He was trying to approach this all with a positive attitude, as if it was doable. At the same time, he tried to keep in mind the obstacles they could come across. Obvious obstacles, like the fact that the sisters could have moved from Tuscany long ago, and that both surnames were common whether it was Romano or Rossi. Those names could have also changed if the sisters remarried. His least favorite thought, however, was that they could have all died. Gage dared not mention that part, at all. It would have saddened his grandmother even more.
When Evie left them, he helped his grandmother get settled into her room and unpack what she needed for the night. He talked to her for a little while about what he had planned and left when he was sure she was comfortable and okay.
Gage then thought he'd go check on Evie. He knew she'd most probably get all worked up and would be thoroughly annoyed to see him, but he did it anyway. Her being here was a massive help to both himself and his grandmother. For that he was grateful.
He decided to go across the adjoining balcony from his grandmother's room. He thought he'd find her at the desk tapping away at her computer, looking for hotels but instead he found her sitting on the floor on the balcony. She was writing something in a notebook and humming. Evie was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn't even notice his presence. She hummed loudly as if she was going to sing, then stopped and wrote in her book. She was writing music.
Smiling to herself she gazed out to the beautiful city before them, stared at the array of lights and turned to focus back on what she was doing. That was when she saw him.
Just like he preempted annoyance filled her fine features and she drew her brows together. "Gage are trying to give me a heart attack by sneaking up on me like that?"
He walked closer and leaned against the wall. "No, just checking on you."
"I'm fine. Just taking a break from hotel search." She answered dismissively, turning her face away from him and bending her head back down to focus on her book.
"I didn't know you could sing." He didn't know why but he found himself wanting to talk to her. She clearly seemed to prefer that he didn't, but that wasn't enough to stop him.
"I wasn't singing I was humming." She bit down hard on her lower lip and still didn't look up at him.
"Sounded like you could sing if you wanted to."
"I can, but I don't want to." There was that dismissive tone again, highlighted with an unwelcomed frankness. The wind picked up the ends of her ponytail and whipped it up. She smoothed it to the side so that all that luxurious hair would flow down her shoulders.
"What are you doing?" he decided not to take the cue and leave.
She raised her head slowly and looked at him with a stern- faced expression.
"Gage, since when did you take such interest in my activities, and what's with the sudden urge to talk to me. I've known you for nearly twenty-five years give or take, and you choose to talk to me now. Why? Have you suddenly realized that I'm a person? Or, are you seriously that bored? They have TV’s in all the rooms you know. And I even think they have cable."
He smiled down at her. The curious look on her face amused him. "I don't know. Maybe it was because I enjoyed your concerts so much I just wanted to know what you were working on next. Fleur da lune was fantastic but my personal favorites were the Butterfly Exchange, A Tocatto of Life, Scents of Fire, and Sky Love."
The look on her face was the very definition of shock itself. He'd completely taken her by surprise in a big way because she stared at him opened mouth for a good few seconds before closing her mouth and opening it again. She then blinked several times as if she was trying to comprehend what he was saying.
"How... how'd you know about my concerts? I didn't think that Lucy was able to make it to any of those."
"I went by myself," he replied, shocking her further. He could tell she was trying to think of some sort of retort but struggled. "After my accident I had some time on my hands so I thought I'd go check out your music. Turns out I liked it so much I went back every time you did a concert."
Actually, there was more to it than that. After his accident he'd gone home to visit his grandmother and heard Evie playing next door. The music was the first, and only, thing that could soothe his troubled mind. She was in her room and the window was open so he could hear it all as she played. It sounded like she was either practicing or putting a piece together. Whichever it was he'd thought it was incredible and it was the first time that he'd stopped to listen to her.
The music helped the depressive, grieving state he'd been in at the time, and made him want to see her in action. So he'd gone to all the concerts he could make it to, and loved every single one of them.
"How comes? I mean you used to call me String Face and all manner of things. I would never have thought you'd ever go to a whole concert, or even pay money to attend one." She threw the words at him like stones.
He bit the inside of his lip. She had every reason to say that to him, and was completely right.
"I've changed a lot." He offered, but she looked like she didn't believe him. "I have."
"If you say so. I've learned never to trust the devil, ever."
He couldn't help laugh at that. She, on the other hand, looked quite serious.
"I'm not the devil Evie." He sighed.
"Well, it's not like you were going to tell me any different now, is it? I don't hear serial killers telling people their not that. Okay, maybe some do, but those are the honest ones."
"Evie, come on cut me some slack. I'm not the devil or a serial killer. I honestly just wanted to talk to you."
"Gage it's a little hard for me to talk to you when I spent most of my life watching my back because of you. Thanks to you some people still think I'm a man."
"I'm sure they can see you're not."
She shook her head with fury. "No, they just think I had a very good surgeon."
"That was more than ten years ago."
"And, I'm supposed to forget?" she eyed him cautiously.
