A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Could you last?”

“Maybe. I think my daughter would be the first to go mental.” The thought of Allegra made me check my phone again, even though it hadn’t buzzed. “I’m starting to get worried.”

“Then let’s go find her. I’m very good at tracking people down in a crowd. Tour Management 101.”

He reached out as if to take my hand in a natural manner, then pulled back, as if realizing he’d made a grievous error. I wondered if his hands were rough or smooth, and if they’d grip my fingers with a firm grip or light caress. I wondered if I’d ever find out.

“Mom!”

My daughter’s voice rang across the square and filled me with sheer relief. I turned and Allegra was racing over, her hand linked with my mother’s. They were both laughing, and the joy and strength of their connection hit me full force. I’d never felt such a bond with my mother. It was as if my father had sucked up all my attention and emotion, and when he passed, all of that went straight into Allegra. Enzo stepped a few paces back to give them room as they reached us.

“I was so worried,” I said. “You didn’t answer my calls or texts, so Enzo and I were going to try and find you. Are you both okay?”

“I’m so sorry, Fran,” my mother said. “We lost track of time and you know I rarely check my phone. I feel terrible you had to contact Enzo.”

“No, I was here already, Sophia,” he said smoothly. “It was no problem. I told your daughter how the charms of Rome can make you forget time.”

Allegra’s face lost its lightness and grew cold. “You said an hour. It’s been three, so we figured you weren’t coming anyway.”

I thought of my crippling panic attack and held my tongue. “Sorry, I ran into some trouble and had to fix it. How was lunch?”

“Really good. We had pizzas, and they have this incredible soft drink like cola, but it’s a touch bitter and has this cherry taste that’s so good. I forgot what it was called . . .” Allegra trailed off.

“Chinotto,” Enzo said. “A treat for the summer months and refreshing, right?”

“Yes, I loved it. And then we walked over here and the funniest thing happened—Nonni, do you want to tell the story?”

Sweat gleamed on my mother’s brow and her T-shirt clung to her flushed skin. “Mom, do you need water? I brought an extra bottle.” Guilt flicked through me. I should have been watching her more closely and not given the job to Allegra. At Mom’s age, she had to be careful of the heat and physical exertion.

She waved a hand in the air. “I’m fine. More than fine, I guess.” The words made Allegra burst into giggles. “We were getting some gelato and standing in line, and this man kept looking over at us. Of course, I knew he was gaga over Allegra even though he was too old for her.”