Somehow none of that bothered Christy. It was enough to know that she loved Todd and, more important, that she fully trusted God with what would happen next in their relationship.
As they walked uphill hand in hand, Christy said, “I think I’m beginning to figure out a few things about myself.”
“Oh?”
“I think I need to trust God more.”
“Don’t we all,” Todd said.
They turned the corner and found themselves at the front of the large, salmon-pink hotel. The entrance wasn’t especially huge or dramatic, but the intricate designs on the building’s front made it look old, grand, and very expensive.
Christy scanned the front of the hotel for any sign of Katie. She wasn’t there. They entered the lobby and treaded lightly across the rich burgundy-and gold-patterned carpet. Christy hoped Katie was sitting on one of the thick, upholstered chairs or couches, but she wasn’t.
“Let’s ask at the desk,” Christy suggested. “Maybe she left a message.”
“Or maybe she got here before us and got kicked out,” Todd muttered. “Marcos didn’t tell us this was a five-star hotel.”
The uniformed desk clerk looked up at Todd and Christy with a smile that noticeably diminished when he took in their backpacks and casual clothes.
“Sorry. We have no vacancy.”
How did he know we speak English? Do we look that much like typical Americans?
“That’s okay,” Todd said. “We don’t want a room. We just wanted to check if any messages had been left for us.”
The clerk looked at them impatiently. “If you do not have a room, we would not have kept a message for you.”
Christy stepped in and tried to explain, giving him her best smile and making sure he noticed her eyes. That feature seemed to have helped her with other Italian men, and she figured it couldn’t hurt this time. “We were supposed to meet our friend here. Katie Weldon. By any chance did she leave a message for Christy Miller?”
“No,” he said with a flat expression, without even checking. Apparently Christy’s eye color wasn’t a novelty with this Italian.
“Grazie,” Christy said, reverting to her limited Italian. “Molte grazie.” Speaking Italian had scored points with Antonio’s father but had no effect on the desk clerk. She smiled her best eye-sparkling smile at him one more time, then turned to leave. She figured they could go back out on the street to decide what to do next.
“One more question,” Christy heard Todd say to the clerk. She turned around and noticed that a distinguished gentleman in a black tuxedo had joined the clerk behind the desk. She was afraid that it wouldn’t matter what Todd said. By the looks on the two men’s faces, Christy guessed she and Todd were about to be thrown out of the hotel.
Todd stood his ground and said, “Do you happen to know a guy named Marcos? We’re here only because Marcos told us to come and to tell you that we know him. His father is Carlo Savini.”
Both of the gentlemen froze.
Christy had a terrible feeling that she and Todd should start running for their lives.
The man in the tuxedo exclaimed, “Carlo? You know Marcos and Carlo Savini? Why did you not tell me you were friends of Carlo Savini?” He rushed around to the front of the hotel registration desk and kissed Christy on both cheeks. Then he grabbed Todd and kissed him on both cheeks, too. If Christy hadn’t been so stunned, she would have burst out laughing at the expression on Todd’s face.
“I am the manager of Villa Paradiso, Emilio Mondovo. How do you know Marcos?”
Todd explained the connection through Antonio, and Mr. Mondovo patted Todd on the back enthusiastically. “You are welcome here. You will be my personal guests.” He turned to the desk clerk and said, “Put our guests in the Galleria Suite.”
“We really didn’t plan to stay here,” Christy said.
“That’s right,” Todd agreed. “We thought a friend of ours might be here waiting for us.”
The manager rattled off something in Italian and swatted the air in front of Todd’s face. “You are my guests,” he repeated aggressively in English. “You and your friend you are meeting here. You are all my personal guests. Per favore. Please. Stay.”
Christy had the feeling this man would be offended if they didn’t accept his offer. She also realized that the money she would spend at this hotel for one night would gobble up the entire amount she had budgeted for three weeks’ worth of youth hostels. She gave Todd a desperate look, hoping he would know what to say next.
“We would be honored to stay in your hotel, sir,” Todd said.
Christy felt like slugging him. What are you thinking, Todd? We can’t afford this place!
“Giovanni here will check you in and call for assistance for your bags. Please call on me if you have any problems at all. You are my guests.” The dramatic Mr. Mondovo stepped away from them to greet another guest who had just exited the elevator.
“Your key, sir,” the clerk said. It was the same businesslike tone he had used with them a few minutes earlier when he said he had no vacancies.
“Thanks,” Todd said, taking the key. “And for Christy?”
The clerk handed Christy a second key. It didn’t have a room number on it. “What room am I in?”
“The Galleria Suite, miss.”
“I thought you said Todd is in the Galleria.”
“He is.”
“Well, I need a separate room.”
“That’s right,” Todd said. “I thought you understood that.”
The desk clerk looked at them with a cold glare.
“And if you would be so kind,” Christy said, leaning closer and lowering her voice, “could you give me one of your lower-priced rooms? I don’t know how expensive the Galleria Suite is, but I’m on a limited budget.”
“The Galleria Suite is the nicest room in the hotel.”
