When he got addicted to drinking, he went crazy with his spendings. To say the truth, he didn’t even know where most of his money went. The only thing on his mind was getting more alcohol. He didn’t care where his money came from and where it went, as long as he had enough to get more drinks.
He didn’t have much money left in his bank account, but he withdrew the last three hundred dollars and brought it with him anyway. “I’m sure we … can change the money at the … the train station or something.”
Chloe broke into a huge grin. She threw her hands around his neck and kissed him on his cheek. “Oh, Chris, you saved my life!”
He laughed softly, immensely pleased that he was able to get her smiling again. “It’s nothing … compared with what you’ve … spent.”
She scowled at him. “All that money in the envelope and my bank can’t do a thing to help me now.”
“Do you want to try … switching our train tickets that are meant for … Rome to Milan instead?”
“You can’t change tickets that you bought online. I tried that once,” she said. “But I don’t mind trying again.” She took his hand and pulled him off the bed. “Let’s go. Hopefully we can get there before the consulate closes.”
Chapter Eleven
Christopher paced outside a cafe. He watched his feet as he placed one foot in front of the other, waiting for Chloe to come out from the consulate.
The building structures in Milan were similar to those back in the States, so there wasn’t much to capture his attention. From the train station, silver high-rise buildings like that of offices in New York were everywhere. Further out of the main city area, shorter blocks of modern buildings dominated.
He supposed all that was left of the old world would only be found in tourist areas.
He aligned his right foot along the right line of the rectangular floor tile and tried to stay as close to it as he walked along. Milan was the only city with proper floor tiles paving the walkway. It would be so much easier to pull Chloe’s suitcase out here, except there wasn’t any suitcase for him to pull now.
He cast a glance into the cafe.
It was getting cold outside, and he wanted to get something warm to drink.
He had ten euros in his pocket. He’d given the rest of the money to Chloe in case she had to pay for whatever administrative fee needed to process her passport.
Ten euros should be enough for a glass of hot coffee, but he didn’t want to spend it. He wasn’t sure how long their money would last, and a little cold wouldn’t kill him.
A little wine would be great, and I wouldn’t have to worry about what was going on. He shook his head and checked the time on his watch, then stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned around to see Chloe trudging toward him, her shoulders slumped forward as she plodded along. She glanced up from the floor once and sighed when their eyes met.
Stopping a few steps away from him, she sat on the curb by the road.
“What happened?”
She buried her face in her hands. “We’re screwed.”
“You couldn’t get your pass … port?” No, that couldn’t be. She was a US citizen; it didn’t make sense.
Chloe shook her head and stared ahead. “I need my ID.”
“Which was … stolen.”
“That was what I said. Then they say I’ll have to give them my birth certificate.”
“Is your birth certificate in … your apartment in Rome?”
She shook her head again. “I have no idea where it is. They say I can get it couriered over from the state office.”
“Great.”
“That’s not the bad news. They need up to ten weeks to process and deliver my passport.”
He blinked. “Ten weeks.”
“Up to ten weeks.”
“So it could be … a week.”
“The lady says it usually takes six.”
They really were screwed.
Chloe ran her hand through her hair. “How are we going to survive six to ten weeks on nothing?” Her chest rose and fell sharply. “They asked why didn’t I make a copy of my passport. I didn’t know people do that. Did you photocopy your passport? Why didn’t I do that?”
“Chlo.” He took her hands and gave them a squeeze. “Everything will be all right.”
“I don’t see how.”
“Did you explain that you’re stuck here … with no money?”
She nodded. “And you know what they told me?” She rolled her eyes before continuing. “I can expedite the process. I can get my passport in 24 hours after I get my birth certificate. All I need is to pay three hundred euros.”
He sighed softly.
“Which I would gladly pay if I had access to my bank accounts!”
“I can ask my mom to … courier the money over.” He didn’t want to borrow money from his mom, but they were rather desperate.
“I don’t think that’s allowed. The money might disappear in customs or end up stuck.” She pursed her lips and brushed her fingers against her nose. “I have a FedEx account, so I can have my birth certificate here tomorrow and have the courier fee charged to my account.”
“Did you have to pay for … anything just now?”
She shook her head.
“Then we have … enough to survive for a few days.”
“Then what do we do after that? Beg at the train station?”
He took her hand into his and rested them on his leg. “We can set up the same con the couple did on us.”
She laughed softly. “We’ll need one more person to make a team.”
“We’ll find a way.” He had no idea what they were going to do, but she didn’t need to hear that now.
She leaned against his shoulder, and he turned to breathe in her hair. Escaping to his alcohol was no longer an option, especially not when Chloe needed him. Besides, he couldn’t bear the thought of disappointing Chloe.
“Let’s find something to eat, then maybe we should call it a day.”
“There!” She shot upright and pointed at him. “You’re not stuttering again!”
He sighed. He thought she’d come up with an idea. “You’re dreaming again.”
