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Luckily the shuttle bus was prompt in picking them up and transporting them to the hotel.
“This is just what I needed,” Ginna breathed, looking around the lobby with avid interest.
She was smiling and bubbly during check-in procedures. In no time, she was given her room information.
Ginna turned away to follow the bellman when Zach touched her shoulder and spoke her name.
“Have dinner with me tonight,” he coaxed.
She tipped her head to one side as if considering his invitation.
“Nothing in small trays or plastic cups? I can have a drink with an umbrella in it?” she quipped.
“Anything you want,” he said, meaning it.
“I’ll meet you down here at seven,” she replied with a smile that seemed to shoot right through his heart. She turned away again and followed the bellman.
When Zach turned back to the desk, the clerk looked at him with something akin to awe.
“Have a nice stay, Mr. Stone,” he finally said as he handed the key card to the bellman.
He smiled. “I’m sure I will.”
The minute Zach was alone in his room, he pulled out his cell phone and tapped out a familiar number.
“Donner residence. Come on over and we’ll eat you for dinner!” a voice blasted.
Zach groaned. “Not funny, Nick. Where’s your mom?”
“She’s cooking dinner.” The boy laughed uproariously.
“Let me talk to her.”
“Honestly, Nick, you know your uncle doesn’t have a sense of humor,” he heard his sister saying in the background. Then she was on the phone. “Hey there, big brother. Is it as gorgeous there as they say?”
He walked over to the sliding glass door and pushed it open. The sound of waves crashing on sand and rocks was the first thing he heard.
“More so. How’re the kids?”
“What? You think I locked them in a closet the second you were gone?” She chuckled. “They’re fine. Emma’s helping me make a salad and Trey’s feeding Luther.” Luther was the twenty-five-pound family cat that Zach estimated was older than dirt.
“Just make sure it’s not the other way around.” Zach was all too familiar with the cat’s insatiable appetite.
“Zach! Listen to what you’re saying. You need to relax. Now I know this vacation is the best thing for you.”
“Luce, I can’t just forget I’m a father,” he protested.
“Of course you can’t.” She lowered her voice. “But there’re times when you need to remember you’re also a man. This is your chance, for a short time, to forget you’re Emma and Trey’s dad. Just be Zach Stone, freewheeling single guy. Spend time on the beach, get a boogie board and ride the waves. And if you meet someone in the process, even better.”
“You know what? I never want to know about any of the times you take off for one of your recharging weekends,” he told her.
“I go to a spa,” she said with a virtuous sniff.
“Yeah, that’s what you tell me, but now I wonder if that’s really what you do.” He shifted the phone against his ear. “Can I talk to the kids?”
“Emma! Trey! It’s your dad!” she called out.
“Daddy!” Zach flinched as his daughter’s excited squeal assaulted his eardrum. “Aunt Lucie’s lettin’ me cook. But not on the stove,” she assured him as if she knew his instinctive response to that announcement. “I get to tear up lettuce for our salad. Don’t worry, Aunt Lucie made me wash my hands first.”
“That’s great, sweetheart.” He found himself having to force the enthusiasm. He should be happy she wasn’t pining away for the major man in her life. That she was enjoying herself. He talked to her a few more minutes before Trey had his turn.
“Luther makes really gross smells,” he informed his dad, then went on to describe Nick’s latest escapade.
“Okay, enough,” Lucie interjected, obviously snatching up the phone. “All that happened was that Nick picked up the wrong can of cat food at the grocery store.”
“So they’re doing fine,” Zach said, sounding almost morose.
“Yes, they’re doing fine. You know what you need to do? Shower off the trip, go downstairs and find a beautiful woman to take to dinner.”
Zach opened his mouth with the intention of telling her he was going to do just that, but stopped himself. He knew his sister well enough to know that if he confided in her about Ginna, she’d insist on all the details.
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said. “Luce?” He paused. “Thanks.”
“Anytime, big brother. After all, you’ve always been there for me,” she said softly. “I couldn’t have gotten through it all if it hadn’t been for you.” Her tone suddenly turned brisk. “So get out there and relive those wild times of your youth. And don’t worry about the twins!” She hung up before he could say another word.