Todd immediately put his key back on the counter. “Oh, well, then could you please give me one of your lower-priced rooms, as well? I’m on a tight budget, too.”
The clerk appeared put out with Todd and Christy. He pushed the same keys back at them and stated with staccato words, “You are Signore Mondovo’s personal guests. The room is gratis.”
Christy and Todd looked at each other, still not understanding.
“Gratis,” the clerk repeated. “No charge. Free. You are Signore’s personal guests. Anything you wish in the hotel is yours.”
Christy was so stunned her mouth dropped open.
“Cool” was all Todd said.
“Your keys,” the clerk repeated, pointing to them. He rang a bell on the counter twice, and a young man in a burgundy uniform with gold braid around the arms immediately appeared and picked up Christy’s pack. He offered to take Todd’s bag, but Todd said he could take it himself.
The clerk then walked away from the desk as if dismissing Todd and Christy.
Todd picked up both keys and said to Christy, “Let’s check it out. Then we can find Mr. Mondovo and explain that we need two rooms. I’m sure Katie will be here by the time we figure all this out.”
Christy followed the bellhop to the elevator. He pushed a button, and they rode to the top floor. He then ushered them down a long, carpeted hallway to the door at the very end marked Galleria Suite.
Todd unlocked the door. Christy followed him in, and once again, her mouth dropped open as she took in the huge living room area with a brilliant golden chandelier hanging in the center. Straight ahead was a fireplace with an elaborate golden mantel. To the left were large windows covered with elegant gold brocade drapes. To the right were a huge entertainment center and a round dining room table.
The bellhop walked over to the curtains and opened them, displaying a view of the enchanting lights of the town below. A sliding-glass door opened to a balcony trimmed in salmon-pink wrought iron. He went to the door on the far left, opened it, and motioned for Christy to enter.
As she strolled through the door, she saw a huge bedroom with two large
beds, a table, a couch, a television, and an adjoining bathroom with a sunken bathtub. She had never seen anything like this!
She returned to the living room area to find that the bellhop had opened another door on the far right side, past the bar. Todd was examining a separate bedroom as extravagant as the one Christy had just seen.
“Here you go,” Todd said, pulling some money from his pocket to tip the bellhop. He refused to take Todd’s money. “Enjoy,” he said with a smile and then left.
For a full minute and a half, Christy and Todd stood in the opulent living room, staring at each other without saying a word.
Todd spoke first. With an overly calm, chin-up gesture, he said, “Cool.”
Christy burst out laughing. “Cool? That’s all you can say? Cool? Todd, this is unbelievable!” She did a little free-spirited gypsy dance and said, “Look at this place! Two separate rooms and everything! Katie is going to freak out when she gets here. Did you see the bathtub in my room?”
“And just who says that’s your room?”
“Oh, you want to race me for it?”
Without answering, Todd took off sprinting across the room.
“No fair!” Christy squealed, dashing after him.
Todd arrived at the sunken tub first and said, “Cool!”
“You can’t have it. This is my bathroom and my room. Did you even check out what kind of bathtub you have?”
Todd grinned again and said, “Race you!”
He took off first, but Christy was ready this time, and she almost tied with him.
“I only get a shower,” Todd said, catching his breath.
“Look at this thing,” Christy said, opening the double doors. The shower offered eight separate shower heads coming out of the tile at different heights.
“It looks like a compact car wash,” Todd said. He reached in and turned the knob. They both laughed as the water squirted out in all directions.
“We better go find Katie,” Christy said after Todd had turned off the shower and they had returned to the living room. “Do you think she got mixed up and ended up at one of those other ‘villa’ hotels the cab driver mentioned?”
“Good deduction work, Sherlock. Now tell me how we missed her.”
“Did we take the last boat out of Naples?” Christy asked.
“No, we missed the last hydrofoil, but a couple more boats were scheduled for tonight. Or at least one.”
Christy didn’t feel very confident of Todd’s calculations. “What should we do if she doesn’t show up?”
“Eat,” Todd suggested.
Christy had to laugh. “I should have guessed that would be a priority for you. Then what do we do?”
Todd headed for the door and opened it for Christy. “If Katie doesn’t show up, I think we should figure out other arrangements for where we stay. It wouldn’t be right for us to be in this suite, just the two of us.”
Christy knew Todd was being wise and using good discernment, but she couldn’t help feeling a twinge of disappointment. The suite was incredible. Staying there would be a treat. But Christy knew that being alone in such a place could easily awaken dreams that needed to stay asleep in innocent bliss. This would not be the right time to give those dreams a place to unfold.
“You’re right,” Christy said. “That’s what we should do.” They exited the room and headed for the elevator.
“Do you have the room key?” Christy asked.
“Right here,” Todd said, patting his pocket. “I hope they have fish at that café. Doesn’t fish sound great right now?”
“I take it you didn’t get enough while we were camping.”
“I can never get enough fresh fish,” Todd said as they reached the elevator and pushed the button.
“Or mangoes,” Christy added.
Todd gave her a surprised look. “How did you know I like mangoes?”
“I take notes.”
