Martin held out his hands. “That’s wonderful. We should celebrate. Come with us to eat.” He held open the door.

“All right.” Tony walked over to Martin.

“Let me get my purse.” Joy headed to the counter with Edith close behind.

“What is going on here?” she whispered to Joy.

“Tony’s wife dumped him in Milan.”

Edith gasped. “Wow! What? Really? I’m—That’s a shocker, I guess.”

“I was shocked. Anyway, he showed up here over a week ago, and he’s been wonderful. It’s like we’re dating again. Look.” She held up her hand to show off her ring. “He bought this for me.”

Edith stared at her friend, then down at the stunning amethyst ring on Joy’s finger. “It’s beautiful.”

“Isn’t it?” Joy admired it, then Jaime’s face appeared in her mind. “Jaime will love it. You should see how happy she is that her mom and dad will be at her wedding. Together.”

“Jaime, huh? Happy that her mom and dad will be together at the wedding. I see.” Edith smirked.

“We’re going to FaceTime with her later tonight. It’s so important to her that we be together again.”

Edith raised her chin as if in deep contemplation. “Of course.”

Joy shifted her weight. “What?” She pursed her lips.

“Nothing. I just said, ‘Of course.’”

Joy put her hands on her hips. “Uh-huh.”

“Come on, friend. Let’s go to dinner, and you can tell me all about your time in Venice.”

At the restaurant, Edith sat next to Joy so they could whisper.

“Why are you working at a flower shop?” Edith tilted her

head.

“I love it. I used to work in a flower shop in town back home. In fact, there’s one in New Rochelle I thought of buying.”

Edith’s eyes grew large.

“What?” Joy whispered.

“I had no idea. That’s awfully ambitious of you.”

Joy shrugged. “Millie’s adventurous spirit really rubbed off on me. Anyway, I know the owner and they plan on selling it. I’ll tell you more later.”

“Tell me now,” Edith insisted.

But before they got the chance, Tony raised his glass.

“A toast to Martin and Edith. Congratulations on your marriage. May your days ahead be filled with love, health, and adventure. And much time to spend together.”

“Cin, cin,” Joy said as she clinked her glass to his and her friend’s glass.

“Salute,” Martin said, then kissed Edith’s cheek.

“So tell me how you two met.” Tony sipped his wine, then leaned in to listen.

“Ah . . . Roma.” Martin sighed. “Edith and her brave friend, Millie, registered to run the Maratona di Roma, and so did my son.”

“We met at the marathon expo and shared a meal. That’s when Martin and I realized we had so much in common.” Edith winked at Martin. “The more we talked, the more we fell in love.”

“So you haven’t known each other all that long?” Tony asked with a quizzical grin.

“No . . . and yet we feel as though we’ve always known each other.” Martin gazed into Edith’s longing eyes. “It was meant to be. When you find love again and at our age, you have to jump in with both feet.” He laughed.

Joy’s own eyes filled with tears. “So romantic.” She sniffled and used her napkin to dab her eyes. “When we met in Rome, it seemed all of us contest winners had stories to share. Stories of heartbreak and loss.”

“True.” Edith nodded. “But we all grew and experienced life lessons along the way, didn’t we?”

“Especially Millie.” Joy wiggled her finger in the air. “Talk about a life lesson.”

“What happened?” Tony furrowed his brow.

“She and I were supposed to run the marathon together, but at the last minute—” Edith explained.

“Right at the last minute.” Joy cleared her throat, then laughed.

“I abandoned her to head to Naples with Martin.” Edith laughed too. “You should have seen the look on Millie’s face.”

“We all were so shocked that you did that to her. I was admittedly angered by your actions until I learned why you did what you did.”

“What do you mean?” Tony asked.

“Millie longed for adventure. She craved it. And so did I, but a different adventure,” Edith replied. “I sensed she needed to go on hers alone. Mine included daring to give my heart away again. Could I do it? I had no idea, but I needed to find out. Millie’s adventure included taking a risk and pushing herself to her limits. Could she do it? Well, she almost couldn’t do it, as it turns out. She needed help, and she got it.”

“She pooped out at mile sixteen and had to sit down on the side of the road because of her back.” Joy’s voice rose with excitement. “Can you believe it?”

“I can’t even walk a mile without collapsing.” Martin chuckled.

“What did she do?” Tony leaned in close to hear the reply above the restaurant noise.

“She prayed, and God sent her Salvatore—a local restaurant owner and fellow marathoner. He encouraged her to walk with him,” Edith explained.

“And he also told her all about Rome from his native experience. Isn’t that amazing?” Joy shook her head. “I still get chills thinking about it.” She rubbed her arms.