CHAPTER 49
PROSPECTIVE SUMMER JOB
Elena walked into one of the well-known pubs in the Isola area of Milan, smelling the stench of sweat, beer, and spices. The hubbub of activity sent her heart racing with the sections of tables amidst an interior garden. Glass windows on one side of the pub emitted light inside, and the sticky floor was evidence of more than one drink being spilled. Steel bars lined the walls, hanging plants ran down the other side of the walls, and a cross-section of bars ran underneath a glass ceiling.
Elena heard the laughter, the banter, and saw the stern expressions of young couples trying to have a conversation among the clutter of noise. Why did she wish that Francesco was here with her? She had to get him out of her mind.
Elena turned to her companions, Loredan
