“Gina’s pretty.” He made a face. “But she’s not the kind of girl I’d get serious with.”
“But the fact that you’re nice to her at all…” I cocked my head. “She’s a bigger snob than I could ever be.”
“I pegged Gina the second she opened her mouth. No surprises there. But you…” He blew out a breath. “I wasn’t expecting you to kick me to the curb when Daniel made an ass of himself.”
“Yeah, well, I scolded him, but you’d already left.”
Zack seemed to absorb that. “Gina’s always trying to hook up with me.”
“Why don’t you go for it?” We were having a real conversation and it wasn’t unpleasant at all. Yay. “You don’t have to marry her.”
“The other day she asked me if I liked girls,” he said, but I noticed he hadn’t answered my question.
I’d never thought about the possibility of Zack playing for the other team. “It’s a valid question, I suppose, since no one at school has seen you, uh, interact with anyone.”
He squinted, tilting his head as if he couldn’t believe I’d said that. “I’ve been going to that school for a week.”
“Oh, right.” I shook my head. “So, do you like girls?”
He laughed, low and deep. “Funny.”
Zack hadn’t answered that question either. Whatever. I wasn’t going to date him, so it didn’t matter.
But since he seemed open to conversation, why not pry? He may not answer all of my questions, but he might answer some. And I just couldn’t get past how mature Zack looked for his age. “How much older are you than Trevor?”
“Two months.”
An answer, finally. “Did you two grow up together?”
“Yeah. Since I don’t have any siblings, and Aunt Cara didn’t have Brian until years later, Trevor and I were raised like brothers.”
I was an only child too. That was one thing we had in common. But I was envious, because Zack grew up with a good substitute. My parents hadn’t stayed in a city long enough for me to develop a relationship like that. Or any relationship. “Your mom said something to me in another language. Do you know what she said?”
“Tesora. It’s Italian for darling.”
“So you’re Italian.”
“Partly.” Zack nodded as he turned down our street. “My mom is full-blooded, but not my dad. He was German, but grew up in Italy. That’s where they met. She was educated here though, which is why she doesn’t have an accent.”
“Like me.” I loved this talkative side of Zack. “My mom’s half Italian and my dad’s parents were English.”
He parked in front of his house. “Let’s go in and say hi to my mom.” He sighed. “Please just stick to facts and not give her any ammunition.”
I gave him an innocent look. “I’ll try.”
Trevor was on the couch playing a video game with his two younger brothers. “Hey Autumn,” he said as I stepped over the threshold.
“Boys,” Cara called from the kitchen. “Dinner in five.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Zack replied. “Let’s go get my mom.”
I shadowed Zack. At his mom’s door, he knocked twice, then opened it.
“Did you two have any luck?” she asked, looking even prettier than last time I’d seen her. She wore a white blouse with a high neckline and puffy sleeves. She’d pinned up her hair, which reminded me of women I’d seen in old photos.
“No,” I said while Zack answered the opposite.
“Yes and no,” he clarified. “She didn’t buy anything, but we set out to window shop, which is exactly what we did.”
“Oh.” Favianne gave a sly smile. “So you have to go out again tomorrow?”
“We are. Right?” he asked me.
I would’ve been okay with not car shopping, so Zack could enjoy a day off. But the idea of having him all to myself again appealed to me. I needed to get a grip. “Uh, I hadn’t thought about it. I assumed you had other things to do.”
“I could use the extra money.”
And… crashing back to earth. “Of course.”
His mom sighed and shook her head at Zack. “Let’s not be late to dinner or Cara will be annoyed.”
Zack reached behind the door and pulled out a wheelchair. He pushed it up against the bed and leaned over to scoop up his mom.
Favianne swatted him away. “I can do it, Tesoro. You all treat me like an invalid. I can still walk when I need to.” She dragged her legs over and scooted off the bed. Zack repositioned the chair so the seat touched the back of her knees and she slowly lowered to the chair. He wheeled her out of the room to the dinner table.
