Page 64 of Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date

Helen smiled. “Tell us the truth, Calvin. Is the dance at your mother’s vow renewal as over the top as it sounds?”

He snorted, dropping a few ice cubes into a glass before grabbing the jug of cold water from the fridge for Mabel. “It’s worse,” he admitted.

Ellie snorted as she cut thick slices of bread and arranged them on a plate. Glancing at her sister, she said, “I just can’t imagine you getting up in front of a room full of people to do a choreographed dance, Daphne. No offense.”

Daphne rolled her eyes. “It’s not that bad.”

“You’ve always been my quiet, studious daughter,” Helen cut in. “Always keeping to yourself. I think it’s good for you to try new things. Get you out of your shell.”

“As long as she doesn’t get any more injuries,” Mabel said, ambling into the kitchen. She slung an arm around Daphne’s shoulders andsqueezed. “You’re more suited to a library than a stage, but you’ll be all right.”

Daphne’s smile was tight. Calvin watched her force a laugh as she pulled away from her grandmother, and a pang went through his chest. How much of Daphne’s image as the good daughter in the family was her own, and how much of it had been imposed on her?

Heknewthere was more to her than a geeky girl who loved numbers. He knew she had fire in her veins. How could she not, when she’d gotten in the way of Ryan Lane trying to steal a cashbox at the Winter Market, and the pickup truck driver trying to attack her grandmother? Even the way she’d questioned Barela had been proof of her spine.

And then there was the way she acted with him. She was the furthest thing from quiet and studious whenever they were in a room alone together.

A woman who tore her shirt off the way she had a few minutes ago wasn’t the “quiet, studious” one.

“Maybe the rolled ankle is a good thing,” Ellie added, dropping into a chair across from Daphne. “You can use it as an excuse to keep out of the limelight.”

Helen hummed her agreement as she brought bowls to the table. “I just hate to see you hurt, honey,” she said, leaning over to kiss Daphne on the head.

Calvin watched the exchange, noting the tightness in Daphne’s shoulders. She thanked her mother for the food and said, “I should probably just focus on work instead of jumping into the thick of things. That’s more Ellie’s thing.”

“You’ve been all off kilter since you got back on the island,” Helen agreed. “Just look at your face, sweetheart.”

There was a note in her voice that made Calvin’s hackles rise. And when Daphne touched her bruises self-consciously, the pressure inside him became too much.

He’d always thought of Daphne’s family as a tight-knit,Brady Bunchtype of clan. In high school, he’d resented her for it. Her dadhad been a beloved science teacher and her mom the kindhearted school nurse. Every day, he’d see their perfect little family in the hallways. She’d had it all—both parents, good grades, all the support she could ever need—and he’d had nothing. He’d felt bitter about all the advantages she’d been given, even if her family had a reputation for being lovable troublemakers.

She’d been the symbol of everything Calvin had wanted and could never have. He, who’d lost his dad, who’d been neglected by his mother from the time he was old enough to make his own breakfast, who’d had to pay for all his own clothes and food with whatever money he could scrounge, who hadn’t had a single person make him feel like he mattered. He’d seen Daphne, watched her parents drive her home from school, envied the way she had every advantage, and he’d felt the sharp bite of jealousy.

But he’d been wrong.

Just as Calvin had been put in a box marked “Lost Cause,” Daphne had been put in a similar one marked “The Good One.”

Her family cared about her—that much was obvious. But did they really know her?

“Maybe you should stick to accounting once this vow renewal is over and done with,” Mabel said with a laugh.

“Daphne’s more than capable of doing whatever she puts her mind to,” he cut in, voice harsh. The four women at the table looked up at him with wide eyes. He tried to temper his tone, but his chest was hot and he felt outraged on Daphne’s behalf. “She earned those bruises with her bravery,” he added. “The fact that she’s also a talented accountant is something to be celebrated. It doesn’t mean she can’t be both.”

Daphne blinked at him, straightening. Her eyes were wide and full of emotion. She swallowed thickly and gave him a tiny secret smile. Then she picked up her spoon. “Does that mean you expect me to be up there dancing with the rest of them at the vow renewal?”

“I expect you to teach me the steps, because last time I checked, I’m the one who screwed up and caused that whole mess on Sunday.”

Daphne’s smile widened until her whole face was lit with it. It was like the sun finally poking out from behind the clouds after a long, dreary winter. He felt the warmth of it from all the way across the kitchen.

Calvin grabbed his bowl and took the last chair at the table. “Besides, I’m pretty sure you’ve already memorized all the steps. Between you and Ceecee, you can teach me well enough that I won’t smack anyone else in the face.”

Daphne’s laugh was like a balm on his flaring temper. She nodded. “It really wasn’t that complicated,” she teased.

“I wish I could see this dance,” Ellie said. “You think you can sneak a camera into the event?”

For some reason, that made Mabel sit up and take notice. “That’s not a bad idea.”

Daphne groaned. “Grandma. Please.”

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