Page 86 of Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date

Now she was hooking up with a man who would drop her as soon as he got bored of her. She was once again out of work with few prospects, and about to put her reputation at risk—for what? What was the point of all this?

Grandma Mabel’s hand slid over Daphne’s forearm, drawing Daphne’s gaze. Mabel’s eyes softened as their eyes met, her warm fingers squeezing Daphne’s wrist. “I’m so proud of you,” Grandma Mabel said softly. “I’d lost hope of ever getting that pot back, and if it weren’t for you, that piece of my history would be gone forever.”

Just like that, Daphne’s uncertainty vanished. She’d go through with this plan, no matter what it meant for her relationship with Calvin. Her throat constricted, and she cast another quick glance toward Calvin, who had disappeared from view.

Whatever happened between the two of them didn’t really matter in the end. Daphne would always be the diligent worker bee, the one who read the terms and conditions, who had a color-coded schedule. She would always be the opposite of spontaneous.

A man like Calvin Flint would forever be out of reach. He’d end up with someone like Jenna Deacon, because he’d soon realize that all this chaos and excitement whirling around Daphne wasn’t the normal state of affairs. When the dust settled, he’d see that she really was theboring good girl everyone thought her to be. He’d realize that he wanted excitement and spontaneity, just like Pete.

He hadn’t made any promises, and neither had she. Maybe it was better to treat this as a temporary tryst.

Daphne would be left to fend for herself, with her to-do lists and retirement forecasts. She knew that, in the end, that was the only possibility available to her. No man would truly want boring old Daphne Davis once he realized that passion didn’t last forever.

But just this once—thisone time—Daphne could be something more. She could do it for her grandmother. She could do it for her sister.

She could do it for herself.

Nodding at her grandmother, she turned to Ellie. “If anything starts looking hairy, you get these guys out of there,” she said.

“I promise,” Ellie said with a solemn nod. Then she reached out through the open window and squeezed Daphne’s hand. “I didn’t know you had it in you, Daphne. I have to say, it’s pretty awesome to see this side of you.”

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Daphne replied, then squared her shoulders and marched back to the house.

Calvin was waiting on the couch. He slipped his phone into his pocket when she walked in, his brows arching. “Everything okay?”

“That depends on your definition of ‘okay,’” Daphne quipped, then let her lips curl into a smile. “You ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” His gaze dropped to Daphne’s legs, then to her feet. “You going barefoot?”

Daphne glanced down. A few blades of grass clung to her toes, and her skin had gone pink from the chill outside. She hadn’t even realized she’d gone out without shoes on. “No,” she said. “Of course not.”

Calvin exhaled as he stood, his hands sliding over Daphne’s arms as uncertainty clouded his gaze. “Are you sure you’re okay, Daphne? You look like you’re about to go to war.”

Lips twisting, Daphne let her gaze slide away from his. “Maybe I am.”

Calvin’s warm chuckle settled into Daphne’s bones and made her wish for things that would never belong to her. She trembled as he curled his finger under her chin, his lips brushing hers in a tender kiss. When he pulled away, his eyes were intent, like he was trying to read something in her expression, or trying to tell her something with his.

“I’ve got some fresh mint-chip ice cream in the freezer for tonight,” he said softly. “Once this event is over, we’ll come back here and eat the whole thing. Just you, me, a couple spoons, and that couch.”

It was ridiculous to want to cry at those words. Patently absurd. But Daphne felt like Flint was dangling something in front of her that could never truly belong to her. Her perfect date night was a comfy couch, a warm blanket, and a pint of mint chip. Her perfect man was someone who was happy to be right there with her.

And she knew that once the shine wore off, once they were no longer sneaking around, pretending and not pretending, once Flint realized that Daphne really was as dull as everyone said, Daphne would have to take all these moments and tell herself they’d meant nothing.

The problem was, to her, they meant a whole lot more.

Chapter 34

The house glowed with a thousand twinkling bulbs. Fairy lights lined the steps leading to the front door and shone like beacons on the A-frame roof. Through the big front windows, Daphne could see guests milling as they drank and laughed.

She jumped when Calvin’s hand landed on her thigh.

Brows arched, he stroked the crinkling fabric of her dress. “You’re on edge.”

“I’m fine.”

“We’ll stay long enough to make it through the ceremony, and then we can leave. If anyone bothers you, including my mother, I’ll talk to them. I know last time we were here wasn’t the most pleasant time for you.”

His kindness made Daphne’s heart ache. She swallowed back her protests and forced a smile. “I’ll be fine, Flint,” she said. “I’m tough.”

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