Page 537 of Tease Me


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Ice grabs an order pad from behind the bar and a pen. “Write down where you are. We would like to come visit Lucas from time to time.”

I smile. “He’d like that.”

“And Sam, stop running. Make a home for your son and raise him right. I’ll make sure you have nothing to fear anymore.”

I give him a questioning look, and he nods to reassure me.

I jot my name and address on the paper and hand it to him. He looks down at the paper and back at me.

“My name and address, just like you asked.”

He smiles, looks back down at the paper, and mouths my name to himself, “Gina DiStefano.”

It’s the first time since I was sixteen that I told someone my real name. Not even Susie knows. I feel like it has lifted a weight from my shoulders, and I can do exactly what Ice suggested. I’m going to make a home for my son—a place where he will never be afraid.

8

JULY 2022

Rising in the morning before most of the world is awake, I opt for my daily workout before jumping into the rest of my schedule. After the shower and clothes routine, I get into the car and drive to the grocery store. Where do you start when you have an empty refrigerator to fill?

Deciding to focus on what I planned to eat, the breakfast aisle is first. Frozen stuff would be for the days when cooking didn’t feel right. I wanted eggs and bacon with biscuits that didn’t come premade as a sandwich. Fresh food is what I need. I have a bit more time on my hands, and I don’t want my kitchen to look like a mess hall.

For lunch, sandwiches are always my favorite. With a few varieties from the deli, cheese, and even some of their potato salad, I go to the bread aisle looking for a brand that I recognize. When that doesn’t work, I check the softness. Excellent bread is always soft. When I find it, I see a woman struggling to get donuts from a tall shelf.

“Mind if I lend you my height?” I ask while grabbing a bag of them from the shelf. Strawberry. I can smell how good they are before I even hand them to her. “These actually look pretty good.”

I reach to hand her the bag, and eighteen years of memories flash through my mind. There is no way in hell I am looking at Gina. She is supposed to be in the casket they buried her in. Fourteen years ago, I watched her house burn down with her in it. No survivors were what they’d reported. None. Then how am I looking at a woman with these same bright eyes, dark hair, and…

Reaching down to grab the locket swinging around her neck, I swallow, hoping that it was really her, but wishing it wasn’t. I’d gone years with a broken heart and wondered if it was my fault that she was in that fire. I’d let her cancel our date when I had something important to talk to her about. Going to the military had been a constant thought, and I wanted to know if she’d be alright with that. We never had that conversation.

Slowly, I flip the locket over to see the engraving there just as it always had been. Anger, hurt, confusion, and an indescribable pain radiated through my chest. So many thoughts bounce around inside my head, but the loudest question is the one that came out of my mouth. “What the fuck, Gina?”

The people around us turn to stare, but I don’t care at all. She needs to explain herself quickly.

“You died in a fire fourteen years ago, and today you’re magically here? No! What in fuck… Why… SAY SOMETHING!”

A lone tear rolls down her face. She is in just as much shock as I am, but I can’t tell if it is because she is busted or if it is because she hadn’t expected to bump into me at the grocery store.

“Mommy, are you okay?”

The voice of a little boy pulls me back from the brink of losing my shit in the middle of the store. Mommy?

Gina wipes the tear quickly and focuses on the little boy looking up at her. “Ah, yes, baby, why don’t you look over there for some muffins too, okay?”

“Okay!” He runs over to the place that she pointed in, and his presence only makes more questions appear.

“Gina.” I close my eyes, praying for a strength I don’t know exists. I step forward, crowding her. “Say. Something.”

“I… can’t. Not here, not now. I just… can’t. And please stop calling me Gina. She died in that fire.” She takes a step back and looks around at all the people looking our way. “You need to calm down because you’re grabbing attention that I don’t want.”

“If not here, then where?” This cart full of food doesn't matter anymore. The answers to the questions I have are all I care about.

“If you can control yourself, we can go anywhere you want after I get him home.”

“You think I’m going to let you just walk away again? Do you really think I’m the same fool that fell for your shit eighteen years ago?”

“No, I don’t think that you’re him. I’m sorry that you were a ‘fool.’” Her words dripped with sarcasm that I don’t think she deserves to have.

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