Café Romeo 
by Kristin Gabriel 

Chapter One 

 
Where was a natural disaster when you needed one? 

Isabel Faraday sat at a table in Café Romeo, skimming the weekend weather forecast in the evening paper. Mild and breezy. Slightly cloudy. No precipitation. 

"Damn," she muttered under her breath, tossing the newspaper aside. She'd been hoping for a nice blizzard, or at least an ice storm. Either one would curtail travel for a day or two. But no such luck. 

Instead, she was forced to participate in another natural disaster: the Faraday Family Reunion. Every year, Faradays from across the country gathered in March at the Crescent Inn just outside St. Louis to reconnect and reminisce. 

Unfortunately, they all had remarkable memories. Not one of them forgot the fantasy romance Isabel had dreamed up a decade ago. 

The memory made her cheeks burn. Her beautiful, athletic cousin Josie, simply asked if Isabel had a boyfriend. But sixteen year old Izzy, skinny, freckled, and extremely self-conscious, thought the girl was mocking her. So she blurted out a name, creating a romance with the star of the high school basketball team. 

Naturally, the truth came out, but not until Isabel had compounded the lie with phony love letters and a fake ring that turned her finger green. Mortified, she laughed it off, and her family had laughed with her. In fact, they found it so amusing, they retold the story in excruciating detail at every family gathering. 

Which led to her current predicament. 

She'd been dating Dr. Mark Dunn for the last four months, but due to schedule conflicts, no one in her family had met him. Then the teasing began. Had Izzy created another fantasy man? Her brother had even put up a notice on the Faraday family website, offering a reward for some proof of Dr. Dunn's existence. 

So, she intended to prove it to them, once and for all, this weekend! Dr. Mark Dunn would be her date for the family reunion. Then, on Monday, she would break up with him. It should've been done weeks ago, when the romance fizzled. Guilt gnawed at her. Usually she couldn't wait for the Faraday Reunion Weekend, despite her family's teasing. But this year she was dreading it. 

Isabel sighed as she looked around the coffeehouse. The red brick walls provided a nice contrast to the lead glass windows and polished wood floor. She'd never been here before, but she'd heard the rumors. The owner considered herself some kind of fortune-teller and even read her customers' coffee grounds to predict romance. 

Thank goodness she wasn't that desperate. 

A lanky waiter approached her table. "Are you ready to order?" 

"I'd just like a cup of coffee, please. I'm waiting for someone." 

"Would you like cream, sugar, or tranquilizers with that?" 

She blinked up at him. "Excuse me?" 

He took a step closer to her table. "Do you consider yourself a violent person?" 

She looked around her, wishing the place wasn't quite so empty. "No." 

"Do you carry any concealed weapons?" 

"Of course not." 

"Good." The waiter pulled out a chair and sat down. "Isabel, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you." 

Apprehension prickled her skin. "How do you know my name?" 

"Your boyfriend described you over the phone. He told me to look for a redhead with blue eyes and killer legs." 

"Did he leave a message?" 

"Yes. He wanted me to tell you he's found someone else." 

"What?" She stared at the waiter, certain she hadn't heard him correctly. 

"It's over." The waiter sliced his hand through the air. "Finished. Finito. No more amore." 

This couldn't be happening. She'd been sick with guilt for using him, and now Mark was dumping her. By proxy. 

"Don't take it so hard," the waiter said. "There are lots of men out there. Have you ever considered a prison romance?" He pulled a small photograph out of his shirt pocket. "That's how I met my fiancée. She'll be up for parole in 2015." 

Isabel stared blankly at the stringy blonde in the orange jumpsuit. 

"Isn't she awesome? Fortunately, orange is one of her colors. She's an autumn." 

"Who are you?" she asked, still trying to absorb this ridiculous conversation. 

"Just call me Ramon. I don't like to give my last name out to the customers. There are too many wackos out there." 

She reached for her purse. "I have to go." 

"Wait a minute. I haven't even told you the best part--Dr. Dunn gave you a kiss-off gift. He paid for Madame Sophia to read your coffee grounds." 

"I'm sorry, I don't have time for that." 

"It's already done. He brought in a cup of grounds three days ago and said they belonged to you." 

She remembered now. Mark had brought her a cup of coffee and a croissant at work. She'd been so touched and so guilt-ridden! That's also when he'd made their date at Café Romeo, suggesting a quick bite before heading to Crescent Inn. 

The nerve of that jerk! First he dumps her, then he tries to fix her up with a consolation prize. "Thanks, but I'm not interested in meeting my perfect match. Tell him he'll just have to find a way to live without me." 

"Tell him yourself. He just walked through the door." 



Café Romeo 


Chapter Two 

Zach Madigan smelled a story. It blended well with the odors of coffee and fresh-baked pastries mingling in the air at Café Romeo. Three days ago he'd arrived in St. Louis, acting on a tip from a subscriber to his online news-magazine. 

After a chocolate biscotti and a fascinating chat with Ramon D'Onofrio, the head waiter, he was convinced, more than ever before, that Café Romeo wasn't a typical coffeehouse. And that the owner, Madame Sophia Callahan, might be a madam for real. 

So he allowed the quirky Madame Sophia to read his coffee grounds the day he arrived, anxious to see what sort of romance she might brew up. 

It hadn't taken her long. 

He looked around the coffeehouse, finally spotting Ramon, his unwitting source, seated with a redhead. His pulse quickened a notch when the waiter waved him over. 

Play it cool, Madigan, he told himself, as he ambled over to the table. You need more than confirmation. You want solid proof. An in-depth exposé that will garner, "Newsflash Magazine," some profitable publicity. 

Madame Sophia called him early this morning, telling him she found his perfect match, and that he should be here promptly at six o'clock. She hadn't mentioned money. Yet. No doubt, she wanted to wet his appetite by showing him the merchandise first. 

Only instead of giving him a come-hither smile, the redhead just stared at him, her mouth slightly agape. She looked oddly familiar to him, but he knew that was impossible. Who could forget a woman like her, with those lush blue eyes and that silky auburn hair? She wasn't classically beautiful or even generically pretty-but definitely unique. 

"It's about time you got here," Ramon said, rising out of the chair. " Isabel was just about to leave." 

Isabel: a lyrical name that played softly in his head. No doubt it was an alias. He assumed all the high-priced call girls used one. At least she'd chosen a classy name, not something fluffy like Bunny or Bambi. 

He watched the waiter walk away, then turned back to Isabel. "Hi, I'm Zach." 

A blush stained her creamy cheeks. "I know." 

"Good." He sat in the chair Ramon had just vacated, ready to get down to business. He didn't intend to let things go too far with intriguing Isabel, although, he had to admit, he found the prospect quite tempting. "So how exactly do we discover if you're my perfect match?" 

She gave him a wry smile. "You don't remember me, do you?" 

He blinked. They'd met before? He didn't have a clue, he didn't frequent call girls. "Sorry, I seem to be drawing a blank. Can you give me a hint?" 

"Kirkwood High School. We dissected a frog together in biology class." 

Zach shook his head, frantically searching his memory. Biology hadn't been one of his better subjects, and he missed the frog dissection after his ditzy lab partner accidentally sliced his finger open with a scalpel. It cost him eight stitches and possibly, Kirkwood High, the city basketball championship. Zach was their lead scorer, but he had to sit out the game that night. 

"You couldn't be...." He leaned forward for a closer look. The freckles had faded and she didn't have braces on her teeth anymore, or those awful red pigtails. But her eyes were still impossibly blue..."Izzy Frizzy?" 



Café Romeo 


Chapter Three 

Izzy Frizzy. Isabel cringed inside at the old nickname, not exactly thrilled that he remembered her. "I go by Isabel now." 

He grinned, that same crooked grin she fell in love with during high school. "How long has it been? Nine years?" 

"Almost ten", she said, resisting the impulse to smooth her hair back. She wasn't Izzy Frizzy anymore, thanks to a good beautician and a generous dollop of styling mousse every morning. So, why did she suddenly feel like the gawky teenager she'd been in high school? 

Zach's grin widened. "I don't believe it. Izzy Faraday. And to think, I came here expecting to meet a high-priced call girl." 

She frowned. "Excuse me?" 

"I'm a reporter and I got a tip that Café Romeo was some kind of exclusive escort service run by Madame Sophia. Obviously, it was a joke." 

A joke. So, Mr. Hotshot basketball star didn't believe she was appealing enough to be a call girl; still thought of her as Izzy Frizzy. She knew it was ridiculous to be offended, but tears stung her eyes anyway. She quickly blinked them back as Ramon approached the table. 

"So," the waiter asked, "do we have a love connection?" 

Zach smiled and shook his head. "Izzy and I are old friends." 

Friends? Ha! Did friends snort milk at her through their straw in the school cafeteria? Did they dye a mop red, tape a nametag reading Izzy Frizzy to it and prop it next to her chair in chemistry class? Zach may not have been the culprit in that instance, but he laughed just as hard as the rest of the boys. It was his laughter that hurt her most, causing all her ridiculous romantic fantasies about him to fizzle. 

"Too bad," Ramon. "Especially since the doctor just dumped her." 

"Doctor?" Zach asked, arching a brow. 

Isabel ground her teeth. The last thing she wanted to do was tell Zach Madigan about her latest romantic disaster. Or, that she'd suffered a boyfriend jinx ever since inventing a fantasy romance with him. Despite several promising starts, the sparks in all her relationships hadn't ignited into love. 

But, to her horror, Ramon pulled up a chair. "Dr. Mark Dunn is her boyfriend, or rather, ex-boyfriend. He dumped her less than an hour ago. She found out about it right before you walked in." 

Zach looked at her. "Really?" 

Isabel forced a smile. "Tonight's just been one surprise after another." 

"Tell me about it," Ramon said, stretching his legs out in front of him. "I just found out I can't visit my fiancé next week because she's in solitary confinement for stabbing an inmate with a fork." 

Isabel stood up, her head pounding. "Gee, I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm due at the Crescent Inn in an hour. I have to go home, change my clothes, and iron my hair. Sorry you wasted your coffee grounds." 

"Are you upset about something?" Zach asked, half rising out of his chair. 

"Not at all. If you miss me too much, maybe Ramon can find a mop to keep you company." She spun on her heel and headed for the door, her face burning. 

Zach Madigan's sudden reappearance in her life caught her completely off-guard. Although, her reaction to him was the same as it had been ten years ago. Six feet, three inches of solid male with short, dark hair and mossy green eyes still made her heart skitter in her chest. His sexy smile still made her blush. Wasn't a decade long enough to overcome a silly schoolgirl infatuation? 

Apparently not. 

Even worse, Isabel knew she'd always subconsciously compared other men in her life to Zach. And not one ever measured up. 