Whatever Cara was cooking, it smelled heavenly. Garlic, basil and bell pepper. Mmm. Something else too. Sausage?
Cara and the two younger boys occupied one side of the table. Both ends were vacant until Zack wheeled his mom to one of them. He pulled out a chair for me next to her and sat on my other side. “Aunt Cara, did you cook the meat separately? Autumn is a vegetarian.” He glanced at me as an afterthought. “Or have you gone carnivore?”
I chuckled. “Still vegetarian. So far.” A giant bowl of salad sat at the other end of the table, but I’d skip that today. I got plenty of that kind of food at home.
“It’s mixed into the pasta and cream sauce, but they’re big pieces. You could easily pick it out. Unless you don’t like the juice either.” Cara bit her lip and furrowed her brows, but it wasn’t her fault no one told her I didn’t eat meat.
“It’s totally fine. I don’t mind picking it out. Thank you.” It smelled so heavenly, I wanted to eat it right then, meat and all. But considering how I’d devoured the hamburger, I didn’t want to open myself up to anything new just yet. At least, not in front of Zack and his family.
Cara went around the table with a large bowl and a pair of tongs, filling everyone’s plate with the pasta.
I stared down at my serving. It smelled mouth-watering and I determined to hold out until everyone had been served.
“Uncle Mac, this is Autumn,” Zack said.
I’d been too wrapped up in the aroma of the food to notice the big man with massive shoulders and light reddish-brown hair who now sat at the other end of the table. The red explained why Trevor and Zack’s coloring were so different.
“Nice to meet you.” I smiled.
“You too. Welcome.” He returned my smile, then eyed his plate. “Smells great, babe.”
Cara finished serving him, then returned to her chair. Once he took the first bite, everyone else began eating. We didn’t do that at my house, but there were only three of us. The bigger the family, the more rules, I supposed.
“Did Maya get a hold of you?” Trevor asked me.
My phone hadn’t rung all day. If it had, I would’ve heard it. “I think my cell is at home. Why? What’s up?”
“We’re going to Santa Monica Pier after dinner. Wanna come with us?”
If Zack didn’t go, I’d be a third wheel. If he did, it would be an awkward double date again. Or maybe not so awkward. Zack had been well-behaved the last few hours. “Uhm.”
“You’re coming, Zack?” Trevor asked.
“Sure. I’ll walk Autumn home after dinner to get her phone and we’ll meet you and Maya back here.”
I didn’t remember agreeing to go, but when Zack was being nice, saying no was much more difficult. Seeing his mom’s face, I realized resistance was futile. Not that I wanted to put up a fight, but I hoped his mom wouldn’t be too disappointed when he didn’t marry me. “This is yummy, Cara. Thank you so much for having me over,” I said, trying not to think about Zack’s sweet side and all the things it could lead to, but probably wouldn’t.
When everyone finished eating and dispersed, Zack began clearing the table. I thought he was going to set everything on the counter or in the sink and then bail. Instead, he dumped the leftovers down the disposal and loaded the plates into the dishwasher.
“I can wipe everything down. What should I use?” I asked.
H
e tossed me a sponge. I snuck a peek at him now and then as I cleaned. Even though it was hopeless, seeing him be domestic upped his market value. He even loaded the dishwasher correctly with everything orderly. By the time I finished, he’d started on the pots and pans. Impressive. And incredibly sexy.
With everything in its place, he washed and dried his hands. “Let’s say goodnight to my mom before we go.”
Visiting her at bedtime seemed more intimate than daytime. I hesitantly shadowed him anyway. Zack tapped the door twice and went in. Leaning over, he dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Goodnight, Mom.”
“’Night, Tesoro.” She turned to me. “Come visit again soon.”
“Thank you. I will.” I gave her an awkward wave.
We said our goodbyes to the rest of his family and walked at a leisurely pace down the sidewalk to my house.
“Zack?” I glanced his way to see him watching me. “Why are we hanging out again? You could’ve said no.”
“Yeah, but did you see my mom’s face? You were right. I don’t have much time with her. Whatever she has left, I want to see her happy.”
