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didn’t talk for a few minutes while we all took the edge off our hunger. Then I asked, “What happened with Eduardo Macelli today?”
    Gianna asked, “Who’s that?”
    Aunt Maria said, “He is a man from the bank.”
    â€œDid he agree to give you an extension?” Jane asked.
    â€œWe are a . . . a bit behind in some of our payments since Pizzeria de Roma reopened,” Aunt Maria explained. “But Eduardo Macelli is going to give me an extra month. This is good.”
    â€œThat’s great news,” Jane said. She held up her Coke. “ Salute! ” she said.
    We all repeated, “ Salute! ”
    â€œWhat changed his mind?” Jane asked.
    â€œHe loved the food and thought there was a lot of customers,” Aunt Maria said. Then she asked, “What happened? Why so many customers today?”
    I explained about the samples and the stories on the square. “It seems they like good food, a good story, and a traditional Italian experience. You can give them that,” I said.
    You can give them more, but you put the kibosh on matchmaking.
    â€œYou know,” I said, looking around the restaurant. “The place could use a little refresh.”
    â€œRefresh?” Aunt Maria asked.
    Gianna clapped her hands. “Oh, I’m so good at refreshing. We can go with colors like red wine and espresso brown. And we can get fresh plants and cut flowers and pretty little candles on the tables. Plus, it will give me something to do while I’m here, since I’m not working in the shop.”
    Aunt Maria looked around. “Maybe the place does need a—what you call it?—refresh.”
    Gianna said, “It’s kind of a big job. We’re gonna need some help.”
    â€œNo worries.” Rico leaned back in his chair. “I know a few guys who can come over.” He crossed his bruised legs under the pink pouffy skirt.
    â€œI’ll help too,” I volunteered.
    AJ’s mouth was full again, so he raised his hand, indicating he would help too.
    Gianna walked around, explaining her vision for Amore Pizzeria’s face-lift. “A mirror could go here, and I can dress up all these frames and rehang them.”
    â€œI have any dress-up supply you could ever need,” Jane offered.
    â€œAnd I never travel without my bling kit,” Gianna said. “Then we can get a few trees, maybe a ficus, and wrap them in little white lights—a very classy and romantic feel.”
    Romance. That was exactly the direction I wanted to go. But noooooooo .
    â€œI’ll make a new curtain,” Jane added.
    â€œOh, and get this: when it gets dark, we can line both sides of the street with LUMINARIES!” Gianna squealed. “Oh, I love, love, love luminaries.”
    Aunt Maria said, “This sounds all very good, but like a lot of money.”
    Rico said, “I know a guy who owns a florist shop. He owes me a favor. He can bring the stuff you need.”
    â€œOkay. Is a good idea. A little refresh,” Aunt Maria relented. “Tomorrow is Wednesday and we no open. This is the day I go around Rome for my ingredients and make sauce. Can you do it in one day?”
    â€œTotes,” Gianna promised. “Except for the walls. It could take some time to get that paint off the brick. We can do that at night. The rest is easy peasy.”
    â€œâ€Šâ€˜Totes’?” Aunt Maria looked confused. “ ‘Peasy’?”

10

    The next morning I found Gianna in the pizzeria early. She studied the current decor with a tilted head and occasionally wrote things on a clipboard. She would DIY this place from falling apart to fabulous.
    â€œAloha!” Rico said, walking through the back door. No skirt today. Ripped jeans and worn black basketball high-tops.
    Aloha ? Random.
    Rico led three people who I guess were his “guys.” Their tool belts told me they were ready to work. He said,