Chapter 13
F orty-five minutes after he pulled up to the ice cream shoppe, Zack eased his seat into an upright position. Good thing he hadn’t gone inside, but opted to wait in the car. Parents and children went in and out—young, old, in between, and of course, young lovers added to the numbers. The pepper lights lining the plate-glass windows, and cheerful Christmas music that escaped each time the door opened, sent him deeper into the doldrums.
Gina hadn’t bothered to show.
A gnawing suspicion that something was wrong would not leave him, but Gina had his number. The least she could have done was to call. He’d read her wrong, but maybe he should give her the benefit of the doubt, instead of judging her.
He picked up the phone off his leg and dialed her number, but it rang out. His next call went straight to voice mail. Gina had rejected it.
But why? Did something happen to Luca? Was she at the hospital?
Surely, she could take a moment to let him know what was happening.
He wavered between ringing her again, and saying to hell with the situation. Laying his head against the seat, Zack tried to clarify his thoughts. Nothing made sense. Gina wasn’t the sort to play games. He didn’t know her well, but that much was clear.
As far as Zack knew, he hadn’t done or said anything to get this response. He was large, but not threatening. If she changed her mind, didn’t she know he’d respect that?
Still sifting his thoughts Zack switched on the engine, then made one last attempt to reach her. This time, she answered but didn’t speak.
“Gina?”
She breathed in deeply, then asked, “What do you want?”
He looked at the phone to be certain he had the correct number. “That’s a weird question, considering ...”
“Really? I don’t have time for games. What you did today was disgusting.”
His chest tightened, as though a steel band was around him, cutting off his air. This wasn’t good. “If you explain what you mean ...”
“This is a waste of time, but you know that. What do you hope to gain by prolonging this conversation?”
The muscles at the back of his neck loosened when he figured out the only thing that could have made Gina this mad.
“I’m sorry, but I can explain what you think you saw.”
“Oh, so now you think I was hallucinating?”
“Nothing like that. What I didn’t share—”
“You pretended not to know me when I saw you kissing that woman.”
“But that was—”
“I’d respect you more if you didn’t lie about it.”
He sighed, then said, “There’s an explanation for that. If you would let me tell you—”
“Really? You’re going to say that wasn’t you I saw in your car at the stoplight, with your lips attached to that woman?”
“Yes.”
Her breath huffed out, and she snapped, “Zack, get off my phone. Like I already told you, this is a waste of—”
“Regina.” His tone was forceful and silenced her. “I have a twin.”
The dead silence between them made Zack look at the phone. She was still there.
She released a bitter chuckle. “Of all the things I am, a fool is not one of them.”
“I’m serious. Let me prove it to you.”
Her response was quick. “I’d prefer you don’t. Maybe this is a sign of things to come.”
“This isn’t the way to settle how you feel. I need to see you.” He paused, then used her words to cement his case. “ Of all the things I am, a liar isn’t one of them .”
“What is it you want from me?”
Her flat tone wasn’t the least bit inviting, but he wasn’t ready to give up on her. “Meet me here. I’ll be waiting.”
When she didn’t answer, he asked, “Can you pay me that courtesy at least?”
Her sigh said everything, but she relented. “Fine. I’ll see you in twenty minutes, give or take, depending on the traffic.”
“I’ve waited nearly an hour. A few more minutes won’t kill me.”
***
G INA’S FACE WAS AS tight as the skin on a newly tuned drum, but he expected no less. She swept into the parking lot exactly thirty minutes after they spoke.
He stepped out of the Maserati and escorted her inside the shop, which was full. In his eagerness to have Gina say yes to him, he’d forgotten the place would be packed to capacity.
The store carried a wide variety of ice cream and was a hot spot. Fridays and Saturdays were the worst. He knew that because Lizette liked the stuff, same as he did, and sometimes wheedled him into stopping there on his way to see her.
He led the way inside and snagged a table for two that a member of staff had just cleaned. When they sat, he directed Gina’s attention to the board.
“I’m not having anything,” she said, avoiding his gaze. “Thank you.”
“We have to buy something, unless you want to sit in my car or yours.”
Her wrinkled brow said the idea didn’t suit her. “Fine. I’ll have Mango Peach on a waffle cone. No, sorry. Get it in a cup, please.”
“Be right back.”
She nodded and turned her head away as he rose.
Zack joined the line, which only had a half-dozen people. Lucky for him. Others waited to be served, and some stared into the display case, trying to choose their flavors. He preferred Devon Stout, and ordered it in a container.
He eased into the seat carrying their orders, slid Gina the cup and spoon, and received a stiff thank you. She tried the ice cream and her eyes closed briefly. If they were on good terms, he’d have made a joke about her obvious appreciation, but here they sat, acting like strangers.
Moving sideways, Zack pulled the phone from his jeans. He went through the gallery until he found photos of their last family gathering and handed her the cell. “You can scroll.”
After scanning the pictures, she returned the phone. “You realize this proves nothing? The only thing I know is that you have a twin, but that car was yours.”
Her stubbornness grated on his nerves, but Zack realized she had every right to be wary. He ate several spoonfuls of the ice cream before responding. “You have no reason to trust me, but I also have no motive that would make me lie. My brother’s car was in the garage. He borrowed mine for the afternoon.”
Gina’s direct stare told Zack her opinion hadn’t changed, so he said, “I’m interested in you. That must have been clear from the moment I laid eyes on you.”
Her lips quirked, and he figured she remembered him checking her out in his Santa suit.
Zack glanced around, but the surrounding customers were busy with their own conversations. “I’m not big on trust right now. I’ve had a rough time this past year, but you’re a special lady, and I wouldn’t risk messing up our friendship, if I can call it that.”
She stared into his eyes as if trying to see behind them and into his soul. Then she gazed over his shoulder.
Zack didn’t believe in giving up on anything he wanted, and sensed Gina had weighed him and decided he wasn’t worth the risk. He touched her hand to bring her back to the conversation.
She jerked away and spun the spoon in the yellowish-peach concoction. “Um, how do I say this?”
He waited, because he wouldn’t make her rejection of him easy.
Sighing, Gina focused on him. “I was in a relationship until recently. To make a long story short, my friend and business partner and I were seeing the same guy.”
“Ouch.”
“Tell me about it.” She sat back, but still poked the spoon into the ice cream. “For that reason, I don’t want to jump into anything with someone else.”
He definitely wanted this woman but wouldn’t be on the island forever. He eased that thought aside as he said, “I’m not asking you to do that. We can take our time. And to be truthful, there are parallels in our situation. Believe me, I’m not in this to hurt you.”
“Nobody goes into a relationship to hurt someone else.”
He stewed on that for a moment, then spun the container in a slow circle. “I’m not asking you for a commitment. Let me take you out for real and see where this goes. No pressure. I promise.”
Her smile, when it came, was full-bodied. “No pressure, you said? Then why does this feel exactly like that?”
Zack shrugged. “My twin, Eli, says I can be a little intense.”
With both eyebrows raised, she asked, “A little?”
They chuckled, then went silent as they ate more ice cream. The chatter and laughter around them continued unabated. Zack asked himself how far he’d go with Gina if she gave him that option.
After a moment, she said, “Tell me about your last girlfriend.”