“Yes. I am.” Joy smiled at Charlie.

“And a friend of mine too.” Alessandro smiled.

Joy turned to him. “Yes. I am.”

“Bene. Andiamo!” Charlie cried, and guests boarded the vans.

As she walked down the aisle of the van, Joy inhaled. “It has that new car smell in here.”

“I love it. Don’t you?” Veronica sat. “They bought these vans recently. Aren’t they wonderful? And these seats—comfortable.”

“Yes, they are.” Joy ran her hand along the fabric. “Very comfortable.”

Dina sat next to Joy and set her large purse on her lap. “We have lunch now. You’ll see how beautiful the farm is.”

“I can’t wait.”

Alessandro sat behind his brother, and the two chatted while Charlie drove the van down the main highway out of town and into the countryside.

Joy studied the landscape as it passed by her window. Acres of avocado-green farms appeared, as did little Tuscan-style houses framed by dark green cypress trees. The blue hues of the sky provided the background for the lovely landscapes framed by the window almost like paintings. She studied each “painting” as the guests around her chatted in Italian. Every journey needs a soundtrack, and their conversations provided the soundtrack to her journey.

The vehicles drove on for thirty minutes on the main highway and then turned off onto a smaller road. A few oohs and aahs told her something special lay ahead.

She craned her neck and spotted a quaint house and rows of flowers growing on either side of the road. Bright red, pink, and white geraniums, purple lavender, azaleas, and rhododendrons greeted Joy, making her eyes smile. On the other side were acres of sunflowers.

“We produce sunflower seeds for locals.” Alessandro sat in the seat in front of Joy.

“I adore sunflowers.” Her eyes sparkled as she talked. “To me, they are the happiest of all flowers.”

The vans continued and then turned into the gravel driveway near the house.

When they disembarked, Alessandro guided her to the entrance to the farms, a massive wrought iron gate with the name DeSantis inside the arch. “Back this way, we have acres of tulips, irises, roses, impatiens, narcissus, viburnum, and many more.”

Joy inhaled the fresh, sweet scent of the geraniums. “It smells heavenly out here.”

“Vieni qui. You come here.” Dina waved Joy over to the front porch of the house. Its tall wooden doors were propped open. “Inside. You’ll see.”

Her smile sent waves of comfort over Joy, as if she’d known Dina and Vito all her life, yet it had only been a couple of days.

A couple of days in Venice, and Joy was already living an adventure.

“Papa.” A young man approached with his arms open wide.

“Rocco.” Alessandro embraced his son, patting him on the back. He turned Rocco around to meet Joy. “This is my new friend, Joy. This is my son, Rocco.”

“Ciao. Pleasure to meet you.” Joy shook his hand.

Thin and tan, with large brown eyes to match his wide smile, Rocco was movie star handsome. “Piacere di conoscerti. Nice to meet you, Joy.”

Alessandro guided Rocco along to meet the other guests. Twenty-five people were eating and drinking together. By his expression, Joy wondered if the boy knew some guests but not others. When his eyes found Veronica’s, they settled there.

Veronica, likewise, settled on Rocco.

“Young love,” Dina whispered to Joy. “Alessandro approves of the marriage.”

“They’re engaged?” Joy spun around. Her eyes widened.

Dina frowned and shook her head. “Not yet.” She sighed. “Young people these days take too long.”

Joy laughed. “Yes, they do.”

“But soon.” Dina pointed to her chest. “I can feel it.”

“I certainly can see it on their faces.” Joy watched the young couple talk.

“Papa!” came another shout, but this time from a young woman.

Joy watched as a lovely young woman hugged Alessandro. “Mi sei mancata, Papa.”

“I missed you too.” He embraced her and buried his face in her hair. Closing his eyes, Alessandro inhaled deeply.

“She’s beautiful.” Joy smiled as she watched the reunion.

“Just like her mother.” Dina dabbed the corner of her eye. “Well, time to get ready for lunch. Huh? You help?”

Joy nodded and rubbed her hands together. “Sure. I love to cook.”

But before she could head toward the kitchen, Alessandro’s daughter stood by her.

“Hello.” She held out her arms.

“Oh. Hello.” Joy awkwardly held out her arms too.

“My father was just telling me about you and your kindness. I am Gianna, his—”

“Daughter. Yes, Dina was just telling me.” Joy gazed at the lovely young woman before her.

Tall and thin, with long straight dark hair and olive skin that enhanced her deep-set hazel eyes, Gianna could have been a professional model.

She embraced Joy and squeezed her tightly. “Mille grazie for gracing our home. Piacere di conoscerti. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

Gianna turned and headed to the kitchen, where all the women prepared food. “Do you cook?”

“Not Italian, I’m afraid.”

“Ah. Well, today you will learn. I am going to prepare a meat sauce, and my aunts will prepare gnocchi. Have you had gnocchi?”