AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’d lie again and tell her no so I can touch her one more time, but she’s not that messy of an eater. “I got it.”
“Thank you,” she says begrudgingly.
“No problem.”
A shiver runs through her as another blast of wind hits us. “I can feel fall in the air. The seasons are changing.”
I give it one last try and hold my jacket up. “Wear it, Gina, and take the subway with me. Save your money for a slice of chocolate cake tomorrow.”
A smile blooms on her lips. “What makes you think I’ll want chocolate cake tomorrow?”
I take a chance and drape my jacket over her shoulders. “Don’t play that game with me. You’d eat chocolate cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if you could.”
She tugs on the lapels of the jacket, pulling it tighter around her. “Maybe for breakfast twice a week, but only for the sugar rush I’d get. Mornings are rough for me.”
“Sure.” I laugh as I motion to my left. “Shall we.”
“Will you hold my hand when we board the train?” she asks softly. “Just when we board.”
“You know I will.”
“All right,” she acquiesces. “The subway it is.”
* * *
My wife turnsheads wherever she goes, and tonight was no exception. As we boarded the train hand in hand, I noticed two young women whispering with pointed fingers at us.
By the time one had her phone in the air primed to take a picture of us, Gina had tugged her hand from mine and slid my jacket from her shoulders.
That didn’t deter either of the women. They happily took several pictures before approaching us and asking if I’d mind taking an image of them with Gina. I looked to Gina for guidance, and even though I could see weariness in her expression, she smoothed a hand over her hair before she smiled and agreed to it.
I took the pictures with the strangers’ phones that were shoved into my hand before guiding Gina to an open spot on a bench.
As the train starts its journey, Gina looks at me. “I felt something when I put my hand in your pocket.”
I pat my jacket that is now draped over my lap. “Did it bite you?”
She barks out a laugh. “What? No.”
Knowing that I drew that laughter from her fuels me in a way I’m not expecting. Gina Calvetti’s laugh is like no one else’s I’ve ever heard. It can turn someone’s day around in a split second. I know that for a fact because I’ve experienced it firsthand.
Her laughter fades. “That’s not the same suit you wore that night in Vegas, Daniel.”
I know where this is headed, but I drag the conversation out since we’re on a speeding train, and there’s no chance of her storming away from me. “Palla was right, Gina. Your eye for fashion is second to none. How did you know this is a Berdine suit?”
She grabs hold of the bait and falls into my trap. “I can tell a Berdine a block away. It’s all in the fine details.”
I glance down at the jacket. “Your brother was the one who told me to invest in my first Berdine.”
“Dominick,” she says his name with no surprise in her tone. “He’s always dressed well.”
“For the office,” I add. “You do know that he sometimes leaves his apartment in jeans and torn T-shirts.”
She laughs. “You’re kidding.”
“You do the same,” I say without thinking it through.
Her gaze scans my face. “Rarely, and I haven’t in months.”
