No Kissing under the Boardwalk by Kate Angell

Author:Kate Angell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2018-07-09T00:00:00+00:00

Five

Present day (Summer 2018)

Time passed. Years in fact. Sometimes life moved forward. Improved. Other times it stood still. Memories could hold a person in place. Hearts didn’t always heal. Zane Cates still felt the pain from his teenage decision. He’d broken Tori Rollins’s heart.

He presently stood in the parking lot behind Zinotti’s Pizza. The streetlight had long burned out. The sliver moon cast eerie shadows across the cracked pavement. The restaurant had closed an hour earlier. Owner Eddie Zinotti and two kitchen employees had left soon after midnight. Only one person remained to lock up. His ex-wife, Tori. Eighteen years had passed since their wedding day. Now he was back in Barefoot William for good. As he waited for her tonight, he felt protective, in spite of their divorce. So long ago. He wanted to be sure she made it safely to her car.

He crossed his arms over his chest so the script on his gray T-shirt that read Fly into the Center of the Storm was barely visible. He leaned a blue-jeaned hip against the hood of his 1967 Impala. Crossed his booted feet at the ankle. He was visible should she look his way. He was in no hurry. He had all night.

The back door of the pizzeria creaked open. Old and off one hinge. Tori body-slammed the heavy, warped wood to get it closed. The click of the lock broke the stillness. The screen door banged next. She leaned against the jamb, and her shoulders sagged. She blew out a breath. Her bangs fluttered on her forehead. Exhaustion claimed her.

Zane’s chest tightened. Overworked and underpaid, she’d lost weight. He knew she’d been busting her ass, clocking a seventy-hour week at the pizza parlor. He wondered when she’d last eaten a decent meal. Something other than pizza. Slenderness had stolen her curves.

No matter their situation, he’d always wanted to make life easier for her. He had offered her several career opportunities over the years, and she’d turned each down. Flat. Time and again. He was a Cates heir. His relatives were a reliable grapevine of news. Through phone calls, then texts and emails, they shared news of Tori’s life with Zane. They kept him up-to-date. Her struggle was his struggle. Always would be. Despite their separation.

So he knew her situation at Zinotti’s sucked. Tori was loyal to a fault. She worked steadily, without complaint. She’d never called in sick or taken a vacation. Sleazy Eddie had promised her a partnership but had yet to deliver. He took a sizable amount of money out of her paycheck each month, claiming it was being put toward a financial buy-in. Yet she had never received a bonus, any benefits, or owner recognition. The guy was a dick as far as Zane was concerned. Rumor had it that Eddie was dodging taxes and that he was under investigation. An audit in his future. Zane wanted Tori out of there, far beyond IRS scrutiny.

She presently walked in profile to him as she proceeded to her car.

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