“I’m not mad!” he roared.
Ginny set her cup back down, afraid she would spill it with her shaky hand. “I gave them something to remember me by. I didn’t plan on ever seeing them again.” Ginny noticed Gavin’s anger didn’t ease.
“If, sooner or later, you planned to go back to Treepoint, then why give Nickel something?”
“You know it was just a coupon, right?” Ginny tried to not to laugh at Gavin’s unreasonable anger.
“Then why didn’t you give me the coupon?”
“Because you hate Dirty Dan’s. Nickel doesn’t. He loves Marty.”
A sarcastic snort from Gavin had her biting her bottom lip. If she wasn’t so angry at God, she would thank Him for the small sign He was giving her: Gavin wasn’t as indifferent to her as he pretended to be.
“He doesn’t?”
“He thinks Marty’s an asswipe, too. He just wants to get laid.”
Confused, Ginny frowned at him. “Nickel’s gay?”
“He wants to get laid by you!”
“Do you have to yell so much? You’re going to burst my eardrums. Besides …,” she blithely went on, “Nickel hasn’t ever been anything other than a gentleman to me. I’m sure you’re wrong. Now, back to the coupon—”
“Let’s not. I’m done talking about coupons and Nickel.”
Ginny ignored his sarcasm. She was becoming used to it.
“I have gone back to Treepoint several times and never saw Nickel. So, if I went back, it was iffy if I’d see him. That’s why I gave him the coupon. It was actually the only thing I had on me. I didn’t think he’d like me giving him money.”
“Next time, give him money.”
Ginny filed that information away then continued on as if he never said it. “I left the envelope with a letter explaining—”
“I found it, read the letter. You know what it didn’t have? No coupon.”
“Gavin, it didn’t have a coupon, or money, or a vacation package, or car keys to remind you of me. Do you want to know why?”
“No,” he answered grumpily.
Ginny kept her face forward so he couldn’t see her roll her eyes at him.
“I was never going to let you forget about me.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“We’ll take one room with double beds.”
Reaching inside her wallet for her credit card, Ginny held her card out, leaning over the green rope where she was supposed to remain. Gavin didn’t turn around to take it from her.
Placing the card back in her wallet, she unconsciously started tapping her foot in irritation. He refused to let her pay for anything, even the fuel, despite her objections. She wanted to argue with him but didn’t, concern growing every hour they traveled at how exhausted Gavin was becoming.
Taking the electronic key from the receptionist, he signed the credit card receipt, then gave it back.
“Room 333. The elevator is around the corner to the left.”
Ginny was already shaking her head before Gavin could step away from the desk. “Can you give us another room?” Raising her voice so the clerk could hear her, she ignored the hostile glance coming from Gavin. “One that doesn’t have so many threes?”
“Oh, sure.” The clerk went to her computer, keyed another card in and gave it to Gavin.
“Thank you,” Ginny spoke up again, unintentionally drawing attention from the line of people waiting to check in behind them.
The older woman smiled, raising her voice back. “No problem. I’m a little superstitious myself. Room 732.”
Gavin glared at her all the way back to her side.
“What?”
“Everyone in the lobby now knows which room we’re in.”
“At least they won’t come looking for us in room 333.”
Her attempt at humor fell short.
“What was wrong with the first room?” he snapped at her.
“Trouble comes in threes,” she quoted. She didn’t know from where, but she had heard it before.
“Let’s go before I decide to keep on driving.”
“Are you getting tired of my company?”
When Gavin stared her down, she decided it was in her best interest to get busy.
Taking the handle of her suitcase, Ginny rolled it through the lobby then made a left. Seeing the elevator ahead, she turned to make sure Gavin was following her.
“What?” he snapped.
“I was just making sure you were following me.”
Gavin stabbed the elevator button with enough force that Ginny was surprised it didn’t pop out of the wall.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a little cranky when you get tired?” she offered helpfully. A man should know how he was coming across, especially toward a woman. Even more so to the woman who was interested in him romantically. As a romantic hero, Gavin would have failed miserably. At least Nickel would have rolled my suitcase, she mentally criticized the man she loved.
“No,” he snarled.
Ginny rolled her suitcase onto the elevator before Gavin could enter, quickly pushing the seventh-floor button as soon the doors closed, afraid she would get stuck in there if he misused the elevator panel like he had outside.
“Well, you are.” Ginny gave him an affirmative nod of her head. “Just so you know.”
“Ginny, I promised myself I’d never hurt another woman, but you’re making it damn hard.”
From Gavin’s ashen expression, he regretted not keeping his silence.
Ginny almost pretended she hadn’t heard, but his tortured face made it impossible.
“You would never willingly hurt anyone, Gavin.”
“What you know about me couldn’t fit in a shot glass.”
“I’ve been around men who hurt women, and you’d never willingly stoop that low.”
“Like I said, you don’t know me.”
Ginny let the subject drop when the elevator opened. Their room was just four steps away, so it was easy to find. She was glad, since Gavin looked ready to drop.
Keying the door open, he held the door open for her to go inside before he did. Locking the door behind them, Ginny interestedly watched as he removed his belt, then folded it together several times before shoving it under the door.
“That’s a nifty door stop,” Ginny complimented, rolling her suitcase farther into the room.
Seeing she was about to lift her suitcase onto the first bed, Gavin stopped her. “Take the other bed. I want to sleep closer to the door.”
“Gavin, if someone tries to come in, we’ll both hear them no matter which bed we’re sleeping in.”
When he ran a hand through his hair, she plopped the suitcase onto the second bed.
“You need to get some sleep,” she advised, as he began prowling around the room as if there was someone hiding under the beds.
“I will. I want to watch the news first.”
“Go for it,” Ginny said, unzipping her suitcase. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Carrying her clothes, Ginny went inside the bathroom. Shutting the door, it took her a few minutes to take her clothes off, imagining Gavin on the other side of the thin wall between them.