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prevent me.”
    Shane left a wad of cash on the table to cover the bill and tip. “This was my treat,” Gina protested, pulling her card from the shirt pocket. “I’m going to pay!”
    “Get out of here,” he smiled, grabbing her hand and pointing it back toward her pocket quickly. He made her hit herself in the chest.
    “There you go again,” she laughed. “You got something against that boobie?” His face reddened instantly, but Gina patted his shoulder. “It’s okay,” she said, turning to walk out the sidewalk gate, grinning back at him. He caught up with her quickly. As they walked the two blocks to her car, Shane talked about the various shops along the way, how he liked one versus the other, how that one was less expensive or had better volleyball equipment. Gina realized through that short distance how far apart their lives really were - over and above her father’s cultural requirements. Nonetheless, she relished in his company.
    When they reached her car, the mood changed to awkward. She unlocked her door, opened it and turned to Shane. For a second the air hung between them, but Gina rose on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek; he grabbed her arms, pulled her to him in a generous bear hug and kissed her forehead. It was a sweet moment that spoke volumes to each of them. She got into the beat up Nissan, rolled her window down and smiled that luxurious smile. “Be good,” she said.
    Shane slipped his business card into her hand, waved and walked away. He was afraid, embarrassed actually, to watch her read the card for fear she wouldn’t want to develop their relationship any further. Between her father’s cultural obsession and the societal differences between him and Gina already silently identified, Shane knew it would be an uphill battle to have her. For the first time in his life, he felt ashamed of being rich, of having what she could not even imagine.
    Just as he was climbing into bed, Gina called. “Just wanted to thank you for this afternoon, Dr. Ryden,” she teased. “It meant a lot to me. Good night and sweet dreams.”
    “It meant a lot to me, too, Gina,” Shane said. “Sweet dreams to you, too.” Nothing else needed to be said. Shane grabbed the pillow as he always did, but this night, it felt more firm than it had in a long time.
    ***
    For the following week, although they chatted almost every evening, Shane made an occasional trip down to the beach in search of Gina, telling himself that it was useless, but he wanted to see her. She works, I work, when would there be time? he asked himself.  A few days later, he went to the marina to see if Don was out on his boat. As he walked down the plank dock, he saw her, bent over a tray of something with other people gathered around. There was no way to miss that hair. He came up behind Gina, listening to her explaining the biology of the strange fish she had in the tray. When her explanation was over and the crowd began to wander away, Shane stepped in front of her as she remained kneeled at the tray. “So, where did you find that fish?” he asked. Gina’s head jerked up quickly as she recognized the familiar voice. That ever present smile lit up her face as she stood up to greet him. He hugged her tightly. “I didn’t know you would be here today!”
    “Neither did I,” she answered. “Or, I would have called ahead.  A fisherman caught this weird fish in his net this morning and called the Center. Dr. Hill sent me down here to see what it was and to bring it back to keep if it was a rarity.”
    “Is it a rarity?” Shane asked, genuinely interested.
    “Yep, it is. This is a fish usually only found near Hawaii,” Gina said, drifting easily into an explanation of how far it must have traveled to this very marina. Shane listened intently until she completed the lesson she felt he should learn.
    “That is amazing!” he ventured. “Are you taking it back to the Center?”
    “Yes, we don’t have a specimen like this. The kids