Page 140 of Play of Love
Hearts Entwined
Chapter 1
Evie
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Icouldn't help it.
It was pure instinct that made me slam the door in Gage's face. It was a simple natural response to stimuli, givenourhistory.
What on earth could he have wanted?And, at this time of night. It was nearly ten.
I hadn't seen him for five years. Five glorious years of peace, knowing that when I went home to visit my family, he'd be in L.A. Far, far, away from Chicago quarterbacking for the NFL, and doing whatever it was quarterbacks did for the Los Angeles Gladiators.
I had gotten used to relishing the thought of going home and seeing my family and friends without the worry of Gage Montgomery - my absolute childhood nemesis - scheming his next bout of antics that would make my life hell. Sure we were adults now and had been for years, but no harm ever came from exercising too much caution.
Just now I'd foolishly dropped my guard when I opened the door. I'd thought it was the pizza guy, who was already half an hour late. Usually, I would have checked the little peephole before flinging the door wide open. This was the sort of thing that happened to people who didn't check first.
Gage rang the doorbell again, more persistent this time as if he hadn't irritated me enough. I was hoping slamming the door in his face would have given him the message and he'd go away but no, to my great annoyance he was still here.
"Evie, please open the door," he called out.
I shook my head and started to make my way back into the family room where my mother and sister were huddled together waiting for me to come back. Like them, I was eager to resume our chick flick fest. We were in the middle of watchingOnly You.I must have seen that film hundreds of times, but still loved that scene where Marissa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. danced in the street as the saxophonist playedSome Enchanted Evening.
I'd waited for months for this weekend. No way was I going to let Gage ruin it. Everything had been crazy busy at work, and it had been awhile since I'd made it back home. If I wasn't performing, it was all about rehearsals, rehearsals, and more rehearsals. It was a never-ending cycle. This was my first real break and block of vacation I'd had since the year began. I had miraculously managed to get close to a month off, and that was only because the first Autumnal concert was canceled due to Maria Porcello's hip replacement surgery. I had a ton of things planned, starting with tonight's fest.
"Come on, Evie. Please." Gage could sound as desperate as he wanted. The only way I was opening that door was with a priest and a bucket of holy water to douse him with.
Hopefully, if I ignored him long enough, he'd just go away. And quickly too before the pizza arrived.
"My grandmother is missing," he called out.
I stopped so sharp in my tracks I almost fell over in the hallway. I had to brace myself by grabbing onto the edge of one of the floating shelves on the wall.
"I don't know where she is," he continued. There was a hopelessness in his voice that panicked me . The panic sent me rushing back to the door.
The cold night air blew in as I flung the door open again. "Lucy's missing?" I cried.
Gage nodded. The soft amber glow from the porch light beamed down on him drawing attention to his striking blue eyes that were filled with worry. As he looked at me, his square jaw tensed emphasizing the clear cut lines of his profile.
It was my love for Lucy that made me overlook the relation to Gage. Otherwise, there was no way I'd be talking to him.
Lucy was incredibly dear to me. she was like family. Not only had I known Lucy my whole life, having lived right next door to her for most of it, but Lucy had made it possible for me to do what I'd always dreamed of. Thanks to Lucy, I was a world class violinist who played with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra as one of their leads. I'd done so well that I now had my own concerts which showcased my original composed music. Lucy had made that dream possible.
"Have you seen her?" he asked breaking my thoughts. The worry in his eyes told me that this was quite serious.
"Not since this morning."
Lucy had been tending to her miniature roses when I’d gone to see her. She seemed fine then, and happy as I marveled at how her roses had always looked their best in the middle of summer.
Lucy was a very particular person. She wouldn't just go missing without a good reason.
Gage released a frustrated sigh and ran his hands through his short black hair, ruffling it even more.
"Something must have happened. Lucy's normally in bed by nine." I glanced over at the hall clock and panicked even more when I saw it was now five to ten. "What did you do?"
He eyed me with scrutiny, annoyed at the question. "Me? Why would you automatically assume that I did something?" He stood up straighter and shifted his weight from one foot to the next into a stance that emphasized his athletic physique.
