Love Me (The Elites of Cheshire shore #2)

12. Florence

CHAPTER TWELVE

florence

I stare at Rome, blinking. Not having my turmeric shot this morning seems to have thrown me off kilter because I don’t think I’ve heard him properly. The smoke inhalation must have affected my ears—because there is no way I heard that right.

“What?” My eyebrows draw down. “I’m sorry, I must’ve misheard you, because it sounds like you said I’m moving in with you?”

“You didn’t mishear, Flo. You’re moving in with me.” Rome’s gruff voice causes my core to clench. I almost trip over my feet and pour coffee down Luca’s newly pressed suit, instead of placing it in his outstretched hand.

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Luca pipes in, mock hurt in his voice. I take a sip from my matcha latte, watching Rome fold his newspaper over and rest it on his marble tabletop. Although, I find it funny that Luca is more concerned about me staying with Rome than him, I should be the concerned party here, I currently have nowhere to live—period.

“No.” The word rings as Rome stands, effectively cutting the conversation off.

“But—” Luca tries to argue.

“No,” Rome replies, stuffing his phone into his suit pocket.

“We don’t know how long repairs will take, or how badly damaged my apartment is,” I interrupt, I’m really trying to not seem ungrateful, but also knowing that this could take a year before I can move into my old apartment, and I don’t want Rome to think this is a one weekend sort of thing.

“You can stay as long as you like, there isn’t an expiration date, Flo,” Rome replies.

“She’s—” Luca tries to continue his fruitless argument, but it doesn’t disturb Rome, who slips his suit jacket on.

“No,” Rome replies, bending at the waist, caging me in with one arm on the back of my chair and the other on the table. His burnt oak and fresh leather scent hypnotizing me with his closeness, Rome dots a kiss on my cheek, and I swallow, my throat suddenly dry. Rome lifts his hand from the table, showing his centurion credit card. “Feel free to replace anything you lost in the fire.”

“Rome,” I groan. The last thing I want is to look like some needy girl, I can more than pay for my own clothes. Besides, I have insurance for a reason. “I can pay for my own things.”

“I know you can, lollipop, but the offer is there.” His eyes flick up to meet his brother’s, leaving his face still inches away from my own.

“Oh, that reminds me.” Rome straightens, putting some distance between us. He crosses to the small kitchen island and gets a plate. “I attempted to make your lollipops, but they didn’t really turn out.” He hands me melted globs of honey-colored goo. I pick one up and instantly put it in my mouth, knowing it will help my scratchy throat. The moment the sticky treat hits my tongue, I have to school my features; these are nothing like my lollipops. For starters, they’re missing the wheat straw stick I have mine on because I’m an environmentally conscious girly. Second, they’re usually a little bit harder, Rome’s look like melted corn syrup. I don’t even understand how Rome could get the recipe so wrong. Rome rolls his lips together, waiting for me to let him know my thoughts, the small lines around his eyes deepening.

“Oh, these are yum.” I manage to hide my grimace as I pay him the compliment. It’s totally the thought that counts. The small lines around Rome’s eyes instantly relax.

“There’ll be plenty more where that came from, Google told me they are great if you have been exposed to smoke inhalation.” He places the plate on the table and turns to his brother. Oh goodie.

“I’m leaving in two minutes, or you can make your own way to the office.”

While his back is turned, I discretely spit my mouthful into a tissue.

Luca huffs and slumps his shoulders down in defeat. “Make it five, I need to see Lily out.”

“Fuck and dump Lily?” I press, because Luca never shares the names of his conquests. Mostly because they tend to be one-hit wonders and I can’t be bothered learning the names of the girl. My brain needs to be filled with more important things like competing anesthetics. But Luca mentioned her name offhandedly, and now that I know it, I intend to use it. I’ve only ever learned the name of three of Luca’s girlfriends, well, four now, mostly because Luca seems to be as allergic to relationships as I am—or as he calls it, “bachelor extraordinaire.”

Luca actually has the decency to look sheepish, Lily might be a bit more than his usual fuck and dump. “She isn’t a fuck and dump. We’re seeing where things go,” he replies. I send a silent thanks that Rome is all but forcing me to stay in his apartment. There is no way I can sit in an apartment listening to my best friend get some while the batteries slowly run out on my vibrator. Luca gets up from his chair and dots my cheek with a kiss.

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

I give him a soft smile. My friendship with Luca goes a lot deeper than what people see. He’s been there for me when I was at my lowest. He got me through the toughest times in my life. I never want to do anything that will ever jeopardize that. I watch Rome and Luca leave before getting up and dressing for the day. No matter what, I can never lose Luca, he means too much to me. I’m sure now that I’m staying with Rome, Luca will be spending more time here than at his own apartment.

As to be expected my apartment was rendered completely uninhabitable. The yellow security tape on the bottom of the building is making that incredibly clear. Going through my apartment to see what I can salvage isn’t going to be possible for a few weeks at best. Apparently, the building has to be checked by a structural engineer before it can be declared structurally sound and then the works to repair the damage can start. Thank goodness I ran out with my Kindle. My skin itches just thinking about being away from my Kindle for more than a day. Which means, I’m now officially moving in with Rome.

My phone buzzes in my hand and I quickly swipe to answer.

“Hi, Nanai.” My voice is more chipper than it should be for a person who has just been told her apartment is not livable and who has potentially lost all of her worldly belongings.

