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He nodded slowly, gaze never leaving her face. It was wild how when they reconnected, she wanted to be called Ginny, but now she was okay with Nia. To him, she would always beNia Thomas, because that’s who he fell in love with. But he’d switched to Ginny, because it was what she wanted.
“Why did you stop going by Nia?”
Ginny sighed at the question. “Too many memories and lots of negative emotions attached to it? Apparently when I was a kid, I couldn’t sayVirginiaand would only refer to myself as Nia. My da—” She paused and Gavin heard her growl softly before continuing. “Cyrusstarted calling me Nia and it stuck. I liked the way it sounded, it was short and cute and worked for me.”
Gavin had so many questions, but mostly about her feelings for her father. He remembered Ginny being his biggest fan, always clinging to him and talking about him like the sun shone out of his ass. Clearly in the years since her parents’ marriage fell apart, he’d gone from beingDadto becomingCyrus.
“Then they got divorced, I discovered that Cyrus was a prick and a liar and not worth my time, so I gave up the name. It took me a while to adjust toGinny, but once I picked it, it seemed to fit.” Ginny’s hands tightened on the steering wheel and he could tell that talking about her father was still hard for her. “You’re the first person inyearsto call me Nia and I was jolted to the past and reminded of how good that name could sound. Especially when you’re the one calling me that.”
His heart lurched at that and he nodded, trying and failing to fight back his smile. He liked having something that was all his, something with this incredible woman that nobody else could have. Ginny had clearly gone through so much with her parents’ divorce, if she was going to give up a name that he’d always known her by. But he wasn’t going to push her either. When she was ready to talk about it, he would be ready to listen.
For now, he was going to soak up the feeling of being aroundNia, who still rolled her eyes the same way, said words with a specific lilt and sounded like the woman he’d always loved. Gavin was so grateful for those little moments reminding him that they were still the same people, just grown up versions.
As Ginny took the next exit, she glanced at him and said, “We’re almost there, then you can stop trying to guess where I’m taking you.”
“I’m almost afraid that you’re kidnapping me for some ritualistic sacrifice.”
Ginny guffawed and the sound surprised him as it echoed around the cab of his truck. “Blood still makes me squeamish, so no sacrifices when you’re with me.”
He pretended to wipe sweat off his forehead in relief and looked out the windshield as Ginny pulled up in front of a blue and white shack. Tiny little crabs and lobsters hung from the roof. Looking around for something that could tell him how far they’d traveled, Gavin glanced at Ginny. He hadn’t indulged in a lot of seafood since their summers on Tybee, that’s when they stuffed themselves silly with shrimp burgers, crab and even oysters. Something about the taste and texture of the seafood reminded him too much of his summer job at The Crab Shack and Ginny, so he’d avoided it as much as he could.
“How did you find this place?”
Ginny hopped out of the truck and Gavin followed, pocketing his wallet and phone as he looked up at the faded sign that read The Empty Net.
“A few years ago, we were trying to source seafood for a wedding after the original vendor fell through. Frankie and I came here and ate their food and fell in love.”
Nodding, he stared at the building and then walked inside as Ginny pushed the door open. The scents, the architecture and just about everything about the place reminded him of Tybee. Of a time when he’d been so young and so in love with the stunning woman hugging an older gentleman inside the restaurant.
“Miss Thomas! I was so happy to see your name on our reservation list for this afternoon,” the older man said, releasing Ginny before turning to him. “Good evening, sir, welcome to The Empty Net. We’ve got you both set up on one of our deck tables. Thank god the weather is getting better, huh?”
Gavin grinned, shaking the gentleman’s hand. “Thank you…”
“Roberto. This fine establishment was started by my grandmother millions of years ago and now I run it.”
“Thanks for having us, Roberto. I’m Gavin.”
Roberto flashed him a smile and Gavin followed Ginny and a waiter out onto the deck, where a table had indeed been set up for them. Because it was still midday, the weather wasn’t too bad. But there were heaters set beside the table to keep them warm if they needed it. Gavin ran naturally hot, but the memories of being at a seafood place with Ginny really fueled him further.
“So, you brought me to a seafood shack because…?”
Ginny slumped back in her chair and rolled her eyes. “I forgot how fucking impatient you are.”
“Only when you were teasing and driving me insane with those hands.”
His mind wandered to the one time they’d snuck away and into the boathouse on Tybee—the very same time his father caught them together—and Ginny kept cupping and teasing him, but never really giving him what they both wanted. When they got caught, she jumped so far away that they never finished that and Gavin had spent the rest of the day hard as a rock and no time to relieve himself.
“You will like this, I promise.” Her eyes were soft and a small smile tugged at her lips, making Gavin smile back. He was already enjoying this date and they’d done nothing but spend about twenty minutes in his truck.
Two waiters appeared at their table, one moved everything to the side while the other set a large plate of shellfish between him and Ginny. His eyes widened as he took in the spread.
“Peel and eat.”
“Peel and eat,” she echoed with a grin and Gavin’s heart stuttered at another memory; the last time he’d eaten like this had been with Ginny.
Two buckets were set beside them, one filled with beers and the other empty for the shells. Gavin shook his head as he looked up from the food to focus on Ginny. Did she know just how much of an impact that day had on him? That he had been so sure that he was going back to Middletown with the most beautiful woman as his girlfriend? Blowing out a breath, he took the beer that was held out to him and blinked the memories away so he could be in the moment.
“You okay, Gav?”
