“This trail is where I met Deda,” a woman walking ahead of Reesa said to the child beside her. “We came back every year after your mother was born, and now I continue for both of us.”
Reesa smiled at the sight of the youngster, who had a chocolate bar in one hand and the other tucked in her grandmother’s. As quickly as it showed, however, the smile faded. Not for the first time since committing to it, she was annoyed with herself for tackling the most romantic hike in Manarola.
The famed Path of Love, whose Italian name was written on the map that Harper bought her, lay just beyond a gate now steps away from Reesa. To get there from Casa Sartori, she’d had to pass the bakery, the Church of San Lorenzo, and Piastrelle Fabbri. At each of those locations, she’d thought of forfeiting her trek.
“Is your love lock on the gate?” the child asked.