Again she was right, and things weren't looking good for him in the forgiveness department. He swallowed hard. "I guess not, but I was kind of hoping you'd probably forgive me."
"Jerk." She ripped off some paper from her notebook, crumpled it and threw it at him. "You're meant to ask for forgiveness, not expect it."
He laughed again and moved closer to kneel down next to her. "You've never given me a chance. Evie, I'm really sorry for how I've treated you. I was a total jerk and I can't apologize enough." He adjusted himself so that he was on both knees. "Look I'm on my knees begging."
At least he had her undivided attention. Her complete undivided attention.
He pulled in a breath and continued. "I figured since we both clearly love Lucy, maybe we could try to get along. Fold over a new leaf." He gave her a hopeful look.
She stared warily at him for a few seconds before tilting her head and responding, "I'll think about it."
Well, she didn't say no. That had to be worth something, right?
"Cool. I guess that's something to work with." He offered a smile but she looked away and focused ahead to the stunning scenery before them.
It really was breathtaking. Their hotel was close to everything you'd want yo be near. It was practically next to the Vatican Museum and he could see St. Peter's Basilica. The illustrious glow from the dome lit up the night sky with vibrant brilliance.
When he picked this hotel he didn't put much thought into it. He'd just wanted the best, but this was great. It was a shame they were only going to be here for the night. They were in a good location and it would have been good to see the old city and most of Rome's other major attractions, like the Trevi Fountain, Piazza del Popolo, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Villa Borghese, and the Castel Sant'Angelo fortress.
He'd caught glimpses of a few places today as he'd walked around, but hadn't focused on it. Now that he had a moment to appreciate where they were he found himself wanting to see more, particularly since most of h
is holidays were adrenaline junkie adventures. Just last year alone he'd gone flyboarding in Mexico, snowmobiling in Lapland, quad biking in Cape Verde, and paragliding through the Grand Canyon. Europe was a little tame for him but enticing nonetheless. He got the vibe that it was the sort of place that made you want to stop and absorb the beauty in its history and architecture. That appealed to him.
An idea crossed his mind as he looked back to Evie. "Do you want to go for a walk?"
It was a fine night for walk, and although he'd walked around for miles earlier he wouldn't have minded going back out.
She looked back at him quickly with narrowed eyes, "with you?"
"Yeah, with me." He offered a hopeful smile. Earlier as they drove into the city he'd watched her face light up at the sight of all the things they saw. There was no mistake in assuming she wanted to see the city and its attractions as much as he did, most likely more.
"Why would I want to do that?" She shot him a grim look.
"Because we're in Rome, and we're only going to be here for tonight. The place is beautiful, especially at night. Come on. Let's just go. We can walk around and see what we can of the city."
"I haven't booked the hotel yet."
"Let me take care of that. Just come." He stood up and beckoned her to follow.
She looked ahead again and it seemed like her desire to see the city got the better of her. Something lifted within him when he watched her rise to her feet.
Chapter 4
As far as weird went this had to top the list of weird. And unexpected. Maybe even impossible.
Evie never thought she'd ever find herself walking around the beautiful streets of Rome with Gage Montgomery. Never in this lifetime, or any other.
But what was even more astonishing was that she was enjoying herself. Even she had to admit that. The feeling was just as shocking as finding out that he'd gone to her concerts, and not just one, several. In fact, those were all her major concerts with symphonies she'd composed and put together. It also didn't escape her that Gage lived in L.A. and would have flown over to New York to attend.
She didn't know what to think of that, but she could honestly say that she'd been deeply touched at the revelation. She never expected someone like him to travel so far just to listen to her play, and those concerts, in particular, had meant a lot to her.
A Tocatta of life was her debut. She remembered being exceptionally nervous. At Julliard, she'd done similar sorts of concerts, but that was within a school setting. Playing for the Philharmonic was on a different, and bigger scale. She was also no longer just playing with the other lead violinists she was playing her own pieces, and they were backing her up, along with the other members of the orchestra. While her family had been there, she wished that Lucy could have attended too. At the time Lucy was still working for the school and was busy with music exams. It was at that time of year also when Julliard was doing their auditions, so she was super busy. Lucy was sad she couldn't attend, but it was understandable, and she'd already attended hundreds of Evie's concerts. Hundreds.
Gage though was ... well, she still didn't know what to think of it. She definitely knew that if she'd been made aware of his presence that night there was a chance that her nerves would have gotten the best of her. Or, maybe her surprise at his presence would have made her feel more inspired in some way.
She thought about his apology. He'd had her at the talk of her concerts, and she'd tried to resume her harsh exterior, but that apology was what got her the most. It was what helped her make the decision to come out here tonight.
Evie knew him, knew when he was lying, and knew when he was telling the truth, knew exactly how he was feeling just from looking at him. Mostly it was his eyes that gave him away, and they did then.
