Page 5 of Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date

Chapter 2

“Did you know Calvin Flint is the acting sheriff now?” Daphne asked as she placed empty drink containers in the recycling bin in the corner of her parents’ living room by the side door.

Ellie glanced up from where she was scrubbing a stain out of the rug. “Flint? Really? When did that happen?”

“Two days ago,” their mother, Helen, said as she came in with a new trash bag, ready to pick up more of the remnants of last night’s party. “It was just announced in Friday’s paper. And don’t think we’ve forgiven you about sneaking away last night, Daphne.”

“If you can tell me what time I left, plus or minus one hour, I’ll admit that I was wrong,” Daphne replied.

When Helen just let out a dramatic sigh and bent over to pick up a crumpled napkin, Daphne shot a wry grin at her sister to hide her disappointment. She’d known no one would notice her leaving. Why did it still hurt to know it was true?

They’d all gathered to help their parents with the cleanup, since the revelry had gone on late into the night. Daphne had missed the part where Lionel, the old, grouchy, antisocial boat mechanic, had been coaxed into dancing with Faye, Hugh’s mother, and had accidentally tripped and knocked over a lamp before crashing through a side table. The table was still there, flattened into kindling, evidence of all the merrymaking Daphne had thankfully avoided.

She really had to shake this mood. She was too young to be this bitter.

“Since when is Calvin Flint on the force?” Daphne asked, the bottles in the recycling clinking as she added another one to their number. “Last time I saw him, he was pleading his case to not get kicked out of Fernley High for the second time.”

“He was serving over in San Juan County on one of the smaller islands and got the tap on the shoulder since he grew up local,” Helen said. “They wanted to bring someone in from outside the force after everything that happened last year.”

Daphne glanced at Ellie, who cringed. “Whoops,” the younger woman said.

Daphne grinned. “Who knew you’d be exposing all that corruption when you just wanted to avenge a few sheep?”

Ellie laughed. “It all sort of snowballed.”

“And now you’re engaged.”

Ellie’s smile softened as she glanced down at her ring. “Yeah. Now I’m engaged.”

Right on cue, the side door opened and Hugh stepped through. Tall, dark haired, and handsome, he filled the doorway and brought in a gust of fresh air while Ellie’s dog, Louie, darted in around his legs. Gaze softening as he looked at Ellie, Hugh kicked off his shoes and crossed the space to wrap her in his arms.

Daphne busied herself with scratching Louie behind the ears while the two of them kissed and spoke in quiet, private voices. She heard Hugh murmur something about Valentine’s Day and realized it was today. A wave of melancholy washed over Daphne as she stole another glance at the happy couple.

In the light of day, Daphne was even more ashamed of her feelings. She loved Ellie. She loved her parents and her grandmother. They were good, honest people who lived their lives with integrity. Sure, they expected a lot from her—more than they’d ever expected from Ellie. Wasn’t that a good thing? She could rise to their expectations. Shehadrisen to their expectations her whole life, barring a few notable recent exceptions.

So what if Daphne felt like a square peg in a family of round holes? She was still a Davis. She still belonged here in some capacity. Maybe she just had to figure out exactly how.

“Ladies,” her father announced, sweeping into the living room. He spotted Hugh and added, “And gent. Breakfast is ready. The bread has cooled and is ready to slice.” He presented them with a perfectly round boule of bread like he was a sommelier at a fancy restaurant displaying a thousand-dollar bottle of wine, complete with perfectly folded white towel over his forearm. “Would anyone like a taste?”

“You’re such a dork, Dad,” Ellie said, pulling away from Hugh’s embrace.

“One slice for Ellie,” he said, nodding. “Daphne? Hugh? Helen? And where’s your mother, honey?”

“She’ll be out in a minute,” Helen said, planting a kiss on her husband’s cheek before heading into the kitchen in front of him. “Who wants eggs?”

“I’ll have some,” Daphne said, joining the family at the oval dining table shoved into the cramped kitchen. She sat against the wall on one of the long sides while her mother put a cup of fresh coffee in front of her. “Thanks.”

Her dad gave her the heel of the bread, generously buttered—the best part—with a wink and a smile. “For our favorite new arrival.” He was looking a little worse for wear after the party, but Claude Davis was a man who smiled through his pain.

“Coffee,” Grandma Mabel groaned from the hallway a moment before she appeared. She was made up and dressed, but she shuffled like her legs were made of lead. “I’m too old for parties like that.”

“Didn’t seem too old when you were tearing up the dance floor last night,” Helen said, a smile tugging at her lips. “I did try to warn you, Mom.”

“Quiet, you. Didn’t I raise you not to talk back to me?”

Ellie snorted, and Grandma Mabel pinched her arm on the way by. She slid in next to Daphne at the table, resting her cheek against Daphne’s shoulder for a moment. “You’ve always been the sensible one,” Grandma Mabel lamented. “I should have followed your lead and gone to bed before things turned messy.”

“Except Daphne’s the one who got the police escort home,” Ellie noted, eyes sparkling above her mug.

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