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Well, well.Her heart fluttered. “Lucky me,” she said before rushing into the store.
Ryland was right behind her, but he wasn’t half as impressed as she was by the building. The pale gray stones were offset by a vibrant purple door. Beyond it was a magnificent flower shop.
Every bloom was colorful and ready for delivery. There were bouquets of fragrant roses and sparkling calla lilies. The decor was decadent and classy. This wasn’t just any sort of flower shop. It was the kind that only a certain amount of the population could afford.
People like Ryland.
“Ah, hello there,” a plump little old woman called. “Are you here to buy your sweetie a bouquet? Perhaps you want to plan a wedding?” She tapped her nose. “I always know the couples that will make it, and you two look like the winning kind.”
Ryland made a strange coughing sound, but Caroline shook her head. “He isn’t my boyfriend. We’re actually partners. We work together,” she added. Every word made her blush harder. “We have some questions, but I’m not sure if you can help us.”
“I can try,” the woman said as her smile faltered.
“We’re looking for Luigi Bonetti. Do you know him?”
The woman’s face fell. She took a step back and crossed her arms. “What kind of work do you do?”
“I’m Caroline Knight. I have a podcast. Maybe you’ve heard of it?Knight for Justice.”
The old woman shook her head.
“It’s okay. We basically tell people’s stories, and the next show we’re working on is about a few people who have donated pieces to museums.” The lie came easily and quickly on her tongue. She somehow knew that if she mentioned the vases, the woman would throw them out. Her reaction to Luigi’s name made Caroline cautious. It was simpler to letherbring it up.
Ryland watched the exchange with an unreadable look on his face. He didn’t interrupt her or try and lead the questions. It wasn’t what she expected; she was pleasantly … very pleasantly … surprised.
“Well,” the old woman’s eyes darted over her shoulder as she rubbed her hands together.
“What’s your name?” Caroline asked.
“Lina. Lina Fiore. This is my family’s store,” she glanced over her shoulder again. “I like working here. It’s always nice to help people fall in love, or stay in love, or get married.”
“Mrs. Fiore, I just want to know why Luigi Bonetti would give a piece to the museum. We’re interested in his motivation. Altruism? A love of culture?”
Mrs. Fiore sniffed loudly. “Luigi was a good man, but he was a bit …” She hesitated. “Misguided,” she finally said after a peek behind her. “He sold the family’s olive groves, and after that, he was never right again.”
“Right?” Caroline asked.
Mrs. Fiore tapped her head. “It made him a bit crazy.”
“Then why did he sell?”
“I have no clue. No one knows. One day, he was happily running the business, and the next, he sold everything and moved here. He lived like a king for a bit, but he was spending his money like he would never run out.”
Caroline winced. “But it did.”
“Yes. It did,” Mrs. Fiore’s voice deepened with sorrow.
“Then why did he give away something he could’ve sold fora lotof money?”
Mrs. Fiore shook her head. “Like I said. He wasn’t doing well. You’d have to ask him what he was thinking.”
“Can we?” Caroline edged, hopefully.
“He died a long time ago. He was already an old man when he sold his groves from under his sons’ feet.”
“Sons?”
“Yes. Salvatore and Paolo. They tried to convince their father to keep the land, but he refused. He said that …” she stopped short.