By the time she reached her apartment, Isabel had cooled down considerably. So what if Zach still thought of her as Izzy Frizzy? So what if Mark's disappearing act would be difficult to explain to her family? She knew that despite all their teasing, they truly loved her. And she loved them. In fact, part of her was relieved that she wouldn't have to pretend to be in love with Mark all weekend. She could just relax and enjoy herself. 

After checking she packed everything in her suitcase and leaving plenty of birdseed for her parakeet, Isabel headed for the Crescent Inn. She couldn't wait to see her family again. To Isabel, her aunts and uncles and cousins were more than family. They were friends. Smiling at the thought of spending an entire weekend with them, Isabel walked through the front entrance of the hotel. 

And straight into Zach's arms. 


Café Romeo 


Chapter Four 

Zach almost lost his balance when Isabel plowed into him, in the Crescent Inn lobby. Automatically, his arms wrapped around her and he couldn't help but notice her perfectly soft curves and how they fit into his. With his eyes closed, he inhaled the subtle apple perfuming from her hair. Only then he realized she was struggling in his embrace. Instantly, he released her and she stepped away. 

"What are you doing here?" she sputtered, glancing frantically around the empty lobby. 

Zach realized she wasn't happy to see him. In fact, she seemed horrified. Maybe she'd come here for a romantic rendezvous. But how was that possible if her boyfriend just dumped her? Unless she'd been cheating on him. Instantly, he rejected the possibility. Although he hadn't seen her in over a decade, he knew, in his bones, Izzy Faraday had too much integrity for those kinds of games. 

"I've been waiting for you." He took a step closer to her. "I had to see you, Izzy." 

"Isabel," she amended, with a furtive glance over her shoulder. "And you can't stay." 

"I'm not leaving until you let me apologize." 

She turned to him, her eyes wide. "Apologize? For what?" 

Where to begin? Seeing Izzy again brought back a flood of old memories-even if she didn't resemble the gangly girl he remembered. There was certainly nothing gangly about her now. Long, slender legs. A body that made a man look twice. Azure blue eyes that burned into his soul. 

She hadn't exactly been pretty in high school, but she'd certainly matured into an enticing woman. He liked her small, tipped up nose. The delicate arch of her auburn brows. The heart-shaped bow of her mouth, even if it was frowning at him now. 

He took a step closer to her. "After the way you stormed out of Café Romeo, do you really need to ask?" 

"Forget it." She set her suitcase down. "I realize now how stupid it was for me to be upset because you didn't think I was attractive enough to be a call girl. I'm a physical therapist and proud of it. I have no desire to change professions." 

He frowned. "I never said you weren't attractive enough to be a call girl." 

"Okay. Fine. Whatever." She grabbed his elbow and pulled him toward the door. "Apology accepted. Thanks for stopping by, Zach. Drive carefully." 

He stood his ground and waited for her to stop tugging. 

She looked up at him. "You can go now." 

Her urgency to rid of him aroused his reporter instincts, but he had more important matters to settle first. "Izzy, about the mop." 

She rolled her eyes. "I don't care about the stupid mop! Just forget everything I said at Café Romeo. My boyfriend dumped me. I felt a little frazzled. And you were the last person I expected to see. But I'm fine now. Really. So, you can go back to Indianapolis with a clear conscience." 

He blinked. "How do you know where I live?" 

She stiffened. "Uh...I must have read it somewhere." 

"Where?" 

"Uhhh..." Her eyes lit up. "the reunion brochure! Our ten-year class reunion is this summer. They listed your name in the Where Are They Now section?" 

He arched a brow. "So why couldn't I find your name in there?" 

Before she could reply, the front door of the inn opened and an older woman breezed in. "Hello, Isabel." 

Izzy closed her eyes with a low moan. "Mother." 

Isabel's mother removed her silk headscarf and fluffed her ash blonde hair. "Isn't it a beautiful weekend for a family reunion? Your father is parking the car miles from the entrance. You know how he worries about scratches and dings on his precious Lexus." Then she smiled at him. "I'm Claire Faraday. And you must be the mysterious Dr. Dunn." 

He took one look at Izzy and knew he wasn't ready to walk away. "Yes, I am." 



Café Romeo 


Chapter Five 

Isabel's eyes flew open and she looked up at Zach. Certainly, she hadn't heard him right. 

"Funny," her mother said, "you don't look old enough to be a doctor." 

He grinned. "That's what all my patients say." 

She stared at him in disbelief. Not only was he pretending to be Mark, he was making jokes about it! Mocking her in high school obviously hadn't been enough for him. Now he planned to make a fool of her in front of her family as well. 

Claire reached out to hug him. "Well, I think my daughter has excellent taste. Welcome to the family." 

"Mom," Isabel admonished under her breath, as Claire turned to hug her. 

"That's a little premature." 

Claire laughed. "A mother can dream, can't she?" 

This was more like a nightmare. How could Isabel possibly tell her mother that he was pretending to be Mark--that he was actually Zach Madigan? The same Zach from her fantasy romance years ago? Before she could decide what to do, her father walked through the door, followed by an aunt and an uncle, and her cousin Josie; the one who had unwittingly started this mess in the first place. 

"This is Isabel's boyfriend," Claire announced, as they all congregated in the lobby. "Dr. Dunn." 

"Just call me Mark," Zach said, giving them all a jaunty wave. 

Josie leaned over and whispered in Isabel's ear. "Way to go! He's definitely a keeper. No wonder you've been hiding him." 

She gave her cousin a shaky smile, certain the blonde, beautiful Josie had never been in this position. Isabel's stomach churned as more Faradays arrived. She barely acknowledged greetings from her family, too worried that Zach would blow his cover. The lobby was rapidly filling and Dr. Dunn was the center of attention. If she could ever get him alone, she would kill him. 

Her father navigated through the suitcases and overnight bags piled in the lobby. Fred Faraday was burly and balding, a former Marine Corps sergeant who hated disorder of any kind. At least he hadn't started barking orders yet. 

Fred gave Isabel a big bear hug, lifting her almost a foot off the floor, then setting her back down. He turned to Zach. "So this is the doctor we've all heard so much about." 

Zach held out his hand, but Fred turned away from him and shouted over the milling crowd of Faradays. "Ten Hut! Everyone check in, then meet in the solarium." 

As the group moved en masse to the front desk, Isabel yanked Zach aside for a private conversation. "What exactly do you think you're doing?" 

"Just trying to help out." 

"Help out," she squeaked, "by pretending to be my boyfriend?" 

"Actually, Ramon suggested it," he admitted. "I never intended to follow through. I truly came here just to apologize. But...." 

"But what?", she asked, a little too loudly. Several members of her family turned to look at them. Her father scowled at Zach. 

He shrugged. "But I gave into a crazy impulse. I didn't realize you were coming here for a family reunion. Just the thought of spending forty-eight hours straight with my family is enough to give me nightmares." 

She arched a quizzical brow. "You don't like your family?" 

"Of course, I like them," he replied, "I just like them even better from a distance." 

"Well, I happen to like spending time with my family," she retorted. "But I don't like lying to them. You've put me in an impossible situation." 

"Do you want me to tell them who I really am?" 

"That's the last thing I want," she muttered. If they heard the name Zach Madigan, the whole humiliating story of her fantasy romance with him would surface again. 

Even worse, Zach would hear it. He'd either laugh at her or feel sorry for her, and she couldn't bear either. Of course, saying nothing meant he'd continue his masquerade as Mark. But how long before he slipped up and everyone discovered he was a phony? 

He took a step closer to her, lowering his voice to a husky whisper. "Look, what does it really matter? After this weekend, you can tell everyone that Mark dumped you. Which is true. Or that you dumped him, which sounds even better." 

She shook her head. "This is crazy." 

Zach glanced over his shoulder. "Your entire family is staring at us. They probably think we're having a fight." 

Suddenly, an idea occurred to her and she brightened. "How about if I break up with you right here, right now? Then you can leave and the problem will be solved." 

He smiled. "I have a better idea." 

"What?" 

He pulled her into his arms. "Let's kiss and make up." 



Café Romeo 


Chapter Six 

Zach's lips fell on hers, swallowing a gasp of surprise. She was warm and sweet. His plan to silence her protests with one brief kiss dissolved, and his arms tightened around her, his lips molding to hers. 

Isabel's hands clutched his shoulders, her fingernails biting into his shirt. Finally, she relaxed against him, her body sinking into his, her arms sliding slowly around his neck. He deepened the kiss, oblivious to the gaping Faradays or the reason why he came here in the first place. He forgot everything except what was happening now. He was kissing Izzy Faraday. 

At last, he lifted his head and stared intently into her eyes. "We should argue more often." 

She stepped abruptly out of his arms. "Very funny." Then she turned on her heel and headed for the front desk. 

Zach watched her, trying to regain his equilibrium. Passing himself off as Dr. Mark Dunn, had been a momentary impulse. So had that kiss. He rubbed one hand over his jaw, wondering what had come over him. 

A few moments later, Izzy walked back to him. "I'm in room 203. Second floor." She refused to meet his eyes. "Meet me there in ten minutes." 

His pulse picked up at her words.Had that kiss convinced her to let him stay awhile? He bit back a smile as she disappeared down the hallway. He'd come to St. Louis to get a story. Suddenly, spending the weekend with Izzy Faraday seemed like a much more appealing alternative. Certainly more appealing than spending a weekend with his parents. His father had long ago established himself as the family dictator and his mother hated dissension of any kind. The combination was enough to move Zach to another state, just to avoid the arguments with his father that hurt his mother. 

As their only child, he still endured holidays with them, and made the weekly obligatory phone call. But lately, his father had been pressuring him to settle down and give them some grandchildren. Zach clenched his jaw as he remembered their last conversation. He was twenty-eight years old and his father was still trying to run his life. 

Not that Zach was doing such a great job of it. For the past year, he spent his Saturday nights with a computer instead of a woman, attempting to get his fledgling, online news magazine off the ground. 

Newsflash 

, was a culmination of his life-long dreams, combining a love for journalism with inherent entrepreneurial skills. Now that the website was launched and was doing better than expected, Zach was growing restless. 
Maybe the time had come to start paying more attention to his personal life. And making amends to Izzy for a past wrong was definitely a step in the right direction. 

After retrieving his suitcase from the trunk of his car, he got a room of his own, and headed up the inn stairs. He just inserted the plastic key card into the slot when he felt a tap on his shoulder. 

"Dr. Dunn, I presume?" 

"Yes?" He turned to see a plump, middle-aged woman wearing a beige, polka-dot dress. Her russet brown hair was threaded with silver. Her brown eyes sparkled behind bifocals. 

"I'm Marva Faraday, Isabel's great-aunt. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to meet you." 