“I’m serious, you weren’t stuttering,” she said. “I should start recording our conversations. That’s if I have a phone.” She got up on her feet. “I don’t get many calls, but I still feel weird without it.”
“Take mine.” He placed his phone into her hand. “No one besides my mom calls … me.”
She grinned. “Thank God all my data is uploaded onto iCloud; otherwise, we’d have lost all the photos we’ve taken.”
“Funny you’re still concerned … about that.”
She hooked her hand on his elbow and leaned against him. “At least we still have a roof over our heads.”
Christopher and Chloe had just stepped into the hotel when the manager noticed them. Immediately, the smile the manager had politely displayed melted into a solemn purse of the lips.
The manager stepped out from behind the counter and met them halfway into the lobby.
Christopher sighed softly. What else could go wrong?
“I’m sorry, Miss Brooks and Mr. Hunter.”
In English? This must be bad, Christopher thought.
“The card you used to book the room with has been declined,” the manager said as he led them to a corner, away from the lobby.
Chloe ran her hand through her hair. “You mean it hasn’t been charged to my credit card?”
“We only block the amount required for your stay. We only charge it when you check out.”
“And now my cards are blocked.” She turned away from them for a moment, then spun back around. “Are we being kicked out?”
“Perhaps Mr. Hunter has a credit card?”
Mr. Hunter didn’t, not anymore.
“Can you give me a day or two? Please? I know I’m asking for a lot, but I’m good for it, I promise.”
The hotel manager pursed his lips. “I’m
sorry, Miss Brooks—”
“I think we have enough for the night.” He looked over at Chloe.
“Oh, right.” She reached into her pocket and handed the money over to the hotel manager.
The hotel manager took the money and nodded. “But tomorrow?”
“We’ll let you know,” Christopher said and led Chloe toward the lift.
Chloe was quiet all the way to the room.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m kind of desperate enough to ask someone to send me money through FedEx. Every other method will require identification, which I don’t have.”
“I heard St. Mark’s Square is … beautiful at night.”
She stared at him.
“It’s not as if we can … change anything by sitting … here.”
She closed her eyes, then crawled under the covers. “I just want to lie here.”
He could barely hear what she was saying.
He lay next to her, on top of the covers, and hooked his hands under his head. He grinned, then started laughing.
Chloe pulled down the cover. “What’s so funny?”
“Ninety-eight times.”
“What?”
“I’ve found and sat beside you like this ninety-eight times,” he said and laughed again.
Chloe laughed softly and sat upright, shifting to lean back against the headboard. “So I owe you nine hundred and eighty dollars.”
He nodded.
“I can’t believe you actually counted.”
“You said you didn’t hide under the covers whenever you have a problem.”
“I seriously doubt I’ve only faced ninety-eight problems in my life. And don’t you think this problem is worthy of this reaction?”
“No.” He got onto his feet. “This problem requires another reaction; to go out and have fun.” He stretched his hand toward her. “We still have twenty bucks to spend.”
She grinned and took his hand. “The sky’s the limit, then.”
He laughed and grabbed their jackets. “Let’s go.” He opened the door and pulled his jacket on, then lifted Chloe’s coat for her to slip her arms into.
“As bad as this situation is …” She buttoned her coat and hooked her arm around his. “I’m glad I’m here with you.”
They took a boat to St. Mark’s Square and strolled around in the low yellow light while a musician played in a corner of the square.
He wasn’t sure what they were going to do tomorrow. There wasn’t any way to get the money needed for them to continue staying in the hotel, and Chloe couldn’t leave Italy without a passport.
They couldn’t even go back to Rome, not when they only had twenty euros left.
After pleading with her sob story, Chloe managed to change the tickets that would take them back to Rome for the tickets that took them to Milan. So now they were stuck in Venice with no way out.
He stopped in the middle of the square and took Chloe’s hand, pulling her into his arms before swaying to the music playing in the background.
Chloe chuckled, but didn’t step out of his arms. “Do you remember the first time I heard you sing?”
He leaned his cheek against her hair. “Prom night.”
Moving in closer, she laid her head on his shoulder. “Some bum fooled around with the music equipment and broke the speakers. So the music stopped, and everyone started to leave.”
“But you were sad.”
She looked up at him with the sweetest smile. “And as usual, you tried to make things better.” She pulled in her lower lip. “Do you remember the song you sang?”
He probably did, but he was distracted by the gloss of her lips.
Her brows puckered. “You forgot? You remembered that I hid under the covers ninety-eight times, but you forgot the first song we danced to.”
“I didn’t forget,” he finally said.
Her brows drew closer, and she took a step back. “I think your phone’s ringing.”
He was tempted to ignore it and pull her back into his arms, but he hadn’t been receiving any calls. It could be important.
He looked at the number and frowned. “Is it for you?”
“Maybe it’s FedEx.” She took the phone and answered the call. “Yes, that’ll be me. What? The consulate didn’t tell me I have to pay for the birth certificate.”
She shook her head and took a step away from him. “Okay, can you do that for me and charge it to my account?” She sighed and took another step away.
