Total pages in book: 206
Estimated words: 192184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 961(@200wpm)___ 769(@250wpm)___ 641(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 961(@200wpm)___ 769(@250wpm)___ 641(@300wpm)
We pulled up to the salon and Nino followed us in. Tessa had linked arms with me and told me Tommy insisted Nino drive because I was cargo that was too precious to be subjected to her crazy driving. Aw! (He was right. Nino called her Tessa Andretti, teasingly.)
I was glad she didn’t joke about it having anything to do with me taking off. We laughed and then as we stepped inside, Nino grabbed and then was kissing a girl behind the counter. She was tall, brunette, beautiful.
Holy crap, this was my cousin. She and I had the same hair. And I could see my mother in her eyes. It was faint, but it was definitely there.
“Tia, this is Bianca. This is her shop.”
I was dumbfounded.
She gave me a knowing smile. I could tell she knew who I was. She reached out and pulled me into a tight hug.
“Nice to meet you,” I said softly, almost numbly.
“C’mon girls, let’s go have a cappuccino and a natter and then I’ll make you both even more beautiful.”
Bianca was awesome. She was smart, together, fashionable and it was obvious that she was like a big sister to Tessa. They’d grown up together on the same street. Bianca and Nino had a six-year-old son. She told me she was an only child and had no other cousins on her dad’s side of the family, but lots on her mom’s side. We had no living grandparents on our side, either. But I had her and that was at least someone. I liked her a lot.
We didn’t talk about anything heavy, like her deceased father or my deceased mother, but she told me about our Nonna, who’d died about a year before my mother died. She said she was an old battleax who was super-strict. Bianca said she remembered my mother from when she was small, but that she hadn’t seen her since she was about eight or nine years old and that her name wasn’t mentioned much because of some family fall-out that no one wanted to discuss.
Her salon was cute. It was small, only had three stylist chairs and she was working alone today, only had one part time employee, said she was just getting started but was doing okay. She was skilled, gave my hair a trim, adding some long layers, then did my nails, and we talked about waxing.
“So, I didn’t know we were related when I decided to ask for a Brazilian,” I said, blushing with embarrassment.
She laughed. “I’m a professional, I can handle it. But have you had a Brazilian before?”
I shook my head. “No, I usually just, err, shave. All of, um… it.”
“It’s gonna hurt,” Tessa said with a wince.
“And you shouldn’t have sex till tomorrow if you do,” Bianca added.
Tessa laughed and made a gag motion with her finger in her mouth.
“Oh, I don’t know if I should, then. Tommy’s got a very, uh, voracious, appetite.”
“I can’t hear this.” Tessa raised her hands with her still wet nails and left the back room we had gone into.
Bianca laughed and whispered, “So I hear.”
I blushed. “What have you heard?”
“I know a few girls who’ve been with him. Two. Both just one nighters but yeah, I hear he’s got quite an appetite. And that he’s pretty aggressive about it.” She winked at me. “If he wasn’t like a cousin to me I’d have gone for him years ago.”
I didn’t know what she knew and the idea of him with other girls made me feel queasy and I wasn’t about to spill any beans. “I’d better just call him.”
She laughed. “That’s cute.” Then I heard the jingle of the chimes at her front door and she left me alone in the room.
I hit his contact info on the iPhone.
“Hey, baby,” he answered.
“Hiya. How’s your day?”
“It’s good. Yours? Having fun?”
“Yeah, Bianca is… she’s great. I feel like we’re related, if that doesn’t sound too weird.”
“She’s like a cuz to me so I get it. Bee’s cool,” he answered.
“Okay she’s my cousin and like a cousin to you so that’d make you and me like cousins and that’s just…”
“Wrong,” he said.
We both laughed.
“So, I told you I was gonna get a uh…Brazilian, for you,” I started.
“Mm hm.” He sounded like he was all dreamy-eyed.
“But Bianca says if I do we can’t have sex till tomorrow. I thought I’d better check with you before going ahead.”
“Awesome, baby.”
“No sex is awesome?”
“Checking with me for permission before closing your body down for business is awesome.” He laughed.
I was glad he was in such a good mood.
“I hear it’s quite nice, the effect…” I said softly.
“It absolutely is.”
I deflated. “Gah!”
“What?”
“I don’t want to know how you know that it absolutely is. In fact it makes me very growly that you know that it absolutely is.”
“Oops sorry,” he said softly but I could hear that he was amused and maybe even enjoying my jealousy.