Page 25 of A Dream for Daphne

She returned to the house, went to the kitchen, and hit the button to reheat her leftovers again.

Just chicken and vegetables over noodles that she’d made over the weekend.

It’s not as if she had much more to do on Sunday.

When she was sitting at the island eating, her phone rang and she got up to get it off the counter.

She debated all of two seconds and answered it. “Hi, Mom.” It would take her mind off of the fact that Abe wasn’t that much of a stranger in the big picture.

“Daphne,” her mother said. “I wasn’t sure if you’d answer or not. I doubted you’d be working this late.”

“No,” she said. She noticed it was barely six. Poppy had gone in later today and returned but was talking to Reese so she’d stayed with the kids.

“Dad and I are going to close on the house in sixty days. The offer went through, but the buyers need time to close on their house.”

“That’s good,” she said.

So long to any of her childhood memories.

Probably not a bad thing.

There weren’t many that were so wonderful other than what she had with Aster.

He was here now and they could make many more.

“I heard your brother got engaged.”

She wasn’t sure if Aster had mentioned it yet and she wasn’t going to be the one to bring it up.

“He did,” she said. “I’m so happy for him.”

“Raine doesn’t know how lucky she hit it with him and his bank account.”

Daphne ground her teeth. Her parents had no idea how much money Aster had, but they always tried to find out.

Or they asked for ridiculous gifts and help.

Maybe if her parents had been hands on and helped their kids more in life, she and Aster wouldn’t be so dead set about her parents doing it on their own now.

“I don’t believe Raine cares about those things,” she said.

“Everyone cares about those things,” her mother said, snorting.

“Not like you think,” she said.

Which reminded her of what Abe said.

His question about if she had a problem with what he did for a living.

Hell no!

She trusted someone in his career more than a guy with a flabby belly who rode a desk.

“You need to get out and see the world for what it is,” her mother said. “You’re too clouded by innocence having spent so much time with kids.”

Was she naive?

She didn’t think she was one bit.

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