Chapter One

Keys winging through the air, accompanied by an exasperated, “I have HAD IT!” announced the arrival of Olivia Francesca Porcu Martin. The unintended target, a replica of an ancient, Italian, wine container, shattered into shards on the floor. “I always hated that vase.”

Traffic on the way home from work had her wondering if the State Mental Hospital had freed all the patients with keys to new cars, releasing them on the unsuspecting public. Her briefcase thunked to the floor, and she dropped to the sofa. Toeing off her high heels, Olivia sighed as she lay her head on the back of the cushion. “What I wouldn’t give to fly away to a quiet Greek island and disappear.”

Working was a distraction, nothing more. Years of living in the fashion her friends referred to as, monk-like, she had invested her earnings wisely, wanting for very little in the way of material items. Why couldn’t she fly away? She huffed. “Where would I go, and what would I do?”

Sitting on her laurels didn’t appeal. Her finance degree opened the door to a world of fast and furious; leave your emotions in the lobby. Another wistful sigh escaped her lips. “Something will show up. Just a matter of time.” Leaning forward, she snagged the remote from the coffee table and turned on the local news.

“In other news, today… On the island of Sardinia, the mayor of a small village in the mountains is offering approximately two hundred abandoned and crumbling homes for sale for… are you ready?” The newscaster peered into the camera lens and waited an appropriate length of time. “…one Euro. That’s right, one Euro. There is a catch, however,” he chuckled, “Isn’t there always? The purchaser must sign an agreement to refurbish the home to a livable state. The mayor figures it will take $25,000 to $30,000, and the new owners have three years to reach that goal.”

Olivia was on the edge of the couch cushion, waiting for more information.

“We’ll be right back.”

She groaned. “Of course.”

When the broadcast came back live, the newscasters moved to another story without divulging the name of the town. She knew she had some research to complete as soon as possible. “Comfort first.” Olivia struggled from the couch and traded her work clothes for jeans, t-shirt and tennis shoes. She snatched the laptop from its resting place on her dresser and walked to the sofa. Folding her legs beneath her as she flipped open the laptop, she powered it up. “If this story isn’t a con, I’m outta here. If not…well, can’t hurt to check it out.” The sound of fingers maneuvering computer keys muted the rest of the news. Olivia leaned against the cushions, folding her arms. “I’ll be. They’re serious.” She tapped through the photos, stopping when she’d located the place in which she was most interested.

Decades old stones tumbled into a courtyard. The layout shown suggested the previous owners had some wealth at one point. I wonder what could have happened to make them move? Olivia scanned the rest of the pictures and noted the number assigned to the property.

“Tomorrow, I’m taking a vacation day and doing as much research as I can. I believe I hear the call of Mediterranean sirens. No point in ignoring their songs.”

Chapter Two

Salvatore Lucchesia, current mayor of Ollolai, Sardinia, Italy stared at the pile of correspondence covering his desk. The center was full of envelopes containing letters and money. To the right was a pile of phone message forms needing answers.

“What the heck have I done to myself?”

A dark head peeked around the corner of the open office door. “Un attimo?”

“Si. What do you need, Angelica?”

Angelica Porcu was the receptionist/secretary/office manager of the small city office. Nothing in the town of Ollolai happened without her knowledge.

“We have someone holding on the phone who wishes to speak with you.”

Salvatore sighed. “Right now, it seems the whole world wants to speak to me. Why is this person any different?”

“You know the house at the end of SP29?”

“The old Porcu place, si.”

“Well, Olivia Francesca Porcu Martin is on the phone and interested in buying it.”

Sal’s eyes widened. The story of the Porcu family at the end of SP29 was a tale spun right out of the movies in Rome.

“Francesca Porcu?”

“Olivia Francesca Porcu Martin. Please, Sal, she’s calling from America.”

“Okay, but no one else. I need time to sort these requests out.”

Angelica scurried to her desk. “Hello? Thank you for waiting, Signorina Martin. I will connect you with il sindaco now.” Angelica pushed the connect button and heard the telephone in the mayor’s office ring. Just a matter of time now.

~ * ~

Olivia spent most of the evening researching Sardinia and the surrounding islands. She knew her heritage included Italian, as her grandmother spoke the language to her during childhood. In fact, when she started school at five, her mother, Anya Martin, was quite irritated at having to reteach her daughter English. It was the incident that pushed her to restrict Olivia’s visits to her Nonna.

Pictures of the island pulled at Olivia’s sense of adventure. She was not tethered to the Northwest. Her one act of rebelliousness was to leave New York and move to the West Coast for college. The move proved prophetic for her life. Graduating summa cum laude from Stanford, Olivia accepted a position with a financial agency in Portland, Oregon. Her professional life was a roaring success. The only fly in the ointment was when she’d tried a relationship once and still smarted from the fallout. Nope. Not for me. Why shouldn’t she move to Sardinia? She’d wisely invested funds set aside from her checks and didn’t need to work. A villa, albeit small, on an Italian island in the Mediterranean? What was not to like?

Livy set her sights on the two-story building. She quickly figured the time difference and set her alarm to call as early in their morning as she could. By the end of this week, she was going to be the proud owner of a home in Sardinia. She could only hope it wasn’t just a pile of rocks.

The following day, Olivia made the call to the Mayor’s office in Ollolai. It was listed as the contact point. She spoke with a very nice lady who put her through to the man himself.

“This is Salvatore Lucchesia. To whom am I speaking?”

Livy had to stifle a giggle. He was not comfortable speaking English as was evident by his stilted, proper use. She figured she would try her Italian, as rusty as it was, and see how far she could get. “Yes, Mr. Mayor. I hope you will bear with my feeble attempts at Italian.”

“That’s not Italian.”

Oh, no. Here it comes.

“You are speaking Sardinian. If I had any doubt as to your identity, this has wiped away all my hesitations.”

“Sardinian? But, how…?” Livy was confused.

“You must have a family member who was Sardinian.” the mayor commented.

“I’m not sure about Sardinian, but my Nonna said she was Italian. She’s the one who taught me to speak this language.”

Salvatore knew the tale of the lost love was true. “I must say, you do the language proud. How might I be of assistance?”

Livy barreled forward. “I’m very interested in the property you list at the end of SP29. I’d like to put a bid on it.”

“Okay. You do understand you must sign paperwork that obligates you to make the property livable within three years? After that time, if you wish to sell, you may, but we will need an affidavit stating your intentions.”

Olivia smiled. “Of course, sir. I have no intention of selling should I get this property. I’m moving and staying. I was under the impression that was your purpose in selling these homes.”

“Si. We welcome new people to our community and hope they will bring or start families here. I believe you have the attitude we want in Ollolai. Once I have the signed paperwork, and receive your one Euro, I’ll take the picture from our website.”

“Great. Please send the paperwork to my fax number, 1-503-222-4141. I’ll sign it, fax it back, and send a payment to the bank. I’ll need to set up an account if I’m going to live there, anyway. Will that work?”

Salvatore finished writing the number on his notepad. “Yes. The paperwork will be in Italian. Do you have resources to have it translated?”

“I’ll find a way. Thank you for your time. I hope we meet soon. Ciao.”

“Ciao, Signorina Porcu Martin.”

The fax machine Olivia used as part of her computer started beeping and spitting out paper. They are fast. I just hope everything else will go as quickly.