Dolores Catania on why son Frank and Gia Giudice are not dating

Despite “Real Housewives of New Jersey” stars Gia Giudice and Frank Catania Jr. attending her prom together last May, the pair’s friendship didn’t blossom into a relationship because the “timing is not right,” his mother Dolores Catania, exclusively tells Page Six.

“Frankie is very conscious of the fact that because of the line of work that he is going into — investment banking — that’s 16 hours a day … he can’t give a girl what she needs right now,” Dolores, 48, told us at Dolce Aesthetics NY‘s beauty mixer in New York on Tuesday night.

However, the “RHONJ” star shared that her 21-year-old son still thinks Gia, 19, is “the most beautiful girl” and feels “so lucky that she would even look at him.”

Dolores said the duo appeared to start crushing on each other when Frank walked shirtless in Melissa Gorga’s fashion show for her Envy clothing store earlier in 2019 — even though they had known each other for years since Dolores and Gia’s mom, Teresa Giudice, are best friends.

“They grew up together,” Dolores said. “[There’s an] episode where they were carving pumpkins on Jaqueline [Laurita’s] steps together. They’ve always kind of watched out for each other.”

“I think the fashion show was a very pivotal moment for them,” she continued, adding that Gia’s reaction to Frank’s shirtless runway walk was “all real.”

Although Frank and Gia are not a couple, the eligible bachelor is focusing on another kind of puppy love.

“Frankie is single,” Dolores shared. “Frankie is so single that he just adopted an old dog from a shelter because he was so lonely.”

Dolores said Frank’s rescue dog belonged to a man who passed away and didn’t have any surviving relatives left to care for the pet.

Her son apparently told her, “It’s not fair for me to have a girlfriend because I don’t have time for her, so I want an older dog just to spend time with me in my apartment.”

Dolores said she and Teresa are both still holding out hope that Frank and Gia will end up together “down the road,” adding that the moms both agree that “timing is everything.”