“You know,” Todd said after they had stepped into the elevator and began going down, “that’s what amazes me about you. You know me, Christy. You probably know me better than anyone else. Even better than my mom and dad. You know me, and yet you still want to be around me. That amazes me.”
“I feel that way about you, too, Todd. That’s what I was trying to say about the lights and Molokai. I keep thinking that the closer you get to me and the more you get to know me, you’ll see what I’m really like. When that happens, I’m afraid you won’t want to be around me anymore.”
“No.” Todd shook his head for emphasis. “It’s not like that at all. The closer I get to you, the more you amaze me.”
“But we’re so different.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of opposites attracting? Besides, I don’t think we’re completely different. We’re alike in a lot of ways. You’re good for me, Christy. And I think I’m good for you.”
As the elevator reached the lobby level, Christy did something she had thought of many times before but never had allowed herself to do. She leaned over and kissed Todd tenderly on his stubble-covered cheek.
Just then the elevator door opened, and before them stood Katie. Frazzled, red-in-the-face Katie.
“Oh well!” Katie exclaimed, holding up a hand for dramatic emphasis. “Don’t let me interrupt anything between you two. I’ll just go back to being lost for a few more hours.”
10
“Katie! What happened?” Christy exclaimed as she and Todd both rushed to hug their friend.
“Don’t ask. You won’t believe me when I tell you. Have you guys eaten yet? I’m starving.”
“We were just on our way to a cafe we saw earlier,” Christy said. “I’m so glad you’re here. Are you okay?” Katie nodded as Todd pulled her pack off her back.
“I’ll take this up to our room for you, and then we can go get some food,” he said.
Christy led Katie to a couch in the elegant lobby. Katie motioned toward the desk clerk and muttered, “That guy sure isn’t going to win any awards for his love for Americanos. Even though I dragged it out of him that you two were registered here, he wasn’t real thrilled about letting me join you. Didn’t you tell him I was coming?”
“Yes, he knew. Don’t worry. It’s all fine. Thanks to Marcos and his dad, all three of us are the honored guests of the hotel manager. We get to stay here for free.”
“Free?” Katie spouted way too loudly.
Christy nodded, hoping Katie would lower her voice.
“Awesome! What a God-thing! Good ol’ Marcos!”
“I know,” Christy said. “Good ol’ Marcos.”
“Hey, I’m sorry I said all those things this morning about your flirting with him. By the way, what was going on with you and Todd?”
“What do you mean?”
“I saw you two snuggling and kissing in the elevator. That’s a little more, shall I say, ‘expressive’ than you two usually are. What did I miss?”
Christy nodded, feeling shy about divulging any of the details. “We had a couple of good talks. I had misunderstood a few things.”
“Oh, like that has never happened with you before,” Katie said. “What was it this time?”
In years past Christy had told Katie almost everything. But Christy didn’t want to share all the details from her latest roller-coaster ride over Todd. She wanted her exchange with him to be between just the two of them, especially since part of Christy’s inaccurate imaginings had involved Todd’s being interested in Katie.
“It was nothing, really. I realized I need to stop trying to have everything in life figured out. I need to trust God more and not always be worried about having a plan.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve certainly changed my opinion about having a plan on this trip,” Katie said, stretching out her legs. “Plans are our friends. I’m telling you, I am a reformed traveler, Christy. If we hadn’t had a plan to meet up here, I don’t know where I’d be right now.”
“What happened? How did we miss you at the train station?”
Todd ar
rived in the lobby just then, so Katie waited until the three of them were seated at the cafe and had ordered before jumping into her crazy story. She described, with great detail, how she had decided to use the rest room on the train right before they pulled into the Naples station. She had leaned her large backpack outside the door of the bathroom stall, and when the train came to a stop, her backpack fell against the door, locking Katie in the stall.
Christy tried not to laugh too hard. “What did you do?”
“I yelled and pounded until poor Marcos had to come into the women’s rest room to let me out.”
“We thought you got off the train before we did and that you went straight to the first bus and took off,” Christy said.
“Hardly! Marcos and I barely jumped off the train before it pulled out of the station. He took me to the bus stop and waited with me for the next bus. Then a huge car accident happened about a block away. It was awful! You could hear the metal as it crunched. Marcos went down there, and when he came back he said no one was hurt. But it took forever to clear the road so the bus could get through. I think I caught the last boat out of Naples. Marcos wrote down the name of the hotel and gave me his home phone number, too. He was really great about watching out for me.”
“I’m glad you got here okay,” Christy said.
“Well, I hate to admit it, but you were right, Christy. We did need a plan. I’m glad we did, otherwise I don’t know what would have happened. Marcos is going to meet us tomorrow in Rome. He wrote down all the information. Like I told you, I’m a reformed traveler. From now on, we stick together, and we always have a plan.”
Christy smiled at her friend, but her smile wasn’t prompted just by Katie’s admission that Christy was right. She was smiling because Todd had reached his arm around the back of her chair and was fingering the end of her hair. She was thinking of how far their relationship had come in this one, very long day.
Until Tomorrow Page 9