Pizza My Heart 1 Read Online Free PDF Page A

know,” I’d state out of the blue, or perhaps tied in to the end of someone else’s story, “that one time, I delivered pizza to Devon Ray?”
    “Devon Ray?” someone else would say. “That poor, washed-up actor? Isn’t he on some celebrity dating reality show now?”
    “That’s the very one,” I’d confirm.
    “Well?” someone else would prompt. “How was he? What was he like in the height of his fame?”
    I could say anything at that point. All eyes at the party would be on me now, aware that they were just two degrees away from someone who’d previously been famous and had now become infamous through some disaster of mismanagement. I could tell them about the vodka and the pizza and the mess in the room. If I were feeling particularly daring, I could even tell them about him trying to kiss me, the draw I felt toward him, his effortless sexuality.
    Instead, I’d smile enigmatically. “Even in the height of his fame, there were already shadows of his downfall, even then.”
    I liked this scenario very much, I decided, as I stepped out of the shower and toweled off. I looked forward to the moment when the intensity of what had transpired with Devon Ray faded into a story I only brought out at parties—if I ever found the time or social circles to attend parties. I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt before wrapping my hair in the towel and rejoining Nana and Milo in the living room for the last part of the session.
    “Almost there,” Milo coached her as she stretched out an oversized rubber band. She grit her teeth in concentration and effort. “Three…two…one. Done.”
    Nana let the tension out of the rubber band with a long exhalation.
    “Excellent work,” Milo said, taking the rubber band from her. “You’re improving your strength and stamina. I can tell you’ve been working with this regularly.”
    Nana shot me a guilty look and I shook my head, pressing my lips together. She hated that damn rubber band. She was supposed to work out with it three times a day, but she only did it when there was a home healthcare provider present. Once per day or so seemed to be working out just fine for her.
    Milo turned around and I smiled, leaning against the doorframe. “All done here?” I asked innocently.
    “That’s it for today,” he said. “But seriously, June. No more pizza. It’s not good for her, and frankly, it’s not good for anyone.”
    “I told you that it was me who smelled like pizza, not Nana,” I said. “Please don’t blame a little old lady for my stench.”
    “I’m not old,” she protested.
    “No more pizza,” Milo repeated, and left.
    “He was so suspicious,” I said, shaking my head. “Would you like another piece?”
    “He asked me to tell him the truth about the pizza, and I did,” Nana said, raising her eyes to the ceiling in a saintly gaze.
    “Nana!” I shrieked, laughing. “Why’d you let me lie to him?”
    “Because it was funny,” she said solemnly. “Now, heat up the rest of that pizza. I’ve done my work today. I deserve a treat.”
    “You’re in charge of lying to Milo next time,” I muttered, smiling as I went to the kitchen to get us the pizza and some drinks.
    When I returned, Nana was turning on the television.
    “What’s tonight?” I asked her. “I forget. What show are we watching?”
    “I’m more in the mood for a movie,” she said. “You’ve still got me all excited about Devon Ray.”
    I stifled a long sigh and laid our pizza out on the coffee table by the couch. “I bet I can guess which movie we’re watching.”
    “You know which one I like,” Nana said, pressing play on the DVD player.
    It was her favorite Devon Ray movie, and one of his earlier works. I’d seen it so many times that I could mouth the words along with the actors, but it didn’t seem to bother Nana. For her, watching it again was just as good as the first time. I had a hard time putting my finger on what she thought was so special about this