“Mille grazie,” Joy said in her weak Italian accent.

The ladies giggled.

“Prego,” Gloria said as she turned to leave.

Dina responded to her in Italian, and the women had a conversation on their way to the door. Dina held open the door, and the two laughed heartily.

“Ciao,” Isabelle said as she left the store. “And thank you, Joy, for your help.”

“It’s going to be a lovely wedding and marriage.” Joy waved to them, then sighed heavily as she imagined Isabelle in her wedding gown holding her bouquet of coral roses.

Dina playfully smacked Joy’s shoulder. “You did very well.”

“Thanks.” Joy laughed. “Maybe I should weep a little for all the customers, huh?” Through her laughter, her heart ached a little too. Would she find love in Italy too? Or was it too late for her?

CHAPTER 3

Many more kind customers ordered flowers from Joy in the shop off the piazza.

They ordered flowers for birthday celebrations, weddings, business gatherings, and funerals. Joy quickly learned the computer program Dina and Vito used and downloaded a spreadsheet of the day’s sales for them to have saved on their computer.

“And if your accountant needs the ledger for taxes, there it is.” Joy showed Dina the folder.

“You are very thorough.” Dina patted Joy’s shoulder, then glanced at the watch on her wrist. “Now you go and have supper. Enjoy the city at sunset. Tomorrow, you take the day off to rest.”

“Visit the museums tomorrow and try all the food,” a voice from behind said.

“Alessandro?” Dina asked him. “Che cosa stai facendo?”

“Why am I here?” he replied. “I finished early and thought I would check on our newest employee before heading home.” He politely nodded his head.

“She did beautifully. Joy served customers while I did some work in the back.” Dina squeezed Joy’s shoulder. “She is a star.” Then she playfully shoved Joy aside. “Now go. Tu vai. Go have supper. See you in the morning. Ciao.”

Joy laughed and grabbed her purse from underneath the counter. “All right, boss. Thank you for a wonderful day.” Then she faced Alessandro. “Good night.”

As she walked through the Piazza di San Marco, tourists and locals passed her by and a few seagulls swooped down, making her duck. One landed on the statue of a lion atop a column. I see you found your place. Joy chuckled.

The sights and sounds of the city reinvigorated Joy, making her forget that she had put in four hours of shop work.

The vitality of the famous square was hypnotic. Her eyes followed the unique Byzantine architecture until settling on the magnificent chapel of the Doge Palace. The Venetian Gothic style building glistened in the late afternoon sun as a few pigeons flew past.

“Wow.” Her mouth dropped open.

“Spectacular, isn’t it?” Alessandro said as he sauntered by. He placed his hand over his heart. “I’m not following you, I promise.”

Joy giggled. “Not at all. I’m just busy ducking out of the way of tourists, pigeons, and seagulls.” She pointed to the one resting on the statue.

“They are aggressive, aren’t they?”

“And I love how their caw caw has an Italian accent.” She held up her hands. “Fascinating.”

He tilted his head.

“Just kidding.”

Tossing his head back, Alessandro laughed heartily. “This is the way to my friend’s restaurant.”

“The architecture of this square, though, is fantastic.” Joy shook her head. “It’s almost hypnotic. I could get used to living here.”

“Come back tomorrow to visit the basilica and the Doge Palace.” He pointed to the basilica in the corner of the piazza, the chief landmark of Venice rising into the crystal blue sky. The famous Campanile bell tower decorated the skyline, drawing Joy deeper into the heart of Venice.

“I sure will. As well as the tower.” Her eyes flittered left, then right as she took in the sights of the square. “Enjoy your dinner.”

“Joy, will you . . .” He gestured as if trying to find the right words.

“Will I what?”

He bit his lower lip as if unsure of himself.

“What is it?” Joy furrowed her brow.

“Prego, you come join us for dinner?” Alessandro gestured. “My treat, of course.”

As she thought about it, Joy realized all she had planned was a gondola ride along the Grand Canal and then back to the hotel for dinner. But that sounded boring compared to meeting Alessandro’s friends for an authentic Italian meal.

“That would be wonderful.” She offered him a smile. The gondolas would be there tomorrow.

“Va bene. Let’s go. It is just this way.”

The two walked through the piazza toward the Hotel di Sole along the Bocca de Piazza. A smaller hotel hidden inside a quaint neighborhood that most tourists missed, the area drew Joy in. Along the way, she peeked into the various shops selling trinkets made from glass. Other shops sold purses, shoes, and women’s clothing. Chanel, Prada, Armani and more—Joy’s eyes widened with excitement. Especially when she spotted a particular women’s clothing store among many along the way.

“Ooh, look at these purses.” She pointed to the shop window. “I’ll be a minute. Do you mind?”

“I was married once and I have three sisters, so I do not mind. I will wait out here.” Alessandro chuckled, then relaxed on a bench outside the shop.

A few minutes later, Joy emerged holding a purse in her hand. “Success!”

Alessandro laughed.

“It’s for my daughter, Jaime.”

“It is beautiful.”

After a short stroll to the restaurant, Joy found herself explaining about Isabelle and Gloria.

“They argued at first over flowers. Flowers. Can you believe it?”

Alessandro shook his head.