Page 32 of Sincerely Not Yours

“I know. I should have listened to you from the start.” Gigi stirred with extra vigor, vowing never to date anyone her nonna didn’t love.

“He-who-should-not-be-named was the absolute worst,” Paige interjected, crossing her arms and balancing her margarita in the crook of her elbow. “Remember when Alice and I ran into him at the grocery store after he broke up with you the second time? I literally threw a squash at his head.”

“And then I told the manager he was stealing bananas.” Alice crossed her arms, mimicking Paige as if they were Gigi’s bodyguards.

Gigi chuckled. “I wish I had seen that firsthand.”

“We do too,” Paige and Alice replied together.

Gigi smiled gratefully at her friends. “You guys are the best friends I could ever ask for.”

“You’d do it for us.” Paige shrugged.

“Absolutely, I would,” Gigi replied.

“True friends throw squash at people that hurt their friends. I wish I would’ve tossed a watermelon at him.” Paige looked like she was considering additional fruit arsenal options.

Alice laughed and coughed through a margarita sip.

“If I ever see that guy again, I’ll trip him with my cane.” Nonna scrunched her face, disgusted with the thought of seeing him.

Gigi grinned at her. “For everyone’s sake, let’s hope there are no run-ins with him ever again.”

Nonna nodded in agreement before tasting the red sauce with a spoon. She made a face of approval—for the sauce—before she said, “Enough talk of history that won’t be repeated. Gianna, my love. Do you like this man—this Harris—or not? Because life is short. There’s no time for wishy-washiness.”

Gigi stopped stirring. She held tight to the spatula, as if it were a stake in the ground. Paige and Alice stared at her, awaiting a response, and Gigi chewed her bottom lip until she might’ve made it bleed. Then she gave in. “Okay, I like him.”

Allison squealed and hopped in place. Margarita sloshed out of her glass to the floor. “I knew it! I knew it! Yay!”

Paige didn’t squeal, but after a few beats, her face softened. Gigi could practically see the gears turning in her head. She was compiling a million interview questions to drill Harris if she had a chance to meet him.

Nonna gave a concise nod, approving of Gigi’s quick decision-making. “Then you need to make that known to him,” Nonna started. “No more wasting time. If you know you like him, then you do something about that.” She added a pinch of salt to the sauce, as though she’d solved all of Gigi’s problems and she was moving on to the next task.

Gigi sighed in exasperation. Paige and Alice had been hounding her about Harris since the almost-kiss and the overnight stay during the snowstorm, but Gigi didn’t have anysolid answers. There were too many variables. “I can’t just pursue my boss. It’s not that easy. It’s crazy, actually.”

Nonna waved her hand dismissively. “What’s the worst-case scenario?”

“I lose my job,” Gigi blurted.

“So, you get a new one.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Love is not easy. It’s not easy to find and not easy to keep.” Nonna turned, making eye contact with Gigi, Paige, and then Alice, ensuring her point was clear. “I would do anything for one more day with my Alfonso.” Her words dropped like a hammer on the tile floor, cracking through Gigi’s defenses.

She grimaced before reaching out and putting a hand on her Nonna’s arm. “I know.”

Gigi’s biological grandfather passed before she’d moved to Chicago. She hadn’t gotten the chance to meet him, but felt like she’d knew him through all the stories Nonna told her. To Gigi, that was her example of true love—her nonna and papa—hand in hand to the very end, together through every bump, bruise, and laugh.

Nonna patted Gigi’s hand and smiled. “Cheer up. I don’t say that to make you sad. I had fifty years of a great love. I am beyond blessed. What I mean is that you shouldn’t be dilly-dallying around if the potential of a great love is staring you in the face. Either move forward or move on. Enjoy life. Enjoy all those that love you.” Nonna squeezed Gigi’s hand before glancing at Alice and Paige. “That goes for all of you. Don’t waste your precious time with anyone that doesn’t show you love. Okay?”

Gigi swallowed, processing Nonna’s advice. “Okay,” she replied. Paige and Alice agreed as well.

“Good,” Nonna said, her tone firm but gentle. “Now, finish those raviolis. This sauce is almost at perfection.” She winked,and Gigi went back to the counter. Alice and Paige joined her to help assemble dinner, and as each dollop of filling was spooned onto the sheets of pasta, Gigi’s mind got clearer.No more dilly-dallying, she determined.

Chapter Fourteen

Harris zipped up his coat, tugging the collar tight against the biting wind. He and Gigi had just wrapped up a Gift Guide event, an evening with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Excited children had their pictures taken while sponsoring companies handed out door prizes and grab bags. As they left the lively venue, snowflakes swirled around them. The streets were festive, adorned with twinkling lights and holiday decorations, but it was Gigi who held his gaze. He wasn’t ready for the night to end, and his breath hitched when she brushed her arm against his, giving him a playful nudge.

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