“Done with romance?” Angelina turned and glanced at Alessandro, then faced Joy once again. “Really?”

Joy cleared her throat. “Really.”

Scooting her chair around, Angelina leaned in closer to Joy. “Alessandro is a dear friend of mine. I care deeply for him.”

“I understand.” Joy swallowed the knot in her throat as Angelina’s blue eyes bore into her.

“Anyone who hurts him becomes my enemy.” Angelina grinned a sardonic grin. “Capisci?”

Joy nodded as beads of sweat formed on her brow.

“Come, let’s order.” A woman touched Joy’s shoulder. “Would you like some antipasto?”

Joy jerked around. “Yes, please.”

The woman waved Angelina away, and she excused herself. Soon Angelina was at Alessandro’s side, but her eyes never left Joy.

“Whew. Thank you.” Joy stood and stretched. “You saved me.”

The woman tossed her head back and laughed. “It was my pleasure. Angelina means well. She does. But she can be a . . . Well, I am a Christian, so I will not complete that thought.” She winked at Joy.

“My name is Joy.” She held out her hand.

“And I am Carla. Alessandro is my cousin.” She squeezed Joy’s hand and motioned for her to sit back down.

“Nice to meet you.” Joy leaned over and watched the friends laugh and sip their wine. “But I have to tell you that I feel out of place here.”

“Nonsense.” Carla made the tsk sound with her mouth. “We are all humans here.” She motioned for the waiter to come over. When he did, she poured some for herself.

“You met Donella.” She pointed to her. “She is an editor at a fashion magazine.”

“Ah. I can tell. She is dressed beautifully.” Joy nodded.

“Always.” Carla chuckled. “Never a wrinkle in sight, and she always wears a dress with heels. But she is divorced, and her husband took the house. Her kids don’t even speak to her anymore.”

Joy’s eyebrows rose.

“Lenore?” Carla pointed down the table. “She’s been married five times.” She smirked. “She buried four husbands, and then the last one ran off with the maid.” She paused to drink wine. “She never had any children though.”

“Really? I don’t know what to say—” Joy blinked slowly, taking in all the gossip.

“And Ronaldo over there? In and out of jail when he was young. Drinking problem,” she whispered. “Now he works at the farm for Alessandro.”

“Wow.”

“So you see, Joy? You are among people—ordinary, flawed people—who are just doing their best to live life, yes?”

A sense of ease poured over Joy. “Yes.”

“Ah, the antipasto, bread, and bottles of olive oil I ordered.” The waiter brought the platter to the table. “Manga. Eat.”

Joy did as she was told and dipped the bread into the olive oil. Soon the food, wine, and conversation helped her to relax.

“I’ve been watching Alessandro,” Carla said with a wry grin. “His eyes never leave you.”

Joy almost dropped her water glass. “Excuse me?”

Carla laughed. “He likes you. I can tell.” Then a smirk came to her mouth. “And so does Angelina. She can tell too.”

“I’m flattered. I don’t know what to say. I only met Alessandro yesterday.”

“Well, I’ve known him all my life, and after his lovely wife passed away, I didn’t think I’d ever see him smile again. His family and friends are helping, but I can tell by the way he looks at you, he has feelings for you.” Carla gently nudged her.

When she glanced his way, Alessandro raised his glass as if toasting to her. She responded by raising her wine glass to toast him too.

“Here comes the second course,” a man shouted. Cheers rose from the group as waiters set down plates of food for all to share. Plates filled with homemade Taglioni with spider crabs, Burano risotto, and spaghetti with local mussels decorated the table.

Joy inhaled the tantalizing aroma of the food. Her mouth watered.

“Be sure to try a dish you’ve never tasted before.” Carla spooned some spaghetti onto her own plate. “That’s what living is all about. Trying something new.”

Joy took her advice and sampled each dish. As one plate emptied, another replaced it with an even more tempting dish. Roasted rabbit with chestnuts, ravioli with a spicy chickpea sauce, and lightly battered cod were set before them.

After two hours, seven courses had been served. Joy leaned back in her chair and rubbed her full belly.

“Try some zucca,” Carla suggested. In her hands was a platter filled with a pumpkin and risotto flan.

Joy held out her hand. “No, thank you. I am completely full.” She inhaled the scent. “But it does smell delicious.”

“I’ll set it down here in case you want to try it later.” Carla nudged Joy. “Well? What did you think? Did you enjoy the courses?”

She nodded. “Absolutely. The food here is so different from in Rome.”

As she sipped her wine, Carla nodded. “Indeed. Meals in Venice are more Mediterranean and consist of seafood. Although many of our local fishermen are leaving the city. That saddens my heart.”

Angelina’s stare made Joy shudder. She rubbed her arms. “Why does she look at me like I’m a danger to her and all that she loves?”

Carla chuckled. “She’s just jealous. She adores Alessandro, and, like me, she knows he is smitten with you.”

Joy’s throat tightened.

“Angelina doesn’t like that. Still, it’s none of her business.” Carla stuck her tongue out at Angelina, who huffed, then turned to talk to someone else.

Carla faced Joy. “Alessandro can like whomever he wants.”

“Again, I’m flattered.” Joy smiled. “I don’t think I’ve ever made anyone jealous of me.”

Unsure how to feel about it, Joy sipped more wine and allowed herself not to think about it at all that night. She was having too much fun with Carla and the delicious meal.