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“Dude.” Zach says. “It wasn’t that bad.”
Ike goes still, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Not that bad?” He steps closer and without taking his eyes off Zach, yells, “Nick! Bring your camera back here!”
“I thought we were done for the day,” I protest when I see Zach’s chest sink.
“Oh, we’re definitely done shooting,” Ike growls as Nick walks through the door. “Show them what we got today,” he says to Nick and waves his head toward Zach and me.
Nick stands between the two of us, and we lean in closer to see what’s on the viewing screen.
It’s…
Not good.
In fact, painful is the best word to describe what we watch. We’re so stiff and awkward with each other, you’d think we’d just met. It’s worse than that romantic comedy with Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo that no one remembers. It’s a low budget romcom without the rom or the com.
Zach looks from Ike to me and back again, then uncrosses his arms. “All right. Things will be different tomorrow.”
He turns on his heel and, with long strides, heads toward the front door.
“Can you make sure of that?” Ike asks me.
I peel my eyes from Zach’s retreating form and turn to Ike. “Yeah. I think so.” I’m not even sure what he asked. All I know is that I need to talk to Zach.
“We can’t have any more days like today. Our schedule is too tight to waste time.” Ike’s voice feels far away even though he’s standing right next to me.
“I’ve got to go,” I say, then I slip off my heels, grab my purse, and chase after Zach.
Paradise had just enough sun today to melt what little snow was left from the last big snowfall, but the ground is frozen solid. My feet burn with cold as I cross the grass with my four-inch heels dangling from my fingers. I’m regretting the day I decided being a high heel-wearing girlie-girl with a drill and hammer was a good idea.
I finally catch up to Zach as he climbs into his Bronco. I jump into the passenger side and slam the door shut.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “This is all my fault. I don’t want things to be weird between us, and I don’t want things to be weird between you and Carly. I’ll do whatever you want to keep that from happening.”
He shakes his head. “Not your fault. I don’t want things to be weird either, but don’t worry, I know how to fix it.”
His confidence fills me with relief.
“How?”
Zach turns to me with a bright smile that takes my breath. “By proving she can be completely secure about my love for her.” His smile grows in the pause that follows. “I’m going to ask her to marry me.”
Everything goes still as the words sink in. Heat surges through my entire body, burning me with a sudden realization.
I’m in love with Zach.
Chapter 10
Georgia
“Propose?” I run my hands down my thighs while my brain tries to process what Zach has said. My palms feel clammy and cold, and my armpits are uncomfortably warm. “You’re sure you’re ready for that?”
I suck in my breath, waiting for his answer.
“Yeah,” he nods. “I think so.”
“Okay.” I force my mouth into something that might be a smile but definitely doesn’t feel like it inside. “That’s great. I’m so excited for you. She’s a lucky girl. Do you know how you’re going to do it? Do you have a ring?”
Words keep spilling out of my mouth, forming sentences that are only tangentially related and questions I don’t hear the answers to. I look at Zach’s face, nodding as he responds, but I keep my eyes focused below his. Because the only thing I can think about is what I should have known all along.
