Hearts Under Fire

Chapter 5 - Olè (part 2)

“How chivalrous you are, Mr. Marzarotti. It’s so rare to meet such a gentleman nowadays.”

“If you like, you can call me Valerio.”

“Only if you call me Jenny, Vale. Can I call you Vale?”

“You can call me whatever you want.”

“Okay, Vale. Listen,” she said, passing her hands through her long, blond hair—as she lifted her arms, she pushed up her breast, and her snug pink shirt made the movement very sexy.

“Tell me,” he said, as if he was struggling to keep his eyes on her face.

“I really can’t leave the shop right now. Please forgive me, but we have to talk here.”

“Your boss doesn’t give you a break, does he?”

“Ahem … Actually, the boss is right in front of you.”

“Really?” he said, his smile crystallized in his face.

“Yep.”

He turned to the other side of the counter where Martina was now wrapping the purchase for the two girls. Then he looked back to her, embarrassed.

“You didn’t expect that, did you?”

“Forgive me, Jenny,” he blushed. “I think I just made one of my worst blunders.”

“Come on, Vale. I know I match a salesgirl’s profile. It’s fair that those who don’t know me make that mistake … You don’t think you’re the first one, do you?” she lied.

“Well, this relieves me a bit, but it’s still inexcusable.”

“You’ve just been excused, then.”

“Too kind, Jenny. However, let me say how I appreciate women who take initiative and make their way in this society where, alas, equal opportunities are fictional …”

“Thanks, Vale. Then the reason why I’ve asked you to come, and I heartily thank you for your time, will make you appreciate me even more.”

“Let’s see,” he smiled, leaning his elbows on the counter.

With this movement, his shades fell awkwardly onto his nose.

Jenny struggled to be serious, to keep from adding to his embarrassment. She failed.

“Here we go again,” he chuckled, taking the glasses from his head and hanging them from the collar of his shirt instead.

“How do you like my shop?” she asked him, trying to nudge the talk back in the right direction.

“Congratulations, it looks great. I feel younger in here.”

“You’re saying that because of the name I gave to it, aren’t you?” she flirted.

“Of course not,” he replied, serious.

“Excuse me,” Martina interrupted them, approaching the cash register.

After the two customers had paid, Valerio introduced himself to her too.

“Martina,” she said.

“She’s my cousin,” Jenny added, surprised that he didn’t kiss the hand of that pretty, long-haired brunette—perhaps he wasn’t the pervert she imagined.

“Jenny’s associate, I guess.”

“No. I just work here.”

“Coño, I can’t catch a break today,” muttered Valerio.

“It may be just a bad day,” smiled Jenny. “Anyway, I was telling you …”

“Tell me.”

“I have a problem with storage of my merchandise. Since your unit up here is free at the moment, I thought it would be great for me to use it.”

“I see. It wouldn’t be bad from your point of view,” he agreed, affably. “I already received a couple of calls, but they say that the rent is too high. They’re going to call me back, but I certainly don’t have to wait for them to make up their minds.”

“Great!” rejoiced Jenny, glancing at Martina.

“I wonder if your opinion will still hold when you hear what the rent is.”

“Actually, I was thinking of buying it.”

Jenny’s answer, expressed with confidence and serenity, must have bewildered him.

“Would you give it to me?”

“Huh? … Well, you … You’ve caught me off guard,” he flushed. “I admit I didn’t expect this situation.”

“I’m an endless source of surprises for you, am I not?”

Valerio remained quiet for a while, looking at her. Then he resumed.

“Well, the matter is getting important.”

“Yes, Vale. It’s very important to me.”

“Muy bien, señorita Jenny. Look. Let me think about it. Then I’ll come back and we can discuss it.”

“Sounds good. I just want to make sure you won’t accept other offers in the meantime.”

“I give you my word as a gentleman,” he replied solemnly. “The fact is that I’d like to consider things thoroughly before reaching an agreement with you. The unit is almost six hundred square feet, and it’s in good condition. I had it repainted less than three years ago. When I come back, we’ll go upstairs and take a look.”

“That would be great.”

“Perfecto. Give me a call tomorrow and tell me what time I can meet you.”

“Thanks, Vale. You’re very kind.”

“Es un placer, Jenny.”

When the two cousins were sure he was gone, they ​​looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“What a wacky guy!” said Martina, with tears in her eyes.

“Did you see his shirt?”

“So tacky!”

“At one point I was about to stop. It was so clear I was making a fool of him that I thought, He’s gonna catch me.”

“I was going to laugh in his face when he blushed on your double-meaning question, haha.”

“Now you get the farmers’ story?” Jenny winked.

“Yeah. But this Latin lover seems to be like the farmer who owns the cow.”

“Sure, Marti. It was a joke. I didn’t expect he would give it to me, of course.”

“But if he did? Hahaha, there are strange people around … You never know.”

“Anyway, you can be sure that I’ll buy the unit and pay less than it’s worth.”

Jenny smirked. Her brilliant plan was going well. And she would do everything on her own this time. She was proud of herself.