Chapter 15
Z ack caught himself whistling as he buttoned his shirtsleeves. Convincing Gina to give him another chance hadn’t been easy, but it was so worth it. He didn’t know if she completely believed his explanation about Eli, but she hadn’t called him a liar, not outright anyway. This evening would be his chance to clear up any doubts she still held about him.
On Sunday, when they had dinner with their parents and welcomed Liz home, Eli dared him to invite Gina on a double date. This, after Zack shared how Eli unintentionally put him in the doghouse. He remembered Gina and wanted to meet the woman who had stared him down at the light. According to Eli, Jamila, the woman he was now dating, was also suspicious about Gina’s reaction.
“Going out together is the perfect way to lay all the bad feelings to rest,” Eli said.
“Until you land yourself in trouble again,” Liz commented around a mouthful of their mother’s potato pudding.
“For your information,” Eli shot back, “Jamila is the only person I’m seeing, and I intend to keep it that way.”
“Bravo.” Their mother beamed as she sat at the table. “Maybe the grandchildren I need will arrive sooner.”
“Here we go again,” Eli muttered. At his normal pitch, he continued, “All in good time. Who knows, Zack may get there before me.”
Zack’s glare didn’t deter Eli, who laughed. “I’ll have a better fix on things once I meet his lady.”
“She’s not my lady. Yet.” He flicked a glance at Eli. “I’m not swift, like someone who will remain nameless.”
“Children.” Their father’s rebuke ended the exchange—although Zack wanted to say they were too long in the tooth to be addressed as such, sometimes their behavior said something different, like now—and they went back to talking about Liz’s trip.
The family gathering on the weekend was one thing Zack loved about the Winters. He no longer took their affection and togetherness for granted because he missed them more than he imagined he would while living abroad.
After his breakup with Alana, he knew a family of his own was in his future. He just needed to get there when the time was right. Meeting Gina and Luca was the catalyst he needed to jumpstart his life again.
He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be on the island, but wouldn’t leave without making significant progress with Gina. Luca was a good kid, bright and inquisitive. The two were a package deal, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t want to have one without the other.
Zack hadn’t lied when he told Gina she’d made her mark on him the moment he saw her—eyes wide and embarrassed about Luca’s declaration. The memory of it made Zack laugh.
He smoothed his beard and met his gaze in the mirror. This was an adventure he looked forward to, and there wasn’t any better time than the holidays. From the table by the front door, he picked up his keys and was on his way in a few minutes.
Eli and Zack agreed to pick up their dates and meet at a new cocktail bar. From there, they would head to the theater for the premier of a romantic comedy.
When he called to tell Gina he was nearby, she apologized several times. “I’m running a few minutes late. Work.”
“That’s fine. I wanted to beat the traffic, so I’m early.”
Strings of winking pepper lights made her house a beacon on the street, plus the reindeer on the front lawn. Few of their neighbors had bothered to decorate, but he guessed the ones who did were parents with young children.
He knocked once, and the door swung open.
“Uncle Zack!” Luca pulled him inside at the same moment Gina’s sister walked into the living room.
“Good evening. Good to see you again.” She held out one hand, which he shook as he greeted her. “You can call me Valencia, or Seya.”
When the formalities were over, Seya faced Luca. “What did your mother tell you about opening the door when someone knocks?”
“Wait for an adult,” he mumbled. “But Uncle Zack isn’t a stranger.”
“How would you know with the door closed?”
“Mommy said he was coming.”
Seya tapped him on the chin. “You win, kiddo, but next time ...”
“Wait for an adult,” Luca finished, wagging one finger while Zack bit back a smile.
With one hand wrapped tight around his wrist, Luca dragged him to the sofa and told him to sit. Then he positioned a tablet on Zack’s leg and launched into an explanation of the game he’d been playing.
Zack scanned their living space while listening. They had decked the Christmas tree with red and gold globes and a mixture of ornaments, including miniature Santas and tiny reindeer, strung on a golden cord. Gold tinsel provided the finishing touch, but the overall effect of the crowded tree told him Luca had a hand in decorating.
Zack was engrossed in a virtual obstacle course for a few minutes when he sensed someone watching him. The greeting dried in his throat when he met Gina’s eyes. She stole his breath, posed in the doorway in chunky heels and a navy dress with tiny rhinestones that flattered her curves. As his gaze slid over her clothing, she dropped a shawl over her shoulders and shifted her gaze. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.”
