Page 70 of Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date

When Calvin finally spoke, his voice was quiet. “I’m sorry, Daphne. I shouldn’t have copied off your paper. I’d studied, you know. I’m sure I could have passed on my own, but I was a bitter little shit who didn’t care who I hurt. You didn’t deserve to be taken down to the gutter with me.”

All at once, Daphne saw him clearly. His strength. His spirit. His independence. It took bravery and humility to admit that he was wrong, and he did it without hesitation. Nineteen years later, he wanted to make sure that she knew he’d taken responsibility for his mistakes. He didn’t just brush it under the rug. He owned up to it, even if it had only been a high school math test.

There was so much about this man that she admired. So much she wanted to discover. Not only that, but Daphne wanted to burrow into his heart and heal all the hurts that life had dealt him. She wanted to be the one he knew he could rely on when there was no one else.

For the first time since she’d broken up with her ex, Daphne wanted a man, and it wasn’t only physical. She wanted to mean something to him. Wanted him to mean something to her.

And she was terrified.

Chapter 24

It had never felt this natural for Calvin to have someone in his space. His home had always been his sanctuary. He relied on the solitude and serenity of it to center himself every day. In a world that had showed him no one cared, home was the one place he could unwind the tension in his shoulders and justbe.

But now Daphne was here, and he wondered if he’d been missing something all along. He’d found his way through his adult life mostly on his own, thinking it was the best way to keep his head on straight. After all, other people couldn’t be relied on. His family had left him, either through death or neglect. His friends had been as troubled as he was. The only person who had cared had been his manager at the warehouse, and even with him, Calvin knew he’d overstayed his welcome after a few months.

It had never been more comfortable to be with someone than it would’ve been to be alone. Until now. Until he had the weight of Daphne’s legs over his lap and the light of her smile shining on his face. His chest was tight as his thumb stroked the inside of her knee, a soft, insistent yearning growing in the pit of his stomach.

He wanted endless evenings like this. A lifetime of quiet moments, of jokes that would hardly make sense to anyone else. He wanted teasing and soft touches. He wanted to know that someone out there thought of him when no one else did.

The wanting took Calvin by surprise. It was so much deeper than sex. So much more than just companionship. He wanted something that he hadn’t realized existed until now. It was like finding a portal to another world hidden in a house he’d lived in his entire life.

In Daphne’s eyes, he saw an emotion he couldn’t name. It looked like fear and longing and need all wrapped into one. Gulping thickly, he moved his hand an inch higher on her thigh, the denim of her jeans rasping against his palm.

“I should go to bed.” Her whisper seemed to echo all around him, sounding louder than it should have.

Calvin froze, his hand still resting on Daphne’s thigh an inch above her knee. “Of course,” he said, but his voice sounded tight.

“I—I’m sorry—”

“Stop, Daphne,” he interrupted gently. “Don’t apologize.”

Her teeth sank into her bottom lip, chin jerking down. “I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Yeah,” he said, and helped her to her feet. Once she’d retrieved her crutches, Calvin watched her move down the hall and disappear into her room. He sank back down onto the sofa, but it didn’t feel as comfortable as it had a moment ago.

Maybe he was a fool for thinking he could have more. Hadn’t he learned that in life, he always ended up alone? That he had to fend for himself, because no one would be there for him when it counted?

He was wishing for things that could never belong to him. He’d do best to remember that next time he thought he could make Daphne his.

The next morning, they made it to work without mentioning the kiss in the kitchen, even though Calvin found his gaze flicking to Daphne’s lips whenever he thought she wasn’t watching. No matter what he’d told himself the night before, he still wanted her.

By the time they made it to the station, his nerves felt stretched tight from being in the cab of his truck for the short ten-minute drive, surrounded by her scent and her voice and her presence. He was glad when Shirley told him that Chuck and Iris were fighting about the alpacas again, because it gave him an excuse to leave the building. Hank joined him, since the older man had a knack for calming the feuding neighbors.

As they drove out of Carlisle and toward the alpaca farm, the houses gave way to forest and the road began to wind.

“Nice of you to take Daphne in,” Hank said, his eyes on the road ahead of them.

Calvin nodded, one hand on the steering wheel, the other drumming a beat on the door. “She’s not a very difficult houseguest.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Hank glanced over and smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Then his smile faded, and he gave Calvin a long look. “Nice girl. Good family. Deserves the best, she does.”

“Are you trying to tell me something, Hank?”

“I’m just saying, she’s not the type of girl a man should toy around with.”

Calvin stiffened. The muscles in his neck went hard. “What makes you think I’m toying around with her?”

Hank lifted his palms, his voice still calm when he said, “I’m just making conversation.”

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