Two Little Secrets. Linda Randall Wisdom

said.

      She nodded. “Exactly. The thought is there. So what do you do, Zach?”

      “I write a magazine column,” he replied, figuring it was close enough to the truth.

      “Really? Let me guess. A travel column. How to fly and arrive in one piece.”

      “Are you sure you don’t write fiction in between haircuts?” he joked, relieved she’d answered her own question.

      She shrugged. “I’ve been told I have an overactive imagination, but I can’t even write a decent letter. I guess when someone says they write a magazine column, I tend to automatically think of the wilder side of the business. Someone who’s free and easy, able to pick up and go when they please. And you seem to be a good flier.”

      “I was in Florida not all that long ago.” He figured that was the truth without adding that his trip involved Disney World from a four-year-old’s point of view.

      “My parents took us there years ago. Did the Disney World thing. They had just as much fun as we did.”

      “We?”

      She nodded. “I have three brothers and one sister. Keeping tabs on all of us wasn’t easy. Mom once said if she could have, she would have hooked transponders on us so she’d know where we were at all times. Dad said if they lost one of us, it would just be one less mouth to feed. We figured he meant it.”

      “Close-knit family, then?”

      “We’re all pretty close in age and I guess we’d qualify as a gang. Makes family gatherings interesting,” she said candidly.

      “I just have the one sister,” he said. “There’re times when I feel as if she’s three people in one.”

      As the flight progressed, Zach found himself enjoying this time with Ginna. He couldn’t remember meeting such an open and honest person. The last lovely woman he’d talked to was the kids’ pediatrician. He was relieved he could carry on a conversation with a woman without discussing eating habits and how best to handle a child’s fears at night.

      They made jokes about the airplane food served to them and discussed movies, books and even touched on current events. Zach was definitely enjoying himself.

      So why is she looking at me the way a surgeon looks at a critically ill patient?

      THIS IS EXACTLY what I need. Time away from work and the attention of an attractive man.

      Ginna gave a start when she was positive the plane lurched in a way it shouldn’t have. She relaxed when the pilot’s voice came on and announced they would be landing soon. She was looking forward to planting her feet on solid ground again.

      At the same time, she was reluctant to leave this small space with Zach.

      She breathed another sigh of relief when the jet’s wheels touched ground with barely a bump. They soon stood up and slowly filed down the aisle.

      The moment they stepped onto the jetway she could feel the difference in the air and atmosphere. Zach walked by her side as they headed for the luggage carousel. He took her carry-on bag for her.

      “I understand the hotel has a shuttle bus,” he said, after learning they were staying at the same hotel.

      “That’s what I was told also,” she replied.

      “Why don’t you call the hotel and request the shuttle to pick us up? I can watch out for the luggage if you tell me what yours looks like,” he suggested.

      “My nieces offered to let me use their Barbie suitcases, but I explained I needed something a lot larger.” She laughed. “It’s a large teal soft side with a hot-pink band around it.”

      “I’m sure that will stand out.”

      Ginna found the phone and board listing the hotels. She made the call and was assured a van would pick them up in about forty minutes. When she returned to the luggage carousel, she found her suitcase at Zach’s feet. He was occupied grabbing a black suitcase from the carousel and setting it down by his side. He looked up when she reached him.

      “They’ll be here in about forty minutes,” she told him. “They pick up by the hotel shuttle sign, which is right outside.”

      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