Page 51 of A Dream for Daphne

“When we bust on you about it,” Easton said, grinning. “And don’t take it any other way than it’s our thing we’ve got. You can’t cook well and you love mooching meals. We love having you.”

He laughed. “I’m not taking it any other way than that. You still owe me for not stealing my neighbor before you could come stay here.”

Easton laughed. “You might have given me a run for my money.”

“I met someone,” he said. Might as well get it out there. He and Daphne hadn’t said what they had was a secret. He wasn’t sure how he’d feel if she said it was.

No, he knew how he’d feel. Like he wasn’t worthy yet again.

“Wow,” Easton said. “And you’re already looking like you’re on cloud nine. You need to tell me about this. How long has it been?”

He was debating on how far back he should go. Easton wouldn’t understand if he didn’t know it all and his cousin could take a secret to the grave.

“It’s a bit complicated.”

“That’s never a good way to start anything,” Easton said, frowning. “Grab a beer if it’s going to take time.”

“Like you and Laurel weren’t complicated to start,” he said, laughing but walked to the fridge to get a beer too. “You watched her kicking her ex off the front porch and then you let her assume you were me.”

“Don’t remind me,” Easton said. “But it worked for sure. Start where you feel comfortable.”

“A few weeks ago I went to the casino for the night. Just to do something,” he said.

“Okay,” Easton said. “Not out of the ordinary for you.”

“No. I sat next to a woman. Daphne. She was nice. Sweet. By herself.”

“You picked someone up at the casino?” Easton asked. “Interesting.”

It was the smirk on his cousin’s face. “Stop. She’s not a gambler. She was playing the slots. New to the area. We got talking and flirting and ended up in a room.”

“Shit,” Easton said. “That’s not you.”

“No,” he said. “It’s not. Not her either.”

“You’re positive about that?” Easton asked.

“Don’t judge. I don’t need that. I’m struggling with her as it is and I got her to relax about it. When you find out who she is you’ll understand more.”

Easton frowned. “Sorry. Keep going.”

“She snuck out on me that night. I was disappointed, but I guess I figured that is what happens. But I couldn’t get her out of my mind.”

“You didn’t know her full name?” Easton asked.

“No. Fast forward more than a week later and I’m at the McGill Estate. I hear the name Daphne again as their nanny. It’s not very common.”

“No,” Easton said. “It’s her?”

“It is. I saw her, but she didn’t recognize me. I was mowing the lawn and had my hat and sunglasses on. She lives on the property in a cabin. I’m doing work all around the whole estate. I decided to go down and check out the markings when I knew she’d be there.”

Easton laughed. “What was her reaction when she realized who you were?”

“Embarrassment,” he said. “She was mortified over what she’d done. She said it was the first time she ever had. She’d just moved to the area for the job. She was lonely. One thing led to another. It just happened.”

“And now what?” Easton asked. “You’re trying to convince her to give you a chance? My money is on you when you want something.”

“Thanks,” he said, taking a long swig of his beer. “We talked. I told her there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Then we ran into each other in the store. I might have followed behind her like a kid does Santa hoping to see the naughty and nice list.”

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