Page 76 of Better Than Gelato
I kiss him to let him know how brilliant he is, but he breaks away mid-kiss.
“What do you have against Grease the musical?” he demands. “It’s John Travolta at his finest.”
I wave the question away, already jumping into planning mode. “We’ve got two months left. I'm going to save up all my nanny money. Plus I still have some birthday money I didn’t spend at the market.”
Jake smiles. “Juls, we’ve talked about this. I love treating you.”
“I know. And you’re exceptional at it. But you can’t pay for the whole trip.”
He tilts his head a little. “Why not?”
“Well…because…it wouldn’t be fair.”
Jake is smiling at me and to his credit, it’s not a patronizing smile, just a sweet one.
“I know you have piles of money.” I wave my hands to indicate piles of money, “but I can’t be a freeloader the whole time.”
“You are not a freeloader, but I appreciate where you’re coming from. What if I cover the costs, and you take care of the planning? Research the best places to visit and find the coolest things to do?”
I think about this. “Iama great planner. Okay, deal. But I get to pay for our first dinner out. I’m going to find someplace incredible and treat you.”
“Deal.”
Our train drops us off at Riomaggiore, and I snap a picture of Paolo, Valentina, Jake, Carmen, and Diego. We stretch our legs, tie our sneakers, then find the trail to Manarola and start walking.
The air is chilly and smells like wildflowers. This part of the trail is less like a hike and more like an easy stroll, paved and flat. We’re flanked by grape vineyards on the left and the shimmering Mediterranean on the right.
Paolo leads with Valentina next to him, holding his hand. It makes my bestie heart happy watching them. I’ve definitely noticed a change for the better in Paolo. He smiles more. And he’s a lot nicer to Diego.
Carmen strolls along with me and Jake, and Diego brings up the rear. He keeps stopping to look at things—a cool rock, a butterfly, a tree that looks like a tree by his house—and then catching up with the group.
While we walk, Jake tells us about the mouse he named Felix in his lab. Valentina tells us her cousin is getting married. Diego gives us a play by play of the soccer match he watched on TV the night before. Before long, we arrive at the charming town of Manarola.
“Should we get some gelato?” I say. “I feel like we deserve it.”
“It’s 9 a.m.,” Paolo says.
I stare at him unblinking.
“Which is a great time for gelato,” he finishes.
Jake laughs and takes my hand. “Meet back at this fountain in twenty minutes?”
The group agrees, and Jake and I head off to find a gelateria. Jake gets cantaloupe, and I get raspberry, and we take our tiny cups of heaven to a bench overlooking the ocean.
“So, pretty exciting for Valentina’s cousin,” Jake says.
I have no idea what he’s talking about.
“Getting married?” he prompts.
“Right.”
“So…” he looks out at the ocean, then at a tree nearby, then finally at me. “You mentioned a long time ago that marriage wasn’t part of your plans for the near future.”
I nod. When I don’t add anything to that he says, “I guess I was just, you know, wondering why.”
Fair enough.
