Granny here,
Chapter 7
Daisy gave Tory a call to ask if he would be available in between tours to help her find a a car, she could tell by the sound of his voice that he was more than glad to hear from her and would make room in his schedule to spend with no matter the reason. His response was more than favorable and he went as far as to offer her dinner that evening. He would pick her up at one that afternoon since his afternoon tour had been cancelled, they would shop for a car; have dinner later and what more could a girl ask for? Tory took pride in his knowledge of cars and Daisy thought he would be te perfect guide to buying one. Calabria had few super highways, most of the roads were narrow and winding so she thought a smaller vehicle would be the best for her. She wanted an American make; since she was familiar with them and didn't have a family so something small would be perfect. After two hours of test driving cars Daisy chose a cute bright yellow, convertible Chevy Malibu. She felt a little closer to home in it and it would be a connection to her mother country.
The car was not brand new although it was in excellent condition but needed to be inspected, washed and cleaned up a little, Daisy would be able to pick it up the following day. having all the important things finally out of the way Daisy could look forward to the dinner that Tory had promised her. He had chosen a small bistro off the beaten path just for the two of them; he whispered something to the waiter who then seated them at a table near the window that had a view to die for. "This is lovely, Tory, the view is breathtaking." Commented Daisy, as Tory helped her with her chair. He seated himself across the table and took her by the hand, looking into her deep blue eyes he didn't say a word, but she could feel what he wasn't saying.
The moments seemed like hours before Tory broke the silence as he whispered, "My world came to a screeching halt when you came into it, Daisy. I haven't been able to think much of anything else but you since the day you walked into my life." "I know Tory, it's been the same for me but we must use our heads and not our hearts, at least for a while. We have our whole lives ahead of us, let's take it slow, we have a lot to do before settling down, don't you think?" "I agree Daisy, but I want to be with you so badly, you will continue to see me, won't you?" "Sure, there is no one else, so we will have each other but let's not make any plans for now. Now, order me some food, I'm starving." Tory kissed Daisy on the hand and motioned for the waiter.
The conversation on the way back to the dealership was just conversation in general, nothing that referred to their earlier talk. Tory didn't want to push his luck and tried to keep it on the friendship level as much as he could and that wasn't easy because his feelings for Daisy were much more than platonic.
Daisy's new car was ready and waiting for her to pick it up, she loved it and it seemed to suit her to a tee. Tory waved good by as Daisy drove away with him in close pursuit; he would follow her just as a precaution since she didn't know the area that well. He wanted to follow her all the way home but he would go along with her wishes at least for now and not do so.
Daisy felt so satisfied when she awoke the first morning in her new home, it was such a relief to be out of the hotel although it was very luxurious. She hopped out of bed and made her way to the veranda, one of her favorite things about the house. She had bought some lovely outdoor furniture which included a large chaise lounge which was going to get a lot of use especially by her. She went back inside to put on a pot of coffee, what good was a veranda without a good cup of hot coffee. Daisy had just a few days to enjoy the view before starting her new job. She brought her coffee and the telephone outside to try out her new chaise lounge, as she lay there thinking how lucky she was, thoughts of the villa came rushing back to her, she now remembered she had heard stories circulate through the family as a young girl of her dad's great-great grandfather who had lived in such a villa years ago while stationed in Italy during the war. The story went that he had had an affair with a countess and she would meet him there whenever she could get away, it did fit the description as far as she could remember but she was sure there was no connection, which would be too weird.
She called Leslie to invite her and her family over Saturday night for a small house warming party. Leslie answered the phone with her delightful hello as she usually did, she was such a bubbly personality and Daisy loved that about her. "Leslie, it's Daisy, I'm calling to see if you and your family would like to come over for a small get together Saturday night to celebrate my new home, around six, would that be fine?" "We'd love to help you celebrate, Daisy, but are you sure you're ready for that?" "O, yes, I can hardly wait; don't forget to tell Tory, we'll see you then, bye."
Daisy had done all her shopping, she was having steaks on the grill where she would let Tory display his grilling skills, baked potatoes, spinach salad and banana pudding for dessert, it had always been her favorite and she could make it just like her mom, she never thought of herself as a cook but she could made pudding. She would pick up some wine at the local winery just a few miles from the villa, a red and a white. Just thinking of entertaining in her own home gave Daisy great satisfaction, how I wish mom and dad, Aunt Sophie and Uncle Max were her they would love it and I would love having them she thought as she dreamed of Saturday night.
Saturday was spent freshening up the house and getting everything prepared. Daisy had the pudding in the fridge, read to go, all the veggies for the salad were ready, and she would maker her famous bacon, walnut vinaigrette dressing later that afternoon. She still had to shower, do her hair, nails and makeup, a girl has to look her best, especially with Tory as a guest. Although she had not made any commitment to him, she still wanted to keep his desire inflamed if she could. She did feel a strong attraction to him but didn't want to get deeply involved this soon, there was so much in life she wanted to do, and after all she was just twenty-one.
The evening was a hit, everyone enjoyed themselves, the food was outstanding and the wine brought a smoothness that satisfied everyone's palate. Relaxing on the veranda until the sunset almost had them mesmerized but the evening had to end and the guest began to leave. Aunt Maria and Uncle Joe were the first to leave, Leslie had brought an old beau, Mario Capriano, with her and they were lingering, still sipping on their glass of wine while Tory and daisy were in the kitchen doing the last minute clean up.
