Page 101 of Better Than Gelato
“Paolo, do you think I’m good enough for Jake?”
Paolo stops eating and folds his napkin next to his plate. I think I’m getting another big speech, but he looks me in the eyes and says simply, “Dolcetta, you are the bestie of Paolo Zarantonella, you are good enough for any man on this earth.”
I nod, embarrassed I asked. I hate feeling insecure.
“I really don’t want to hang out with Naomi anymore.” I moan and plop my chin into my hand. My head feels too heavy to stay up on its own.
“And she’s here all week?” Paolo asks.
“Yes. And just thinking about being around her makes my head hurt.”
“Julieta, is your head hurting right now?” Paolo asks.
“Yes.”
“Hold on.” He gets out of his chair and puts his hand on my forehead. “You’re burning up.”
I put my hand to my head.
“I don’t feel hot at all,” I say and earn a snort of derision from Paolo.
“Your head doesn’t feel hot to you because your hand is also hot.”
“Oh man. I never get sick.”
Paolo has a scheming look in his eye.
“This is perfect,” he says. “You’re too sick to go traveling with Jake and his sister.”
“Ooh, that is good. I really didn’t want to do that.”
Somehow realizing I’m sick makes it even worse, because suddenly, I want to lay my head down on the table. I’m slowly moving in that direction when Paolo says, “We’ve got to go find Jake. He’s shopping downtown right?”
His thumbs fly over his phone as he texts Jake.
“Yeah, but I just want to go home and crawl into bed. I don’t want to see Naomi.”
Paolo shakes his head. “He’s got to see you. That will seal the deal. Trust me, you look awful.”
I think about hitting him, but it’s too much effort.
“Hang in there for another fifteen minutes, and you’ll get out of everything for the rest of the week, I promise.”
“Okay,” I say. “But I feel bad tricking him.”
Paolo laughs. “Julieta, you’re not tricking anyone. You really are sick. You’re just taking advantage of the good timing.” He checks his phone and grins. “Jake is on his way.”
We walk over to the steps, and by the time Jake and Naomi arrive, my head is throbbing.
“Juls!” Jake sits next to me and puts a hand to my head. “Wow, you definitely have a fever.”
“My head feels like a bowling ball being hit with a hammer. And my bones are cold.”
“I’m so sorry,amore.” He gives me a little kiss. Naomi doesn’t understand Italian, but can see enough to keep her distance, which is nice.
“Paolo, can you stay with her while I run into the pharmacy and get some meds?”
The pharmacy is right off the piazza,and we watch Jake go in. Once he’s inside, Naomi turns to Paolo and says, “So, Paolo, you’re Italian?”
