Hearts Entwined

by Gray, Khardine

  She'd also like to try and visit the other amazing places in Italy like Venice, Florence, Milan, Verona, everywhere. That would satisfyingly utilize her time off from work. Then she'd go back fresh and full of inspiration. Who knew, she might even finish her latest composition. Inspiration could come to her in many ways, but the most usual way was where she'd get an idea and take her time writing the music so she could feel all the notes were balanced. That way she could glean inspiration from different things. The other way was the one she loved the most. It was where something intrigued her creativity, and the music would just come together in her mind. For those instances, she could compose a whole symphony in less than an hour.

  Evie continued to gaze out of the window, becoming truly absorbed in the surroundings and atmosphere. As they approached the city, incandescent trees, she didn't know the names of lined the side of the road, mingling with the pine trees to enhance the classical look of the place. Beautiful houses with that classic European style came into her view, monuments here and there, several statues, water fountains, and archways that stole her breath away. Lucy and Gage seemed to be enjoying the view too.

  Half way through the drive Lucy got into deep conversation with the driver. Both were speaking Italian. Evie didn't even know Lucy could speak Italian, but then she guessed there was a lot she didn't know about Lucy. A lot that Lucy kept to herself, like the whole story of her living in Italy, and Angelo. Evie understood, though. She guessed the pain was too much to bring up, especially if she was trying to forget.

  Gage looked tired, more tired than the rest of them so didn't engage in much conversation. That was fine with her because he'd gotten on her nerves the whole way here. He seemed to have found a new obsession in trying to get her to talk to him. She couldn't be certain if he genuinely wanted to talk to her, or if he was doing it just to annoy her.

  Admittedly, he seemed genuine and had appeared to have changed quite a lot. At the very least he seemed more human and less demon-like, but she was still on her guard.

  Evie chanced a covert look at him beneath lowered lashes and noticed he was looking out the window. The sun beamed down on his dark spiky hair, making it sparkle. The glow highlighted his sharp chiseled features, enunciating them even more. She allowed her eyes to run down to his massive shoulders which filled out his jacket and spread across most of the back seat.

  She didn't know anyone with that much muscle. If she allowed herself, she was at danger for looking for far longer than she should have, but for some reason, she couldn't look away either. When he turned to face her, she found herself trapped within his blue gaze.

  Sapphire. That was the color she would call his eyes. The same color as the Italian sky that surrounded them.

  "What now, am I in your light?" It was only when he spoke that she broke eye contact and looked away.

  "No." She resumed staring out the window.

  Maybe she was tired. Her excitement and anxiety had gotten the better of her and surpassed her tiredness.

  Changed though he seemed, Gage was still Gage Montgomery. Pretty to look at, but with a deadly, malicious heart. She would do good to remember that.

  When they were kids, she'd made the mistake of trying to be friends. It only worked to her detriment and utter humiliation. He'd made a point of letting her know that he didn't want to know her, whether that was by teasing her, or outrightly ignoring her.

  When he ignored her, she was safe. It was the teasing that she couldn't deal with. At one point it wore her down, and her self-confidence was on the verge of slipping away. In her teens, she'd had the unfortunate luck of having zits and the kind of body that could put on weight at the drop of a hat. If Gage wasn't calling her pizza face, he was calling her Big Bertha. And if he wasn't doing that he was just plain old mean and pulling off all sorts of evil tricks on her like locking her in the drama club's storage room causing her to get trapped there all night. He didn't even come back to check on her. It was the janitor who found her the next day. Gage did all sorts of things like that to her, and irritating things like telling people she always had head lice, taking her things and damaging them, and the one that sealed the deal was him telling people she was actually a man who'd had a sex change. That lost her, her date for the junior prom and totally ruined her last few years at high school. It was his parting gift when he left for college. She was never able to live that one down and her only solace was her music.

  He'd always been horrible, and the list of bad things was endless, it was like he'd made it some kind of mission to torment her. So, on her guard she would be. Who knew when he would switch.