“Goodbye to you, too,” he murmured, grinning.
Zach unpacked his clothing, put away his shaving gear and decided he had enough time for a quick swim before he needed to get ready for his dinner date with Ginna.
GINNA DIDN’T WASTE any time unpacking and hanging up her clothing. She made a trip to the vending machine and ice machine and fixed herself a glass of diet soda. With that in one hand and her cell phone and address book in the other, she walked out onto the balcony. She dropped onto one of the chairs and looked out over the ocean.
For several moments, she was content just to sit there and enjoy the serene setting.
“Oh, yes,” she murmured. “Denny, this is the absolute best thing you ever did for me, you scum-sucking bottom feeder.”
She switched on the phone and tapped out a series of numbers.
“Hello?” A woman’s voice answered.
“Hey there, travel agent to the rich and famous,” Ginna said cheerfully.
“I wish!” The woman chuckled. “So how’s it going? Did I do good?”
“You did better than good,” Ginna replied. “You are talking to one very satisfied client, and all I’ve seen so far is the lobby and my room. I braced myself for what I thought would be a flight from hell and, instead, met this great guy who took my mind off my fears. Let me tell you he was better than any over-the-counter medication. And he’s invited me out to dinner tonight. Luce, you are a miracle worker.”
Lucie Donner laughed along with her. She didn’t need to be psychic to know her plan had worked. Both her brother and her friend sounded happy, which meant their meeting had gone well. Now she could only pray the rest of their vacation would be just as rewarding.
“What can I say, Gin? For the past five years, you’ve kept my hair looking great. When you were awarded that money from your lawsuit, you told me you decided it was time to do something for yourself. You wanted an out-of-this-world vacation—I figured the least I could do was make sure you got one.”
Chapter Two
Zach was convinced he’d died and gone to heaven.
He had come downstairs ten minutes early. He spent some time in the gift shop, looking at bright-colored T-shirts and beach towels.
It was a man murmuring “Now that’s what I call a woman” that first caught his attention.
He turned around in the direction of the elevators. He instinctively knew the man was talking about Ginna.
Nick would have called her a hottie. For once Zach wouldn’t have disagreed.
Ginna had dressed for the warm climate in a silky cobalt-blue handkerchief halter top and a blue tropical-print ankle-length skirt. The high-heeled sandals she wore put her almost eye level with him. An exotic-looking white flower was tucked behind her right ear while her hair tumbled down her back in loose curls. Even with the sexy picture presented to him, all he could see was the intense blue of her eyes.
“When I look at your eyes, I feel as if I’m looking into the ocean,” he murmured, walking up to her.
Her smile warmed considerably. “Why suh, I do declare you are flattering lil ol’ me unduly,” she said in a syrupy Southern drawl.
“Sorry, sweetheart, Scarlett O’Hara, you ain’t.” He grinned.
“Damn Yankee,” she said, deadpan.
“Wasn’t that a baseball movie?” Zach took her arm and tucked it under his.
“Flatterer and quick on the uptake,” she said with a smile filled with approval. “I like that. Just don’t think your charming and witty answer will get you out of my drink with an umbrella in it. I intend to order the fanciest drink they offer.”
He inhaled the scent that drifted off her skin and at the same time noticed the shimmering glow on her bare shoulders.
As the hostess led them to a table on the lanai that overlooked the beach, he thought about the evening ahead. He didn’t need a psychic to tell him this was going to be an evening he’d remember for a long time.
Ginna didn’t disappoint him. She was warm and friendly to their waitress, discussed a variety of drinks and finally settled on one called Tropical Sunset. She was delighted that the drink not only sported an umbrella but a pineapple spear.
“There is nothing like the Hawaiian Islands,” she confided as she nibbled on the pineapple. “The minute you step off the plane you instantly relax. You want to put on your bikini, slather on some sunscreen and just lie on the beach.”
“I think I’d go for something that covers a little more than a bikini,” Zach said. “I’m the modest type.”
