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“Thank you.” Brianna’s eyes filled with tears. “You’re amazing. I can’t begin to tell you…”
“You don’t have to.” Casey squeezed her arm. “Now let’s get this wrapped up.”
CHAPTER 12
Cleveland, Ohio
4:10 p.m. the next day
Dani boarded the plane and stowed her carry-on under her seat. She was still smiling as she settled in and fastened her seat belt.
The two days and one sleepless night with Gabe had been… wow. She hadn’t expected things to burn quite that hot—hotter than at the convention, even hotter than when they were in college. It had taken her aback, as had her level of stamina. Evidently, being a workaholic meant that you stored up your carnal needs until you were sex starved, so that when you let loose, you became a wild woman.
In between lovemaking sessions, she and Gabe had talked. They’d always been strong on the communication front. And now, they had more in common than they had before, being in complementary fields. They’d shared war stories as they sipped on wine and nibbled on cheese. They’d also taken a tender stroll down memory lane, alternately laughing and falling silent, pondering the past with nostalgia. Different choices might have meant a different future, but that’s what life was all about. They’d been kids. They’d gone in different directions. But this was the here and now, and it was pretty damn wonderful. From this point, they’d see how things played out.
All in all, a most satisfactory visit to Cleveland.
Physical exhaustion was finally making itself known, and Dani sank back in her window seat for a catnap. The direct flight from Cleveland to New York City’s LaGuardia Airport was quick—less than an hour and a half—and she’d be landing just before six. She planned to use every minute of that time to recoup her energy for part two of her mini-vacation. Her time with Gabe had been great. But she felt an equal amount of anticipation about the next lap of her trip.
She couldn’t wait to meet Gia.
Despite her marathon hours with Gabe, Dani had managed a rapid-fire back-and-forth message exchange with Gia. Everything was set. Gia had managed to lighten her schedule to just a few meetings, during which time Dani would explore Manhattan on her own. The rest of the time, they’d see the sights and get to know each other, which, given the fun they shared in their messages, would be a blast. They’d even gotten silly about the whole thing, each collecting a series of childhood photos to show to the other, since they were dying to see if there had always been such a strong resemblance.
Just as Dani had little time for romantic ties, she had little time to form close friendships. Her career simply didn’t allow for it. Sarah was her dearest friend—they’d been tight since high school—but that was about it, other than her family. So, the rapport she had begun to establish with Gia meant a great deal to her.
And she knew in her gut that Gia felt the same way.
* * *
Gia walked into the terminal at LaGuardia early, at five thirty, just in case the “on time” status showing on the airline’s web page turned out to be wrong. Airline schedules were about as accurate as meteorologists. And Gia didn’t want Dani standing around waiting.
Weaving her way through the crowds, Gia realized how much she was looking forward to these next few days. True, she was in desperate need of a self-imposed break. But that wasn’t what was driving her. The real reason for her anticipation was that she was dying to meet Dani. She had to find out if the uncanny way they’d hit it off had any link to them being dead ringers for each other.
Situating herself as close as she could—just on the other side of the passenger screening lines—Gia gave another quick check of the airport’s data screen. “On time,” Dani’s flight still read. That meant a half hour to go. Perfect. Gia leaned against the wall and began scanning her emails to pass the time.
* * *
Thirty-five minutes later, Dani’s flight arrival was displayed on the screen. Gia snapped to attention. She was surprised to find that her heart was racing—an odd reality, considering how cool she always was when dealing with emotionally charged situations. But somehow this was different. She couldn’t put her finger on it. But she had the weirdest feeling that this meeting was going to have a powerful impact on both Dani and her.
No time to ponder that thought. The girl who walked down the exit ramp, scanning the throngs of people, was a mirror reflection of Gia. Having the advantage of focusing on Dani first, before she was spotted, Gia did a sharp double take, catching her breath and just staring. Facebook photos were one thing. Up-close-and-personal was another. Different hair, different clothes, but, hell, talk about identical. This was downright surreal.
She snaked her way forward, waving as she did. “Dani!”
She knew the second Dani saw her. Her eyes widened, and a flash of stunned awareness shot across her face. Studying Gia with amazement, she gripped the handle of her rolling carry-on, pulling it along as she made her way over.
The two girls stared at each other for a long minute and then spontaneously hugged, laughing as they did.
“I can’t believe this,” Gia said, taking a step back and scrutinizing Dani from head to toe. “I think I’m in shock.”
“I almost passed out when I saw you,” Dani admitted in return.
A middle-aged woman who’d been one of Dani’s fellow passengers on the flight from Cleveland walked by them and paused. “What a lovely reunion,” she said, smiling. “How long has it been since you’ve seen each other?”
They both stood there, uncertain what to say.
“Ages,” Gia finally supplied. “We have so much to catch up on.” She was trying to be as tactful as possible without bluntly asking the woman to go away.
Fortunately, Gia’s attempt was successful, and the woman took the hint graciously. “I won’t keep you. From what I’ve read, it’s difficult for identical twins to be apart for long. Have fun.” With another smile, she hurried off.
