Page 29 of A Dream for Daphne

That was his intent at least, but she was done before he got there.

“So,” he said. “We can have a conversation in the parking lot on this hot day skirting traffic and having eyes on us. Or you can come to my house and I’ll grill us some burgers and we can have a nice casual conversation with no one around to know. I have a feeling you don’t want your employers to know I’m there.”

“I don’t,” she said. “Even though Poppy was talking so highly of you that I’m surprised there isn’t a crown glowing on top of your head just now.”

He laughed. “Poppy can be pretty persuasive,” he said. “I’ll take any help I can get. I have the feeling I’ll need it with you.”

“I don’t play games,” she said seriously. “Just...I’m embarrassed. I can’t explain it any other way.”

He reached his hand for hers, grabbed it quickly, gave it a squeeze, then let it go. “Did you stop to think maybe I am too?”

She looked stunned. “What do you have to be embarrassed about?”

“I don’t make it a habit of doing what we did. Matter of fact, you were a first. Whether you want to believe that or not, it’s the truth.”

It’s not like he was going to say he’d had his ex on his mind and was feeling down and out.

That he wanted to just feel like someone who could move on.

That’d come off completely wrong and be hurtful.

It was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Thank you for that,” she said. “I’m not sure it helps, but it kind of does.”

“Let me give you my number and address,” he said. “You’re going to come over, right?”

“I keep my word,” she said. “Though unless you’ve got ground beef at your house, you were missing it from your cart.”

“Which I’m going to run back in and get the minute we are done,” he said, laughing.

“Good thing,” she said. “I’ll bring a pasta salad if you’re okay with that?”

“I’m thrilled with it,” he said. “Your number?”

She read it off to him, he put it in his phone and then texted her his address.

“What time do you want me to come over?” she asked.

It was one now. “How about three? Gives me time to buy what I need and then go home and clean better. Not that I’m a slob, but there might be clutter in places or a dust bunny or ten in a corner.”

She smiled. “Trust me, the way I grew up, it’d take a lot to bother me.”

He didn’t know what she meant by that but was happy to know he’d find out.

Daphne got in her car and drove away and he ran back into the store quickly, picked up ground beef, rolls, some of the lime seltzer that he noticed she had in her cart and when he was walking by the bakery saw a package of cupcakes with red, white, and blue on them and figured what the heck.

Shit, he was going to have a date and he wasn’t sure the last time he was this excited over it.

10

FIGURE IT OUT

She was about to have a date and wasn’t sure the last time she was scared crapless over it!

Daphne drove home faster than normal, her mind distracted over her willingness to be alone with Abe.

In the store just now, he looked more like the guy in the casino.

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