Ginna grinned. “Come on, Zach, tell me more about you. Likes and dislikes in foods, what you like to do on the weekends, any pets, where you go for haircuts.” Her bright eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Hate broccoli and cauliflower, like squash and green beans. Like to go hiking in the mountains when I can.” He doubted running after the kids at the local playground qualified as a weekend activity. “No pets. A very nice guy named Rupert cuts my hair every four weeks.” He grew suspicious at the look on her face. “What’s wrong with my hair?”
“Hate corn and lima beans, like green beans also, and carrots. I have Casper, a white German shepherd, who enjoys long runs on the weekend,” she replied. “One of my friends cuts my hair, and yours could use a good conditioner and some shaping. Sorry, occupational hazard. Rupert gives you a decent cut, but I can give you a better one.”
Why did he feel as if she’d just suggested something a lot more intimate?
He was ready to give her an enthusiastic yes, but managed to remain silent.
She leaned forward. “Am I unnerving you, Zach? For a minute there, you looked panicked.”
“I think it’s more panicking that I won’t remember how to relax,” he said. “You seem to have it down to a fine art.”
“I work very hard. I realize some people think that hairdressers are flaky individuals who don’t understand what work is. Trust me—” she lowered her voice “—it’s not easy standing there listening to a woman explain just how she wants to look, while deep down you know no matter what you do, there’s no way you can make her look like Heather Locklear. Explaining to her what will work better for her is diplomacy to the nth degree. But I love it. I love seeing women brighten up when they leave the salon. I love knowing that my efforts help them feel beautiful.”
“An artist,” he murmured, finding himself just enjoying the sound of her voice.
“Artist?” She looked delighted with his description. “I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler. I was the only child in my school’s history to flunk fingerpainting. Although, unlike my brothers, I didn’t stick the paintbrush in my mouth. Mark, my older brother, had a purple tongue for a month.” She stopped speaking and wrinkled her nose. “I’m talking too much, aren’t I? It’s a problem I have. Probably comes from growing up in a large family. If you don’t speak up, you don’t get heard.”
As their dinner was placed in front of them, Ginna dug enthusiastically into her mahi mahi.
“No, I like your candor,” he told her. “I have to admit I haven’t been out with a woman in a while, but I don’t remember enjoying a conversation so much.”
“What do you usually talk about with women?”
Whether Emma should take dance classes or tae kwon do with her brother. The subject of my next column on single fathers. Listening to a woman stockbroker tell me what I need in my portfolio.
“Stocks, bonds, whether I have enough life insurance,” he admitted. “I know it’s not manly—” he twitched his fingers to indicate quotes “—to admit I haven’t dated much, but I was never much for intimating I’m a party animal when I’m not.”
“No, you’re obviously a man secure with yourself. I have a male client who thinks he’s Stud of the Year and feels he has to prove it. Luckily for him, he’s all talk. He tried propositioning me once. I then explained what my sharp scissors could do to his precious hair. He’s behaved since then.”
“I would, too.” He chuckled. “So tell me what it was like growing up in such a large family.”
“Chaotic. Noisy. Wild. My dad restores vintage automobiles. He has his garage on the property. All of us can change our own oil, change a flat tire, even replace all the hoses. Except for my brother Brian. He’s a total klutz with a car. Now he uses the excuse that he saves his hands for better things. He’s a paramedic, as is my brother Mark. My brother Jeff is a fireman, and my sister, Nikki, is in her junior year of college and talking about going on to medical school. Brian and Jeff are married. Brian has an adorable baby daughter, and Jeff has twin girls and a baby boy.”
“I have—” He clamped his mouth shut as Lucie’s words slammed their way into his brain. There’s nothing wrong if you take some time away from being Emma and Trey’s dad. He grinned sheepishly. “Twins run in my family. I’m surprised none of your siblings are twins.”
“My mother is a twin,” Ginna replied. “When we were little, none of us could tell Mom and Aunt Peggy apart. Mom said she was glad none of us were twins. One of each of us was more than enough for her. What about you and your sister?” she asked, turning the tables. “Did you two give your mother any trouble during your rebellious years?”
“Nothing that sent her into hysterics,” he admitted. “We’re three years apart. At one point in our lives, we seemed a generation apart.”
“High school, right?” she asked. “When my brothers were juniors and seniors and I was a freshman, the way they treated me, I might as well have still been in grade school.”
