Page 37 of A Dream for Daphne

“I’ll remember that,” she said. “Guess you’re pretty easy on a few levels.”

“No comment,” he said, closing one eye at her. “Want to hand me that plate?”

She stood up and handed it over, he put the burgers on them. They’d already brought out her salad and the rolls.

“No ketchup or are you one of those people who uses mayo?”

“On a burger?” he asked. “People do that?”

“The appalled look on your face says it all,” she said. “Thank God. That might be a deal breaker for me.”

“Do you want another drink while I get it?”

“Sure,” she said.

She put her burger on the roll while he was in the house and then scooped some pasta salad on her plate.

“Here you go,” he said, pulling his seat out and making his plate too.

The two of them ate in silence for a minute or two. She was trying to figure out what else she could say without putting her foot in her mouth.

“What’s going through your mind right now?”

“At this minute?” he asked. She nodded her head as she took another bite. “I’m trying to figure out how to have another mealwith you like this. It might be the most relaxed I’ve been around a woman in years. How about you?”

“That was the best thing you could have said to me right now.”

“Damn, I’m batting a thousand tonight,” he said, picking his beer up and tilting it toward her.

“Might be we both are.”

13

WITH WHAT COULD BE

“You’re getting out early for the day,” Daphne said the following afternoon. Abe took a risk and drove down by her cabin to see if she was there since he hadn’t seen her around the main house, but rather Poppy with the kids.

“We did what we could,” he said. “A lot of people wanted a long weekend, but there is too much work to be done. It was best to finish what we had going and start fresh on Monday. You?”

“I only worked for a few hours this morning,” she said. “Poppy still isn’t back full time, but she wanted to go in and check on the store this morning. They had a big holiday sale and it’s going through the weekend.”

He nodded. Those things didn’t mean much to him.

“So you’ve been sitting around the rest of the day?” he asked.

She forced out a laugh. “It’s hard to do nothing. I’m struggling there. I’m looking for hobbies and feel like such a loser. Like who complains about relaxing?”

“People who can’t sit still,” he said. “I get it.” He went with his gut and reached his hand out to run down her arm. “Are we still on for tomorrow?”

“We are,” she said, smiling. “Did you come down here because you worried I’d change my mind?”

“Maybe a little,” he said, holding his hands out wide.

This time the smile reached her eyes. “I wouldn’t do that. Besides, it gets me out of the house.”

He snorted. “I’m going to take that as a joke,” he said.

“I’d ask if you want to have dinner or not, but after you touched my arm, you moved a few feet back. How come? Do I stink or something?”

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