Dating, Dining, and Desperation (A Dear Daphne Novel)

by Carlson, Melody

  “But what if it won’t all fit?”

  “We’ll put away what you need and want—as long as it fits—then we’ll put the rest of it back in the box and store it in the garage until you decide what you want to do with it.”

  “What a fabulous plan.” Sabrina beamed at her. “I’ll get another kitchen box too.”

  “No. Let’s do one at a time to start with, see how that goes.”

  They managed to unload four boxes and were just getting a momentum going when Tootsie started wildly barking. “That must be the door,” Sabrina said. “Excuse me.”

  Daphne continued unpacking, eager to keep them moving forward. Sabrina had been right about having too much stuff, but it was interesting to see what was in each box. It was clear that Sabrina and Edward must’ve been extremely well off. However, it was just as clear that most of the items winding up in the garage were not essential.

  “I’m back. That was the fence boys at the door. Mick sent them over. He suggested we put a temporary wire fence in place until he works up a landscaping plan for my whole backyard.”

  “As long as it keeps Tootsie out of Wally’s yard and off the streets, it will be a great improvement.” Daphne held up what had to be the fifth wine decanter set. “How many of these do you have anyway?”

  “Oh my, I don’t know. But that one came from Italy. I’d like to keep it.”

  “You must’ve had a large kitchen.” Daphne set the decanter on the counter.

  “I suppose this kitchen as well as the living room would all fit into my kitchen back in Atlanta. Our house was more than twelve thousand square feet.”

  “You’re kidding? Who needs that much space?”

  “Edward did.” She sighed. “To be perfectly honest, I didn’t mind it too much either. It gave me plenty of places to get away from him.” She looked around the average-sized kitchen. “Goodness knows what I’d do if I had to live with that man in a house this small.”

  They took a lunch break at one, sharing a can of soup, crackers, and cheese out in the backyard where a couple of young men were running wire around some temporary metal fence posts. Daphne didn’t want to complain, but this transparent fence would do little to reassure Wally. But perhaps she could communicate the grander plan to him.

  “Good day, ladies!” Mick entered the backyard, tipping his straw cowboy hat to them. “Didn’t mean to interrupt. But I thought I’d drop by to check on the progress as well as take some measurements for your garden, Sabrina.”

  Hopping to her feet, Sabrina went over to greet him, effusively thanking him for coming to her rescue by sending his team over. “I just hate making enemies of my neighbors before I’ve even finished my unpacking.” She nodded over to where Daphne was still sitting in the shade. “And look who came over to help me out.”

  “Oh, hi, Daph. Didn’t mean to ignore you. How ya doing?”

  “I’m fine, thanks.” Again she felt slightly dismissed. However, since this was Sabrina’s house and her fence project, it seemed expected.

  “Will you excuse me?” Sabrina told Daphne. “I’d like to walk through the yard with Mick . . . to see what he’s got in mind for me.”

  “Not at all.” Daphne stood. “I can keep unpacking the last of those kitchen boxes if you like.”

  “That’d be wonderful. You seem to know what I want and need in there almost better than I do anyway. Thank you so much!”

  As Daphne continued unwrapping items and placing them in cabinets, she caught glimpses of Sabrina and Mick walking around the yard. Sabrina was chatting and laughing as usual, but Mick was giving her what seemed like his undivided attention. In fact, unless Daphne was mistaken, he was almost mesmerized by the petite Southern belle.

  As Daphne carried the last of the kitchen boxes to the garage, she realized that to a man, Sabrina probably was truly mesmerizing. Pretty and old-fashioned and sometimes painfully polite—she could be many a man’s dream for the perfect woman.

  Daphne set the box down on the stack of others with a dull thud. She supposed there were a few things she could learn from Sabrina, but she had to draw the line too. There was no way Daphne was going to start cooing and catering to any man the way Sabrina seemed to be doing to Mick right now. That might work for a sweet Southern belle, but it would not work for Daphne, primarily because she refused to do it.

  Still, she told herself as she walked back to her house later in the day, it wouldn’t kill her to soften up a little. After all it was possible that her years of working for a hard-nosed newspaper editor and living in New York had toughened her up a little too much. She remembered some of the arguments she’d had with Jake. To be fair, she had argued with him right from the get-go.

  To start with, she had questioned Aunt Dee’s will. Then she had actually questioned Jake’s legal expertise. Even their last conversation had turned into a test of wills. Although, in her own way, she was trying to show him that she needed him. However, it was possible he was fed up with her. Besides that, he was getting ready to go on vacation with his ex. And why was she even thinking about this?