“Excuse me, I’m so sorry.”
Christopher turned and saw a man in a well-tailored black suit.
He was immediately suspicious of him, but doubted a conman could afford such suits.
“I’m so sorry if I’m interrupting, but I saw you while I was going into the restaurant. I was wondering if you’re Christopher Hunter.”
Christopher frowned and took a small step away from the man. “Yes.”
“Perfect! My girlfriend loves you. She burst her phone bills voting for you when you were in the competition, and she went to all your concerts.” The man paused and cleared his throat. “I’m Eric Staton, by the way.”
Christopher shook his hand. “Staton.” That name sounded familiar.
“Yeah, my father is Ronald Staton, the real estate tycoon.”
“Oh.”
Eric Staton glanced over his shoulder. “Look, I’m going to propose to Jane tonight. She’d be thrilled if you’ll sing for us.”
“I can’t sing … anymore.”
“Seriously? I thought that was nonsense. I don’t want to push, but I want this to be a night for her to remember. I’ll set everything up. I’ll set up a table for you and your girlfriend as well, and I’ll pay.”
Christopher needed money now, and he would be happy to sing for Eric Staton and his girlfriend, but he couldn’t.
“I’ll pay you five—no—ten thousand if you do it for me. I’ll tell the restaurant that you may be singing. If you can’t, then just say something nice, like ‘say yes.’ I’ll still foot the bill for the dinner no matter what. Come on, help a man out.”
The money would solve all their problems, but he couldn’t sing anymore.
He looked over at Chloe, who had her palm pressed against her forehead.
“If I do sing for you, I need your help as well,” Christopher said. He went on to explain what had happened and their dilemma. “We need a credit card number to pay for the birth certificate from here.”
Eric nodded and looked at Chloe. “That’s why she seems so troubled,” he said and pulled out his wallet. “Here.” He handed him one of his credit cards. “Charge everything you need to this card; the certificate, the hotel, and whatever travel expenses you guys need.”
Christopher couldn’t believe this. “You’re just going to give me the credit card?”
Eric nodded and pushed the card forward.
“I may not be able to sing.”
“I’m just helping a fellow American. Take the card. Even if you can’t sing for me, I want to help you out,” he said. “To tell you the truth, if you were to just show up and take a photograph, Jane will be over the moon.”
“I can definitely … do that.” He took the card, still hesitant.
“Take it. I’m sorry about what happened, and I want to pay for the rest of your trip while you sort out the whole passport issue.” Eric grinned. “Don’t worry, I can afford it.”
Christopher returned his grin.
“Do you want to see the ring?” Eric reached into his pocket and showed it to him. “Do you think she’ll like it?”
A single solitaire was set on a silver band. The diamond seemed thicker than his thumb, and it gleamed even in the low lights.
“I’m sure she’ll … love whatever you buy.”
“Well, if you need to find a good diamond, let me know. I’ll hook you up.”
Christopher laughed and nodded.
“All right, I’ll head in first.” Eric pointed to the restaurant behind him.
“I’ll set everything up. Just let them know who you are, and I’m sure the manager will handle the rest.”
“All right,” he said. “And Eric, thanks.” He waved the card.
“No problem.”
Christopher turned back to Chloe, who was still on the phone.
“Mom, please, I don’t need this right now.”
He was surprised to hear her talking to her mom. He didn’t think Chloe would ever turn to her mother for help. Since young, whenever she had a problem, she knew her best bet was to solve it herself.
“Yes, I stayed at your house for a night. I’ll pay the rent, pro-rate it, and I’ll send you a check. Fine! I’ll pay for the whole month.” She clenched her jaws and fist.
“Chloe,” he said as he placed his hand on her back.
She rolled her eyes when she turned to him, then she covered the mouthpiece. “I should never have called her.”
“Hang up,” he whispered.
She frowned. “She’s the only one who can order the certificate for me.”
Christopher took the phone from her. “Mrs. Brooks, Chloe has to go.” He hung up the call and waved the credit card he was holding. “You can order your own certificate.”
Her brows drew closer. “Where did you get that?”
“You just need to know that it works.”
She took the card as he handed it to her. “Eric Staton? Who’s he?”
“Son of Ronald Staton.”
“And who’s that?”
He laughed softly. “A multi-billionaire.”
“You know a multi-billionaire and ran into him here?” Her head began swaying. “Am I dreaming?”
“I don’t know him, but he knows me and he offered to help.”
“Wow, really?” Chloe stared at the card and turned it around in her hands as if she couldn’t believe she was holding on to Eric Staton’s credit card. “Are you sure this isn’t another scam?”
Christopher couldn’t say for certain. It did seem too good to be true. “He didn’t take anything from me, and he gave me this. Why don’t you try it?”
She shrugged. “No harm giving it a try.”
Chloe got on her phone, and her lips morphed into a wide grin after a few minutes. “Yes, all right. Thanks.” She hooked her arms around his shoulders and gave him a tight hug. “You saved our lives again.”
Sing For Me Page 11