JESSIE
Giovanni was perfect for Nat! He likes opera, Jonathan Franzen, Thai food, and Casablanca. (Okay, he admitted he hadn’t seen Casablanca. But how cool would it be for Nat to see that movie with a newbie?) This was definitely going to work out. Good-bye Prick with a c!
Nat had to leave for a dentist’s appointment but gave Giovanni her number and said she was looking forward to their date tomorrow.
That left him all for me. Just as a friend. Obviously, not as a date or anything, since I’m with Kevin. But how cool to find a new friend who likes opera and Thai food.
I was really feeling a connection with him. He laughed at all of my jokes and really listened to me when I talked about all of the problems we were encountering three days before the bar was set to open. He even offered to look at our floor-to-ceiling wine fridge, which we bought used, and which didn’t seem to want to work.
“We have a repairman coming,” I tell Giovanni as he examines the back of the unit. “But he can’t come until tomorrow—and we’re desperately hoping he can fix it and we can get our bottles in there before our soft opening on Thursday.”
As I watch him tug at some silver wiry thingie, he assures me, “This is an older unit, but it’s still in pretty good shape. You just need a new coil back here. If you want to go to Home Depot with me, I can fix this in about an hour.”
He’s asking me out! I think happily.
Where did that come from?
I quickly lambaste myself, No, he’s asking you to join him at a hardware store. So he can impress your best friend. Dork.
But I’m still excited. New friend and all that.
“Let me grab my purse,” I tell Giovanni, then practically bounce out of the room into my office.
As I pull my purse from the bottom drawer of my desk, my Skype beeps that Kevin is calling. I quickly answer. “Hey, I can’t talk right now. We found someone to fix the refrigerator, but I have to go to the hardware store with him.”
“What do you think of this?” Kevin says, holding up a picture of a ring with a large blue sapphire in the center surrounded by diamonds.
Wow. I mean, seriously, yowza.
I put down my purse and stare at the screen. “It’s really pretty. It looks a lot like Duchess Kate’s ring,” I tell Kevin.
“That’s because it is. I looked it up online because I remembered you said you liked it a while back. Kate’s ring is white gold, but we could get you something in platinum. So what do you think? Is a big colored stone maybe something we should be looking at? Then we could afford to go bigger than a diamond, plus it’s not what every cookie cutter bride is wearing.”
“It is really pretty,” I say, intrigued. “But the blue one is so associated with Princess Diana. What do you think about an amethyst instead? Like a super-dark one?”
Giovanni walks up to the doorway silently as Kevin answers me, “That could be cool. I’ll do some research on amethysts.”
I look over at Giovanni and suddenly feel guilty. Which is weird, because I’m not doing anything wrong.
“Sounds awesome,” I manage to sputter out to Kevin while nervously watching Giovanni. “I really have to go, though. Can I call you tomorrow?”
“Wait—I have one more to show you. It’s a pink diamond in the shape of a heart.”
I look at the picture and want to scream, “Oh, God no!” But I also don’t want Giovanni to see what a bitch I can be. Jesus, Jessie, snap out of it. How about you don’t want the guy who wants to buy you a diamond to see what a bitch you can be?
I glance over to the doorway to see Giovanni has disappeared. “Um … that’s really not my style,” I tell Kevin awkwardly. “But … can we talk about this later? I really need to get to Home Depot.”
Kevin’s unfazed by my brushoff. “Sure. Call me tonight when you have a minute. Or I’ll call you when I wake up. Maybe I can catch you before bed. I love you.”
“I love you too. Bye,” I tell him, and I wonder if he’s bothered by the rush in my voice.
Huh. I’ve told Kevin I love him a million times. Why did I suddenly not want to say it? Why did it just sound like words coming out of my mouth due to a social contract: like “How are you?” and “Have a nice day”? And did he notice?
I decide I’m overthinking, quickly click off Skype, grab my purse, and head out of the office. Giovanni is waiting for me by the front door, holding it open for me. Oh, my God, he’s so cute AND he’s a gentleman. Where was this guy when I was surfing match.com and wondering if I’d ever find anyone? Nat is so fucking lucky. “Thank you so much for doing this,” I tell him. “I don’t know how I can repay you.”
“Not a problem. Maybe it will win me points with your friend Nat. So, was that your boyfriend?”
I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel a twinge of nausea. “Yes. He’s in Frankfurt right now for work.”
“Ahhhh, nice this time of year,” Giovanni says, not showing any trace of disappointment that I have a boyfriend. “For how long?”
“Four months. Although now they’re saying maybe five.”
“Have you visited him yet?”
“No,” I answer uneasily, feeling a wave of guilt come over me again. “I should have by now. I just got so busy getting ready to open the bar. Plus, it’s expensive.”
Giovanni doesn’t answer. Instead he silently follows me out of the bar and onto the street. “I will, though,” I continue. “He said if I came we could also spend a few days in France. I’d really like to see the Louvre. Plus, of course, the Paris Opera House.” I close the front door and lock it. “Speaking of opera, how did you get to be such a fan?”
Giovanni smiles, leans in to me, and whispers, “Can I let you in on a little secret?”
He smells delicious. It that woodsy or more citrusy? I turn to him, and for a brief moment I think about kissing his neck. “Sure.”
“I originally bought tickets to impress women. Particularly on third dates. But then, the older I got, the more I started to enjoy it.”
“What are you wearing?” I ask him out of the blue.
“Excuse me?”
I shake my head, embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I meant your cologne. What is that?”
“Oh. Chanel for Men.”
“Really? Which scent?”
“Bleu de Chanel,” he rattles off in perfect French. “An old girlfriend got it for me back in college, and I just kind of stayed with it. What do you think?”
“You smell fantastic. I should definitely get some for Kevin.”
Good save, Jessie.
“Glad you like it,” Giovanni tells me easily. He beeps his car unlocked, then opens the passenger door for me. “I’ll be sure to wear it tomorrow night.”
Tomorrow night?
Oh, yeah. Right. His date with Nat.