Gia stepped outside her apartment complex, took one look at their transportation and laughed heartily. She climbed into the passenger seat and waited for AJ to slide behind the wheel. “This is so not what I was expecting you to show up in.”

AJ eased the big Hummer onto the highway. He risked a quick glance over at Gia. “Let me guess. You were expecting the shiny new sports car. Right?” He sensed more than saw her nod. “Yeah, well, I don’t seem to do too well with them.”

“I see your point.” Gia had forgotten about AJ’s drunk driving incident that destroyed his brother’s memory. “Is that why you bought this? Because it is so different?”

AJ paused. He was a bit thrown by Gia’s question. She was the first person that AJ could remember asking him about the accident out of simple curiosity. Her words held none of the pity or judgmental tone that usually accompanied questions about his accident with Jason. “I never really thought about it,” he replied slowly. “But, yeah, I guess I did.”

Gia looked at the assortment of dials and gauges on the Hummer’s dashboard. She did not need them to know that the big vehicle was loaded. She could feel it in the restrained power that hummed in the engine. “Just what the world needs - a Quartermaine with a Hummer,” she joked. “Talk about ego overkill.”

AJ did not mind her amusement at his expense. It had been far too long since he had heard genuine laughter from the young woman seated beside him.

He pulled the Hummer into the parking lot of the restaurant and promptly straddled the first two adjacent parking spaces he found. “Hey, it’s not like that,” AJ reacted to his dinner companion’s knowing smile. “One parking space isn’t wide enough!”

With the sound of her laughter in his ears, AJ jumped down from the big vehicle and made his way around to Gia’s door. He could only smile in appreciation for the graceful way she managed to climb from the Hummer. “Why can’t I make it look that easy?” he teased.

“It’s a girl thing.”

In companionable silence, the couple entered the Port Charles Grill. Gia’s arm was linked with AJ’s as they followed the maitre d’ to their table. Her simple emerald colored sheath dress clung lightly to her frame, drawing the attention of every man present to her well-toned arms and shapely legs.

“You think that Hummer affects my ego?” AJ murmured in Gia’s ear as he gently seated her at the table. “I guarantee you, it’s got nothing on you.”