Page 90 of Head Over Heels

Lucia reaches over and squeezes Nonna's hand. "You have me, mamma. I'm a part of him. I'll always be a part of him."

Nonna squeezes back, nodding absently. She squares her shoulders, familiar strength returning to her voice. She looks at me. "But you see,tesoro,love doesn't die. Not really. Vittorio lives in Lucia's smile. In Florence's strength. Now in this ring—it's a symbol of how love comes back to us."

She nods, almost to herself. "Vittorio would have liked that, I think. He always said poetry was about finding beauty in pain." She touches the ring one last time before letting her hand fall toher lap. "And isn't that what we're doing here? Finding beauty in all this old pain?"Beginnings and endings finding each other. Coming full circle.

"Now," she says briskly, wiping her eyes. "Someone needs to make coffee and bring dessert. We can't let good cannoli go to waste."

A wave of watery laughter breaks the tension. As everyone starts moving toward the kitchen, Nonna catches my hand.

"Thank you," she says softly. "For giving me back more than just a ring. You've given me hope for the future."

I feel Florence's arm slip around my waist. "Thank you for sharing your family with me," I say softly.

Nonna's eyes sparkle. "Ah,tesoro.Family is what we make of it, no? Some of the best families start with healing old wounds."

Later, we'll deal with the painting and the other treasures. We'll figure out how to move forward with the rest of it. But for now, there's family and cannoli and coffee.

38

Josie

Even after months, it strikes me how different the penthouse feels in the twilight.

Much of Karl's collection has been packed away, leaving the space emptier but somehow freer. I look out at the lake, the water shimmering with the setting sun.

I feel Florence's warmth as she steps up behind me. Her arms slip around my waist, and I lean back into her.

"Are you okay?" she asks softly. "Today was… a lot."

I cover her hands with mine, holding them against my stomach. "I keep thinking about Nonna's story." I turn my head to catch her profile in the fading light. "About how love doesn't really die."

She presses a kiss to my temple. "She's right, you know. What happened with Vittorio was tragic, but look what grew from it. Roberto bringing her to America. My mom meeting my dad. We wouldn't be here now if it weren't for those choices—choices made in grief."

"And love," I add. "It's kind of like what Karl did," I say quietly. "Watching over me… trying to protect Donna in his own way… It doesn't excuse what he did…" My stomach still twists at the thought.

"But you can understand trying to make something right, even if you go about it wrong." Her arms tighten around me. "Like pretending to need a fake fiancée instead of just firing an asshole employee?"

I laugh despite myself. "That worked out pretty well, though."

"Did it?" she asks softly. "Sometimes I wonder if you're going to wake up one morning and realize this isn't what you want."

"Florence." I turn in her arms, needing to see her face. "Do you know what I was thinking about at dinner? Watching you with your family?" I cup her cheek, feeling her lean into my touch.

She shakes her head.

"I was thinking how, for fifteen years, I thought being in love with Mel was the biggest thing I'd ever feel. How I convinced myself that loving someone who couldn't love me back was somehow noble or pure." I brush my thumb across her cheekbone. "But being with you… It's so different. It's real. It's messy. Sometimes it's terrifying. But it's also the most alive I've ever felt."

She kisses me then, softly, before pulling back to look at the city twinkling below us. "What are you going to do with this place?"

"Sell it," I say without hesitation. "Use the money for the foundation. I was thinking we could focus on helping families trace and recover lost and stolen artifacts—not just from World War Two, but from any conflict where people were forced to leave their treasures behind."

Florence nods thoughtfully. "A way to honor both our families' histories."

"I thought maybe your brother could help evaluate coins that come through. And Catalina's contacts in Italy could be invaluable with the art." I turn back to the view. "I want something good to come from all this."

"Something already has," Florence says quietly. "Look at our families. Nonna getting her ring back. Your mom and Donna finding each other. Even Marin finally accepting that I can take care of my own heart."

I have to smile at that. "She still watches me like a hawk."

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