  "We're almost there." Lucy declared. She looked nervous as she gazed ahead and looked about their surroundings. "It's changed so much since I was last here."

  "It would have changed a lot since nineteen forty-five." Their driver commented in a heavy accent. "But I think you'll still love it."

  Lucy smiled and continued to gaze ahead. "It's just that ..." When her voice trailed off Gage looked over to her.

  "Grams are you okay?" Gage leaned forward.

  "Stop the car." Lucy cried.

  Evie straightened up as the driver eased the car over to the side of the road and stopped. Lucy got out and moved with a speed Evie hadn't seen before. She and Gage got out and followed.

  Lucy stopped on the sidewalk and brought her hands up to her cheeks. "No," she cried shaking her head, "it's all changed. Everything has changed." Tears filled her eyes.

  Gage gave Evie a worried look then put a comforting arm around Lucy.

  "This was where Angelo used to live." Tears streamed down Lucy's cheeks as they all looked at the bakery before them. "I lived around the corner near the embassy. Now there are shops everywhere. This all used to be houses."

  They could hardly be surprised. Of course, the place would have changed. What were the chances of everything staying the same after seventy years?

  It was wishful thinking. Serious wishful thinking.

  Well now they knew the situation.

  But, what now?

  Chapter 3

  "Grams, why don't we go check into the hotel, grab something to eat and then I can go have a look around."

  Evie was surprised at Gage's suggestion. She thought he would be the first to suggest that they go home.

  "I'll go find out what I can," he added. Surprising her further.

  Lucy looked up at him and nodded with appreciation despite the despair in her eyes.

  Evie helped Lucy get back into the car, and with that they made their way to the Massimo Palancia. She couldn't help take note of how truly stunning the hotel was and felt guilty for the excitement she felt as she got out of the car and beheld the sight.

  The opulent exterior and interiors recreated a nineteenth-century feel, with marble columns, staircases, and chandeliers. Star Jasmine climbed along the walls creating archways inside and out, complimenting the frescoes and gilded frames on the walls and the floral patterns of pink and pearl-grey on the ceilings.

  The beauty was just one of the best things. The very best thing about the Massimo Palencia was that it was just a breath away from the Vatican Museum, with the Sistine Chapel and everything.

  Evie didn't know how she was even going to begin to try to contain the exhilaration she experienced knowing all those attractions were within her sight.

  Her room was another spectacular surprise. She'd say it was fit for royalty and couldn't believe that Gage had booked all of this, selecting the rooms he thought they'd like. He'd said so on the plane. The Gage she was used to would have been more likely to have booked her in a chicken coop or a pig sty, but this was definitely a shocker. Her room was a thing of beauty and led onto an adjoining balcony that connected with Lucy's room, furnished with dahlia.

  When they set their bags down they made their way over to the pizzeria across the street where they ate. The aroma of delicious food engulfed them on arrival and never left throughout the whole time they were there. Evie smelled ga
rlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, and other wonderful herbs along with the sweet scent of ripe tomatoes.

  While Gage had a massive calzone and Evie indulged on a perfectly sized Diavolo pizza on that brilliant Italian Romana base, Lucy barely touched her food. The grief wore heavily on her face, and she had that drained look again. She seemed to have only managed a nibble here and there of her garlic bread. Evie wished things could have gone better for her, and right now she wasn't sure how they were going to proceed.

  "Are you two going to be okay while I go check out some stuff?" Gage asked.

  "What will you do?" Evie asked him, very curious to see what he had in mind.

  "Just look around, maybe go to the library or information center to see what details I can get."

  Lucy watched him with hopeful eyes as he explained. Those were all good ideas.

  "Cool," she agreed.

  "Will you be okay here? I could be gone for a while."

  "We'll be fine," Evie assured him. "We'll hang out here for a bit. Then we'll go back to the hotel."

  "Okay, I'll meet you back there." He got up to go. "I'll find out what I can, Grams." He promised Lucy, making his way around to her to give her a kiss on her forehead.

