Since the death of his daughter, Bradley hadn't been much of a social butterfly--something his brother intended to change. In truth, Bradley was growing tired of feeling depressed, but it was so comfortable a place to be, he had no idea how to change his behavior. The few bonds he'd created over the past year felt as though they'd been severed when Adalia had died and the ability to reform new friendships seemed beyond him.

That was why Ethan had taken to leaving Bradley alone at the shop more often these days. He was usually off somewhere with Maeve or making deliveries to various buyers around town. That meant on top of his daily chores, Bradley had to tend to the customers.

From back in the workshop, he overheard the bell above the door that let them know someone had entered and sighed. He was never going to get anything done today if people kept bothering him. Slipping down the narrow hallway that led to the front store room, Bradley smiled to himself, thinking it was silly to be annoyed that business was regular--it was supposed to be a good thing!

Just before he appeared through the door, he smoothed a hand over his beard and through his hair to make sure he looked respectable. "Good afternoon," he said without looking up as he stepped into the main room. Bradley positioned himself behind the counter, then glanced to the woman. His eyebrows lifted slightly at the sight of Elisabetta, the woman he'd nearly bowled over the previous day.

"Come to serve me with papers stating I can't come within 30 feet of you?" The broad smile on his face and the humor in his eyes told her he was well aware the box she held contained no such thing.

Bradley smiled a bit hesitantly as Elisabetta placed the box on the counter separating them, then reached for it slowly. "A present for us, eh? What could two scruffy old men like us possibly need?" His broad hands fixed themselves around the leather box and pried it open, wondering what was inside.

Bradley's mouth fell open in genuine surprise, his breath nearly taken away by the fine craftsmanship of the statue. Gingerly he let his fingers trail over the sculpture, tracing the smooth lines and edges the artist had most likely spent hours shaping. It took him a moment or two to realize that the two men on the bench were tiny replicas of him and his brother.

"Wow," he managed to finally say. Dark eyes lifted from the statue to settle lightly on Elisabetta. "Where did you get this? It's amazing..I can't believe the detail." He looked from Elisabetta to the statue and back again. "Wait, did you make this?"

Bradley didn't know what to say. A thousand things exploded in his mind, everything from questioning her motives to the desire to offer her a job in the shop. "This must have taken forever..."