Page 24 of A Dream for Daphne

She wasn’t so sure she was ready to own up to that just yet!

“I don’t know about that,” she said. “No one is perfect.”

“I think Aster and Raine are,” Poppy said. “And Laurel and Easton. Me and Reese. My sisters and their husbands.”

She put her hand up and laughed. “Got it,” she said. “But I’m still trying to get acclimated here.”

“What is there to get acclimated to?” Poppy asked. “It’s a small town without a ton to do in your eyes. Right?”

“There are things to do, but I’m not so keen on doing them alone.”

“Abe,” Poppy said drily as if that was the answer to all of Daphne’s problems. “He’s an outdoor type of guy and so are you. I can see it. You’d rather be outside with the kids doingsomething than sitting around watching a movie or going to dinner.”

“True,” she said. “I can’t always seem to sit still. I’m not sure what to do with myself with all my time as it is.”

“That’s right,” Poppy said, wiggling her pointer finger around. “You need a sexy guy to spend some time with.”

“I’m sure Abe is tired at the end of the day,” she said.

Poppy let out a little giggle. “You didn’t deny he was sexy.”

There was no use denying it. Lying didn’t sit well with her.

“Hard to miss what was in front of my eyes.”

Over six feet of sweaty man.

She was good with that.

Once he took his hat off, his hair was damp and messed up some and she remembered how soft and silky it’d felt in her hands that night.

The solid muscles on his body that told her how hard he worked for a living.

He was a little dirty and she might have found that even more attractive.

She couldn’t remember ever thinking one way or another before.

But when she was waitressing, guys would come in all polished and they never did much for her.

Those that came in with jeans and worn boots or sneakers were her type.

Blue-collar workers...yes, please!

“That’s my girl,” Poppy said, dancing on her tiptoes. “Seriously. I won’t push. Though I love to push and want to do it, I won’t. When you’re ready, he’s a great guy. You can trust that. And there is a six-degree of separation thing. I know you know Laurel, who works with your brother, and her boyfriend, Easton, is Abe’s first cousin. Easton came here to cover for Abe for a few months and that is how they met.”

She was trying to process that information. Son of a bitch.

“Mommmmmmmy,” Holly yelled. “Let me out.”

“Oops, guess I overstayed my welcome. Got to move or this one is going to get the other one wailing when Tatum likes to hang out and look around.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for bringing my sunglasses back.”

They were just cheap twenty-dollar ones and if she’d lost them, she’d replace them.

Not like the Oakleys that Abe had on his head.

She could see where he’d pay more for glasses while he worked outside.

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