I was oddly disappointed she was the only reason he hung out with me. I stopped in front of my house and faced him. “Right. But…”
“But what?”
“Well, you’ve been awfully pleasant today.”
He laughed. “Are you complaining? We might have a few more days together. Why make it harder than it has to be?”
That sounded good. But not safe. If he was polite and hot, how could I not crush on him? This could be bad.
When I turned and resumed walking, he grabbed my hand, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Autumn, I don’t have a girlfriend,” he said. “And I do like girls.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Gina will be happy to hear that.” I laughed nervously, but my mind was screaming, “Oh, my God.”
Zack gazed into my eyes as he inched closer.
My heart thumped in my chest as I imagined that he might kiss me. As every nerve ending in my body went on red alert, I held my breath.
He shook his head and released my hand. “Uhm, when my mom is gone, whether it’s weeks from now or months, Aunt Cara will probably want me to stay. But I wouldn’t feel right imposing on her any longer than we already have.”
I couldn’t be sure why he told me that, but my mind was even more muddled by my great disappointment over him not kissing me. I was sure he’d been about to. I struggled to focus. “Maybe your aunt loves you and won’t consider you an imposition.”
He nodded. “But I can’t stay. I have no idea where I’ll go. Mexico. Canada. Maybe I’ll go to Italy. When I’m on the road, I don’t know how often I’ll talk to Trevor and I’m closer to him than anyone.”
I got the picture. He wasn’t going to be around and wanted me to know that once he left, I’d never see him again. Don’t get emotionally attached. “So you’re saying that you don’t want to form any ties that can’t be easily broken?”
Zack exhaled in relief, nodding. “Exactly.”
If he felt the need to tell me, I must’ve given myself away somehow. Maybe when I’d been waiting for him to kiss me. God, how obvious I must have been. “Thanks for letting me know,” I said lightly. “That’s nice of you, Zack.”
I let us inside my house and he waited downstairs while I ran to my room to change. Leaning over the bed, I steadied myself with my palm flattened near the edge of the mattress. Damn it. He was just a guy. And a grouchy one at that. Nothing special.
Except that he was helpful, gentlemanly and totally gorgeous.
Getting pathetically infatuated with a guy who didn’t want me was stupid, stupid, stupid. And even if he could muster up some feelings for me, it didn’t matter, because he wasn’t sticking around.
I dashed downstairs and into the family room to see him holding a picture of me when I was about five-years-old. “I think I’ll pass on the beach,” I said. “You guys can go without me.”
“And me be the third wheel? Not on your life.” He refocused on the shelf of photos as if the matter was settled.
Like his word was final. I wanted to stand my ground, but I knew Maya would be disappointed if I didn’t go. “Fine. I’ll be right back.”
I went back to my room and wiggled out of my tank top, replacing it with a T-shirt. Nights could get chilly even in Los Angeles, more so at the beach. I stopped at the bathroom to double check my hair and makeup, then went to find Zack. He wasn’t in the family room.
“Zack? Where are you?” I followed his scent to the living room where he sat on the couch, staring. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“Nothing.” But he had a strange look on his face, like he’d just received some bad news. He got up and handed me my cell phone. “This is yours?”
“Yes, thank you.” I took it from him, then snagged my purse, pausing when I thought I heard him taking a long, slow breath. Was he smelling me again? I couldn’t be sure. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He jerked his head toward the front door. “We should get going.”
I pulled my sweater off the back of the couch, tied it around my waist, and led the way to the front door. On the way to his house, he was quiet. Too quiet. For someone so talkative earlier, it seemed odd. Why would he encourage me to come if he wasn’t going to talk to me?
I really needed to stop obsessing on him. We would all go out together, have fun, then go home and I’d get to the woods as fast as possible to work off my frustration.
When we arrived in Santa Monica, we went straight to the boardwalk and got ice cream, then took off our shoes and walked on the beach. It was pleasant and relaxing, even though Zack had almost nothing to say. Why the switch?
