A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

Author:Josie Silver [Silver, Josie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2023-10-03T00:00:00+00:00

18.

I feel as if someone has turned my life-dial up from its safe, predictable setting to high-voltage, scream-if-you-want-to-go-faster. The last few weeks have been both physically exhilarating and mentally exhausting, because keeping what’s happening between me and Gio secret isn’t as easy as it seemed in principle. The last thing I need in my life is an extra layer of subterfuge, I’ve got enough of that already around my relationship with the Belottis. I feel like two people inhabiting one body and, to be honest, it’s not the most robust machine to demand double duty of. My mornings have been spent gelato-making, stealing moments alone with Gio and helping Sophia with her experimental flavors before I hotfoot it home and become the girl who tosses noodles, glad of the Groundhog Day sameness of work to keep me stabilized.

Gio came to mine last Monday as Bella was home, and Bobby made sure to conveniently leave something in my apartment that he just had to call in and collect. He spent five minutes attempting to give off big-brother vibes and then another thirty just plain old schmoozing before I unsubtly sent him back upstairs. Seeing Gio in the confines of my apartment was strange—it was just too poky and plain to house such a gorgeous creature. Not that it mattered once he kissed me, we could have been in a broom cupboard or a five-star suite. The week-long tension between us overspilled its banks and submerged us for several spine-tingling hours. Something incredible happens when we’re alone: it’s as if Gio allows himself to wear his heart on the outside of his skin for a little while. He’s quick to smile, able to slay me with the slow, trembling emotion of his kiss. He’s buried this part of himself so thoroughly that no one gets to see it, and I find it deeply sexy that he allows me close enough that I do. There is strength in his vulnerability.

Tuesday found me steamrollered, sleeping in until after ten, unwilling to get up even though Gio had left just after one in the morning so as not to leave Bella alone all night. It was a lot to process—his head had been on my pillows, his body tangled in my sheets—and then I had to find a way out of my dream life and back into my real life.

—

“I’m going to cancel the holiday bookings this afternoon.” Gio passes coffee to Sophia and me. “We are going to risk giving ourselves a bad name if we leave it too late.”

I’ve been dreading him saying this—I know the upcoming Christmas party orders have been on his mind. He fears damaging the gelateria’s reputation with commercial customers by canceling and has been holding off in the hope of us landing on the recipe in the nick of time.

“Yesterday’s test batch was really strong,” Sophia says.

“But not right,” he says.

“Delicious, though,” I say. I’ve slowly steered him really quite near to the exact recipe, and both Sophia and Gio had to test yesterday’s effort twice before being sure it wasn’t right.

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