Miss Extra Charge

Chapter 4: No Service Included

I woke the next morning with a new message from Maya.

Maya: You've sent me three photos of buildings and zero photos of yourself. Are you okay?

I took a selfie in the hotel mirror. My hair stuck up on one side. I looked more tired than I'd expected.

Nora: I'm okay. I met a guide. She's kind of impossible.

Maya: Impossible how?

Nora: She charges for everything.

Maya: Does she tell you the price first?

Nora: Yes.

Maya: Then it sounds like she charges for work.

I put the phone down. My sister had no right to make sense so quickly.

Alessia met me outside the hotel at ten. We were scheduled for a museum visit and an afternoon walk through the artisan quarter. I had paid the full amount in advance. The booking page had also explained the cancellation policy, accessibility limits, and what counted as a custom request. I'd read all of it.

At the museum, I stopped at a display of old maps. A curator was explaining how the coastline had changed after a storm, and I wanted to ask more questions. When Alessia checked the time, I felt a prickle of embarrassment.

"Would you stay while I talk to her?" I asked.

"I can. It's outside the current schedule."

"I know."

"Do you want me to quote the time?"

"No." The answer came out sharper than I meant it to. "I mean, yes. I know you'll quote me. That's the point. You don't have to ask like I've done something wrong."

Alessia's expression shifted. "I'm not trying to make you feel wrong."

"You keep reminding me that every moment has a price."

"Because you keep asking me to do things outside our agreement."

"What if I just want you to want to?"

The words escaped before I could dress them up.

Alessia looked at me for several seconds. Around us, people moved quietly through the gallery.

"I can't know what you want from me if you don't say it," she said. "And I can't make a personal promise while I'm working for you."

"I'm not asking you to promise anything."

"Then what are you asking?"

I turned back to the maps. "I don't know."

"Okay."

There was no accusation in her voice. That made me feel worse.

We finished the museum visit as planned. Alessia told me about the storm that had moved the old sea wall and the families who had helped rebuild it. I listened and made notes in my phone. When the tour ended, she gave me directions to a nearby café and left me to go on her next booking.

I sat at the café for an hour, drawing the view through the window. I'd packed a sketchbook and forgotten to use it. My hand moved slowly at first, then more confidently. By the time I finished, I'd drawn the awning, the chairs, a woman reading a newspaper, and the reflection of the harbor in the glass.

I sent a photograph of the page to Maya.

Maya: There you are.

I smiled at the message.

At seven, I went to a small wine bar near the hotel. I'd been invited to join a table with two American women I'd met at the museum, but I'd said no because I wasn't sure whether I wanted company. I'd also thought about asking Alessia to join me, then reminded myself that she was working.

I ordered a glass of wine and a plate of bread. Halfway through, I saw her walk past the window with a man I didn't recognize. They were talking, and she laughed at something he said.

I felt a surprising pinch in my chest. It was probably only embarrassment at the fact that I'd been thinking about her, mixed with the knowledge that I'd paid her to sit with me the night before.

I finished my wine and walked back to the hotel.

A message appeared on my phone while I was climbing the stairs.

Alessia: I have a cancellation tomorrow afternoon. If you'd like more time in the artisan quarter, I can offer the slot at the usual rate.

I stared at the screen. The invitation was professional. It was also an opening, however narrow.

Nora: I'd like that. Can we spend some time on the sketching? I want to draw the street, not just see it.

Alessia: Yes. A private drawing session is ninety dollars for ninety minutes. Bring your own supplies.

I laughed out loud in the stairwell.

Nora: Of course it is.

Alessia: You asked for a service.

I looked at her message for a long moment.

Nora: I did.

The next day, she took me to a quiet corner near the old fountain. She let me choose a place to sit and gave me room to work. When I got stuck, she suggested I focus on shapes rather than details. She knew enough about drawing to be useful but never took the pencil out of my hand.

At the end, I showed her the page.

"You have a good eye," she said.

"I used to have one."

"You still do."

I wanted to believe her. I folded the paper carefully and put it in my bag.

As we walked back, I asked, "If I weren't your client, would you have dinner with me?"

Alessia stopped beside the fountain. "I would consider it."

"Would you consider it because you like me, or because you think I might book another day?"

"I don't need another booking." She held my gaze. "But while you are a client, I won't ask you to figure out which is which."

It wasn't the answer I wanted. It was the first one I trusted.