He smiled and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, too." 

Instead of shaking his hand, she pulled up the hem of her dress, revealing two dimpled knees and two doughy thighs to match. "What do you think?" 

"I....uh," Zach swallowed and looked frantically around the empty hallway. 

She ran her plump fingers over the network of bulging purple veins. "Support stockings are helpful, of course. So is staying off my feet. But these varicose veins have become more and more unsightly. My poor husband can hardly remember when I had Betty Grable legs. Which I assure you, I did." 

"Well, yes, I'm sure...," Zach stammered, staring reluctantly at the marbled flesh in front of him. Posing as a doctor for the weekend had seemed like a harmless lark. He certainly didn't expect anyone to ask his medical opinion. Or, for that matter, undress in front of him. 


"Of course, if I had the veins stripped," Marva continued, "it would be for more than cosmetic reasons. They are rather painful. See this here. " She pointed to a large, bulging one on her left thigh, as if she fully expected Zach to probe it with his fingers. 

"Legs aren't really my specialty." He cleared his throat, ready to say anything that would make her leave. "But I recommend complete bed-rest...Immediately." 

Instead of following his orders, Marva moved a step closer to him. "Laying in bed makes it worse. My legs throb just horribly at night, especially if I'm on the go. Oh, that reminds me of another problem. I have a small problem with...," she leaned toward Zach, her voice dropping an octave, "constipation." 

"Izzy!" He backed up against the wall and shouted at the top of his lungs. 

"I need you!" 



Café Romeo 


Chapter Seven 

Isabel opened her hotel room door, and blinked at the sight in front of her. Aunt Marva had Zach cornered at the end of the long hallway, her dress hitched up around her pudgy thighs.His green eyes were wide and frantic. 

Aunt Marva prattled on, completely oblivious to Zach's obvious discomfort. "It's so strange, Dr. Dunn, because no over-the-counter medications help at all. But I find that when I drink tomato juice with just a hint of tequila, it works like a charm. You should recommend that to your patients." 

A small smile appeared on Isabel's lips as she listened to her aunt. Despite the fact that Zach wasn't really a doctor, he provided Marva, who hard started on her litany of complaints, with what she loved most--a captive audience. 

Isabel leaned against the doorframe, content to let Zach suffer awhile. It served him right, barging into her life like that and dredging up old, forgotten memories. 

Zach finally looked up and saw her. His eyes shone with relief as he mouthed the word, "Help." 

She hesitated, tempted to let him dangle in his doctor persona just a little while longer. But there was Aunt Marva to consider. And Zach, who kept glancing at the window, like he was actually considering jumping. 

Time to put the poor man out of his misery. 

Isabel walked up to them. "Aunt Marva, he really can't do a thorough examination out here in the hallway." 

Marva blushed and dropped the hem of her dress. "You're right, of course. How silly of me." Then she looked up at Zach. "Shall we go to my room?" 

"I have a better idea," Isabel chimed, giving Zach a warm smile. "Why don't you wait until after dinner? Then he can conduct a complete physical examination of you in private." 

He paled and reached for the windowsill. 

"That sounds perfect," Marva said, beaming at him. "I can't wait to show you my appendix scar. It's over six inches long and never healed properly." 

After Marva disappeared into her room, Zach turned to Isabel. "Thanks a lot." 

"It's your own fault," she retorted. "Now you've got one hour to disappear. Otherwise, Aunt Marva takes it all off." 

He narrowed his green eyes. "Why are you so anxious to get rid of me?" 

"Why are you so anxious to stay?" 

Her heart skipped a beat as he walked toward her. Then her gaze fell on his mouth and she couldn't help but remember the lobby kiss; a kiss that, even now, made her knees feel like jelly. Why had he done it? She would have killed for a kiss like that ten years ago. Now she just wanted to kill him for resurrecting all old feelings that she'd already buried. 

He folded his arms across his chest and the stubborn set to his jaw, the one she still remembered after ten years, revealed itself. "Like I told you before, we need to talk." 

"Zach, we haven't seen each other in almost a decade. What could we possibly have to talk about?" 

"Something that's been bothering me ever since high school." He glanced at his watch. "How much time do we have until dinner?" 

She glanced at her watch. "Five minutes. But you're not staying for dinner." Her gaze fell to his suitcase on the floor. "What's that?" 

"What does it look like?" 

"You're staying here?" 

He held up the plastic key card. "I just checked in downstairs. I was staying at a motel downtown, but this place is much nicer." He smiled. "Besides, I get the special Faraday Family Reunion rate." 

His smile did funny things to her stomach, and she took a deep breath to regain her equilibrium. "You absolutely cannot stay here." 

"I can't leave now," he said in a low voice. "Everyone thinks I'm you're boyfriend." 

"Not a problem," she countered, grabbing him by the elbow and pulling him into her room. "I have plan." 



Café Romeo 


Chapter Eight 

Isabel breathed a sigh of relief and walked into the private dining room at the Crescent Inn. The entire Faraday family was already there, digging into Caesar salads. There were only two empty chairs in the room, at the same table as her cousin Josie and her brother Alan. 

Josie smiled at her. "Where's your handsome doctor?" 

Isabel sat down next to her brother. "Unfortunately, he got called away on a medical emergency." 

"Oh, no," her mother said, from the next table. "Will he be able to make it back in time for dessert?" 

Isabel shook her head, endeavoring to look disappointed. "No. In fact, I'm sure he'll be tied up all weekend." 

"That must be some emergency," Alan said between bites. 

Aunt Marva sighed. "That's such a shame. He's such a nice young man. And I didn't get a chance to show him my bunions." 

"This salad looks delicious," Isabel said, eager to change the subject. She picked up her fork and speared a chunk of hard-boiled egg. 

Josie leaned forward with a conspiratorial grin. "So, is your boyfriend a good kisser?" 

"The best," Isabel replied honestly. When she realized she'd never kiss Zach Madigan again, she experienced an odd twinge of disappointment. Maybe she'd never even see him again. 

"Even better than the phantom boyfriend of yours?" Uncle Bob teased, making everyone in the room to chuckle. "What was his name again?" 

"Zach something," Claire said. 

"Madigan," Alan supplied. Isabel's cheeks burned. 

Aunt Marva chuckled. "Remember when Izzy told us that she and Zach tried to beat the record for the world's longest kiss? " 

Alan pushed his empty salad plate away. "How about the time she called the radio station and had the D.J. dedicate a song to her from the guy? And the song she chose was so perfect - Imaginary Lover, by the Atlanta Rhythm Section." 


"All right, so I was an idiot," Isabel muttered, wondering if her family would ever forget that ridiculous fantasy romance with Zach Madigan. It was the same every year. At least he wasn't here to witness it. 

"Well, you were smart enough to snap up Dr. Dunn," Claire said, coming to her daughter's defense. 

Alan winked at Isabel. "We're just teasing you, sis." 

Josie nodded. "Besides, I think your boyfriend is ten times better than that Zach Madigan. He always sounded like a snob to me." 

"Me, too," Claire affirmed. "I think the man I met tonight is your perfect match." 

Madame Sophia had said the same thing. For a brief moment, Isabel wondered if it could be possible. Could Zach Madigan be her perfect match? Then she realized she was fantasizing again. Wouldn't she ever learn? 

Alan tossed his linen napkin onto the table. "Hey, I thought you told us he had blue eyes." 

Isabel froze, her fork poised over her plate. "Who?" 

"Your doctor boyfriend. You told us he had blue eyes. But I talked to him out in the parking lot and his eyes were definitely green." 

"Since when do you notice a man's eyes, Alan?" Josie teased. 

Alan lifted his chin. "When I'm checking him out to see if he's good enough for my little sister." 

"Colored contact lenses," Isabel blurted, hoping her brother wouldn't become suspicious. As a trial attorney, Alan was an expert at ferreting out the truth. "Mark just bought them a few weeks ago." 

"Cool," Josie replied. "But what about his hair?" 

Her stomach curled into a knot. "What about it?" 

"You told me Dr. Dunn was a blond." 

"He dyed it," she improvised. "Right after he bought the colored contact lenses. He wanted to try a new look." 

A frown creased her mother's forehead. "And I thought you said he was shorter than your father. But Dr. Dunn stood at least a couple inches over Fred's head." 

Her father growled into his salad, but didn't contradict his wife. 

"Lifts," Isabel improvised. "In his shoes. But he's very sensitive about it, so I promised not to tell anyone. Even though I think...." 

"Shut up, Isabel," Josie crooned under her breath. 

She blinked. "What?" 

Josie pointed her fork toward the door. "Your boyfriend's back."


Café Romeo 
by Kristin Gabriel 

Chapter Nine 

 
Zach hurried over to Izzy's chair when she started choking. He pounded on her back, while Marva Faraday shouted, "do the Heimlich!" 

But Izzy recovered before he had to take more drastic action. She reached for her water glass, glaring at him as she took a long drink. Then she carefully set it back on the table before looking up at him. "What are you doing here?" 

"Surprise," he said, taking the chair between her and her cousin Josie. "I found somebody to stand in for me at the hospital. So I'm all yours for the entire weekend." 

"Isn't that sweet?" Claire murmured to the people at her table. 

"It must be true love," Josie said, resting her chin in her palm as she gazed up at Zach. "Your eyes look good in green." 

He glanced at Izzy, then back at her cousin. "Uh...thanks." 

Alan leaned back in his chair. "So tell us, Dr. Dunn. Exactly how did you and my sister meet?" 

Zach smiled at Izzy, wondering if she remembered it as well as he did. "She plowed into me with her bicycle." 

"Accidentally," Isabel amended. "I had something in my eye at the time." 

It had been the first semester of high school, when they were both freshmen. He could still remember how flustered she'd been, jumping off her bicycle to help him to his feet, her wild red hair coming undone from her barrette, and her cheeks flushed. 

They'd been just outside the high school gym, where he'd been heading for basketball practice. Izzy had knelt down and frantically examined his legs and arms, checking for broken bones. And reassuring him the entire time that she was qualified, because she volunteered as a candy striper at the local hospital three times a week. 

Zach had just stared up at her, fascinated by her eyes. He'd never seen that shade of blue before. Then some of the upper classmen on the team had come along and the redhead had jumped back on her bicycle and ridden away before he'd even had a chance to ask her name. 

"I did apologize," she said, looking at him as if she could picture it clearly too. "And there wasn't any serious damage." 

"Just a goose egg on my forehead," he said with a smile. "It looked great in my yearbook picture." 

"Yearbook?" Alan echoed, and Zach knew he'd made a horrible mistake. 

Isabel's beautiful blue eyes flared with panic. 

"Medical school yearbook," he said smoothly. "One of my fellow interns even wrote Doctor, heal thyself under the picture." 

