Page 165 of Play of Love
Chapter 7
Gage
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We started making phone calls as soon as we got settled in and continued to do so over the next three days. The determination and positivity were there, but we had no success.
Between us, we called just over two hundred people. It felt like working in a call center, and as the list grew shorter our hopes shrunk too.
I tried my best to keep my momentum going, but I could feel myself drifting back into the grasps of doubt. The lack of success had even clouded over the excitement of being here in this beautiful place with the beach just a stone throw away.
The villa offered the comfort I'd wanted for us with its homely feel created by the antique styled furniture. While the exterior held true to that Italianate style of architecture I'd seen in Rome, with classical synthesized aesthetics, the interior had a more personal touch that made it quite relaxing. Along with the furniture were the wooden beams running across the ceiling in each room and the red bricks on a majority of the walls which added more character. We also had a large open fireplace in the lounge. Summer might have been at its peak, but I was going to take the opportunity to light that up one night and sit by it. I lived in a penthouse apartment in L.A.
It was quite classy, but it was the typical bachelor pad. It was very modern looking with that contemporary edge and had none of the features this place had.
Sometimes it was good to step away from the modern, eccentric things and step back in time to an era or style when certain things had meaning. That epiphany had come to me after my accident, along with other things. In general, I found myself more appreciative of life and what it had to offer.
I'd been sitting on the sofa by the sliding doors that led out on to the terrace. I had the perfect view of the beach. The scenery was so clear and idyllic with the blueish green sea that it reminded me of a screensaver.
I hadn't been down there yet. I wanted to go check it out but put off doing so because I didn't want to waste time.
Looking at Grams saddened me that I couldn't do better. I was beginning to worry that she was worrying too much and I didn't want it to affect her health. The first thing her doctors had cautioned against was stress. She was told to stay away from it. Now she was right in the heart of it.
I thought a break was in order, even for a little while. It was approaching five and outside looked warm and inviting. It would be nice to go out for a while and have some time away to just relax. We'd both been sitting here for at least two hours making calls. Evie was up in her room. She tended to do most of her calls there and other than coming down to speak to Grams every now and again I didn't really see much of her. I guessed she was still mad at me.
Maybe a nice trip to the beach would do us all some good.
"Grams let's take a break from this," I stated.
She looked over at me and rested her elbows on the desk.
I slid off the sofa and joined her. "How about we just take a break? There's already a number of people we're waiting to hear back from."
We were waiting to hear from at least fifty people and evening was approaching. There was only a small window of time that we'd agreed was appropriate to call. That was between ten am and six pm. Any earlier or later might appear rude.
"What if someone calls and it's the right people. We'll miss the call." She straightened up.
"They can leave a message, and we'll get back to them. We've been at this since we got here. Look outside. We've got this beautiful beach that we can go to. You love the beach."
"You should go, and take Evie." She suggested. "You kids go on and have fun."
"Grams," I sighed. "You need a break. Even just a little one. Some fresh air is always good. If anyone calls, we can always get back to them. Get some stuff together, and I'll ask Evie if she wants to come."
She stared at me for a few moments and then nodded. "Okay."
"Meet you outside." I smiled. She looked adamant but at least she'd agreed to come.
I got up and made my way up the winding wooden staircase that creaked with each footstep. Evie's room was the first at the top. The door was open, and I could see her sitting out on the balcony. She had her contact list in her hand and was on the phone.
"Thanks, please ask her to call. Grazie." She hung up and focused on me as I approached. The gentle breeze lifted her hair making the ends dance about the smooth skin on her shoulders.
"Any leads?" I asked.
"No. Nothing, and it's been difficult trying to communicate in broken Italian."
"Same here." Some of my contacts hadn't spoken a word of English, and I had to end up passing them on to my grandmother. "I think we all need a break. We're going down to the beach. You should come."
I'd learned that instead of asking outright it was best to make the thought look appealing to her.