“Florence, we must go to the temple and give thanks for your safe escape.” As a practicing Buddhist my nanai regularly visits the temple and brings offerings. While I’m not a Buddhist like she is, I respect my nanai and her religion and want to accompany her.

Putting my nanai on Speaker, I open the Uber app and quickly organize a ride. I need to sort out a car since mine is now out of action, hidden somewhere under my destroyed building.

“You’re right, are you free now?” I ask, even though I know the answer. Nanai wouldn’t be calling me if she was busy.

“Yes, I’m getting my incense ready now,” Nanai says and hangs up.

I get out of the Uber at the front gates of my mom’s house and buzz the intercom so my nanai can open the gate. I make the short walk down the longer-than-necessary driveway. My nanai is already waiting for me in the doorway, her reusable bag filled with offerings hanging in the crook of her arm and her walking stick resting in her other hand.

“My favorite grandchild.” Nanai beams as I climb up the stairs.

“I’m kind of your only grandchild. Unless you have another child Mom and I don’t know about?”

Nanai gives me a cheeky smile and lightly smacks my arm before she wraps me in a tight hug.

“Where’s your car? Was it damaged in the fire too? Don’t tell me you walked here?” Nanai looks over my shoulder at the empty driveway.

“My car is currently indisposed; I took an Uber here. Is Mom at the hospital?” I ask. I’ve received the next few days off courtesy of the fire, I guess she must’ve had a bit of a hand in that, which I’m low key grateful for. Mom is a workaholic, it’s not a bad quality to have, but since my dad died, she’s thrown herself even harder into her work. The Savino wing, named in memory of my dad, at Cheshire Shore Hospital is something to be proud of, and most of it is thanks to my mom.

“Yes, she left a couple of hours ago.” Nanai turns on her heel and walks into the house, leaving me no choice but to follow her, closing the front door behind me. “Ahh,” I hear Nanai call from deep in the house. For an older woman who relies on a walking cane, she is surprisingly fast when she wants to be. She struts back into the room, looking pleased. “We can take this one.” She hands me the keys to Mom’s weekend car, a.k.a. her Maserati Levante.

I bite my lip, staring at the keys dangling from her fingertips. “Maybe we should ask her before we take her car out.” Even if I get the thing detailed to within an inch of its life, she will still know we took her precious car out for a spin. She’s got this uncanny ability to tell when things aren’t left the exact way she did, and I’m really not in the mood to have another lecture about the importance of asking before borrowing things. I got enough of that as a child.

“What about your driver?” Due to her arthritis, Mom and I didn’t want Nanai to be restricted to not being able to go out if we’re not around, so we hired her a driver.

“He’s currently on holiday. Isn’t due back for two weeks.” She smiles. Fair enough. Nanai places the keys in my hand and takes off in the direction of the garage. “I sent Dara a voice message.”

“And she said yes?” Apprehension drips from my words and my eyebrows scrunch up as I trail after her. Quite frankly, I’m more than a little surprised, knowing my mom is the slowest person to reply to messages.

“Not yet, but she will when she hears it,” Nanai replies, already getting herself comfortable in the passenger seat. The confidence in that woman astounds me. I throw my hands up in the air; if Nanai hasn’t got a problem, then why should I? It’s not like we really have a second option, and if I think I’m weird in an Uber—Nanai is ten times worse.

After leaving our offerings at the temple and giving thanks to our ancestors for my safety, we make our way back into the car. I need food and I need it now.

“We should make this a weekly thing,” Nanai mentions offhandedly.

“Visiting the temple?” My lips pull down as a pebble of unease settles in my lower gut. Not that I don’t like coming to the temple, but I’m a less is more kind of person. Especially since the last time we came, Nanai tried to set me up with some guy who was totally filling my Mr. Big fantasy, but his wife, standing a few feet away, was less than impressed, to say the least.

“No, going out for lunch. Now that you are moving in, we can do things together more? I will have the room next to mine ready.” She picks an errant strand of lint from her perfectly pressed pants.

We already see each other at least once a week, and it’s more than enough time together. “Actually, Rome has asked me to move in with him while my apartment is not livable. He has a great spare room.”

Nanai goes deathly quiet, I slow the car at the lights and turn to see her staring at me, her eyes comically wide and a giant grin filling out the deep grooves on her face. She almost looks like one of those creepy clowns.

“Nanai? Are you having a stroke?” I ask.

Her face doesn’t change. “Yes, but I just realized you can’t stay at our place.”

“But you just told me I can sleep in the room next to yours?” The light turns green, but I won’t let it distract me. I press on the gas, glancing at my nanai from the corner of my eye.

She lightly raps her index finger against her leg, the three jade bracelets on her wrist tink from the movement. “I forgot; I’m moving my sewing machine in there.”

“Isn’t your sewing machine in my old room upstairs?”

“I’m old, I forgot we’re moving it downstairs, and we’re getting a cat.” Nanai continues to rapidly outlay the reasons why I can’t move back home. “I saw this cute cat on Instagram. Dara is all for it. So, it’s best you move in with Rome.”

I snort, I know for a fact my mom has no clue about the cat moving in—if there even is a cat moving in. She doesn’t really like animals. Nanai claps her scheming hands together and I can’t help the little grin that pulls at my lips. My pulse quickens, Rome’s apartment may be huge, but both of us living under the same roof could be a disaster. I just hope that by the time this is over we haven’t annoyed each other so much that it risks my relationship with Luca and the rest of the Venuccios, who are like a second family to me.