After a while, we got bored of the shops and piled into the Jeep.
“Bigger Burgers is up the street here.” Zack pointed ahead to his right.
Oh, yeah, that sounded good. I turned to face Trevor and Maya in the back seat, swallowing the excess saliva, so I could talk without showering them. “You guys hungry?”
“For Bigger Burgers? Always.” Maya grinned. “Those are so good.”
The restaurant didn’t have a drive-thru, which was extremely disappointing to me, since going inside took more time. Further, everything was made fresh, so I’d have to wait even longer. We went inside and the boys claimed a booth in the far corner. As expected, Trevor and Maya sat next to each other on one side, leaving Zack and me to sit together. At least this time the guys went in first, which allowed the girls the possibility of escape. Not that I was going anywhere. I wanted that burger.
A busboy stopped to see what we wanted to drink.
“We’re ready to order,” I said.
“We are?” Maya asked, her brows flying up.
Trevor blinked.
“Sorry.” I dropped my gaze to the table, heat rushing into my cheeks. “I’m hungry.”
Maya giggled. “I guess so.”
On my left, Zack zeroed in on me. “We just got here. We don’t even have menus yet.”
“Right.” I nodded, hoping our server would get to that soon.
After a few minutes, a young man delivered our drinks. An eternity later, a woman arrived, wearing an apron and holding a pen and small tablet.
I hadn’t seen the menu, but since it was a burger place, I didn’t need to. I already knew what I wanted. Holding myself back, so I didn’t seem like a starving lunatic, I waited until Maya gave her order. My foot swung back and forth under the table. Finally, it was my turn. “Double cheeseburger with everything and fries.”
I fidgeted, feeling Zack’s eyes riveted on me as he gave his order. Why was he staring? Being hungry wasn’t a crime.
Maya tended to her phone after a series of beeps. “Oh, my God,” she mumbled, furiously texting as more messages came in faster than she could reply. Minutes later, Maya closed her phone.
“Get this.” Her eyes enlarged and her tone grew solemn. “Daniel was attacked by a wolf last night and dragged
into the woods. Police couldn’t find a body and no one’s seen him since.”
Silence settled around the table like a thick fog.
My stomach knotted. Just because Daniel was a monumental tool didn’t mean I wanted anything bad to happen to him. “How do they know it was a wolf?”
She gestured to her cell. “That was Janine who spoke to a friend who overheard her dad talking — who’s a cop. It’s true. Jeff made a report at the station.”
“That’s… hideous.” I gaped at Maya, not knowing what else to say.
“I never heard of wolves in the area. Coyotes maybe, but not wolves,” Trevor said. “Can anyone else backup Jeff’s story?”
“Not that I know of,” Maya said. “Apparently, it was only the two of them. Jeff said they were camping.”
“And drinking, no doubt.” Trevor’s mouth set in a hard line.
“Maybe Daniel wanted some alone time,” I said. “And Jeff was too drunk to remember where Daniel went, so he made up a story to save his own ass. Or maybe something else happened and Jeff is covering it up by blaming it on an animal.” I didn’t think it was a wolf to blame. Certainly not my wolf. He’d never attack a human or he would’ve already hurt me.
“What did the police say?” Zack asked.
“Jeff called them right away. By the time they got there, Daniel was long gone. They searched the woods and couldn’t find a body or any evidence of foul play. For now, they’re assuming it’s a prank and waiting to see if Daniel shows up.”
“His parents must be going nuts,” I said, thinking of Mr. and Mrs. Austin and what pain they must be going through with their son missing.
“I can imagine,” Maya agreed.
“Jeff’s parents have loads of money and influence,” Trevor said. “Daniel’s too. I bet they’ll make sure it’s the sheriff’s top priority.”
Could a wolf really have gotten Daniel? Maybe there were other enormous wolves in the forest. After all, he came from somewhere, right? He could be part of a pack of oversized wolves. Weirder things have happened. I was proof of that. “Did Jeff say what color the wolf was?”
“It wasn’t black, Autumn,” Zack said quickly.
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