AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Pretty much.”
“Because you don’t look like that in real life,” she adds.
“Fernanda,” my dad says, sounding annoyed.
“What? It’s true. She looks more sophisticated on TV.”
“That’s because she’s dressed up to go to work. She looks very sophisticated when she’s at work,” he says. He’s totally wrong, but I appreciate him sticking up for me.
“Does he have a girlfriend?” Lucia asks Fernanda.
“Not that I’m aware of, unless it’s the mysterious blonde who came into the store, but I have to think she works for him because if he was with someone, there’s no way he could keep it a secret,” Fernanda says. “The paparazzi follow him everywhere, and then there’s that Ferris Biltmore guy who somehow knows his every move.”
“Why wouldn’t a man like that be married at his age?” my mom asks.
“There’s got to be something wrong with him,” my dad answers. “Otherwise he’d have a wife.”
“Maybe he just doesn’t want to get married,” Lucia says. “It’s not for everyone.”
Fernanda makes a smacking sound with her lips. “He’s a serial dater. He picks a woman on every set and stays with her until filming wraps, then he moves on.”
“Like a PR thing?” Lucia asks.
“I don’t think so because sometimes the women he chooses are a bad for his career, like that redhead from the Beach Cops movie who likes to strip everywhere she goes,” Fernanda says.
“Oooh! What if he picks Allegra to date while he’s in town?” Grandma asks, sounding far more excited than she should about her granddaughter being serial dated, then dumped.
“He’s not going to…” I answer, cutting myself off before I finish a sentence that sounds too insane to even be considered. “Besides, I’m not interested. We know he can’t be trusted and I’m far too busy with Frank right now.”
“Forget Frank. If you can get your hands on that, you totally should,” Fernanda says, pointing to the screen.
My face heats up. “I’m not … no.”
“Think of the stories you’ll have to tell!” she says. “Besides, if you can date a man like that, all the other men will come running when it’s over.”
“Again, work colleagues only. Discussion over.”
My dad speaks up. “My little girl is not going to date that man. He uses women, then dumps them, and he’s not good enough for my Allegra. No. Allegra is right. The discussion is over.”
“Enzo, if a big Hollywood star isn’t good enough for Allegra, then who is?”
“Someone who is not him. A good Italian boy.”
“Like Vinnie,” Lucia says.
My dad wrinkles up his face. “Meh…”
“Enzo! We love Vinnie like a son,” my mom says.
“Yeah, but…” He tilts his head as if to say, ‘yeah, but Vinnie’s not that great.’
Lucia rolls her eyes and tsks loudly. “Whatever, Pop.”
“Shhh! It’s Allie again!” Nonno shouts.
A quick pan of my office shows me sitting at my desk. A slight sense of pride swells in my chest. There I am doing my very important work. The video cuts to show Hudson at Gwen’s desk, smoothing his hands over it. He smiles at the camera. “So, this is where the magic is going to happen. Dr. Cammareri here is going to be my guide as I fully immerse myself in the world of radio astronomy.”
“Awesome,” Josie says. Turning to the camera, she adds, “We’ll try to make it back here to check on Hudson sometime in the next few weeks, so make sure you stay tuned because you won’t want to miss it. From Mountain View, California, this is Josie Pedlar signing off.”