“We survived, and some days we figured that was enough,” Zach replied.
“That was us. We never allowed anyone to pick on any of us. We did it well enough on our own.”
Zach chuckled. “We did that pretty well, too. Still do.”
Ginna found herself enjoying both her dinner and the company immensely. They ignored time as they talked their way through dessert. Afterward, Zach suggested a walk along the beach, and she accepted his invitation.
Once they reached the sand, she placed her hand on his shoulder to keep her balance as she slipped off her sandals and he took off his own shoes. She carried them in one hand as they headed across the still-warm sand. A gentle breeze with the tang of salt caressed their faces. Music from the bar drifted toward them.
“It’s so beautiful here,” Ginna declared, lifting her face to the breeze. “It’s as if your body understands the need to slow down and it does exactly that. No rushing around. No feeling the need to be at a certain place at a certain time.” She stopped and turned to face the hotel, then faced him as she held out her arms. “Come on, Zach Stone, dance with me.”
He laughed uneasily. “Uh, dancing’s not exactly my strong suit.”
She moved toward him until her breasts lightly touched his chest. She picked up one of his arms and placed his hand on her shoulder. The other hand she took in hers.
“Then we’ll just move to the music,” she murmured. “You can do that, can’t you? You don’t think about what you’re doing. You just let the music take hold of your soul and your feet will follow.”
“All right, but don’t blame me if I step on your feet,” he warned.
“See, you can do it,” she teased a few minutes later.
Ginna hadn’t believed in attraction at first sight until now. The minute she met Zach, she felt as if she’d met him before. As if there was some connection….
All points considered, she should be thanking Denny, that lower-than-scum subhuman for cleaning out her account. If he hadn’t, she wouldn’t have gotten back not only the money he took but damages, which let her take the vacation of her life.
Who knows, maybe she’d send him a postcard.
She had no idea how long she and Zach remained on the beach dancing. They didn’t stop until the music stopped. Their steps slowed and halted.
She suddenly yawned.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I guess everything caught up with me.”
“I’ll walk you to your room,” he offered.
Ginna could feel the sensual pull as they crossed the lobby and entered the elevator.
They didn’t speak a word as they reached her floor. Zach walked beside her down the hallway until she stopped at a door.
“Here we are,” she said, then silently cursed herself for sounding so inane. She dug her key card out of her bag and inserted it in the slot. When the light turned green, indicating the lock had been released, she reached for the doorknob, but Zach’s hand covered it first. He turned it and pushed the door open. She smiled. “Thank you for dinner.”
“How about tomorrow?” he asked.
She wanted to say yes so badly she could taste it. At the same time, she was afraid to appear overly eager.
Dating etiquette was so difficult at times!
She decided it was time to throw the rulebook out the window.
“I’ll be on the beach in the morning,” she said, taking a middle-of-the-road answer.
He smiled back. “Good night, Ginna.”
She was aware he waited until she was inside.
“Don’t forget the inside bolt.” His low voice reached her ears.
She shot it home, hearing a satisfying click. She strained her ears, but there was no chance of her hearing him leave. If it hadn’t been the sensation that the air pressure around her fell, she wouldn’t have known.
She dropped her sandals into a chair, followed by her purse. She made quick work of undressing and slipping on a cotton nightgown.
It wasn’t until the lights were off and she was under the covers that she allowed herself a moment to reflect on her evening.
Her wide smile as she fell asleep was proof enough that her date had been more than a success.
ZACH’S FIRST THOUGHT that something wasn’t right was the fact that he woke up on his own. He wasn’t grunting as small bodies jumped on top of him with high-pitched demands for breakfast.
He couldn’t hear that annoying honking of a car horn out front as the neighbor’s teenage daughter’s boyfriend liked to do when he picked her up for school.
There were no sounds of Sesame Street in the background.
All he could hear was…nothing. Blessed silence.
For a full five minutes, Zach luxuriated in the peace and quiet that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed. And when the five minutes were up, he felt intense guilt that he felt any joy.
He missed his kids with all his heart and soul, but a part of him admitted this moment of quiet was very nice.
“Not that I’ll ever admit it to you, Luce,” he muttered as he tossed the covers back and got out of bed. “You’d gloat too much about how right you were in talking me into taking this trip.”