  "Thank you," Lucy told him

  "Gage," Evie stopped him before he moved to go. "My room, um. Thanks. It's nice. I love it." She thought she should say thanks, even though she was on her guard. It couldn't hurt. Also, because he'd insisted on not taking any money from her. The room alone had to have cost an extortionate amount.

  "Thought you might." He replied and winked at her before he left them. She watched him leave, and when she looked back to Lucy she found her already staring at her. A soft expression lifted her face, temporarily diluting the drained out look she previously had.

  "He's changed a lot hasn't he?" Lucy commented. Evie offered a kind smile. There were a lot of things she could say about Gage, but not to Lucy's face. She had a pretty good idea of what Gage had been like in the past, so there was no need to go into details. He definitely had seemed changed, and since she liked her room, she'd agree.

  "I guess."

  Lucy looked away and stared ahead to the bougainvillea plants that wrapped around one of the archways in the restaurant. "You must think I'm crazy, don't you?" Her slender hands unconsciously twisted together.

  "No. I don't."

  She looked back to Evie. "Maybe it was foolish to come out here. Maybe I... this is crazy Evie. It's going to be an impossible task." She bent her head down in dismay.

  Evie sat forward and leaned her elbows on the table so she could rest her chin in her hands. She looked at Lucy intently and asked, "does your heart still tell you that Angelo's alive?"

  Lucy nodded and placed her hand at her heart. "It's always told me that. Always, and never stopped. It was almost like a nagging feeling I've had all these years, and now it is even stronger now than before,"

  Evie reached out and clutched her hand. "Well, then we need to find him." As dull as things looked she was trying to be positive for Lucy.

  In reality, she was wondering what they were going to do. They had no information. None, zero. What were they supposed to do with that?

  "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about all this before. There's a lot I want to tell you, but it's hard to talk about."

  "I understand. Besides, I don't expect you to tell me everything." Everyone deserved their privacy. Just because they had this closeness between them didn't mean Lucy had to share every single thing about her life with Evie. There was a line of respect that shouldn't be crossed. "I think it's remarkable though that you were here during the war."

  Lucy nodded. "I've lived a very long time. Very long. My father brought my family to live here when I was fourteen. I met Angelo the summer of that year, and I fell in love with him the minute I saw him. He was a year older than me. He'd always listen to me try to play the violin. I say try because I was terrible when I first started." She chuckled. Evie couldn't imagine Lucy being terrible. When she played, it sounded like music straight from heaven. "We spent every moment we had together, and I really thought we'd spend the rest of our lives that way too. When he turned eighteen he was drafted into the army, and that was the day my world changed. I just knew something bad was going to happen to him. I just knew, and it destroyed me when the officials came and told me he'd died. The news devastated me so much I had to be sedated, and I was kept in the hospital for days."

  The emotion that filled Lucy's eyes gripped Evie's heart. It gripped her and got to her in such a way that made her determined to search every inch of Italy until she found Angelo.

  There were certain people in this world who you just wanted to be happy. Lucy was one of them. There was so much good to her, so much love, kindness, and warmth. She deserved every ounce of happiness there was to have.

  "I can't imagine what it all must have been like for you. I just can't." Evie offered. Having heard the story for herself she thought she would have been completely devastated if it had been her.

  "After that, it was no longer safe for us to stay here, even after the war. So we went back to the States. I closed that chapter of my life when we left and I never spoke about it again. I didn't even tell Gage. Anything he knew about Italy came from my parents. I think as he got older he realized I must have had a bad experience here. Most people tend to make assumptions anyway when you tell them you lived in a place that was affected by that war."

  Evie nodded understanding. "We'll do our best Lucy. We'll try and find Angelo."

  "Thank you, and thanks for being here. I honestly don't know what I would have done by myself."

  Evie didn't even want to think about how that could have turned out. It would have been a disaster.

  "Well, here's to finding Angelo as quickly and easily as possible." Evie offered, raising her glass of orange juice as if she were toasting.

  "Me too." The color returned to Lucy's cheeks.

  "How about you have some more of that garlic bread. You need to keep your strength up." Evie smiled pushing Lucy's plate closer to her. Lucy nodded agreeing, and picked up a slice.

