Chapter 14
“T his is good.” Gina laid down her fork next to the blueberry cheesecake and gazed over the railing at the twinkling lights of the capital city below. Yesterday’s talk with Zack was the catalyst for this evening’s dinner in Irish Town, in the cool hills of St. Andrew.
The stonework and wood building had existed from the colonial era. The vaulted wooden ceilings and floors made the restaurant seem larger, and the large landscape paintings and wicker-and-wood furniture added to its old-world flavor.
Gina chose the open-air verandah over a table for two inside the building. She’d had fun making the dinner selections—coconut shrimp with a sweet chili sauce and jerked lobster with a butter sauce, served with mashed potatoes. The Sauvignon Blanc provided the perfect touch.
Zack went along with her choices, but insisted that the smokey, grilled pork chops were mouth-watering. He’d offered her a taste, and she admitted his assessment was correct.
“And here I was, thinking dinner was better than good,” Zack quipped and lifted his glass.
“Actually, it was.” She glanced across the verandah, where other couples were also dining. “You chose well.”
With a smile playing around his lips, he said, “I’m happy to hear that.”
If Zack’s intention was to make a statement, he certainly had done so by taking her to this exclusive restaurant. He’d only said they were going to an out-of-the way place when she commented on the drive taking longer than she expected. Good thing she’d gone with her instincts and wore something special, because even in a dress shirt paired with dark slacks, Zack stole her breath.
“Can I ask you something?” she said, after a sip of wine.
“Of course.” For several seconds, Zack’s dark eyes made her forget what she wanted to ask.
“What makes you think you’re ready to let someone else into your life?”
A slow smile curved his lips. “This may sound corny, but it was you.”
She arched one brow and angled her head toward him. “How so?”
“I don’t know exactly how to explain without sounding silly, but I was interested the moment I saw you.”
She scoffed. “Really?”
“Even with your outrage and being mad at Luca, I could tell.” His deep chuckle, combined with the wine, made her nerve endings tingle and she cleared her throat, as if that would help the warmth spreading through her system.
“You don’t know how happy I was when you walked into the daycare.” He laughed, then sipped from his glass. “I knew God had answered my prayer to send you my way again.”
“And you definitely don’t know how weird it was to meet you there.” She turned the glass by its stem as she asked, “About that ... how involved will you be when your sister comes back?”
His smile graduated to a grin before he said, “I’m only helping while she’s overseas.”
“Oh.” Gina’s relief made her a little ashamed, because she still had a niggle about dating a man who worked at a childcare facility. Zack’s position exposed her narrowmindedness.
She wasn’t as progressive as she’d thought. Taking care of children wasn’t a commonplace job for a man, and her mind had moved past this first date to what she’d say if he ever met her parents. Dad might not understand, but then again, she was sometimes stuck in her beliefs, which didn’t always gel with his.
Last night’s conversation about Zack’s life and how his girlfriend betrayed him through his work and on a personal level, forced her to put things into perspective. He was good looking, fit and healthy, and comfortably off financially. He’d been at pains to let her know who he was, and his sincerity convinced Gina she’d made a mistake at that stop light. The sixty-four-million-dollar question that remained in her mind was whether she was ready for another relationship so soon after Boyd.
Admitting she wasn’t in love with him freed her to think about exactly what she needed. Boyd had only hurt her pride and feelings.
She wanted the real deal and though she didn’t know Zack well enough to say he was the one, he reminded her of what life with Chase was like. He also had her dreaming about what could be if she opened herself to a second chance at love.
She looked up to find him watching her.
“Care to share your thoughts?” he asked.
“Not tonight,” she said, and went back to the blueberry cheesecake. After a glance at her watch, she said, “This has been lovely. Thank you for dinner.”
“I’d say we should do this again soon, but you’ll be crazy-busy in the run-up to Christmas Day. And don’t forget to have my guy look at your van tomorrow.”
“I won’t.” Her lips tipped into a smile and she added, “You can’t know if I’ll make the time for another date if you don’t ask.”
Zack swallowed the last of the wine, holding her gaze over the rim of his glass. “That’s too tempting an offer to refuse. Let’s see if we can’t do something early in the week.”
With a cheeky grin, she answered, “I’m game, if you are.”
A couple entered her line of sight, and her attention shifted to them.
Boyd and Nichelle.
Her good mood disappeared, and so did her smile. When she focused on Zack, he frowned. “Is something wrong?”
Gina dabbed her mouth with the napkin and dropped it on the table. “My ex and his date, who used to be my friend, just walked in. D’you mind paying the bill so we can leave?”
“Not at all.”
In a subtle gesture, Zack motioned to their waiter. The young man came to the table and left to deal with his request. In a few minutes, he returned with the bill, which Zack paid. Based on the young man’s wide smile, Gina assumed he’d earned a generous tip.
As Zack helped to pull out her chair, Gina lifted her chin higher. They had to pass Boyd and Nichelle, who were waiting for a table. Her plan, if she had time to make one, would have been to march past as if they didn’t exist.
Nichelle changed the script. “Hi, Gina.”
She gave the two of them her deadpan face. “Good evening.”
The lounge suit and ankle-length dress showed they’d both dressed up for their date, and Gina couldn’t help thinking Boyd had never made that kind of effort for her. Nor had he ever taken her to a swanky place like City Vista. He worked in a managerial position at a bank, so he could afford the finer things. He really was not the one.
Nichelle’s attention shifted to Zack, then returned to Gina. “I need to talk with you.”
“It can’t be now,” Gina snapped. “Especially since you didn’t know you’d see me here.”
She sensed Boyd was studying Zack, but refused to look at him. Let him wonder.
Zack’s hand closed around her arm gently. “Excuse us,” he said. “We have to go.”
When they walked away and descended the stairs that took them to the lower level of the building and the parking lot, Gina whispered, “Thank you.”
“You’re more than welcome. You looked like you were about to pop her in the eye, and we couldn’t have that.”
Her lips twitched, and she pursed them to hold in her amusement, but a chuckle escaped. She patted his hand, still wrapped around her arm. “Zack Winters, you’re worth your weight in gold.”
“I know.” He rewarded her with a brilliant smile. “But I can’t help asking what that was about.”
They stepped into the floodlit parking lot, and the cold air raised goosebumps on her arms. She drew the wrap closer around her and swallowed a sigh. “I hope it isn’t what I’m guessing, but Nichelle and I have unfinished business.”