He sat down and met my gaze directly from across the table. “Thank you. My name is Milton. I’ve been touring most of the day and just wanted a place to take in the sights and have a cocktail. When you see a beautiful woman alone, it’s silly to sit by yourself. I hope I didn’t intrude.”

Warmth flowed through me. My goodness, it had been a long time since a man approached me for anything. Except for church. And they were priests so they didn’t count. Allegra had teased me about that previous gentleman following me, but I still stuck to my guns in believing that he was really after my granddaughter. “How sweet—thank you for the compliment. I’m Sophia. Are you with a tour group?”

He inclined his head. “We’re doing the typical Italian tour and hitting all the highlights. You?”

“The same thing. It’s been incredible, but we’re winding down. After Venice, we end in Siena. But then I’m staying in Tuscany for a week before heading back home.”

“Then Venice is your end and my beginning. I bet we’re on a similar tour. We finish in Rome.”

I laughed. “Yes, that’s where we started. Have you ever been to Italy before?”

“No, this is my first time. How have I missed out for all those years? It’s tragic.”

“Me too. It’d been my dream for most of my life, but my husband and I kept pushing it out until it was too late.”

“You lost him?” I nodded. “My deepest sympathies. I lost my wife five years ago, also. We talked consistently of travel and never went anywhere. Too many children. Too many responsibilities. Then it was also too late.”

My heart squeezed in my chest. “We have similar stories. Are you with your children on the tour?”

He shook his head. “They are involved in their busy lives like I once was. I came alone.”

I tilted my head and studied him closer. There was a quiet confidence in his demeanor, something only age usually taught, after many successes and even more failures. We were finally comfortable in our own skin, and able to move through the world without comparison or envy or despair that we’d never be enough. Our bodies taught us the lesson of humility, because eventually, we were all the same. The shell is our armor and it slowly disintegrates until it is our time. The clock that used to signal a need for babies now warns us of our limited time.

“I think it’s wonderful,” I said truthfully. “My daughter and granddaughter are with me on this trip.”

“What a blessing. To experience this type of beauty with family is everything. What was your favorite place so far?”

The waiter briefly interrupted, and Milton ordered a Pellegrino and a glass of Pinot Grigio.