As Daisy was putting the leftover salad in the fridge she could feel Tory's eyes moving up and down her figure as she bent over, she did fit into her white jeans very nicely which made her very appealing. She was about to turn around when she felt his breath on her neck, he was to close for comfort, but she like it, was she going to go along with his advances if he made any or was she going to play hard to get? Tory didn't give her the chance to decide for herself, he lifted her up and before she had time to refuse, his lips were upon hers, the heat from the embrace made Daisy's head feel light and her stomach queasy, her body responded without asking her, she fell into the kiss with such passion that even Tory was surprised. The two of them were locked in passion longer than intended and were brought back to reality by the soft laughter of Leslie and Mario. "We'll leave you two alone, enjoy the rest of the evening and I'll see you at home, Tory." "Thanks so much for coming, Leslie, it was nice meeting you Mario, I'll call you tomorrow Leslie, ok?"
Left alone, Daisy and Tory had a decision to make, would they go farther than they had intended led by uncontrollable passion, or would they follow their adult instincts and enjoy the moment but with limitations? Daisy made the first move by going outside to the veranda that she felt would be more appropriate if she was to have control of her emotions, Tory followed with the same thought in mind and the evening became what it was meant to be, friends enjoying the company of one another. They were able to bring their emotions under control and had a nice time getting to know each other a little better.
After everyone had gone, Daisy gave herself a good talking to realizing that she had to make some firm decisions concerning Tory, although she cared for him very much she had to get control of emotions and do the right thing for him and herself. What that was , she wasn't sure, but she had to find out before it was too late. She knew that the attraction between them was mutual but getting serious this early was not wise and it was going to be hard for the both of them to make the right decisions.
Daisy had dated several young men since her parents gave her the ok to date, but none of them affected her the way Tory had. She was confused as to why he had such an affect on her since they had just met a short time ago. Could it be love at first sight? Was it possible that she had already given her heart to Tory, emotionally, even though she had not committed herself verbally? This was so out of character for Daisy, she was very confused; she needed to talk this over with her mother for sure.
Daisy knew getting involved with Tory, or any other guy right now would not be good for her career, and would deter her from her plans for the future, if she didn't make the right decisions, she could find herself tied down with a family far sooner than she planned. She needed to take precautions and tread lightly with her love life to insure that she didn't do something she would be sorry for later. She had been very selective thus far and had made it to an age where a lot of her friends were already married. She hoped that she could keep these thoughts fresh in her mind when she faced Tory again.
Monday morning found Daisy fighting early morning traffic trying to be on time for her first day on the new job. It was maddening and she was a nervous wreck by the time she reached the department's parking lot. Her nerves were already on edge since it was her first day on her new job; she knew no one and had only worked for her dad at his law firm and as a lifeguard at the local pool, so this would all be new to her. She had dressed very modestly this morning wanting to investigate the dress code before she let herself go to far, she needed to see how the other girls in the office were dressing.
Her first day proved to be successful, she thought, her co-workers seemed friendly enough and there certainly was enough variation in nationalities. There was Rosalina Cappo, who was a local, born here in Calabria, Hun Ling who was from China; there was an Australian, Angie Brown, and Mau Pim from Korea, the supervisor was a good looking Italian gentleman, whose name was Antonio Spinoza, he had been with the department for five years, working his way up from documents and filing. Daisy hoped she would fit in and was going to do her part to make it happen. She would be working as the personal secretary to Mr. Spinoza.
Daisy's feet were talking back to her by the time she arrived home at six that evening. The drive home had been almost as big a challenge as her first day at work. The bathtub could not fill fast enough; she could almost feel the bubbles consuming her tired, aching body, surely she would get use to the office routine by the end of the week. If it took longer than that she would be sorely disappointed but she was young and up to the challenge. Maybe she was just a bit spoiled, could that be possible?
As Daisy stepped out of the tub, wet hair, water dripping down her back, she heard the phone ringing off the hook, but she couldn't make it in time. She finished drying and put on her favorite Mickey Mouse pajamas, she looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Leslie who had called; I will call her after I dry my hair she thought as she reached for the hair dryer. Twenty minutes later Daisy dialed Leslie's number, the voice on the other end was Aunt Maria, "May I speak to Leslie, please?" Asked Daisy, "Just one moment, Daisy replied Maria, she's with her Uncle Joe in the study." A moment went by and Leslie was on the phone, "What's up friend? How did work go today?" "I think I'm going to like it. Leslie, the office staff seemed very nice, it will take time but I think it will work out. What did you do today? How much time do you have left before you go back to America?"
"I have two more weeks left of vacation if I decide to go back, my job is not too promising and the situation there hasn't been good for quite some time. Aunt Maria and Uncle Joe have offered me a place to live if I decide to stay here, what's your opinion?" "I'm not sure I'm the one you should ask, Leslie, I would love for you to stay, you are my best friend here and I have fallen in love with your family." "You didn't mention Tory, how does he fit into your plans? How do you feel about him?" "He has definitely found a place in my life and I care very much for him, we are good friends right now and I don't know where life will lead us." Leslie thought for a moment about what Daisy had just said but didn't comment one way or the other. "I have a lot to think about Daisy, I need to call my parents and discuss this if I am considering such a move. My dad has only a few years until retirement and they are planning to spend a lot of their free time here with Aunt Maria and Uncle Joe, so living here would be ideal for that reason alone. I'll keep in touch; have a nice evening, bye." Daisy hung up the phone with high hopes that Leslie would move permanently to Italy since they had become so close since meeting and it would add so much to her life there in Calabria. The week had gone by so fast; Daisy couldn't believe it was the weekend so soon. She awoke with thoughts of home and her parents, it was getting easier without them but she still missed them a great deal. Shad hopes that maybe they would follow her someday when her dad retired and come to Calabria to live. It was a beautiful city and she thought her parents would love it there.
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