“What brings you out here this evening?” Al asks.
“Just needed some fresh air. You out for an evening stroll?” I ask.
He chuckles. “Something like that.” He pauses and looks at Hutch.
“And seeing how Hutch is coming along with our flower mystery,” he says with a wink. If I didn’t know better, I swear Al knows who puts the flowers here each day, but he has assured us he has no clue.
Hutch shrugs. “No leads yet. I’m still checking flower shops.” He looks at Al. “Thanks for that list by the way.”
“What list?” I ask.
“Oh, Edith kept a list of flower shops in the city. You know how much she loved flowers,” Al explains.
“Yeah, I’ve been to a few of them. One was closed, but I’ll have to go back at some point,” Hutch says.
“There wasn’t a florist in the city that she wasn’t friends with…” Al trails off as if remembering something.
Hutch pats his knee. “Remember her funeral? I’ve never seen so many flowers in my life,” he says with a sad smile.
Al smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “They were beautiful. I had no idea all those florists would send so many. She would have loved it.”
We all sit in silence for a beat as we watch Cliff eat. The only sounds are of the stream, Cliff chewing, and the far-off beeping of car horns.
“You ready for the adventure in Italy?” Al asks.
Grinning, I turn to him. “I am. Ava’s excited.”
“Bray seems excited, too,” Al adds.
I nod. “I think everyone is. I can’t believe we’re all going on another adventure together this year,” I add as I remember our trip to Puerto Rico a few months ago.
“It’s lovely. I can’t wait for the wedding. I haven’t been to Italy since Edith and I were in our thirties,” he says with an air of sadness.
We’re all silent again as we sit in our feelings. I didn’t know Al’s wife for very long, but she was such a force of love and kindness that it was impossible not to bask in the glow of her warmth when you were with her.
“I should get back upstairs,” I say, ending the moment of reflection.
“Have a good night,” Al says.
“’Night, Carly,” Hutch adds.
I give a little wave as I stand and walk back to the building. It’s a warm summer night, and the sun has just gone down. The sky is still painted with hues of purple and orange. I can’t help wondering what the sunset in Italy will look like. I get a little giddy at that thought. I’m going to Italy!
I silently thank the ring gods for letting me find that ring that helped me afford this trip. I went to Europe with my parents years ago. They took Anne and me to London. It was amazing. I kept renewing my passport in hopes of going to Paris, but so far, I haven’t been able to afford it. Maybe one day.
But now, I get to go to Italy, which is almost as good as seeing the Eiffel Tower. I never in a million years thought I could take Ava abroad. And to share it with my found family is the icing on the cake.
It’s ladies’ night and everyone is crowded in Margie and Cornelia’s living room. We’re sipping wine and eating cheese and crackers. Jessa has brought some sort of buffalo chicken dip, and we’ve nearly decimated it.
We’ve all been talking about Italy. Cam’s given us more details about her wedding. Jessa announced Troy and she are going to be there for the weekend and then will go to Venice. This led Roxy to say that Gray also wanted to take her there. Piper explained that she and Kasen would be heading back through Scotland to meet his grandmother. While Jocelyn laughed that Hutch had mentioned stopping in Scandinavia so he could meet his fellow Vikings.
We laugh at that.
Eyes turn to me.
“What are your plans?” Cam asks.
“Oh, uh, well, Bray booked us for ten days. We’ll fly into Milan and drive there. It’s Ava’s longest flight so far. Honestly, I’m not really sure,” I explain. It’s hard being the only mom in the group sometimes. They are all so supportive but I can’t always do the stuff they do. And I have no one who really understands.
