeah, baby. You’re in the driver’s seat. You’re a strong, beautiful woman.” I puckered my lips and blew myself a kiss.

  I started to walk out of the bathroom before I popped my head back in to take one last look at myself.

  I narrowed an eye and pointed a finger at the mirror. “Listen bitch, do not cave,” I commanded.

  I retreated the finger that shook back at me and formed a tight fist. With fingernails digging into my very sweaty palm, I grabbed my purse and headed out the door.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Never judge a person on the first date.

  Facebook Status June 12 at 9:30pm

  Cooper’s hotel was only a few blocks away, so I chose to walk, hoping my nerves would calm down in the process. Unfortunately, they only ended up making me walk faster. I got to the Four Seasons in record time and wasn’t surprised to see that it was, of course, top notch. If there’s a luxury hotel in any city, leave it to Cooper to find it.

  I arrived ten minutes early, so I set myself up in a comfy chair to deep breathe and hopefully calm down. I found it hard to meditate since the people-watching was so spectacular, but at least the view gave me something other than Cooper to think about. I focused on a small group of businessmen who must’ve been in a meeting. They were yelling at a laptop in Italian, hands flying passionately in the air.

  A pack of beautiful women clipped past them in their stiletto heels and even in the midst of the men’s debate, all of them turned their heads to check out the women. The men actually had a moment of silence, smiled knowingly at one another, and then resumed their wild gesturing.

  I smoothed my hair, feeling suddenly frumpy and self-conscious as I thought about the Italians and their candid appreciation for beauty. Why hadn’t I interrupted their meeting when I walked by moments earlier?

  The ding of the elevator doors opening interrupted my soliloquy of insecurity. My heartbeat quickened, and a feeling of relief washed over me when I realized Cooper wasn’t in it. A couple walked off, hand in hand, lost in a world of their own. Even their shiny gold wedding bands screamed happiness. I watched them disappear through the hotel doors and I wanted to run out after them.

  What was I doing? My anxiety was in overdrive, and I suddenly wished I could just shit-can the whole thing. What if he saw me and decided I wasn’t worth the trek? Would he regret coming? What would we talk about? Where would we even begin? I sat on the edge of an antique chair and firmly planted my hands on my knees to keep them from knocking.

  Ding.

  The elevator doors opened again and this time it was the one and only Cooper. I clenched my body as I watched him step out of the elevator. Good God, was he handsome.

  I had almost forgotten just how good-looking he was and immediately found myself comparing him to Simon. Both men were attractive in completely different ways. Simon had rugged good looks with tousled brown hair, a strong, muscular build, and a casual style of dress. Cooper had more of an elegant look—short, dark hair with a classic side part, a long and lean build, and a penchant for tailored clothing. Cooper was always impeccably groomed and tonight was no exception. He wore white pants, a navy sports coat, brown loafers, and looked as if he had lived in Florence his entire life.

  Our eyes met, and as his pace quickened toward me, my heart skipped a beat. I rea
lized with relief, I had made the right decision to meet him here. Boy, had I missed him. As he smiled at me, I had to swallow the lump in my throat. Be strong, I scolded myself. Show a little self-respect.

  “Hi, Luce,” Cooper said when he stopped in front of me. His smile looked a little shaky as he looked at me expectantly. I was relieved to see I wasn’t the only nervous one.

  “Hi, Cooper.” I smiled.

  I went to kiss him on the cheek, but at the same time he went in for a hug. While I switched to give him a hug, he switched to give me a kiss. It wasn’t the smoothest start, and after the volley of awkward movements, he basically ended up with a handful of my hair in his mouth.

  I laughed as we pulled away awkwardly. “Sorry.”

  Beads of sweat shone on Cooper’s forehead. He quickly pulled a tissue from his jacket pocket and wiped his forehead. “Is it warm in here, or is it just me?”

  I looked around at the other guests who wore sweaters over their summer dresses. “I think it’s just you. I feel pretty good.” A trickle of sweat slid down my stomach and I prayed fast and furiously that I wasn’t spotting through my tank top.

  “Luce,” Cooper said, taking in a shallow breath, “you look great. You’re even more beautiful than I remembered. Single life suits you.” He gave me a tight grin.

  I wanted to say, ‘Oh yes... I love being a lost soul roaming Europe with my young niece with no job, man, or prospects at home. It’s so great to be free.’ Instead, I smiled modestly.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that.” I waved my hand dismissively. “Besides, I’ve gained so much weight since I’ve seen you. I kind of fell out of my gym routine.”

  Oh, shut the hell up, Lucy. I immediately wished I could pull the self-deprecating words back into my mouth. Why did I feel the need to make excuses for the way I looked? I’d been making such strides on learning to take a compliment before I was ripped away from therapy to take this stupid trip. It had been so great until now.