“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.
“Together they walked to mile twenty-five, then ran across the finish line, where we met her with roses.” Edith playfully shoved Joy. “And all of you were so upset with me until I explained my reasons. Millie was upset too.”
“I bet she was, after all that.” Tony laughed. “But I’m glad you were able to meet her there at the end.”
“It was so special. Such a magical time in Rome.” Joy sighed.
“And now . . . Venice. What all have you seen so far?” Martin asked.
“What haven’t we seen?” Joy laughed. “All the bridges, the Piazza di San Marco, of course. The bell tower, the basilica. Oh, and the museums. I also went to the Islo di San Michele for a funeral, and although it was sad, the cemetery was beautiful.”
“That’s wonderful. What did you think of the island, Tony?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but Joy interrupted.
“Oh, he wasn’t with me at that time. I went with Alessandro,” Joy explained. “And then we went to Caorle Beach.”
“I bet that was lovely.” Edith smiled.
“That is a most beautiful coastal town.” Martin nodded. “My family would visit each year when I was a boy.”
“It really was perfect.” Joy sighed. “And then we took a van ride to Alessandro’s family farm. I couldn’t believe how huge it is. The flowers go on and on into the horizon. Flowers of all sorts. Sunflowers, roses, geraniums.”
“Sounds wonderful.” Edith leaned her elbows on the table.
“It was like something out of a movie. In the kitchen, the women cooked a fantastic meal, and the men sat on the patio and smoked cigars.”
“Hilarious.” Edith chuckled and ate some bruschetta.
“They also have a vineyard and their own wine label that’s been around for—”
“Excuse me.” Tony scoffed, then scooted his chair out, making a loud noise. Many patrons seated nearby turned their heads. Tony stood and threw his linen napkin onto his chair, then headed to the restroom.
Joy frowned and lowered her head.
“Oops.” Edith shrugged. “I guess someone feels left out.”
“I should have talked about the places Tony and I have been to. What was I thinking? Now I’ve hurt his feelings. We went to the glass factory in Murano and Burano to—”
Edith touched her hand. “You don’t have to explain to us.” She slid the plate of bruschetta over. “Here. Have some of this. It’s delicious.”
Martin poured them more wine. “It’s all right. His ego was bruised. He’ll be fine. Have more wine, huh?”
“Thank you.” Joy stood. “I’ll go check on him.”
“Joy. He just went to the restroom. He’ll be right back.” She tugged on Joy’s blouse. “Sit and relax with us.”
Joy sat down again and scooted her chair closer to the table.
“It sounds like you had a really nice time with Alessandro and his family though.” Edith winked.
“I did. But I also had fun with Tony.” Joy rested her folded arms on the table, staring down at the ring on her finger.
“Here. Look at our photos of the wedding.” Edith scrolled on her phone.
Joy perked up. “Look at you two.” Her heart glowed with happiness for her friends. “Oh, and that background. The water is such a deep blue. You both look so happy.”
Would she and Tony ever look that happy? Joy didn’t know, but one thing she did know was that with Alessandro at his family farm, she was happy.
Perfectly happy.