A little while later as he ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant, he looked for Ginna. Unfortunately he didn’t see the now familiar figure. His food didn’t taste as good as it had the previous night, which he put down to the lack of company.
An hour later, as he walked along the beach, he kept a lookout for Ginna but still didn’t see her.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d probably start thinking she was nothing more than a dream last night,” he muttered, seeing a variety of bikini-clad women but none that resembled one particular woman.
Then he heard a laugh-filled scream from somewhere out in the water.
At first, he thought of all those shark movies, then he realized the owner of the scream was not being attacked by any sea monster, but merely battling the waves and straining to remain upright on a sailboard. She was quickly losing the battle as the sail went one way and she went the other. He waited, watching the spot where she’d fallen. She seemed to pop up out of the water.
“Hi!” she yelled, waving in his direction.
He waited at the water’s edge as she swam toward him.
“I just learned sailboards and I aren’t a good match,” she said, walking up the sand a little ways. She snatched up a towel and rubbed her face, then blotted her hair. She combed the unruly strands back from her face with her fingers. “Have you ever been on one?”
“Not recently.” He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Her bronze-colored one-piece suit covered the essentials and definitely wasn’t as revealing as the barely-there bikinis he noticed other women wearing. But it sure caught his attention. Even with wet hair streaming down her back and no makeup, she looked lovely. She also had the grace to make fun of herself.
“Well, that was my last time,” she declared. “The next time I might get dumped a lot farther out.”
Zach looked down the beach to where a hotel employee oversaw the sailboarders. He was in the midst of instructing a guest.
“Be fun to get out there again,” he said. “I haven’t done it in years.”
“Go for it,” she urged. “Show me how it’s done.” She laid her towel back down on the sand. “I’ll even sit here and cheer you on.”
“I’m not trying any fancy moves,” he warned her. “I’ll probably be lucky I don’t fall off and break something important.”
“Then I’ll go with you to the emergency room and mop your fevered brow,” she cooed.
Zach grinned. “As good as your offer is, I hope you don’t mind if I try to avoid that kind of trip.” He left his belongings behind before he headed down the beach.
Ginna noticed she wasn’t the only woman watching Zach’s progress. He didn’t have the chiseled body that comes from long hours at the gym. But his lean athletic build told her he didn’t spend all his time in an office, either.
A man wearing a bright-green Speedo walked past her. He slowed and flashed her an inviting grin.
“Oh, hon, I wouldn’t if I were you,” Ginna said, affecting a sultry Southern drawl. “My husband is the jealous type, and he knows about a thousand different ways to kill someone without leaving a mark on their body.”
Unsure whether to believe her or not, the man opted to move off at a faster clip.
She sighed as she picked up her bottle of sunscreen. After applying a coat of lotion, she slipped on her sunglasses and settled back on her elbows with her long legs stretched out in front of her. She looked outward and easily picked Zach out of the surf riders battling the waves.
The attraction between them was already sizzling. She couldn’t remember ever experiencing anything this quickly.
She should be scared to death. The attraction between her and Denny had been fast. Something she’d regretted once she’d regained her sanity. They’d gone from a few dates to living together to marrying, and then, after he pretty well told her she was defective, they divorced.
They both wanted kids. Except she couldn’t conceive. All she remembered after countless tests was that pregnancy wasn’t possible. At first, Denny said it didn’t matter. But he’d lied. He wanted a child of his own seed and refused to consider any other options. Since she couldn’t give him one, he couldn’t forgive her for her imperfections. He married his pregnant lover the day their divorce became final. Ginna wanted to slink off into a corner to lick her wounds, but her family and friends wouldn’t allow her to hide. Initially, she hated them for their warfare tactics to get her out of her shell, but later on, she appreciated their concern.
As a result, she hadn’t dated much since her divorce. She preferred keeping herself busy with lots of bookings and spending time with family and friends. What with Brian’s wedding and Abby and Jeff having a baby, family parties were plentiful. The salon and day spa had also been busier ever since word got out that their Blind Date Central bulletin board had been successful in matching up the right women with the right men since its conception two years ago.