Everyone in the room chuckled as a waitress rolled a serving cart into the private dining room and began serving the main course. Soon the conversation turned to more important topics, like the tenderness of the prime rib, the size of the baked potatoes, and whether to have cheesecake, apple pie, or brownie sundaes for dessert. 

Zach's gaze kept straying to Izzy. She looked different from how she'd been in high school. Was she different on the inside, too? Even after all these years, he could still remember her face after finding that dyed mop with her name on it in chemistry class. The pain in her eyes had shriveled something in his soul that day. 

But despite her embarrassment, Izzy hadn't cried or run out of the room. Instead, she'd laughed it off and pretended the mop was her lab partner for the entire hour. He'd known at that moment that Izzy Faraday had more courage and class than the popular high school athletes who had played that stupid trick on her. 

He just wished he'd had enough courage to stand up for her then. To protect her from a bunch of immature jocks who got their kicks by picking on those they perceived as weaker than themselves. 

"Zach?" 

He blinked, then looked around the room. Josie and Alan were standing over by the dessert cart, wracked with indecision. He looked back at Izzy, now the only one seated at his table. "What?" 

"Why did you come back?" she whispered, obviously exasperated with him. 

He leaned toward her. "Because I'm not going anywhere until you hear what I have to say." 



Café Romeo 
by Kristin Gabriel 

Chapter Ten 

 
Isabel ushered Zach into her hotel room. "Okay, say what you came to say, then please leave." 

He turned to her, a curious wrinkle in his brow. "Why are you so anxious to get rid of me?" 

"Because my family could find out at any moment that you're not really my boyfriend." She took a deep breath, trying to rein in her temper. "You almost blew it with that yearbook comment. Besides, I doubt you really want to stay. Look what happened with Aunt Marva. And you haven't even met Uncle Howard and his hemorrhoids yet." 

Zach held up both hands. "Okay, but I still think you're overreacting." 

"And I think you're stalking me! You never even knew I existed in high school and now you won't leave me alone." 

He shook his head. "I was an idiot in high school." 

"So was I," she replied, remembering her futile crush on him. As if she'd ever had a chance with someone like Zach Madigan, the high school golden boy. He was still out of her league. The last man on earth to qualify as her perfect match. 

The years had added character to his already handsome face and his body.... Isabel swallowed. Perhaps it was better not to think too much about that body. Especially in the intimacy of a hotel room. 

"Izzy?" 

She blinked, then realized she'd been staring at him. A hot flush burned her cheeks. "My name is Isabel." 

He smiled. "Sorry, I can't seem to think of you as anything except Izzy." 

"Don't you mean Izzy Frizzy?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. 

His smile faded. "That was a long time ago." 

"You're right," she agreed, forcing a cheerful note into her voice. Funny how 10 years could go by and the pain still remain. Especially over a silly nickname. 

But Zach could obviously see past her facade. "You have a right to be angry. I was a jerk in high school. A self-absorbed, conceited jerk who stood by while my so-called friends made life miserable for you." 

She arched a brow. "Don't you think you're being just a little hard on yourself? You never did anything to purposely hurt me." 

He gazed into her eyes. "But I hurt you anyway, didn't I, Izzy?" 

Her breath caught in her throat. Had she really been that transparent? "It was a long time ago, Zach. It doesn't matter anymore." 

"It matters to me." He stood up and walked over to her. "I'm sorry I ever called you Izzy Frizzy. And I'm sorry about the mop. It wasn't my idea, but I didn't do anything to stop them." 

"Thank you," she murmured, then gave him a wry smile. "It was payback, I guess, for causing you to miss your basketball game." Her gaze fell to his hand. "Did it leave a scar?" 

He held up his index finger. "Just a tiny one." 

Isabel traced the raised ridge on his finger. "Leave it to me to try to dissect Kirkwood High's star basketball player." 

His fingers closed around her hand and held on tight. "It wasn't your fault, Izzy." 

She laughed. "I was there, Zach. I know I cut your finger with that scalpel. I'm just glad I didn't cut it off." 

He took a step closer to her, still holding her hand. "You did me a favor." 

She frowned up at him. "I don't understand." 

"I hated basketball. My father had been a college star and wanted me to follow in his footsteps. He enrolled me in my first basketball league when I was five years old. I played virtually non-stop over the next 12 years. He had dreams of me playing at a top college. Maybe even the pros. But those weren't my dreams." 

She wanted to ask him about his dreams. Instead, she said, "Did you ever consider just saying 'no'?" 

He sighed. "That's not a word my father understands. So I let you take the blame. Sitting out that game cost me any chance of a decent basketball scholarship. I could have played. My coach knew it. The college scouts at the game knew it. Any athlete knows that a little injury doesn't stop someone who is truly committed to the sport." 

"I never knew you felt that way," she said wistfully. 

"Nobody did. I was too worried about my image." He shook his head in disgust. "What I really wanted to do was work on the school newspaper. But the only ones who did that were the..." 

"Nerds," she said, finishing his sentence for him. "Guilty as charged. I was the photographer for the school paper." 

"Like I said, I was an idiot back then." 

"And now?" She swallowed hard, wondering why he insisted on holding her hand. She could smell the spicy scent of his aftershave and wished he wasn't standing so close to her. 

"Now I plan to make it up to you." 


Café Romeo 


Chapter Eleven 

To his dismay, Izzy twisted her fingers out of his grasp and stepped away from him. "That really isn't necessary." 

"I insist." He closed the distance between them. Ever since he'd seen Izzy at Café Romeo, a flood of old memories had come rushing back. 

There had been too many times in high school when Zach had stood silently by while his friends had harassed Izzy or one of her friends. He couldn't go back in time, but if he could find a way to make it up to her now, then he'd damn well give it a shot. "Your brother told me all about your fake boyfriend." 

She paled. "What exactly did he say?" 

"That you'd invented some make-believe boyfriend a few years ago, so now everyone in your family believes Dr. Mark Dunn might just be another figment of your imagination." 

Her face turned three shades of red. "I'm going to kill him." 

"Alan or Dr. Dunn?" 

"Both." Then she took a deep breath. "Now you know why I don't want you pretending to be my boyfriend. If my family finds out..." 

He shrugged. "I think it's too late. You're stuck with me." 

A knock at the door forestalled her reply. Isabel walked over to open it, then stepped back in surprise. "Dad." 

"Hi, honey." Fred Faraday walked into the room. Then his gaze fell on Zach. "I hope I'm not interrupting." 

Izzy glanced at Zach. "Well, not really...." 

"Good." Fred turned back to his daughter. "Would you mind if Mark and I had a little private chat?" 

She rolled her eyes. "Oh Dad, not again." 

"You know the drill," he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Any man who wants to date my daughter has to pass inspection first." 

"But, Dad," she protested, as Fred gently propelled her toward the door. 

"We'll be done soon, sweetheart. " 

Before Izzy could protest some more, her father swung the door shut. Then he turned to Zach and raised a thick, dark brow. "So tell me, Dunn. What exactly are your intentions toward my daughter?" 

Zach bit back a smile at the protective father routine. Of course, if he had a daughter as appealing as Izzy, he might be protective, too. A vision of a little girl with a shock of red hair and playful green eyes suddenly popped into his brain. Izzy's hair. His eyes. Where had that come from? Just the thought of making a child with Izzy did strange things to his stomach. He stumbled back and sat down on the bed. 

"Is that a difficult question?" Fred asked, folding his arms across his burly chest. 

Zach cleared his throat, trying to refocus on the conversation. "Uh...no, sir. Not at all. What did you say?" 

Fred scowled. "You don't seem very bright for a doctor. I simply asked you about your intentions toward my daughter. Are you sharing this hotel room with her?" 

"No," Zach assured him, then pointed to the connecting door. "I'm next door." 

Fred's scowled deepened. "Very convenient. I know I may sound a little old-fashioned, but I know how men think." He narrowed his eyes. "In fact, I bet I know what you're thinking right now." 

Zach stood up. "Tell me." 

"You're thinking my sweet Isabel is an attractive, intelligent young woman." 

"No argument so far." 

"And that you're one hell of a lucky man to have found her." 

"Any man would be lucky to find Izzy," Zach said, realizing a split-second later that he actually meant it. Not that he was looking for a woman in his life. He enjoyed his freedom too much to give it up. Even for a woman like Izzy. Still, there was something about her... 

"But what you should be thinking," Fred continued, disrupting Zach's train of thought, "is how you can leave her without breaking her heart." 

Zach blinked in surprise. "What?" 

Fred narrowed his eyes. "I did my research and I know all about you, Dr. Dunn. You may look like a winner on the outside, thanks to all those cosmetic changes Isabel told us about, but you're still a loser on the inside." 

"Wait a minute, Mr. Faraday - " 

"I don't let any man play games with my little girl." Fred stabbed a finger at Zach's chest. "I already sent you a warning once, which you obviously chose to ignore. So I'll tell you one more time. Stay away from my daughter, Dunn. Or you'll be very, very sorry." 


Café Romeo 


Chapter Twelve 

The next morning, Isabel apologized for her father's behavior. "Ever since I started dating, he's insisted on having a private chat with each one of my boyfriends. This may be the new millennium, but Dad is still stuck somewhere in the Middle Ages." 

She and Zach sat in the small dining room of the hotel, enjoying a quiet breakfast together. The next family event wasn't scheduled until noon, so they had the entire morning to do whatever they wanted. She still couldn't quite believe Zach Madigan was spending the weekend with her. Voluntarily. 

He's doing it out of guilt, Isabel reminded herself as she reached for her orange juice. She would be crazy to think that it really meant anything. Zach wanted to atone for a past wrong. Which seemed a little ridiculous after all these years, but obviously not to him. He'd do his penance, then forget all about her. 

"Your father definitely doesn't like me," he said, shaking his head. "Or rather, Dr. Mark Dunn." 

"You never did tell me what you two talked about." 

He shrugged, not quite meeting her eyes. "Oh, this and that. Nothing too important." He pushed away his empty breakfast plate. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" 

"All sorts of exciting things," she said with a wry smile. "At lunch, we get to hear a speech by Uncle Howard about the fascinating history of the Faraday family. Just a warning, he's an amateur genealogist and will start back in the year 1548. Then, after that, we have our annual Faraday Scrabble tournament. The winner receives their very own Scrabble tile lapel pin with the letter F on it for Faraday. Watch out for my brother, though, he cheats." 

"Thanks for the warning. Anything else?" 

"Well, I think Aunt Marva's still waiting for her medical exam." 

He shook his head. "I barely escaped her last night. I'll really have to be on my guard today. Whatever you do, don't let me out of your sight." 