  Evie thought a change in subject was in order, so she started talking about the piece of music she was currently composing. One sure way to distract Lucy was talk of music and composing. When it came to writing, she always had some great advice to offer. They talked for hours and continued their conversation into Lucy's room where they waited for Gage.

  Hours had passed since he left them and Evie was starting to worry. Lucy was also starting to get that faltering look again.

  Night had fallen too and Evie just hoped Gage hadn't gotten lost or something. She'd tried to distract her mind by flicking through some travel brochures that were in the room, and Lucy read her letters from Angelo. Evie had just picked up the fifth brochure when the door opened and Gage came in. He was smiling like he had news.

  "Sorry I took so long. Are you both okay?" he asked rolling the sleeves up on his long-sleeved black T-shirt.

  "We're fine. Are you okay?" Lucy asked. She stood up and clasped her hands as if she were praying.

  "I'm good, and I have news." A satisfied smile lifted the corners of his mouth as Lucy's whole face brightened.

  Evie straightened up on the wicker chair with keen interest. "What did you find out?" she asked.

  "I managed to find a restaurant that was established from nineteen fifty. I had to wait for the owner to return, that's why I took so long. The owner knew Angelo's sisters."

  Lucy gasped. "Anna and Vanessa."

  Gage nodded. "She didn't have any information on Angelo but said the sisters moved around nineteen eighty. Angelo didn't appear to have come back around these parts. The sisters both moved to Tuscany, but the problem is they don't know where, and Vanessa got married, so her surname changed to Rossi. They think Anna could have gotten married too but they weren't certain."

  Lucy sighed on hearing that and looked from Evie to Gage.

  "Tuscany is a big plac
e, and we don't even know if their still there. Rossi is also a very common name." She commented.

  That was the first thing Evie thought, but her excitement peaked at the thought of going to Tuscany. Her mind raced over all the pictures she'd ever seen of it, and the movies she'd watched like Under the Tuscan Sun. Again she felt guilty for her excitement.

  "I'm sure there's a way of looking for them." Evie offered. "We just have to try."

  "Exactly," Gage added. "It's worth trying. We can get a list of phone contacts and just call around. I suggest we get the train there tomorrow and starting cracking at it."

  "Are you sure? This all sounds like too much. Maybe you and Evie should go home and I'll take over from here." Lucy looked worried. "This could all take days, weeks even. You already changed your busy schedules for me."

  "Grams don't be ridiculous. There's no way we're going to leave you here." Gage smirked.

  "Yes. I'm definitely staying. It's a win-win for me. Make you happy, and see the best of Italy. Lucy, we're going to Tuscany." Evie smiled wide. It was a simple attempt to make Lucy feel better. Lucy indulged her by returning the smile.

  "I'll go plan out our route." Gage beamed.

  "And, I'll look at hotels." Or villas. She'd look at everything. There was no harm looking.

  * * *

  Damn. What a long day.

  The walking around reminded Gage of camping with the Scouts and going on one of their expeditions like trekking through some forest or hiking the Rockies. But unlike back then when he was eager to see how far he could hike, trying to catch rabbits, or foraging the forest, the worry of going back to his grandmother with nothing had played heavily on his mind. He swore she looked like she was about to wither away when she discovered that Rome had changed dramatically.

  While he knew they still basically had nothing, he was grateful for the lead.

  Now they had something concrete to work with. How they were going to work with the info they had was another matter entirely. Right now he was just thinking of gathering all the phone numbers listed in Tuscany that matched the sisters’ names. It was a starting point and a far easier task than calling all the Angelo Romano's listed in Italy. That was actually his first plan, but the idea went out the window when he chanced a quick glance at the Yellow Pages Index on his phone and it produced over one million results. There was no harm in contacting a few Angelo Romanos’, but he felt that looking for the sisters first in one focused area would narrow the search and hopefully lead them to the right Angelo. If that didn't work, they would have no choice but to then look at a wider search and just focus on Angelo.