Page 102 of Sunshine
“Really? And why would you think that?”
I flap my hand at her like the answer is obvious. “You’re smart and worldly and poised and…Lookat you.”
Annalise laughs from her throat. “I’m not your competition, Poppy. And I would never force my way into Dylan and Isobel’s lives. Not when somewhere out there is a woman more worthy of them than me.”
The look she gives me makes me shift in my seat. Could she really believe that woman is me?
“So. Help me get to know the woman who wants to raise my daughter,” she says. “Did you always want to be a nanny?”
I try to give her the story I tell everyone, even myself, about the reasons I’m a nanny, but my lips won’t cooperate.
“No,” I tell her honestly. “I wanted to be a business owner. And a cosmetologist.”
“Oh? So why aren’t you?”
I throw back my first gulp of wine and tell her the truth.
“I wasn’t a very good student, and my childhood was possibly the very opposite of yours. I chose people and chaos over books and order every time. I’ve come to realize that I probably have learning difficulties that require support and adjustments. But at the time, everyone—including me—assumed I wasn’t very bright.”
“Do you still believe that?”
“I—” The answer sticks in my throat because I can’t remember the last time I gave the question any thought. It’s something I shy away from, even in my own head, but something about Annalise’s gaze pins me down and forces me to admit what I really think about myself.
“No,” I say. “I don’t. I think I could do it.”
“It’s never too late, you know.”
“That’s what Dylan says, but…”
“But… What?”
“It’ll be difficult. I tend to run away from things that are difficult.”
Annalise narrows her eyes over her glass. “I’d like to think that the woman who wants to be a role model and mother figure to my daughter is made of tougher stuff than that.”
I laugh to myself. A single huff that goes no further than my throat. “I am. I just wish I didn’t have to be.”
“Life is challenging,” Annalise agrees. “This relationship with Dylan… He explained your relationship wasn’t public yet. Another one of those challenges?”
“Daisy,” I confirm. “We don’t know how she’s going to react. She’s so protective of Dylan and Izzy, and we’ve been best friends all our lives, but I’m afraid she’s going to think I’m not good enough for her family and that I’ve betrayed her by falling for her brother.”
“And lying about it?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not in a position to comment on Daisy—she’s never been a fan of mine—but I’d like to think that someone who knows you and loves you as well as she does would welcome you into her family. You say Daisy is like a sister to you?”
All I can do is nod. My throat is sharp with guilt and regret and wishes that I’d handled this whole situation better. Smarter. Annalise is right. Daisy loves me. If I’d just been honest with her from the start…
“Then tell me, Poppy,” Annalise says. “If Daisy opposes your relationship with Dylan, is there a good reason why I should support it?”
“Because I love him,” I say without hesitation. “He’s the kind of man all men should be. Solid and smart and sensual. Responsible and funny. And watching him with Izzy is like watching magic happen. He’s the most incredible father—patient and protective and dependable. Unconditional and so, so kind. And he believes in me in a way nobody ever has. All those things I’ve never been brave enough to try feel within reach now that I’ve got Dylan. I can go back to college and build my own business. I can be his wife. Be a mother.”
I set down my wine and lean closer to the woman across from me. I need her to hear what I’m saying—not just the words but how deeply and desperately I mean them.
“Dylan is my person, Annalise. I’ve known since I was twelve years old that there’ll never be another man for me.”
The sharp crack of a twig underfoot sounds from the darkness clinging to the cabin. My head jerks up just as a slender shadow detaches from the blackness, and my heart thuds hard against my ribs as the shape steps into the light.
