Brigit couldn't help but smile. She could totally understand a fellow sweet-tooth. "Oh, yeah. Glad you liked the cornbread." She held out her hand to the tiny man. "I'm Brigit, BTW."
"Brigit." He frowned. "I have never heard ze surname... bee tee double-you."
Brigit laughed. "No, no, that's not my last name. It stands for 'by the way.' My last name is O'Connor."
The man nodded solemnly. "Irish," he murmured. "You may be able to help me even more. If I could impose on you?"
Brigit shrugged. "Sure. Let's get supper first." She headed for the kitchen and the Thai food. "What should I call you?"
"I am Luis of ze clan Scarpato, indentured Calzari for ze Milano family of Italia," he recited with a small bow.
"Milano? Like the shoes?"
The creature settled on the sofa next to Brigit and watched her unpack and dish up the food. "Well, we do make shoes for zem, but zey are not zat part of ze Milanos." He sniffed the small plate of rice, seafood, and mochi, which sat on his lap like a whole table balanced on his sturdy legs.
"Oh... Hey, did you make my boots? They are so sick! I can't wait to wear them tomorrow. I have just the outfit..." Brigit trailed off when she saw the sad expression on Luis' face. "What is it?"
"We make ze shoes," he confirmed. "'Sick' means good, yes?"
He stared into the distance. Brigit watched him from the corner of her eyes, thinking he probably needed a little time to think things over.
Luis sighed. "I do not deserve ze sweet treat." He set the plate aside. "I left mia familia, left zem in zat place. Zen, I talk to you, mia bella, as if I am not... indecente!"
Brigit stared as the little man curled up into a ball, hiding his face. "Maybe you should just tell me what happened. Full disclosure, then we'll see if I can help."
Luis peeked out around his knee for a long moment, then nodded and sat up again.
"I was born into ze clan Scarpato, ze makers of shoes. Many generations ago, we help a man of ze familia Milano. He give us food, and we make shoes for him."
"Oh, like the elves and the shoemaker!" Brigit exclaimed.
Luis nodded. "Just so, mia bella. Ze story became ze fairy tale."
"Wait, you mean that story is true? That makes your family, like, legendary!"
"Ze Milanos and mia familia, we make a deal. We have no home, no work. We will make ze shoes, and zey will give us food and home. But zey cheat! Zey say our deal means we cannot leave or stop ze work. Ze deal said ‘until zey no longer need us’ and zey say zey need us. We are Fata, fairies, and bound by our word. We could not fight ze word we gave when we had no place else. Now we are trapped, slaves for ze Milanos."
"Oh, wow. That's so sad." Brigit set her plate down, the food forgotten. "How did you leave?"
Luis shrugged. "We cannot abandon our work. I help make ze boots, and I missed a small thread inside ze left boot. I come with ze boots to fix it."
Brigit watched the little man for a moment. "You intentionally left your work undone? To create a loophole?"
Luis nodded, his cheeks flushing even redder.
"That's pretty epic."
"It was shameful. I have abandoned mia familia and my work. For what? A chance zat you could help us? I don't even know how you could."
Brigit stood up. "Don’t give up on me, yet. You don’t know how good I am at getting people’s attention. Let's start by complaining to customer service!"
Chapt 3
Brigit threw open the door and stared in shock at the man before her. He was dark haired and built of the lean muscle of a weekend athlete. He stood several inches taller than Brigit, making him around five-eleven to her five-five frame. His complexion was distinctly Mediterranean.
The man's dark brown eyes flicked down to her body and darkened to nearly black. The small, well-groomed mustache on his upper lip twitched, and Brigit realized he was trying not to smile. She remembered she was wearing a bathrobe and lounge pants, a towel wrapped around her hair balancing on top of her head.
The man's eyes came back to her face when she gasped in a breath. He moved as if to speak, but Brigit let out a small yell and slammed the door in his face.
"You aren't the pizza guy!" she accused him, yelling through the door. She wrapped her arms around her waist, feeling exposed and caught unaware.
"No, I am not the pizza guy, Ms. O'Connor."
Brigit frowned. His voice seemed familiar. "You know my name?"
"Yes," he said. "You called my grandfather's company. Milano Artisan Footwear? They said they had told you to expect me."
"You are Mr. Antonio Milano?" That would explain the familiarity. His voice had the barest hint of the Italian accent she'd grown used to with Luis.
"You can call me Tony."
Brigit opened the door and scowled. This man was the enemy, the enslaver and tormenter of small Italian elfin creatures. "You may come in, Mr. Milano. Have a seat. I'll be with you in a moment or two."
Tony frowned, his expression showing her insult of not using his first name had hit its mark. He nodded politely and perched his well-formed butt on her sofa.
Brigit shut the door and went back to the bedroom. Luis sat on a cushion Brigit had put on the dresser. He had insisted on keeping busy, which meant repairing, updating and fitting every item of clothing she owned. After the first day, she had asked that he at least leave her panties as is.
"He's here!" she whispered to the elf.
Luis looked up from the needle he was using on her old pleather skirt. "Ze pizza delivery man?"
"No! Mr. Antonio Milano, grandson of the current owner of Milano Artisan Footwear."
Luis nodded solemnly. "We have heard of him. I do not know him, however."
Brigit ducked into the bathroom and closed the door half way, so she could change clothes while still talking to Luis. "I'll start the conversation. Get it to the topic of his so-called employees. You wait by the door and listen. I'll give you a signal to come out when the time is right."
Luis nodded and set the skirt aside. He bounced down from the dresser, landing with a soft thump.
Brigit stepped out from the bathroom in a nice shirt and jeans. She had combed out her hair, but it was still a bit damp, and she put it up in a tousled bun and clipped it in place with an old butterfly clip. She leaned over the dresser to peer into the mirror mounted over it. She brushed a bit of pressed powder over her face and swiped on lipstick in a shade of mauve that made her look sophisticated without being too much color.
She paused at the door and checked that Luis was in position. He gave her a thumbs up, and she nervously brushed her hands down her pant legs. She threw the door open and strode into the living room.
Tony was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed one ankle on the other knee. His arms were spread across the back and his charcoal suit jacket, now unbuttoned, spread open to show the pink dress shirt underneath. He didn't have a tie on, instead, going for a more casual look by leaving the first few buttons of the dress shirt open.
The shirt and pants stretched across various parts of his form, and Brigit could appreciate the skill of the man's aesthetic. She shook her head.