Isabel didn't tell him how much the prospect appealed to her. She could look at Zach all day. The little changes in him fascinated her. As a teenager, he'd been movie-star handsome with the attitude to match. But time had given a strength and character to his face that hadn't been there before. Added a gentleness and humility to his green eyes. Given him the ability to laugh at himself. 

Falling in love with Zach Madigan had been a silly schoolgirl fantasy. As an adult, Isabel knew she could easily cross into the danger zone if she didn't watch her step. 

"So why did you become a physical therapist?" he asked. 

"I like to help people. And I'm bossy. The perfect combination for the job." 

"Sounds like you enjoy it." 

She smiled. "I love it. Every day presents a new challenge." 

He nodded. "That's why I left my job at the newspaper. I wanted to do something new and innovative." 

"Such as?" 

"I own and produce a daily internet news magazine. It was a little rocky financially at first, but the subscriptions have been doubling every month. Now it's stable enough to employ three full-time editors and pay for some quality freelance reporting." 

"Impressive." She leaned back in her chair. "So you came to Café Romeo for a story?" 

"More like a wild goose chase. But that happens sometimes when you get a lead for a story." Then he looked into her eyes. "And other times you find something even better." 

"Such as?" she asked, his words warming her from the inside out. But maybe she was reading too much into them. Izzy told herself to be careful not to project her own feelings onto Zach. Feelings, that to her chagrin, hadn't faded even after ten years. 

He smiled. "What do you think?" 

She laughed. "You do make a good reporter. Do you ever answer questions, or just ask them?" 

He laughed with her. "Sorry. It's hard to break old habits. Now I'll let you ask one question and I promise to answer it." 

One question. Too many tempting possibilities popped into her mind. Did he find her attractive? Did he like that kiss they'd shared as much as she had? Could he feel the sizzle between them, or was it only her imagination? But of course, she couldn't ask him any of those questions. So she settled for one that would tell her the most about the man seated across the table from her. 

"Okay, one question." She folded her hands together on the table. "What do you want from life, Zach Madigan?" 

He grinned. "You mean other than fame, fortune, and a Ferrari?" 

"I'm serious," she replied. "And you promised to give me an answer." 

He nodded. "All right. It's very simple, really. I want people to respect me not for what I do or how much money I make, but for the way I treat them." He gazed into her eyes. "I want something I sorely lacked in high school. The courage to stand up and do what is right." 

Isabel just stared at him, stunned by the intensity in his tone. She'd expected him to make another joke. But Zach had spoken from his heart. 

"Now, it's your turn." He leaned his elbows on the table. "What do you want, Izzy?" 

She stood up. "Come with me, Zach, and I'll show you." 



Café Romeo 


Chapter Thirteen 

"It's all my fault," Izzy said, as she leaned over him on the jogging trail. 

Zach lay flat on his back, trying not to move. "It's not your fault." 

"I'm the one who wanted to go jogging." 

"But I'm the one who tripped over that rock. I wasn't watching where I was going." Because he'd been watching Izzy. She wore a clinging blue leotard and matching skin-tight biking shorts that emphasized her seductive curves. His heart had been pounding double-time even before they'd started jogging. 

He'd been following behind her on the narrow trail, mesmerized by the way her body moved. Then he'd tripped over that rock in the path and hit the ground hard. Razor-sharp pain had shot through his back and his pained grunt had made Izzy turn around and hurry to his side. 

She tenderly brushed dirt off his forehead. "How do you feel now?" 

He smiled up at her. "Better than I did when you hit me with your bike. But I still think I need to see a candy striper." 

"You'll have to settle for a physical therapist." She knelt down beside him. "From the symptoms you described, I'd say you're having a back spasm. Painful, but thankfully not serious." 

"So you won't need to shoot me?" 

"Let's try massage first." She placed one hand gently on his shoulder. "Can you roll onto your side?" 

"Sure," he said, gritting his teeth at the effort. He closed his eyes as Izzy pushed up his T-shirt, then smoothed her fingers over his bare back. 

"Here it is," she said, lightly pressing her hand into his lower back. "No wonder you can't move. It's really tight." 

Zach knew he shouldn't have tried so hard to keep up with her. Not when he hadn't been jogging for almost a year. Getting his business off the ground had kept him out of the gym and out of shape. 

"So what did you want to show me?" he asked, in an effort to take his mind off the pain. 

"My dream house. You can see it from the top of the bluff a little farther up the trail." She rubbed the sore spot on his back with steadily increasing pressure. 

He closed his eyes at the bittersweet sensation of pleasure and pain. "That's all you want out of life? A house?" 

"I want a place I can call my own. A beautiful home in the country to raise my children." She kneaded his back with her fingers. "Try to relax, Zach." 

Easier said than done. He hadn't been this close to a woman in a very long time. And Izzy's touch was doing more to him than healing his back. "That feels wonderful." 

"Good. I can feel the muscle loosening up." 

Far too soon she pulled his T-shirt back down and sat back on her heels. "Try bending your left leg at the knee." 

He clenched his jaw, but to his surprise he found he could bend his leg without any pain. 

"Now your right leg," she ordered. 

"You are bossy," he said, relieved to find it a painless procedure as well. "And a damn good physical therapist." He propped himself up on his elbows. "I think I'm cured." 

She smiled as she helped him to his feet. "Maybe. But you should probably spend the rest of the afternoon in bed." 

He arched a brow. "Is that a proposition?" 

A rosy flush suffused her cheeks. "I don't think you're in any condition for that kind of activity." 

"Actually, I feel great." It was true. Other than the back spasm, he couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun with a woman. Although, he shouldn't have made that proposition comment. He sensed Izzy wasn't a one-night-stand kind of girl. Which suited him just fine - even the thought of her with other men made his gut tighten. 

"Zach?" Concern clouded her beautiful blue eyes. "Are you sure you're all right?" 

He definitely wasn't all right. Something strange was happening here. Jealousy was not his style. "Maybe we should head back to the hotel." 

"Good idea." She circled his arm around his waist for support. "We'll go as slowly as you like." 

He sucked in a deep breath at the sensation of Izzy pressed up against him, all soft and warm. His back hardly bothered him at all now, but he couldn't quite bring himself to tell her. He was enjoying her closeness too much. 

Way too much. 

Time for a reality check. Izzy had been in love with another man who had just dumped her yesterday. She was hurt and vulnerable, even if she was putting up a good front. "Do you miss him?" 

"Who?" she asked, walking steadily along side him. 

"Dr. Dunn. After all, you were planning to spend this weekend with him, not me." 

She caught his gaze, then looked away, her cheeks still flushed from their run. Or was there another reason? 

"Zach," she began, "I have a confession to make."


Café Romeo 


Chapter Fourteen 

Zach stopped in front of the hotel entrance and turned to Izzy. "What kind of confession?" 

She swallowed hard, half wishing she'd never brought it up. "About Mark." 

A muscle flexed in Zach's jaw. "What about him?" 

"Well, the truth is, I'm not really all that upset he broke up with me. I mean, sure, it stung a little. Rejection always does. But I was planning to break up with him anyway." 

A frown creased Zach's brow. "Why?" 

Because he couldn't live up to Zach Madigan in her mind. No man she'd dated ever had. But Izzy could hardly admit that out loud. Not if she wanted to keep her dignity intact. "One of the reasons is that Mark had absolutely no interest in marriage. Or children." 

"And those things are important to you?" 

She blinked up at him. "Of course. Family is the top priority in my life. I mean, I love my job, but it doesn't exactly keep me warm at night. I want love. A lifelong commitment." She gave him a wry smile. "Doesn't that sound like enough to scare most men off?" 

"Only the ones who don't deserve you," he said softly. 

Isabel's breath caught in her throat. Damn. She didn't want to fall for Zach Madigan. Not again. Not when he'd breeze through her life for one brief weekend and probably haunt her for the next 10 years. 

He winced and placed his hand against his lower back. "Maybe I should lay down for just a few minutes." 

"Good idea," she said, needing some distance from him. She couldn't think straight when Zach was so near. "You go ahead. I'll have the front desk send an ice pack up to your room." 

An hour later, she knocked softly on the connecting door between their rooms, half-hoping he was asleep. 

"Come in." 

She opened the door and saw him stretched out on the bed, wearing nothing but his gray jersey jogging shorts. Her throat went very dry. "I brought you another ice pack." 

"Thanks." He pulled the melted plastic pack out from under him. 

She walked over to the bed. "Turn over and let me take a look at your back." 

He smiled at her command, but obeyed without protest. 

His back was long and straight, his shoulders broad and muscular. She gently smoothed her fingers over the sore spot on his lower back. It was cold from the ice pack. "The muscle still feels a little tight."


"I'm fine," he said, turning his head into the pillow. 

Isabel massaged the spot anyway, drawing a low groan from him. "Sorry, if that hurts." 

"It doesn't," he said, his voice muffled by the pillow. 

Isabel sat on the edge of the bed as her hands widened the circular pattern over his back. She could feel the hard knot of muscles under his skin. "You're tight all over." 

Zach abruptly turned and sat up, so close to her now that she could see the little golden flecks in his green eyes. "This time it is your fault," he said huskily. 

She opened her mouth, then closed it again as Zach inched closer. Her eyes drifted shut as his lips brushed against her mouth. 

A hard rap on the hotel room door made them both start and jump away from each other. 

Zach swore softly under his breath, then climbed out of bed, apparently not in the least bothered by his sore back. He was breathing heavily, though, and Isabel had trouble catching her breath as well. She looked down at her hands, surprised to find them clenching the bedspread. 

"Hello, Mr. Faraday." 

Isabel looked up at the open door and saw her father standing there. She bolted off the bed. "Hi, Dad." 

Fred looked from her to Zach, his nostrils flaring. "I just wanted to tell you the Scrabble Tournament is starting in five minutes." Then his gaze flicked over Zach's barely clad body. "Shirt and shoes are required."' 

"No problem," Zach said, closing the door. But Fred stuck his foot out to stop it halfway. 

"Five minutes," her father said. "Not a second longer." Then he turned around and walked away. 

Zach smiled as he closed the door. "I think your father is warming up to me, Izzy." 

"Isabel," she reminded him, then moved to the connecting door between their rooms. "Are you in the mood for Scrabble?" 

He looked at her for a long moment. "No. But I think it might be a good idea anyway." 

She nodded, then escaped into her room, shutting the door behind her. All the reasons Zach Madigan was all wrong for her reverberated in her brain. 

If only her heart would listen. 



Café Romeo 


Chapter Fifteen 

The rest of the day passed like a dream. Isabel and Zach had spent almost all of it together. Laughing, talking, even occasionally holding hands. Isabel tried to tell herself it was all a game. Just like the Scrabble game he'd won this afternoon, evidenced by the lapel pin he wore proudly on his jacket. 

