Page 84 of A Dream for Daphne

“Babies are the best,” Carrie said. “Then you can give them back. I have to say I like it better when the kids can at least communicate so I know what it is they want.”

“I have to know,” she said. “Did Abe come out of the womb talking?”

There was a lot of laughter in that statement.

“My father said I did,” he said, grinning.

“Just about,” Carrie said. “He was wailing for attention and never stopped getting it. Now he’s getting it the way he deserves and from the right person.”

Abe’s smile looked forced and she had to admit she was confused over that statement.

What was she missing?

29

READING WAY MORE INTO THIS

“Thanks a lot, Mom,” Abe said when Daphne left a few hours later. He was leaving shortly too and spending the night at Daphne’s since he’d be on the property tomorrow and working on the path closer to her house. They would be finishing that this week and he was going to start digging to get the hardscaping around the cabin done.

They were moving faster than he thought. He would have loved to stay there all summer, but he had more work building up he had to get to.

“What did I do?” his mother asked. “I found her to be lovely. I’m so thrilled my boys both found wonderful women in their lives.”

“Your comment about me being with the person I deserve.”

He hadn’t talked about any ex with Daphne. They hadn’t had much of those conversations.

He knew she hadn’t dated much and she never asked about his past.

She was aware that he’d been with women who didn’t like what he did for a living or wanted him to be someone he wasn’t. But she didn’t ask specifics.

He didn’t volunteer them either.

Not that there were a lot.

Just Ella that was serious.

Until it wasn’t.

“That was a general comment,” his mother said, waving her hand. “She could have taken it as a joke between Laurel thinking Easton was Abe too. Remember I said you both ended up with who you should.”

“I guess,” he said.

“You’re reading way more into this than you need to,” his mother said.

“I don’t know about that.”

“Does she know about Ella?” his mother asked.

“Not her name. Just that I’ve had exes in the past and things didn’t work out.”

His mother shook her head. “You should tell her about Ella. At least some of it. It’s not a big deal.”

“If it’s not a big deal then why should I tell her?”

His mother crossed her arms. “Abe. Don’t be a coward. It’s a small town and you’ve run into Ella twice. She lives around here and knows people. People knew you were together. You were on and off again a few times. Don’t you think she’d rather hear it from you than someone else? She’ll get the facts this way.”

His head went back and forth.

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