Page 19 of Finding Love in the Clouds

Tossing the rest of the coins over his shoulder and into the fountain, he replied, “Me either, but sometimes doing silly things is fun. You know, I read once that they clean this out every day because over three thousand euros are tossed in, and it would clog up the fountain if they didn’t. It totals up to over one and a half million euros a year, and the catholic church gets it all, but the city has to clean it out.”

“That is an interesting set of facts in that cluttered brain of yours,” Sophie said, tapping him gently on the temple before turning to walk in a new direction.

“Wait, we haven’t taken a photo yet,” Fernando shouted, grasping her arm and pulling her back. He settled his arm around her waist and turned his cell phone to take a selfie.

“I help you take,” offered an older woman, who, by her thick accent, was obviously a local.

“Sure, thank you,” Fernando said, handing her his phone and posing with Sophie.

“Now, you kiss for good luck,” the old woman instructed.

“Oh no, that’s fine. We aren’t there yet,” Sophie said, taking a step away.

“You might not be; you only tossed two coins. But he is. He tossed in three. Blessing to you both on a long life and happy marriage,” she said, patting them on the cheek before toddling off.

“What did that mean?” Sophie asked, turning confused eyes on Fernando.

“Don’t know. I’m looking it up now. Ah, I see. This says that tossing in one coin means you will return to Rome. Two coins will lead you to a new romance, and three will lead to marriage. I had five coins. You took two, which meant I tossed in three.” Fernando laughed heartily at the coincidence.

“What is so funny?” Sophie asked, crossing her arms in annoyance.

“If Anthony could see me now,” he said, continuing to chuckle as he took Sophie’s hand and led her down the narrow cobblestone streets towards Piazza Navona without commenting further. They wandered through the throngs of people, admiring the magnificent Baroque architecture, peeking in the open-air shops at the displayed goods of local artisans, and enjoying the fragrance of fresh baked goods and roasted chestnuts.

When they reached the center of the square, the Fountain of the Four Rivers, illuminated against the night sky, greeted them.

“The map says this depicts the four major rivers of the continents then known to Europeans: the Nile, Ganges, Danube, and Rio de la Plata. Those are supposed to be the river gods posed there, and that obelisk topped with a dove represents the papal family that ruled at the time. I’m not tossing any more coins, so don’t even thinkabout it.”

Fernando glanced down, catching a glimpse of her face in the glow of the streetlamps, and saw that she wasn’t as put out by the coin and romance nonsense as she was pretending to be. Wrapping his arms around her as they stood taking in the lively scene around them, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Thank you for coming with me on this adventure. Seeing Italy with you is much more fun than when I came on business and stayed in a rich man’s palace.”

Resting her head against his shoulder and leaning into him, she whispered back, “You’re welcome. Thank you for making one of my dreams come true and bringing me along on your adventure. It may have been your challenge to fulfill, but I am definitely getting the better end of this deal.”

Placing his cheek against the side of her head, he nearly kissed her but refrained from doing so... barely. “I wouldn’t say that. My eyes are being opened in new ways. Ways I never thought imaginable. I would guess that by the end of this, I will be the most blessed.”

Sophie was taken off guard by an enormous yawn at that very moment, and Fernando decided they should call it a night. The rest of Rome’s landmarks could wait until morning. They had already seen the Colosseum, so they had all morning and most of the afternoon to see the rest of the list before the official tour started.

Arriving back at the hotel, he unlocked her door for her, kissed her on the cheek, and wished her sweet dreams before walking to his door. Sophie stood motionless for a moment, staring at him.

“I can’t go in until you do,” Fernando stated matter of factly, his door pushed open but making no move to walk across the threshold.

“Oh,” Sophie replied, still making no move to enter her room.

“Did I overstep and offend you, Soph?” he asked, kicking himself for that kiss. It was chaste and on the cheek, but it meant so much to him he didn’t want to apologize for it.

“What? No. It was… nice. I wasn’t expecting it. But. It was nice. Good night. See you in the morning. Say, 8 am?”

“Sounds good. Good night.”

“Sleep well.”

This time, Sophie walked into her room and locked the door behind her. Her dreams were indeed sweet and filled with a certain handsome boss.

Chapter Nineteen

The following morning dawned sunny and warm, with not a drop of rain in the forecast. A knock sounded on Sophie’s interior door long before she was ready to greet the day. She had just brought herself to a sitting position and ran her hands through her long hair, trying to pull the cobwebs from her brain, when another knock came, this one a little louder.

“Sophie, you awake?” Fernando’s impatient voice came from his side of the door adjoining their rooms.

When she unlocked the door and pulled it open, death rays shot from her stunning gray eyes. Her hair was mussed, and she was wearing a sage green silk robe with pink cherry blossoms scattered randomly over it.

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