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It was Ric. He’d promised to help her track down the prior owner of the villa. Maybe she would have news for her brother soon.
“Coming.”
She took one last glance in the mirror. She ran her fingers over her hair, smoothing a flyaway strand or two. And then she glanced down to find Gin staring up at her as though questioning what she was doing.
She realized she was nervous. She wanted to look her best for Ric. There wasn’t anything wrong with that, was there? She applied some lip gloss, and then she was ready.
When she glanced down once more, Gin was still giving her a questioning look, making her feel paranoid that she was trying too hard to impress Ric.
“Stop looking at me like that.”
The puppy whined.
“Did you say something?” Ric called through the door.
“Um...” She rushed over and opened it. “I was just telling Gin that we were leaving.”
Ric’s gaze moved to the dog, who rushed over and propped himself against Ric’s leg. He bent down and picked up the dog. “And how’s Gin this morning?”
Arff!
Ric laughed. “That good, huh?”
“Someone has you wrapped around his paw,” Gia teased.
Ric put the dog down. “I think you must be looking in the mirror.”
Her eyes widened with surprise. “Good one. But I think Gin has won us both over.”
“Agreed. Are you ready to go?”
She felt bad about him missing work. “You know, I can go to the library and the courthouse by myself.”
“And miss the adventure? Never. I’m curious to learn about the history of the house.”
A thought hit her. “So you can use it when you go to sell the place?”
“That hadn’t occurred to me, but now that you mention it, if the history is interesting, sure, why not?”
She shouldn’t have asked. She didn’t like the answer. But then again, why should she care what he did with his property?
Maybe it was because it was a piece of his past and right now, she was searching for her past without any luck. Surely things would be different today. Today she would uncover the key to her story—something to lead her in the right direction. She could feel it in her bones.
* * *
The library and the courthouse were at the center of town.
Not far from Ric’s apartment.
And so they opted to walk. With the housekeeper watching Gin, they set off on the beautiful sunny day. The light sea breeze made the summer day quite comfortable. Plus, Gia wanted a chance to take in more of the old-world city.
The only disappointing part was having to switch from her pretty pink-and-white heels that matched her white skirt and pink top so well to a pair of sneakers. At least her sneakers were white with pink and yellow flowers. She couldn’t help it; she like coordinated, colorful outfits. They helped her feel more confident. And today she needed a boost to get through this challenging period.
She turned her thoughts to more serious matters. What would happen after she located her father? Would he invite her to move in with him so they could get to know each other? There was no making up for all the years they’d been robbed of, but they had the here and now. They would make the most of it. Excitement and nervousness fought for room in her chest.
As they continued to walk, Ric informed her that there was an ordinance requiring new architecture to be approved by the city council so it didn’t conflict with the older structures. Thus, the city looked as though it were from another era. Gia immediately fell in love with it. It was like stepping back in time. That was until you had a look at the pedestrians with their smart phones. It was quite the contrast. Still, she wouldn’t change any of it.
She snapped some photos with her phone and then sent them off to her sister. She missed her siblings—even if she wasn’t rea
