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those guys over six feet?” Raine asked. “Because if they are, I think you should throw one my way.”
    â€œI can set you up too,” Daphne said. She straightened up in her chair. “I can be a matchmaker to all of you, no problem. But first we’ve got to find a man for Giovanna.” She smiled, obviously pleased with herself. “It shouldn’t take too long. After all, Gi is loyal, kind, and gorgeous.”
    See, that statement should have been my second clue that Daphne wasn’t the best one to set me up. I mean, the girl obviously hallucinates. I could believe “pretty” on my good days. You know, the ones where I actually have time to do my hair and makeup, as opposed to most mornings, when I simultaneously try to do my hair, apply mascara, and eat toast.
    Still, instead of seeing any red flags, in my head I was all, “I’m gorgeous. Daphne says so, so it must be true. Daphne can find me a guy and solve all my problems.”
    As if finding a guy to solve your problems isn’t a contradiction of terms.

Chapter 6
    I ’ll skip a long, drawn-out account of the two dates that followed over the weekend, because frankly, that would be too painful, but I’ll give you the highlights.
    Date number one: Dave picked me up Friday night at Grandma Petrizzo’s house. Grandma’s house had become my dating headquarters, since I was grounded for three weeks, although technically I was only grounded from going out with Jesse, which I totally wasn’t doing.
    Still, I knew Gabby wouldn’t see it that way, because anyone who grounds their daughter from seeing her boyfriend for three weeks, just because she went to the mall when she wasn’t supposed to, is completely evil. So of course I didn’t mention to my parents that I’d broken up with Jesse, and I made Dante promise not to tell them. Then I went to spend the weekend at Grandma’s. Gabby couldn’t veto that, since Dad always encourages Dante and me to spend time with Grandma.
    In case I haven’t said it before, Grandma is the reason we moved to Bickham, Texas. When Dad’s company offered him a job transfer here, he took it, because Grandma is nearly eighty and should be near family. Grandma is getting “eccentric,” as my father puts it. Gabby uses other, less flattering adjectives. Anyway, Gabby didn’t want to leave California and thought if Grandma got too eccentric to live on her own, then we should put her in a nursing home. This, I can tell you, did not go over well with Grandma.
    Out of the blue she will launch into speeches about how in the old country children take care of their parents. They show respect. They understand the sacrifices a parent makes for a child, and they don’t forget.
    Grandma could develop full-blown amnesia and I bet she’d take one look at Gabby, raise a finger in accusation, and say, “In the old country . . .”
    So basically Grandma and I had bonded over our mutual dislike of Gabby, and Grandma was more than willing to help me subvert my punishment by letting me go out with guys while I stayed at her house.
    While I put on my makeup, I told her I’d broken up with Jesse and so Daphne was setting me up. She nodded, mulling over this information, then said, “I know a nice young man from church—Gary Gunther. He’s out of high school but still lives with his mother. Just down the street. Such a nice boy and always helping his mother. Mows her lawn every week. I sit by him at bingo. I bet he’d be interested in meeting a beautiful Italian girl.”
    â€œOut of high school? He sounds too old for me, Grandma.”
    Grandma waved a hand in the air. Half her language consists of hand waves. I’m really not sure she’d be able to talk at all if someone tied her arms down. “I’m not suggesting you date Methuselah. He’s a young fellow. He still has all his hair.” Grandma leaned in