Still, as the evening wound down, she sat with Zach and the rest of the Faraday family in the hotel's solarium, half wishing their romance could be real. 

Zach leaned closer to her on the loveseat and whispered in her ear. "Tired?" 

"Not a bit," she said in a low voice. "How about you?" 

"I'm having fun." He sounded surprised. "I've never been to a family reunion before. I'm an only child, and so were both my parents. I can count the entire Madigan family on one hand." 

"We Faradays are a prolific bunch," she said, enjoying the cozy intimacy between them. Shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh. His arm lay around her shoulders as if it belonged there. "In fact, three of my cousins couldn't make it this weekend because they're pregnant and too close to their due dates to travel." 

"How many babies in your future?" 

"Oh, maybe 10 or 11." 

He blanched. "Are you serious?" 

She laughed at his bewildered expression. "All right, I'll settle for an even half dozen. I like kids." 

"Me, too. I worked as a camp counselor during the summers in high school." 

"I didn't know that." 

He grinned. "I can prove it, too. I still remember all the campfire songs." 

She held up both hands. "Forget it. I do know you can't carry a tune. I was in Glee Club with you, remember?" 

The granfather clock began to chime 10 o'clock and Isabel looked up to see a hotel clerk enter the solarium carrying a huge bouquet of white roses. "These just arrived for Miss Faraday." 

"Ooh!" Her cousin Josie jumped to her feet. "I'll bet they're from my boyfriend. We had a little spat at the Denver airport yesterday, right before my flight here." 

She plucked the envelope from the bouquet and tore it open. Then she wrinkled her pert nose. "Wrong Miss Faraday," she said, pointing the clerk toward Isabel. 

Isabel glanced at Zach, wondering when he'd possibly found time to order flowers. 

"What does the card say?" her mother asked. 

"Here." Isabel smiled, reaching for the card. "I'll take it." 

But Josie held it back, her eyes widening as she skimmed the note. "It's from Dr. Dunn and it's says, I love you, my darling Isabel." 

Isabel's smile froze on her face. Could they be from the real Mark? The man who had just dumped her yesterday for another woman? No, that didn't make any sense. They had to be from Zach. Even though sending a dozen roses might be overplaying his part a little. 

Everyone in the room oohed and ahhed over the flowers. Except her father. He slumped in an armchair and frowned at Zach. 

"That's not all," Josie announced, still holding the card out in front of her. Then she handed it to Zach. "I think you'd better read the rest. But loud enough so everyone can hear. Especially Isabel." 

Zach looked at the card, then at Isabel, then back at the card. At last he cleared his throat and said, "Will you marry me?" 



Café Romeo 


Chapter Sixteen 

Zach stared at the typewritten marriage proposal in disbelief. How dare Isabel's jerk of an ex-boyfriend pull this kind of stunt? Or had she sent them herself? Just to make the charade more real? He watched her smile as the clerk handed her the bouquet. 

Claire Faraday clasped her hand to her chest, her eyes shimmering with joyful tears. "Oh, how romantic." 

Fred Faraday just glared at him. 

Izzy's Aunt Marva clapped her hands together. "A doctor in the family! Won't that be wonderful?" 

"Well, what do you say, Isabel?" Josie asked. "Do I get to be a bridesmaid?" 

Isabel stood in the center of the room, caressing the velvety petals of the roses with her fingers. Then she looked at Zach. "I'm not sure what to say." 

He walked over to her, deciding he'd better play along. Especially since they had such a rapt audience. "Are you happy?" 

She nodded. "Very. Although...this is certainly unexpected." 

He looked into her blue eyes, aware that every Faraday eye was on him. He swallowed hard, wishing he knew what the hell to do. "You mean a lot to me, Izzy." 

"Izzy?" Alan echoed. "She hasn't let anyone call her that since high school." 

Zach saw a blush suffuse her cheeks. For some reason, Izzy was adamant that her family not find out the truth about him. He was suddenly tired of playing games. Tired of just pretending to care about her. 

Maybe it was time to show her exactly how he felt. 

He took a step closer to her, then pulled her into his arms. Her mouth opened with a slight gasp. Then he kissed her, just like he'd been tempted to do all day. She was so warm and soft in his arms. So right. Her mouth tasted like apples and cinnamon and something uniquely Izzy. A delicious combination. 

Izzy wound her arms around his neck with a low moan that only he could hear. She was just the right height, fitting perfectly against him in all the right places. He closed his eyes, knowing somewhere in the very back of his brain that a kiss couldn't last forever. But he couldn't seem to stop. 

At last, he reluctantly lifted his head and stared into her lush blue eyes. She stared right back at him, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed and her pink lips so incredibly tempting. The flowers were crushed between them, the sweet, heady scent making him dizzy. Or maybe it was the way Izzy was looking at him. As if he held her whole world in his hands. 

"Well?" he asked huskily, still holding her in his arms. At this close range he could see the tiny sprinkle of light freckles across the bridge of her nose. He wanted to count them. To know everything about her. 

"Well, what?" she whispered. 

Good question. He didn't have a script. Didn't know what she wanted him to say. So he just looked into her eyes and said the first thing that popped into his mind. "Will you be mine?" 

Izzy just stared up at him, not saying a word. He could hear the ticks of the grandfather clock, abnormally loud in the now silent room. Suddenly, her answer mattered more to him than anything ever had before. 

Claire rose to her feet, then motioned for everyone else in the room to do the same. "Let's give these two some privacy. After all," she said, her face softening as she gazed at her daughter, "this is a very special moment in their lives." 

A few giggles and winks accompanied the Faradays out of the room, as well as a fierce scowl from Fred. At long last, Zach was all alone with Isabel in the solarium. It took all his willpower not to kiss her again. The line between fantasy and reality had started to blur. 

"Is this still a game, Zach?" Confusion shone in her eyes, along with some other indefinable emotion. 

He took a deep breath. "Do you want it to be?" 


Café Romeo 


Chapter Seventeen 

Isabel's heart skipped a beat at his words. Did Zach want it to be real? Could that kiss and the desire she saw in his eyes possibly be real? His behavior had confused her ever since he'd shown up at the Crescent Inn last night. 

Why would a man go to so much trouble to make up for a silly high school prank that had happened a decade ago? Why would he kiss her, not once, but twice? And that didn't even count what had almost happened in his hotel room this afternoon before her father had interrupted them. 

Her head spun. She didn't understand what he expected from her. He'd already taken her heart. What more did he want? 

"I'm not leaving until you give me an answer," he said after several long, silent moments. 

She wasn't confessing anything until she cleared up some of her own questions. "Did you send the flowers?" 

He shook his head. "No. I thought maybe you did." 

"Me?" She stepped out of his arms, feeling as if she'd just been drenched with a bucket of cold water. After the way he'd just acted, she'd been convinced he'd sent the flowers. Which just proved how gullible she could be. "Why would I send flowers to myself? Much less a proposal of marriage." 

He shrugged. "Well, then who sent them?" 

Only one possibility came to mind. "It must have been Mark." 

He scowled. "Why the hell is he sending you flowers and asking you to marry him? I thought he dumped you." 

"Me, too." She couldn't help but smile at the ludicrous turn of events in the last 48 hours. She'd been dumped by Mark, fallen in love with Zach, and received a proposal of marriage. What could possibly happen next? 

"You're happy about it?" he exclaimed, misinterpreting her reaction. 

She shrugged, inhaling the bouquet. "I love flowers." 

"Wait a minute, Izzy," he growled. "Don't tell me you're seriously considering 

taking him back?" 

If she didn't know better, she'd almost think he was jealous. "I'll have to think about it." 

"What is there to think about?" he demanded. "The guy dumped you. Your father thinks he's a loser and so do I." 

"You don't even know him!" 

"I know that he's not good enough for you." 

"This is silly," she said, then lowered her voice since her family was probably listening at the door. "It's not like you and I are really dating." 

He rubbed one hand over his chin. "Well, maybe we should be." 

She caught the flowers that slipped out of her hands. "What did you say?" 

"I'd be willing to do just about anything to keep you away from a man like Dunn." 

"Gee, thanks," she clipped, unreasonably hurt by his words. She'd known all along that he'd been just playing the part of her boyfriend. "But you're obviously horrified by the idea." She shoved the bouquet at him. "You can have your flowers back." 

He took the bouquet and tossed them aside. "I never sent them. And I never said I was horrified by the idea of dating you." 

She looked up at him, completely confused by his behavior. Or perhaps it was her own longing that made her want to kiss him and kick him at the same time. Despite all her best intentions, she'd fallen for Zach Madigan all over again. Time to put a stop to all this nonsense before he broke her heart. 

"Look, Zach," she began, "I appreciate everything you've tried to do for me. Really. But this has gone on much too long. I'm going to tell my family the truth. Then you can go back to St. Louis or Indianapolis, or wherever you want." 

"You're dumping me?" 

"Yes. And you don't have to thank me. I'm sure you're more than ready to become Zach Madigan again." 

He gave her a brisk nod. "You're right about that." 

Then he took a step closer to her, and Isabel's breath caught in her throat at his expression. A noise at the door made them both turn. 

A strange, middle-aged man in a rumpled gray suit stood in the doorway, the Faradays all hovering behind him. 

"Are you Dr. Mark Dunn?" the man asked, stepping into the room. 

"Well...yes." Zach glanced at Izzy. 

Isabel moved beside him, ready to unveil the truth. She took a deep breath, already cringing inside at the thought of her family's reaction. 

But she didn't even get a chance to open her mouth. 

The man flipped out a badge. "Dr. Dunn, you're under arrest." 



Café Romeo 


Chapter Eighteen 

"Under arrest?" Isabel echoed, in disbelief, as the rest of the Faraday's clambered into the solarium. 

"For practicing medicine without a license," the man said, pulling a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. "I'm Detective Miller, from the St. Louis police department. We've been looking for the good doctor for quite a while." 

Zach held up his hands. "Wait a minute. There's been a big mistake." 

Detective Miller slapped one the cuffs on one of Zach's outstretched wrists, then pulled his other arm behind his back and locked on the other cuff. "That's what they all say." 

Isabel looked at her family, who stood stunned in entry of the solarium. Then she turned back to the police officer, her stomach twisting with dread. "You don't understand. He's not really Mark Dunn. His name is Zach Madigan." 

The cop took a small, laminated card out of his pocket and began reading Zach his Miranda rights. "You have the right to remain silent...." 

Her father came up behind Isabel and laid his hands on her shoulders. "Honey, don't try to con the police. I found out all about your boyfriend a few weeks ago. I'm sorry, sweetheart, but it's true. He doesn't have a valid license to practice medicine in the States." 