  She slammed the door to her house, then marched upstairs to take a shower. It was a waste of time to pine for Jake. Clearly he didn’t have that kind of interest in her. And really it wasn’t as if she was in love with him. She had simply grown attracted to what had suddenly gone out of reach. Like forbidden fruit. It was perfectly understandable that she’d fallen for it. And thanks to Sabrina, she’d been doing a pretty good job of distracting herself from thinking about him for most of this week. So why was she giving in now? Appleton might be a small pond, but Jake McPheeters was not the only fish in it.

  Chapter 7

  Okay, this isn’t exactly a blind date,” Sabrina said as she got into Daphne’s car.

  “What?” Daphne turned to stare at her.

  “You see, Mick was being so helpful today, dropping everything to come and help with my yard, well, I just couldn’t help but invite him to dinner too. And if my house was in order, I would have invited you both to dine at my house, which really wouldn’t seem like a date, but, well, you know how that is at the moment.”

  “I still don’t understand the bit about the blind date,” Daphne slowly put the key into the ignition. “I already know Mick. How could he be a blind date?”

  “Because he’s bringing a friend. An Aussie fellow. His name is Collin and he and Mick have been best mates—that’s what Mick calls him—their whole lives. Apparently Collin went through a bad breakup last year, and he came out to visit Mick to sort of clear his head.”

  “Oh, I hadn’t heard about Collin.”

  “Anyway, so we’re clear, just because Mick is bringing Collin does not make this a blind date. Or even a double date. It’s just four people going out for dinner together.” Sabrina giggled nervously. “Okay?”

  Daphne started the engine. “Sure, if you say so.”

  Sabrina let out a sigh. “Oh, good.”

  They met the guys at The Zeppelin, and just like Sabrina had described, it did not feel like a date. It was just four people dining together and sharing a few laughs. Daphne had chosen to wear one of the new outfits—a lime green off-the-shoulder shirt paired with a flounced print skirt that showed off her legs. She’d even put on the beaded earrings and necklace Sabrina had insisted were perfection. This bright ensemble, combined with some sassy-looking Nine West sandals, made Daphne feel happy and carefree and young. She was surprised that mere clothing could make her feel this good. Or maybe it was just the company she was keeping.

  Collin, not unlike Mick, was easy on the eyes. His dark curly hair and earnest-looking hazel eyes, combined with his easy smile, drew her right in. Add to that his Aussie accent and goofy sense of humor and Daphne was enjoying his company. Both Mick and Collin seemed to be on top of their game this evening, sharing some hilarious stories from their youth Down Under. Other diners glanced
their way when laughter erupted. Their table was clearly one of the happiest in the restaurant.

  “You Aussies are such fun,” Sabrina said happily. “I can’t remember when I’ve had a better time at dinner.”

  “I agree.” Daphne nodded. “Hopefully, we’re not disturbing the other diners.” Some of the faces were familiar and judging by their expressions, she suspected they might be writing their own scripts for the merry foursome. But Appleton was a small town. It was only normal that people would be interested. Sometimes to a fault.

  However, when Daphne noticed Olivia coming over to their table with her husband in tow, she felt a bit uneasy. That was because of Olivia’s expression. Olivia’s brow creased as if she was confused, but she and Jeff simply said a curious hello. Hoping she was imagining things with Olivia, Daphne introduced the couple to Collin and Sabrina. But before they left the table, Olivia gave Daphne one last questioning look, almost as if she didn’t approve. And for some reason Daphne knew that the next time she saw Olivia, just like Ricky used to tell Lucy, Daphne would have some “’splaining to do.”

  “Collin’s return flight is booked for Monday,” Mick told them as they were finishing up their desserts and coffee. “But I’m not ready to see him go yet.”

  “I’ve been in the States a whole fortnight. Time to get back to the old grindstone.”

  “That’s too bad,” Sabrina said. “I feel like I’ve just barely gotten to know you too. I hate to see you leave.”

  “Mick’s been encouraging me to stick around awhile longer,” Collin told her.

  “That’s right,” Mick said. “I’m lobbying for him to stay put awhile. Hoping he’ll find out it’s not such a bad place to hang your hat.”

  “I reckon I could get my flight to Sydney changed.” Collin seemed to study Daphne as he rubbed his chin. “There’s a lot of the States I haven’t seen yet, and I’ve been considering taking a full year sabbatical for ages. You know, see the world. And I doubt the investment brokerage would miss me much—some of my work mates are probably thrilled I’m gone now.” He chuckled. “Less competition.”

