Page 103 of Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date

After setting his phone aside, Calvin stared at the dark screen for a beat, wondering why this felt like such a momentous occasion. It was one dinner. Nothing special. His mother had said it herself.

But it was the first time he’d accepted one of her olive branches without hesitation, and Calvin found himself relieved for it. Hewantedto go to his mother’s house and see if they could turn over a new leaf together. He wanted to see if these new roots were worth digging in deeper, if this was a place he wanted to call home again.

He could run for sheriff, and he knew he’d probably win. Live in his house. Get to know the people on the island through his work. Have a purpose.

It sounded good—and it made him sad.

Because he could live and work and serve on this island until he died, and it would never feel as good as those moments snuggled under a blanket with Daphne’s legs on his lap. A birthday cake in the staff kitchen warmed his heart, but it didn’t light him up the way Daphne’s smile did.

He missed her. She’d made him ache for something he hadn’t even known existed. The type of companionship that felt effortless, as if being with her had been the natural way of things.

He could try to mend the relationship with his mother. He could build a relationship with his sister. He could be the best sheriff Fernley had ever seen.

But he couldn’t have his heart broken.

Calvin couldn’t put himself at risk of being neglected again, not when being with Daphne had felt like carving his own heart out and handing it over on a platter.

Then again, hadn’t he been quick to point out whenever Daphne was playing it safe? When she was making her life smaller than it should’ve been because she was afraid of taking a chance?

She’d hurt him, and it was a struggle to let go of the ache. All these years, he’d lugged his pain around like a useless extra limb. Why? Ifhe could have dinner with his mother, why couldn’t he reach out to Daphne?

The dark phone screen drew his gaze. His fingers twitched. His pulse pounded.

Maybe . . .

What if shedidn’tleave Fernley Island? What if Calvin could convince her to stay?

Then Teri poked her head through the doorway and asked him about the case, and he told himself he’d think about Daphne later, when he had time to make sense of his emotions.

At six thirty, Calvin reached for the doorbell beside his mother’s front door. Before his finger could make contact, the entrance flew open and Ceecee launched herself across the threshold.

“Happy birthday!” she yelled, her voice muffled in Calvin’s stomach.

He laughed and hugged her back. “Thanks, kid.”

“Mom is so excited you’re here, but don’t tell her I said that.”

Calvin’s lips curled, and he looked up to see his mother shooting Ceecee a sardonic smile. She pretended to roll her eyes, then gave him a genuine smile. “I am happy you decided to come,” she said. “Happy birthday, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“We put up decorations,” Ceecee told him, sliding her hand into his. “Come see! I blew up so many balloons my head got all woozy and my dad had to tell me to sit down.”

Laughing, Calvin let himself be towed deeper into the home. Twisted garlands had been strung up in the living room, where the vow renewal dance had occurred, with a banner wishing him a happy birthday tacked to the wall. Balloons were taped to the wall and left loose on the ground, and Ceecee ran at a clump of them to kick them into the air. Her laughter made Calvin smile.

“Can I get you a drink?”

Turning to meet his mother’s gaze, Calvin nodded. “You got soda water? If not, regular water’s fine.”

“Sure,” she said, and ducked into the kitchen.

A moment later, her husband appeared and gave him a strong handshake. “Glad to see you, Calvin,” Archie Sr. said. “Eileen couldn’t stop smiling all afternoon.”

Calvin’s heart gave a twist. He’d been so closed off with his mother, harsh and angry. What was the point? Their past wasn’t magically going to disappear just because they’d both grown up, but theyhadboth grown up. Couldn’t this be the start of a new relationship between them?

“I wanted to thank you for how you’ve handled things with my son,” Archie Sr. said as he watched Ceecee rub a balloon on her head to make her hair a staticky mess. He glanced at Calvin and gave him a sad smile. “If I’d known what he was up to, I would’ve stopped him years ago. But I appreciate you being thorough and as discreet as you can on this island. I know you’re probably sick of telling people you can’t comment on an ongoing investigation, but I wanted to tell you how much it means to me.”

“It’ll all come out at some point,” Calvin said. “Once the legal eagles take over, there’ll be a lot more information for people to dissect.”

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