“You’re leaving in the middle of your turn?” Luca asked, his voice mournful.
“Sorry, maybe next time I’ll get to finish.”
“You promise?”
Zack’s attention went to Gina. “That depends on your mom. If she says we can.”
The boy launched himself off the sofa and grabbed Gina around the waist, tipping his head back as he pleaded, “Can we, Mommy?”
Gina’s eyes accused Zack of putting her on the spot, so he raised both hands and mouthed, “Your call.”
She tipped her head to one side as if to be certain he was okay with Luca’s request.
At his nod, Gina advanced into the room with Luca walking backward. She held him by the shoulders to keep him steady. “Sure, some other time.”
“When?” Luca squinted, as though he wasn’t certain it would happen.
“Soon.” Zack stood and rubbed the boy’s head. “I enjoyed the game. Have fun with Auntie.”
“Remember not to have him up too late,” she said to Seya, who wandered into the living room carrying a glass of water.
“We’ll be fine. Luca won’t be any trouble.”
“Right, because he’ll wrap you around his finger and you’ll forget you’re supposed to be in charge.”
Seya’s sheepish grin was all the confirmation Zack needed to believe Gina was right, and her sister knew it.
After he helped Gina inside the car and started the engine, Zack caught her smiling as she buckled the seatbelt.
“Mind saying what’s so funny?”
“Actually, I’ve wondered how you got in and out of this car, seeing that it’s so close to the ground.”
“Now you know it’s not as low as it looks, right?”
“Oh, it’s still toddler height. Now I’m figuring out how you’ll manage when your knees decide it’s too much work.”
Chuckling, he backed out of the driveway. “See, you’re assuming things. When I’m a dad, there’s no way a Maserati will work for me.”
“Oh, so you have plans?”
“Of course. I want a wife and kids, the station wagon, the whole nine yards.”
When he pulled away from the sidewalk, she asked, “Isn’t the station wagon dated?”
“You’re right. Maybe a Ford Transit that seats fifteen would be better.”
A horrified expression flitted across Gina’s face, which made him burst out laughing. “I was joking.”
She placed a hand on her chest and exhaled. “I was wondering which poor woman would dare take that adventure with you.”
They went around a corner, and onto the main road before he looked at her again. The shadows hid her face, but he couldn’t help teasing. “I figure a family car that seats six might work better.”
Gina shook her head, as though dazed. “Clearly, you have the resources to take care of eight people.”
“I do.” He sighed when Alana, and the time he’d wasted, crossed his mind. “But I should have gotten a move on already if I had that sort of plan.”
“Definitely.”
“But the twin thing might make life easier.” His grin was wicked, but he winked as she added, “I mean six in three attempts, if we’re lucky.”
“Remind me again.” Gina put one finger to her chin. “What did your brother say about you being extra and intense?”
Her words pulled more laughter from him. For a while, the smooth jazz coming from the radio and the muted horns outside were the only sounds between them. Then Zack said, “Can I ask you something?”
Gina turned her head toward him. “Depends on what it is.”
“How did you deal with finding out about your friend and what’s-his-name?”
“Boyd?” She sighed, then went silent. When he was sure she wouldn’t answer, Gina spoke. “It was humiliating, especially since I caught them in the workspace I shared with Nichelle.”
She fiddled with her purse as she continued, “It’s like being stabbed in the gut and having the knife twisted, to lose a friend that way. It’s even worse when you realize the man you were with really didn’t deserve you. But actually, he did me a favor.” She smiled then. “Because I now realize he wasn’t right for me.”
Zack’s heart thudded in slow, hard beats as he said, “This may sound awful, but I’m glad that was the case.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, indeed. If you were still with him, I wouldn’t have turned your head.”
Gina’s amusement came through in her voice when she said, “Not in that Santa suit, you wouldn’t.”
“And yet here you are.”
They glanced at each other and burst out laughing.
Gina was the first to sober up and dab the corner of her eye. “You know what, Zack?”
He gripped the wheel and focused on the road, knowing instinctively this wasn’t the time to look at her. Her musing tone was a hint that she was about to admit something touching.
“I’m kinda glad you lost your girl. If what you’ve told me is true, she didn’t deserve you any more than Boyd deserved me.”