Page 25 of Daycare Santa
“I’m sorry. You can barely see it, but it’s dented.”
“Let me have a look.” She leaned over next to him and sighed. This couldn’t have happened at a worst time, but happen it did, so she had to deal with it. Her lips twitched when she looked up at him in the deepening shadows. “Heck of a way to get my attention.”
He studied her, then a slow smile met hers. “My brother always said I was extra. Now I know why.”
As they chuckled, he pulled out his wallet. “I’m really sorry about this. Blame my brother. He distracted me.”
“As you can tell, a moment’s distraction is all it takes.”
He pulled out his driver’s license and handed it to her.
“Give me a moment,” she said, stepping away and opening the back door. “Luca, lend me the phone.”
“I was winning—”
She met his eyes and stretched out her hand.
“Okay,” he mumbled, and gave her the cellular.
She swiped to clear the screen and took a picture of Zack’s license. As she did, Luca twisted in the seat and stared through the window. “What happened? That’s Uncle Zack.”
“We had a minor accident. Nothing to worry about.”
Zack stood where she’d left him and thanked her when she handed back the card. “I’ll need your contact information,” he said.
Other drivers stared at them as they inched along in a never-ending stream of vehicles.
“Don’t you have that at the daycare?” she asked.
“This is personal business. I’d feel like a stalker if I searched for your personal details there.”
She gave him a side-eye, but asked, “What’s your number?”
While he spoke, she plugged it into her phone. “I’ll send you a message with my info.”
“Thanks, and again, please forgive me.”
“No problem. Stuff happens, like you said earlier. Let me know when you can have someone look at it. I’m crazy-busy around this time, so it may be dicey.”
“Not to worry. I’ll work with your schedule.” Zack put the card back into his wallet but didn’t walk away.
When he continued looking at her, she frowned. “Is there something else?”
Zack tapped the wallet against his palm, as if undecided, then rubbed his cheek.
“Actually, there is. Now that I have your full attention, can I invite you and Luca to have ice cream with me this Friday?”
Her gaze shot to his. “Ice cream?”
“Don’t sound so incredulous.” He pointed to her vehicle. “You have a challenge, which is why you’re using the daycare, so I thought that was as good an option as any.”
His thoughtfulness warmed her heart, but she couldn’t resist teasing him. “And here I was thinking you had a thing for ice creamorwould have more imagination.”
He folded his arms and rocked on the balls of his feet. “It’s said there are no fresh stories, so what would you prefer? Showmanship or sincerity?”
As hard as she tried, Gina couldn’t look away from him. Softly, she said, “You’ve got me there.”
He opened her door. “Take care, Regina.”