She whirled around. "You turned him in?" 

"That's right," Fred admitted, a mottled flush on his cheeks. "But only because I'm trying to look out for you. I'm not about to let a fugitive marry my only daughter." 

"But Dad," she cried, " this isn't Mark Dunn! It's Zach Madigan." 

Fred just sighed and looked at his wife. "Do something." 

Claire came up and circled her arm around Isabel's shoulders. "This has obviously come as a shock to you. It has to me, too." She paused a moment, to glare at her husband. "But claiming Mark is your old fake boyfriend isn't going to help." 

"Old fake boyfriend?" Zach echoed, looking perplexed. 

"You know," Alan said, "the one I told you about in the parking lot. My sister pretended she was having a passionate romance with Zach Madigan when she was in high school. Frankly, I'm glad it was all in her imagination. From everything I'd heard about the guy, he sounded like a real jerk." 

"Alan," Isabel admonished, her cheeks burning, "that jerk you're talking about is standing right in front of you. This is Zach!" 

"Actually, I agree with you, Alan," Zach said, a smile tipping up a corner of his mouth. "Zach Madigan was a bit of a jerk." Then he looked at Isabel and his smile faded. "You liked me in high school?" 

She stomped her foot, unable to believe they were having this conversation while he was standing there in handcuffs. "Of course I liked you. I was crazy about you. Along with half the girls in our class. Were you really that clueless?" 

He shook his head, obviously perplexed. "I had no idea. You hardly ever talked to me." 

Now that the secret was out, Isabel didn't want to hide any more secrets. Especially since playing with the truth had led to this entire mess. "Zach, I was a teenager. I didn't need to talk to you to believe I was madly in love with you. But you hardly even knew I existed." 

He frowned. "That's not true." 

Fred stepped between them. "Cut the act, Dunn. It's not going to work. No one here believes you're this Madigan creep." 

Isabel groaned in frustration. "This is ridiculous. There has to be some way to prove it to all of you." 

Alan shook his head. "Sorry, Isabel, but the evidence seems pretty clear. You've been dating this Dunn for weeks. And what about that emergency medical call he got Friday night?" 

"I made it up," she admitted. "I made it all up." 

"I'm the one to blame," Zach said, coming to her defense. "It was my idea." 

"You've got that right," Fred said, then nodded to the policeman. "Get him out of here." 

"No, wait!" Isabel exclaimed. "Show them your driver's license, Zach." 

"It doesn't matter if his driver's license says he's the president ," the cop said, grasping Zach's elbow. "Guys like Dunn have a million aliases, with licenses and passports to match. I'm taking him in." 

Marva paled, finally grasping the situation. "You mean I let him look at my legs and he's not really a doctor?" 

"You can file a complaint down at the station, ma'am," the cop told her as he began leading Zach toward the door. "Let's go." 

"Zach!" Isabel cried, watching him hauled off like a common criminal. She had to do something - anything - to keep this from happening. 



Café Romeo 


Chapter Nineteen 

Zach glanced at Isabel over his shoulder as the cop pulled him out the door. "Don't worry, Izzy. I'll get this all straightened out down at the police station." 

Don't worry? How was that possible? The man she loved was going to jail. The man she loved. All her defenses and denials faded away as realization washed over her. She loved him. She'd never stopped loving him. The boy of her dreams had become a man she admired. A man she'd never be able to forget. 

She had to tell him before it was too late. 

"Wait," she shouted, running after them. But her brother stopped her at the door, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders. "Let him go, sis. You can do much better than a phony doctor. And I think it's pretty obvious now why he changed his eye color and hair color and put lifts in his shoes. He's been hiding out from the authorities." 

Isabel twisted out of his grasp. "You're wrong." Then she sank down in a chair and buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe this is happening." 

Her mother reached out and patted her gently on the shoulder. "Look at it this way, sweetie. At least you found out before you married him." 

"No kidding," Alan said. "Practicing medicine without a license is a third-degree felony punishable up to five years in prison for each count. Forget about him, Isabel." 

She looked up at her family. "For the last time, that man the cop just arrested wasn't Dr. Mark Dunn. He was Zach, who was pretending to be Mark, because the real Mark dumped me yesterday right before the reunion. Then Zach met me at Café Romeo, because he thought I was a hooker...." Her voice trailed off as she saw everyone of the Faradays look at her with varying degrees of pity and disbelief. 

Her heart sank. "You don't believe me." 

Her mother sat down on the arm of the chair. "You have to admit it sounds a little far-fetched. I know this has been a shock for you, Isabel, but I thought you'd outgrown that Zach Madigan fantasy." 

"No, Mom, the fantasy is alive and well. I love Zach. I've always loved him. There's something special between us. A connection I can't explain." She tipped up her chin. "After tonight, Zach may never want to see me again, but that won't change the way I feel." 

Claire's brow wrinkled with worry as she placed her palm on Isabel's forehead. "You feel a little warm." 

"Maybe we should call a doctor," Marva suggested. "It's too bad Dr. Dunn had to leave." 

Isabel didn't want to cry, so she laughed instead. "I love you," she said, leaning over to kiss her aunt's wrinkled cheek. "I love all of you. And I promise someday we're going all laugh about this. At least, I hope so." 

"She's hysterical," Uncle Bob said, heading toward the door. "I have some brandy in my room." 

"I have some juniper bath beads," Josie offered. "Aromatherapy can work wonders." 

"Thanks," Isabel replied. "But all I need is a good lawyer." She turned to her brother. "Alan, will you please represent him?" 

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Isabel, but I've got what you might call a conflict of interest. I'd rather punch that phony quack in the mouth for doing this to you." 

She opened her mouth, then closed it again, realizing it was futile to argue with them. And it was her own fault for playing out this charade. For worrying more about her pride than the truth. Zach had spoken of honor and integrity. Maybe it was about time for her to show a little of both. And since she was the one responsible for this mess, it was up to her to fix it. 

"I repeat," Isabel said, rising to her feet. "He's not a phony quack. He's Zach Madigan. And I intend to prove it." She brushed past her family and marched toward the door. Zach shouldn't have to suffer because of her screwed up love life. No matter what she had to do to make it right. 

"Isabel, where are you going?" her father shouted. 

"To find the real Dr. Dunn." 


Café Romeo 
by Kristin Gabriel 

Chapter Twenty 

 
The next morning, Zach sat alone in his jail cell wondering exactly how he got into this mess. He'd originally come to St. Louis to do a story on Café Romeo. An exposé that could have landed the owner, Madame Sophia in jail. Instead, he was the one behind bars. 

Not one to let an opportunity go to waste, he was mentally composing an article about his experience in his mind. Only his thoughts kept drifting to Izzy. What would have happened between them if that cop hadn't intruded? 

He mentally shook himself. His current predicament should prove that Madame Sophia's coffee grounds reading was all wet. Isabel Faraday was obviously not his perfect match. Now that he thought about it, every time she appeared in his life, some disaster happened. The bike accident. The scalpel incident. The back spasm. His arrest. 

Maybe he should take the hint and get out of her life for good. 

Besides, what was his alternative? Izzy had made her priorities clear. She wanted marriage and a family, while love and commitment were two words that had always made him run in the other direction. Especially since it would play right into his father's hands. He could almost hear him now. 

"It's time to settle down, son. Time to take responsibility for your life. What you need is a good woman, a home of your own and children to carry on the Madigan legacy. Who knows, maybe one of them will even make it to the NBA." 

Zach closed his eyes and sighed. All he'd ever wanted to do was live his own life. To make his own decisions. He's spent over half his life trying to fulfill his father's dreams. 

Now it was his turn. 

A metal door banged against the cinder block wall and Zach heard the now familiar steps of the guard. "You've got a visitor, Dunn." 

"The name is Madigan." 

"Whatever," the guard replied, then turned and motioned to someone behind him. 

"Izzy?" Zach said hopefully, moving toward the locked cell door. 

"Nope, it's me. How ya doin' Dr. Dunn?" 

"Ramon." Zach tried to ignore the stab of disappointment deep inside of him. "What are you doing here? And why the hell are you calling me Dr. Dunn?" 

The guard's footsteps echoed in the hallway as he walked away. 

"I thought that was the plan," Ramon said. "You were going to pretend to be Isabel's boyfriend." 

"First of all, that was your stupid plan, which I never should have listened to. And second, I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me Dr. Dunn in front of the cops. In fact, why don't you tell them my real name, then they'll let me out of here." 

"No need. I'm here to bail you out." 

Zach blinked in surprise. "You are?" 

He nodded. "I've already contacted a bail bondsman. He gives the D'Onofrios a special rate since we're such steady customers." 

"How did you even know I was in here?" 

"Isabel told me," Ramon replied. "She called me last night and asked me to come down here first thing this morning." 

Zach frowned. "Why didn't she come down her herself?" 

Ramon hesitated. "I don't know quite how to tell you this..." 

Prickles of alarm skittered up his spine. "Just say it." 

"Madame Sophia must have been wrong. I don't think Isabel is your perfect match." 

"Why the hell not?" he asked, irritated by Ramon's opinion even though he'd just recently thought the same thing himself. 

"Because she's back with that doctor." 

The words made his gut twist into a knot. "No." 

"Yes." Ramon leaned against the bars. "Women are fickle, Zach. But there are alternatives to the harsh dating world." He pulled a photo out of his shirt pocket. "Have you ever considered a prison romance?" 

Zach barely heard him. While Ramon droned on about some blonde named Nanette, Zach tried to accept the fact that Izzy had gone to Dunn. Did she plan to warn him about his imminent arrest? Protect him? Run away with him? Each possibility seemed unfathomable. Still, the jerk had proposed to her. 

"How do you know she's with Dunn?" he asked at last, his hands curled tightly around the bars. 

Ramon slipped the photo back into his pocket. "Because Isabel told me she was flying to Mexico this morning to meet him." 

"Get me out of here," Zach clipped. 


Café Romeo 


Chapter Twenty-One 

Two weeks later, Zach sat at a corner table in Café Romeo. Once he'd finally been released from jail and his lawyer had verified that he was indeed Zachary Madigan, all charges had been dropped. He'd gone back to Indianapolis the same day, determined to put Izzy Faraday and Café Romeo out of his mind once and for all. 

"So what the hell was he doing here?" 

Madame Sophia approached him, her purple caftan swirling around her gold lamé sandals. She wore gold bangle bracelets on her arms that jingled as she walked. "I'm so glad you could make it, Mr. Madigan." 

"How could I resist coming after you left that mysterious message on my answering machine?" He arched a skeptical brow. "I believe you called it the story of the millennium." 

She smiled. "My three nephews tell me I tend to exaggerate sometimes. But all that really matters is that you're here now. Ready to meet your perfect match." 

