The woman pointed at Dev, dark eyes lighting up, her head nodding enthusiastically. Hawke laughed again and waved goodbye, continuing on the stroll.
“Who’s that?”
“I don’t know.”
Dev cocked her head. “You spoke with her like you knew her well.”
“I see her on my daily walks. She’s part of the community here. It’s something I was uncomfortable with for a long time after I moved from New York. Speaking to strangers used to be a waste of my energy—too unproductive unless there was a goal. Now I’ve learned every person has something to give, even if it’s a few moments of realizing we’re connected.”
The simple way he spoke touched her, stirring a bee’s nest of emotions she hadn’t even realized was buried within her. How many times had she rushed past a colleague or person without making eye contact—too behind schedule to see them as people? They were always a block or obstacle keeping her from getting to her goal. “I do that a lot. There never seems to be enough . . . time.”
“Yes. I liked that before, though. I even thrived because it gave me a reason for my actions. Until I looked around me and found I had no one I could truly trust and be myself with. Hell, I didn’t even know who I was separate from my job, so how could I even share myself?”
“What made you want to change?”
He led her down a zigzag path with flowering trees drooping low like umbrellas, casting precious shade. The distant sound of children’s laughter floated on the breeze. “A few things. I lost a big account and got my ass kicked. My brilliant reputation got knocked around, and suddenly, I wasn’t the hot up-and-coming big shot anymore. I started drinking too much because there was no one left to talk to. My friends were all like me—basically married to the job. I’d already lost my previous relationship due to my schedule, though she did like my money.” His quick smile took away the sting. “For the first time in my life, I felt lost. I had all this stuff, but I didn’t even enjoy it. I didn’t know if I liked the business anymore. So, I yank open this drawer in my desk and I find the deed to this house. And I knew right then and there, that was my answer. I needed to find myself. All those years my father visited and I refused to come hit me like a bullet. I decided to get to know the place he loved and go on my own journey, so I bought a ticket.”
Fascinated, she stared at his strong profile, the carved slash of cheekbone, the square jaw, the slight scruff clinging to his chin. “You just left?”
He gave a sharp nod. “Just left. Put in my resignation, packed a bag, and got a flight out. Now I’ve been here for almost two years.”
“What about work? Did you take another job?”
“I do some consulting work when I choose. I was lucky to have made enough to step away for a while.”
Dev wiped the sweat off her brow and Hawke handed her the water bottle. She gratefully took a sip. “What do you do all day when you’re not working?”
“Walk. Eat. Meet new people and visit old friends. Think. Read. All the things I’ve never done before. I needed to figure myself out. Figure out who I was.”
She stopped, needing to process this revelation. Heart madly beating, her voice was a whisper. “Do you regret it?”
His smile was brilliant, a ray of light that pierced through her very soul. “No.”
The possibilities exploded around her. The idea of being able to change her life with one decision. The strength it took to be so brutal with your truth, instead of always rationalizing actions to match the answers.
“You’re a very brave man,” she said slowly.
His eyes darkened and gleamed with sudden intensity. “I have a feeling you’re brave too.”
She jerked slightly, not knowing how to respond. Hawke didn’t wait for an answer, though. He continued walking, and she followed.
They traced a leisurely path through the neighborhoods, up more stone steps, and away from the busy center village. Vespas roared along the main road. The blur of earthy Tuscan colors spread out before her, but she enjoyed studying each individual house as they passed, families busy with their day’s activities, caught up in their own agendas. Dev wondered what it would be like to live here. To begin to appreciate the simple mechanics of living and find pleasure here, instead of rushing endlessly ahead toward a moving goalpost.
She’d never questioned it though, not like Hawke. She loved her life and excelled at achievement. But a voice rose inside her, coming from nowhere, and whispered in her ear.
Because you’ve never allowed yourself something else.
“I’m very sorry about your mother,” he said. “Were you close?”
“I think we could have been closer. We had issues.”
“Who doesn’t? Family relationships are complicated.”
“Do you have any siblings?”
He shook his head. “Always wanted one, though. Mom couldn’t have any more children, so I think I was a bit spoiled.”
“That’s how I think of Bailey,” she said automatically.
She sensed his gaze prodding her. “Is she the youngest?”
“Yeah. She’s this wonderful free spirit who always lands on her feet, while the rest of the world plods through their boring must-do’s. Maybe I’m resentful. She always seemed to be my parents’ favorite.”
“Was that one of the issues with you and your mom? How you related to her?”
“Probably. I’m the middle child. Jan from The Brady Bunch. ‘Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.’ ”
He laughed. “Figured you’d be too young to know that sitcom.”
“It’s iconic.”
“Are you close to your sisters?”
This question was harder to answer, writhing with complications. “We used to be. We’re trying.”
“That’s all you can do.”
They walked. Chatted about nonsense things. Hawke brought up some popular activities they could experience before they left. Dev figured that would be a good thing for her sisters to do together. She whipped out her phone and typed in her Notes, inputting all Hawke’s suggestions. She’d block tomorrow morning for a hike and make reservations for a boat tour. Hopefully, they’d be able to poke around and maybe find someone with the name R at a company. A definite long shot but worth pursuing.
When they passed a bright painted bench, Dev looked at it longingly. Hawke grinned and dropped down, and she sat gratefully beside him. “Now I know why Italians live so long even with all those carbs and alcohol.”
“Everything in balance. You truly can have it all that way.”