Tessa was excited to get out, too, and told me she hadn’t had a day without the boys in a few weeks and was going to get all gussied up tonight for a dinner date with James. He had to work tonight at our house but that they’d go to dinner and hopefully have a nice and dirty quickie before he had to leave for work. Sarah was at her house today with them and when she’d arrived they’d talked about me and so Tessa had texted Tommy for my number. She said she and Sarah were in talks about her sharing the load between her place and Luc’s place since Tommy didn’t want a live-in any longer. She seemed happy about it, as Sarah had been like family to them and was great with the kids.
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. Awe! He was right!
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, she 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 gave me a hug.
“Nice to meet you,” I said softly.
“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 and together and 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 6 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 and I liked her a lot.
We didn’t talk about anything heavy, like her deceased father, 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 then 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, errr, shave.”
“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.
“Uh, 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 frowned and 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,” 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 but 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 stupid 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.”