As she'd stared deep into those wild blue eyes of his, she saw how sincere he was, and she also saw something flicker deep within them that fascinated her.
It was scary to think that anything about him would fascinate her. Not that there weren't fascinating things about him, she just didn't want to have any sort of feelings like that for him. Like those mindless girls who'd followed him around at high school. She was certain the same kind of women followed him around now too.
"You look confused," he stated, breaking her thoughts.
She looked over at him and pulled her shawl around her shoulders as the wind picked up the ends of her hair.
He was smiling down at her.
"I'm thinking," she replied.
"About what?"
"Nothing."
"You're thinking about nothing?" he chuckled. "How about we head that way?"
He pointed down the road that led to the bridge which would take them straight to Castel Sant'Angelo and Ponte Sant'Angelo. The bridge was lit up with a bask of amber lights that drew attention to the statues of angels on either side.
Her heart quickened, and her nerve endings tingled from the divine sight. She'd seen it on postcards and the brochures she read earlier. Seeing it all in real life laid out before her was a real treat.
"Yes." She smiled.
"Maybe we can try for the Basilica next and then head to the Trivedi fountain and other places if you aren't too tired."
All exciting. These were the places she was desperate to see. So far they'd been walking down the road from the Vatican Museum. The walls surrounding rose to at least thirty feet from the ground, so there was no chance of seeing what was on the other side. She was hoping for a little peak of something, but got nothing.
"I'm not tired at all." She beamed grinning wide. Adrenaline flowed throughout her fueling her with a new found energy. "I've always dreamed of seeing those places."
"Cool. I know we're here for Lucy and I feel guilty for wanting to explore. But there's no harm in seeing what we can." He stated with a small smile.
She nodding agreeing, that was exactly how she felt too. This was a good idea, coming out for a walk. It was great that they could fit it in.
Her excitement increased the closer they got to the castle. The bronze statue of Archangel Michael on top of the Castel completely enthralled her, and although the gates were closed to the public, there were lots to see and appreciate.
A lot of people had gathered around to take pictures. She did so too eager to capture the memory.
There were lots of people on the bridge too. Lots of couples, she noted. Evie could imagine this to be the perfect romantic getaway. Or, somewhere to go on a honeymoon. It was definitely somewhere to experience with someone you loved.
Sometimes she wondered what it must be like to be in love and happy like that. She'd been too focused with her music to give herself that chance. While Evie had dated a lot, she'd never been with anyone in a serious relationship. There never seemed to be the time for that.
It would be nice, though. To meet someone and have the kind of love Lucy had for Angelo. The kind that was lasting, and would make you leave whatever you were doing to find that person even after seventy years.
The atmosphere and beauty that surrounded them made her feel alive, free, and relaxed. It felt like one of those times when you were given something you didn't know you were missing but needed. It was truly refreshing.
They covered a lot of grounds and got so absorbed in the surroundings that time escaped them. They gazed heavenwards at the incredible Pantheon, walked the grand stairs of the Spanish steps and since St. Peter's Basilica was closed they walked around for a good while in the square, mesmerizing themselves with all one hundred and forty saints that guarded it.
Gage dared to tell lies at the Bocca della Verità and had the ague to pretend his hand had been hacked off. She believed his dramatization too, simply for the fact that it was him, and if that was going to happen to anyone he'd be the first.
Evie felt for sure that myth would hold true to the mouth of the huge face feasting on his hand. However, she found herself mildly surprised as she laughed when he revealed his hand was still with him and in perfect order.
From there they went to the Trivety fountain, where she did indeed throw in all the coins that she had in her purse. Gage laughed at her and said she'd probably end up living in Rome and not just visiting again as the saying went. She didn't think she would mind that, as she was besotted with what she'd seen so far.
They finished up by hanging out on Piazza Navona where they enjoyed the circus of street performers and artists while they sat by one of the ornate fountains.
It was after two in the morning when they ventured back to the hotel, and instead of going to their rooms they went to the lobby to finish eating the ginormous ice cream cones they acquired on the way back.
Gage was on his second cone.
"I wish I could have two. The ice cream here is so good." Evie commented snuggling against the cushions on the sofa. They were alone, so it felt more like a room than a public area.
"Evie you would burst. There's a chance I still could, and the worse thing is I want another one." Gage nodded.
She laughed at him as he took a bite and came away with ice cream on his nose. He tried to wipe it off but ended up smearing it across his cheeks.
"Oh my gosh. I think I'm tired. My hand to eye coordination is completely off." He sighed slumping his shoulders.
She retrieved a tissue from a Kleenex pack in her purse and without thinking she leaned over and wiped away the ice cream from his cheeks and nose. It felt like the natural thing to do, but then she saw the way he looked at her, and her awareness returned. Her cheeks warmed as he continued to stare and she sat back down adjusting herself.
Hearts Entwined Page 4
