The Heart of Tuscany

"Hey Cece, you ready for your big trip?"     Cece Faciano looked up from her computer and smiled at Grady.  She had been spending the last 3 hours trying to get all her inventory and ordering done for Coffee 'N' More, a small little coffee shop she bought and opened up 3 years ago.  Cece was only 20 when she decided to open it and to her luck it took off and had been doing extremely well. "Hey Grady, yeah i'm just finishing up the logs and paperwork.  Everything should be good to go.  I really do appreciate you handling all of this for me."  She really did appreciate everything Grady did for her.  He was her first employee she ever hired and had stayed with her through everything.  She didn't know how she would have made everything work had it not been for him.  Only a few months after hiring him she made him her second in command.  All of her other employees loved and respected him. "I really don't deserve you Grady." Grady smiled his megawatt smile at her and winked.  "Of course, you don't, but I love you and I love it here." Cece winked back at him and looked at her watch "Oh crap!  Eryka should be here soon." "Ummmm when? Because Mr. Drop-Dead-Gorgeous called and said he would be stopping by in about 10 minutes. Should I hide the breakables?" Grady was referring to her lifelong best friend Jack whom he had a huge crush on. Cece rolled her eyes "I'm about to be on a 12-hour flight with both next to me.  I think the breakables are safe."     Jack and Eryka were Cece's two best friends and they hated each other.  It wasn't always that way.  Back in high school they used to date.  Unfortunately, it ended badly, and they never got along with each other again.  They tolerate each other for Cece's sake.  Having the two of them in the same room could be a headache at times and entertaining. "Well, do you want me to distract one of them? Preferably Jack" Grady wiggled his eyebrows suggestively "You are absolutely hopeless chasing after a straight man!" Cece laughed and shakes her head. "Story of my life! Oh! I hear him up front. I'll get back to the cake."  Grady turned as Jack came through the door.  He looked Jack up and down slowly and smiled "Well hello handsome." Jack smiled awkwardly at Grady "Uhh hi Grady." Grady laughed and walked back into the small kitchen to finish making the cake he had started earlier. "He's so in love with you." Cece laughed at Jack Jack rolled his eyes "Please don't remind me."     Jack had been Cece's best friend since they were in kindergarten and grew up across the street from her.  It wasn't surprising that Grady had a crush on him.  Anyone with a pulse could look at Jack and see how gorgeous he was.  He was tall and built from working out 5 days a week.  Jack had sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and the perfect chiseled face that gave him the "All American Guy" look.  For Cece though, he was like a brother.  A very protective brother in her opinion.  Growing up whenever either of them were dating someone the person they were dating would always get jealous of their friendship and always accuse them of cheating.  Rumors around school never helped and got worse when they went to prom together even though it was just as friends.  Cece giggled at the memory. "So, I thought I'd stop by and find out what you wanted to tell me instead of waiting all day.  You know I have no patience." Jack said "I should have known." She sighed "Well you know that I have invited Eryka with us on this trip, but we weren't sure if she would be able to make it right?" "Yeah, so? Please tell me she won't be coming." "Aww Poor Jack of course I'm coming." Eryka said as she came through the doorway behind Jack "Figures" Jack grumbled "You're my favorite person too!" Eryka said sarcastically and squinted her eyes at him.     Cece should have seen this coming. "Alright you two, enough." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her two best friends. "If you two can't put your petty old high school issues behind you and get along for a few short weeks I'll just make this trip on my own.  Even though I NEED my two closest friends there to support me.  Two friends that I have always been there for." Okay so she was laying it on a little thick, but she wasn't about to spend the next month in beautiful Tuscany with them bickering at each other. Jack sighed "Okay, how about we call a truce?" he held out his hand to Eryka Eryka took his hand and shook it "Truce" "But, only for a month." Jack released her hand and smiled "Absolutely." Eryka said returning the smile.