Page 99 of Better Than Gelato
The waiter takes our orders, and I get the baked ziti while Jake orders the spaghetti carbonara. Naomi chooses the ravioli. Then changes her mind and asks for the lasagna. Then two minutes after our waiter leaves, she makes Jake find him and switch her order to fish.
“It’s hard for me to choose too,” I say. “But everything here is so delicious, you can’t go wrong no matter what you order.”
“So, you’ve been enjoying the food here?” Naomi looks me over.
“Yeah, it’s amazing.”Wait, what did she mean by that?My cheeks flush, and I brush my hands over my thighs.
“So Naomi, tell me what you want to see while you’re here,” Jake says when he comes back to the table.
“Do we have to stay in Italy?” she asks with a whine. “I’ve already seen everything here. My friend Roxy says Malta is cool. Is that close?”
How could she not want to hang out in Italy? This place is the best!
“Why don’t we look online tonight and see what we can put together?” Jake asks.
We make conversation, which is mostly Naomi talking while Jake and I nod along.
“That job was toxic,” she says. “I can’t be surrounded by that for twenty hours every week. I had to quit. Like for my own wellness, you know?”
“Sure,” Jake says, and I nod along.
“Juliet, what do you do?” This is the first time Naomi’s asked me a question, and it catches me off guard.
“I’m a nanny.”
Naomi furrows her brow. “I’m so sorry.” She shoots Jake a look that clearly asks,‘Why are you dating the help?’
I’m thrown off but try to rally. “Actually I love it. The girl I nanny is awesome, and the family I live with is wonderful.”
Naomi’s gaze drifts to the ceiling, obviously bored. In an attempt to impress her I say, “The dad is a fashion designer.”
That snaps her attention back to me. “Ooh, really? Could he get us tickets to some shows?”
“Oh, well the show season is over in Milan.”
“Bummer. So maybe just some free designer clothes?”
I give Jake a panicked look, and he jumps in. “Why don’t I take you shopping tomorrow?”
“Okay, but we have to use your card, I’m already at my limit.”
Our food comes, and I’m so happy for the distraction I eat faster than usual. I eye Jake’s plate, and he’s down to his last few bites, but Naomi’s barely touched her fish. We’ll be here for ages!
“How’s your boyfriend?” Jake asks.
“You mean ex-boyfriend,” she says.
“That’s a bummer. I thought you really liked this one,” Jake says.
“I know, I thought I did too,” she says, picking at a perfectly manicured nail. “But sometimes, people just aren’t who you think they are.”
“Sorry,” I say, aware that I haven’t spoken in a while.
“Me too. The whole time we dated, I thought his family owned a beach house in Martha’s Vineyard but turns out they actually just own a condo in,” she wrinkles her nose, “Jersey City.”
I must be making a judgy face because she looks at me and says defensively, “It’s the honesty that bothers me. You have to have honesty in a relationship.”
“Sure,” I offer.