"Oh, no," he said, half rising out of his chair. "I'm not letting you fix me up with another woman. No offense, but your matchmaking attempts are a little too dangerous for me." 

"Dangerous to your health? Or your heart?" 

"Dangerous to my freedom," he said, avoiding a direct answer. Besides, he'd been truthful. He'd briefly lost his freedom in jail. But he might have lost it forever if he'd spent any more time around Izzy. 

He just wished he could stop thinking about her. 

Madame Sophia sighed. "You sound as stubborn as my nephews. The youngest one just turned 26 and they're all still single. Can you believe they won't let me read their coffee grounds?" 

"Smart men," he muttered under his breath. 

"Not smart enough," she replied with a sly wink. Then she handed him a small red menu. "I thought you might like to take a look at some of Café Romeo's specialties." 

He opened the menu, surprised by the unusual items listed inside, as well as the hefty prices. Then he looked up at Madame Sophia. "Is this a joke?" 

"I prefer to call it fate." Then she nodded toward the door. "Your perfect match has arrived." 

Zach looked up, then stopped breathing for a moment. Izzy. 

"Let me know if you want to place an order," Madame Sophia said, then walked away, humming an exotic tune under her breath. 

But Zach barely heard her. He couldn't take his eyes off of Izzy. She looked even better than he remembered. Tanned. An unpleasant reminder of where she'd been these last two weeks. 

Izzy finally spotted him and waved. Then she walked over to his table. "Hi, Zach." 

"What are you doing here?" For the last week he'd been tortured by images of her in a string bikini while she sipped margaritas with Dunn on some Mexican beach. Instead, she was right here in St. Louis, wearing a lacy white blouse, a blue denim skirt, and a gorgeous smile. 

Her smile faltered. "Didn't Madame Sophia tell you I was coming?" 

"No." He stood up and pulled out a chair for her. Then sat back down in his own, his heart racing as if he'd just run 50 sprints across a gym floor. "She didn't happen to mention it." 

"Oh." Izzy frowned. "Well, I hope you're not upset that I dragged you here all the way from Indianapolis." 

"Why am I here, Izzy?" 

"Isabel," she said automatically. 

"Sorry," he said, his jaw tight. "Isabel." 

She smiled at him. "That's the first time you've actually listened to me." 

"I just wish you would have listened to me." He leaned across the table, unable to contain himself any longer. "How could you possibly go back to a man like Mark Dunn? First, he dumps you, then he whisks you off to Mexico. For all you know, you could be charged with concealing a fugitive." He leaned back in his chair, his tirade over. Now he just felt drained. "You deserve someone better." 

"Really? Like who?" 

"Me." 



Café Romeo 


Chapter Twenty-Two 

Isabel couldn't believe her ears. "You?" 

"Well, if not me, then someone like me," he said, not looking too happy at the prospect. "Someone who cares about you. Someone who knows everything about you." 

She narrowed her eyes. "You don't know everything about me, Zach. In fact, you hardly know me at all." 

"I know all the important things. I know you're honest and intelligent and caring. That you're loyal to your family and love your work. But I'd like to know even more. Maybe we could become...friends." He hesitated. "That is, if your boyfriend doesn't mind." 

"I don't have a boyfriend." 

A muscle ticked in his jaw. "You mean you already married him?" 

"Who?" 

"Who else?" he clipped, his nostrils flaring. "Mark Dunn." 

"You think I'd actually marry Mark after everything I found out about him?" 

"Isn't that why you went to Mexico?" 

She resisted the urge to punch him. After the time they'd spent together, how could he possibly think she'd want Mark? She'd been right before. Zach was completely clueless. He was also completely gorgeous, but she was trying very hard to stay focused. 

"No," she said, reining in her temper. "I went to Mexico to try and make up for all the trouble I'd caused you. It took me over a week to find Mark, but I finally tracked him down in a little village outside of Acapulco." 

Zach arched a sardonic brow. "Is that where you got your tan?" 

It hit her then. Zach was actually jealous. The realization lightened her spirits considerably. "As a matter of fact, it is. I spent some time on the beach." 

He folded his arms across his chest. "Spare me the details." 

"There's not that much to tell. I met with Mark and he explained that he only dumped me because the cops were breathing down his neck. Once he made it to Mexico, he sent those flowers and that stupid marriage proposal." 

Zach sat up in his chair. "Stupid?" 

"Can you think of a better word for it?" She tossed her hands up in the air. "As if I'd marry a fugitive from justice! I only went down there so I could talk him into giving you his exclusive story for your news magazine. I thought it was the least he could do since you had to spend a night in jail for him." 

"You went all the way to Mexico for me?" 

"Yes." She reached into her bag and pulled out a thick sheaf of papers. "He agreed to give you his story, by the way. Here it is." 

Zach glanced at the title. "Mark Dunn, Doctor at Large." 

"He's giving up medicine to write fiction, since he already has so much experience in that area. I'm sure you can turn these notes into a real story. I tried to convince him to come back and face the charges against him, but he refused. Probably because he's guilty. It seems he went to medical school somewhere in the Caribbean and just never bothered to apply for a license in Missouri." 

Zach leaned forward and reached for her hand. "I'm so glad you're rid of him." 

"Me, too," she replied softly, warmed by the affectionate glow in his green eyes. 

Ramon walked up to their table. "You two don't want to order anything, do you? It's almost time for my break." 

"Yes," Zach said with a smile, "as a matter of fact, I do." 

Ramon sighed as he pulled an order pad out of his pocket. "The house blend is on special today. I accidentally spilled a little dishsoap in the coffee pot, but I'm sure you'll hardly notice it." 

"I don't want the house special," he said, opening a small red menu and studying it with an intensity that surprised her. How difficult was it to order a latte? 

"I'll take a number seven," Zach said at last, flipping the menu closed and handing it to Ramon. 

"Are you sure?" Ramon asked. "The number three is cheaper." 

Zach nodded, then looked at Isabel. "I know what I want." 

She smiled at his take-charge attitude. "And you call me bossy. I just hope it's something I'll like." 

"Me, too," he said, reaching for her hand once more. 



Café Romeo 


Chapter Twenty-Three 

Ramon returned to their table almost immediately with Zach's special order. He set the round silver tray with the dome lid in the center of the table, along with two rolls of silverware. "You don't want anything else, do you? Because I've already been on my feet for 20 minutes." 

"Wait just a minute, Ramon," Zach said, holding up one hand. "I have to make sure the lady likes what I ordered." 

"If it's chocolate cheesecake, I'll love it," Isabel teased, reaching for a fork. 

Then Zach lifted the lid. 

Isabel's heart skipped a beat as she stared at the tray. Displayed in the center, on a cushion of crushed blue velvet, was an exquisite one carat diamond ring surrounded by a circle of small, sparkling sapphires. 

"Well?" Hope and uncertainty mingled on Zach's handsome face. "Do you like it?" 

She nodded, afraid to speak. Afraid she'd wake up and find this was all just a fantastic dream. 

"It seems Café Romeo sells engagement rings along with éclairs and espresso." Zach picked up the ring, then walked over to her chair. 

She held her breath as he knelt down on one knee in front of her and reached for her hand. 

"These last two weeks without you have been the longest, most miserable ones of my life." He took a deep breath and gazed into her eyes. "Just in case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm crazy in love with you, Izzy Faraday." 

She swallowed hard, then gave him a tremulous smile. "You know how I feel about that name." 

"How do you feel about the name Izzy Madigan?" 

Her breath caught in her throat. "I think I could get used to it." Tears filled her eyes as he slipped the ring onto her finger. 

It was a perfect fit. 

He pulled her to her feet, then wrapped his arms around her waist. "I convinced myself I never wanted to marry or have a family, because that was my father's dream. Then I almost lost you and realized that I'd been a fool. I was still letting him dictate my life instead of following my own heart." 

"I'm glad you finally came to your senses," she said breathlessly. 

"Not as glad as I am." He gazed lovingly into her eyes. "You're all mine, Izzy. And I intend to keep it that way." 

"I love you, Zach," she whispered, her throat tight. "I think I've loved you since the first day we met." 

"You literally turned my life upside down that day." He leaned his forehead against hers. "And I haven't been the same since. In fact, I can't believe I haven't kissed you yet." 

Then he made up for lost time by giving her a slow, sweet kiss that conveyed the depth of his feelings. His lips molded to hers and he groaned low in his throat as he pulled her even closer. 

Izzy wrapped her arms around his neck, savoring the warmth and strength of the man who had just asked her to be his wife. The man she'd spend the rest of her life with. The kiss deepened until it smoldered hot and heavy between them. 

Izzy arched into him, returning his love and passion in full measure. 

When Zach finally lifted his head, he looked as dazed as she felt. "You're amazing." 

"Just wait until I get you alone," she promised, her voice as shaky as her knees. Another kiss like that and they'd set off the smoke alarms in Café Romeo. 

"The sooner, the better," he said, giving her the same crooked grin that had held a special place in her heart for the last 10 years. "Because, my darling Isabel, I intend to spend the rest of my life making all your fantasies come true." 

The End 



Isabel Faraday
Café Romeo 
AGE 
26 
VITALS 
5'8", blue eyes, auburn 
OCCUPATION 
Physical Therapist 
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN 
Libra 
STORY 
Isabel has suffered from a boyfriend jinx for ten years, ever since she made up a fantasy romance with Zach Madigan, a high school classmate who never gave her a second glance. When her current boyfriend dumps her, she's ready to give up men for good. Until Zach walks back into her life. 

Zach Madigan
Café Romeo 
AGE 
26 
VITALS 
6'3", green eyes, dark brown hair 
OCCUPATION 
Owner/Producer of an online news magazine. 
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN 
Aries 
STORY 
Zach comes to Café Romeo intending to write an exposé on the unorthodox matchmaking service. Instead, he finds himself paired up with Isabel, who's less than thrilled to see him again. So why can't he let her go? 


Ramon D'Onofrio
Café Romeo 
AGE 
22 
VITALS 
5'8", brown eyes, brown hair 
OCCUPATION 
Waiter 
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN 
Gemini 
STORY 
Ramon's work is never done. As head waiter at Café Romeo, it's his job to see that both romance and the espresso machine run smoothly. Unfortunately, Ramon has a tendency to do just the opposite. 


Madame Sophia Callahan
Café Romeo 
AGE 
60 
VITALS 
5'3", blue eyes, red hair 
OCCUPATION 
Fortune Teller 
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN 
Virgo 
STORY 
Madame Sophia specializes in blending perfect coffee with perfect couples. After she reads Zach's and Isabel's coffee grounds, she knows the two are destined to be together. But it never hurts to give destiny a little shove.