Joy lowered her head.
“Che è terribile.” Dina shook her head.
“Can I help with anything else?” Tony wiped his hands.
Dina pointed to flower arrangements with candles protruding from the middle of the flowers. “Take those and place them on the long table too.”
Tony and Joy did as they were told.
A few minutes later, they stepped back to inspect their work. The reception area looked lovely. The restaurant staff emerged to begin prepping for the buffet on the terrace.
“I guess we’re finished? Unless you need help with something else?” Tony asked.
Dina stood between him and Joy. “No. You can leave now. We are done here.” She crossed her arms.
Tony glanced over her head to Joy. “Uh, all right.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll head out.” He lowered his head, grabbed his coat, then turned away.
Watching him lumber off looking so defeated tugged at Joy’s heart.
“It’s okay, Dina. I’ll walk him back to his hotel.” Joy patted her on the shoulder. “It won’t take long. I’ll be right back.”
Dina huffed, then turned to take boxes to the restaurant.
Joy rushed through the terrace. “Tony, wait.”
He stopped to face her.
“Thank you for helping us.” Joy held out her hands.
He nodded toward Dina still glaring at him. “She doesn’t look too grateful.” He chuckled.
Joy turned and smiled at Dina, waving. “She’s just being protective, that’s all.”
“I don’t know. If looks could kill . . .” Tony smirked. “I’d be a dead man.”
“Come on. I’ll walk you back to your hotel, and then I need to return to help them clean up after the reception.”
Together they walked down avenues and across bridges, passing several restaurants and bakeries along the way.
“You don’t need to walk me back.” Tony took her hand. “Can we meet for dinner later and catch up?”
Joy closed her eyes and exhaled. “Tony . . .”
“Just to talk about things.” He curled his upper lip. “Please? I promise that’s all. Just talk.”
With his long face and slumped shoulders, Joy couldn’t help but feel pity for the man. The loss of yet another marriage weighed heavily on him. The spark that used to be in his eyes was gone. “All right.”
He squeezed her hand. “Thanks.” Tony walked off, and Joy’s compassion grew within her. Millie and Edith, her friends from her time spent in Rome, had taught her to let go of resentment and embrace the freedom of forgiveness. Her own shoulders lightened since releasing that burden.
Yet Joy had never expected to see Tony again, especially not on this trip. Forgiving him was one thing, but spending time with him again?
That was something else.
CHAPTER 7
After setting up for the wedding reception, Joy and Dina headed back to the little florist shop located off the Piazza di San Marco to cut flowers Alessandro had delivered.
A few customers waited for them to raise the front gate and unlock the door. Once they did, customers gleefully entered to purchase flowers, cards, and a few gift items like bookmarks and postcards.
Behind the counter, Joy rang up each order, experimenting with her Italian.
But when locals tilted their heads as if trying to comprehend what she said, Joy gave up and returned to English.
“At least you try, huh?” Dina said as she placed some receipts into the cash register drawer.
Joy giggled. “I hope I’m not telling anyone something harsh, you know?”
Dina laughed heartily. “Not yet.”
Once the shop grew quiet, Joy helped Dina cut flowers with scissors to create arrangements on the back room workbenches. The scent of fresh greenery and flowers invigorated her.
Clean and fresh, like a walk in the forest parks back home.
Using floral tape and green foam blocks, Joy made creative arrangements with plenty of fresh flowers. Carnations, peonies, ferns, lilies, Italian ruscus, and lavender blended together beautifully. Romantic bouquets and fragrant arrangements brought her pure happiness as she imagined who would receive them and why.
A passerby glanced through the window, watching her work. She waved a carnation and smiled at the woman in the window.
“Ciao,” the woman mouthed, smiled, and walked off.
