A Fare To Remember_ Just Whistle_Driven - Vicki Lewis Thompson [19]
“Hi, Mario,” she said as Zach handed her elegantly into the backseat of the cab. “Thanks for picking us up.”
“Glad to do it.” Mario’s wide grin was reflected in the rearview mirror. “Whatcha been up to?”
“Zach took me for Thai food.”
“Nice.”
“It was nice.” Zach got in and closed the door. “But this woman’s exhausted.”
Mario chuckled, obviously in a very good mood. “Tried to do everything in one day, did you, Hannah?”
“Sort of. Zach’s going to teach me how to whistle for a taxi.” She settled back against the seat with gratitude.
“You know, New York Survival Skills 101,” Zach said as he climbed in beside her. “But not tonight. She’s had enough for one day.”
“Right.” Hannah had sort of hoped Zach would put his arm around her after he climbed in, but he didn’t. She could understand it, though. It wasn’t as if they were going to make out in the back of Mario’s cab.
But then Mario took off with his usual speed, throwing her into Zach’s lap. “Whoops.” She reached for the armrest to steady herself, but Mario whipped around another corner and she was thrown against Zach again.
This time Zach wrapped his arm around her and held on. “I’d forgotten that the ride is wilder in the backseat,” he murmured.
“No problem.” She was grateful for Mario’s driving if it meant being close to Zach for the trip back to her hotel.
“How’d the tuna go over?” Mario asked.
“Some liked it and some didn’t.” Hannah paused to see if Zach would add anything, but he stayed silent, letting her control the conversation. She gave him points for that. “One guy said the can would make a good puck for street hockey,” she said.
Mario laughed and shook his head. “It takes all kinds. And that doesn’t mean he won’t eat the stuff after he’s banged the can around for a while. You did a good deed, bringing the tuna.”
“Most definitely,” Zach said.
Life didn’t get much better than this, cruising through the heart of Manhattan, tucked against Zach Evans while both Zach and Mario agreed that her tuna was a good idea. She’d anticipated loving a lot of things in New York, but she’d never imagined a cab ride would be near the top of her list. Or that a kiss would rank higher than a view from the top of the Empire State Building.
“Here we are.” Mario pulled up in front of the Pearson.
“I’ll just see her to the door,” Zach said.
Mario nodded. “I’ll wait.”
Hannah considered protesting, but she really did want Zach to walk her to the door. Even with Mario there, Zach might give her a quick kiss. He might not, but unless he walked her to the door, there was no chance.
“Thanks for a great evening,” she said.
“It was fun. I just thought of something. Do you have an interview tomorrow morning?”
“No, fortunately. The first one’s at two. I’ll have time to get some different clothes.”
“I’ll only have about an hour at lunch, so—”
She met his gaze. “You don’t have to do this. I can shop on my own.”
“I want to. We can meet at a coffee stand run by a friend of mine.” He pulled out another business card from his wallet and scribbled an address on the back of it. “I’ll be there about noon.”
“Then so will I.” She took the card and smiled at him. “Thank you, Zach. For everything.”
“I had a great time.” He reached up and tucked a daisy more securely into her hair. “See you tomorrow.”
“You bet. Bye, Zach.” It looked like he wouldn’t kiss her, after all. Well, she could live with that. She turned toward the door.
“Hannah.” He caught her by the shoulders and spun her around. His kiss was softer and sweeter than the first one, but because it was unexpected, it still took her breath away.
“Tomorrow,” he said with a tiny smile. Then he walked back to the cab and got into the front seat with Mario.
Heart thudding, she watched the cab pull away and followed the zigzag path of its red taillights until she couldn’t