  “Right-o, mate.” Mick slapped his shoulder. “Stick around awhile. And who knows? You might decide you like it here.” He winked at Daphne. “You sure can’t complain about the sheilas.”

  “No complaints from me.” Collin grinned at Daphne. “I don’t know why Mick was keeping you girls from me.”

  “Because I knew you’d try to steal them away?” Mick teased.

  “This bloke still hasn’t gotten over our time at uni,” Collin confided to Daphne. “He’s still certain I stole his sheila.”

  “Aw, that’s not true. Even if you had stolen her, you would’ve been doing me a favor, mate.” Mick told another funny story about their college days.

  Finally, the check came and Sabrina, who had already told them she was treating, insisted on taking it. “Don’t think of this as being on me,” she said as she filled in a generous tip. “Think of it as being on my ex!”

  They all laughed, making some additional “ex” jokes as well. Sabrina had told them enough about Edward to garner their sympathy as well as provide a few chuckles.

  They prepared to part ways as they waited for the parking valet. “If I end up going back Down Under next week, do not take it personally,” Collin told Sabrina and Daphne. “I would’ve enjoyed getting better acquainted with both of you.” But as he said this, Daphne could feel his gaze fixed on her, sending a pleasant rush through her.

  “Well, I hope you figure out what’s best for you,” Daphne told him.

  “I’ll see what I can do to persuade him,” Mick promised as his Jeep rolled up. “See you ladies later.”

  They waved. Then while waiting for Daphne’s car to show up, Olivia and Jeff came out of the restaurant. “Daphne,” Olivia said a bit anxiously. “I’m curious as to what’s become of Jake. I haven’t seen him around town lately.”

  “Oh, he’s on vacation. On Lake Tamalik. With the family.”

  Olivia frowned. “The family? You mean with Jenna?”

  “Jenna and Gwen and—”

  “Jake took his ex-wife on vacation?” Olivia’s eyes were wide. “Seriously?”

  “Some of their other relatives are at the lake too. I hear it’s an annual get-together.” Daphne pointed to where her car was coming around the corner. “I’ll fill you in on all the details later.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Olivia nodded. “You bet you will.”

  As Daphne drove them home, Sabrina asked about Olivia. “Why was she acting so curious about this Jake guy? It almost seemed as if she was insinuating something.”

  “Well, Olivia is my good friend and I haven’t spoken to her all week.”

  “Is that because of me. I know I’ve been taking up an awful lot of your time. But I don’t want to come between you and your friends.”

  “No, it’s okay. Olivia works full-time at the florist shop. She owns and manages it.”

  “So what’s the deal with Jake? Who is he?”

  Realizing that Sabrina already knew about some of Aunt Dee’s inheritance conditions, it hardly seemed worth keeping information about Jake from her. “Jake McPheeters is my attorney. Actually he was my aunt’s attorney. The past few months we’d been spending a lot of time together. So much so that I suppose I got the wrong idea about the whole thing.”

  “Did you fall in love with Jake?”

  Daphne shook her head. “Oh no, it hadn’t gotten that far along. But I did feel like we were very close to becoming a couple.”

  “And then he went on vacation with his ex-wife?”

  Daphne sighed. “Yes. And I only found out about it after he left. I was in a bit of a funk for a while.” She smiled at Sabrina. “But you’ve actually helped to pull me out of it. Thanks!”

  “You are more than welcome, honey. You’ve been like a breath of fresh air and sunshine to me since I got here. And wasn’t tonight a hoot?”

  Daphne laughed. “Yes, I think it was a real hoot.”

  Sabrina laughed even louder. “Hearing you say hoot is hilarious. But you give me some time and I’ll get you talking proper Southern yet.”

  “I felt like the foreigner at the table.” Daphne pulled into her driveway. “The Aussies and the Southern belle. I was the only one talking without an accent.”

  “Without an accent?” Sabrina cocked her head to one side. “Don’t kid yourself, honey. You got an accent all right. It’s just that it’s a Yankee one.”

  They both laughed as they got out of the car. Daphne thanked Sabrina for dinner. “Hopefully Collin will extend his vacation and we can do it again sometime.”

  “Oh yes. And if I can get my house in order, I could have all of you over for a nice homemade dinner. I just love to cook.”

  As Daphne went inside the house, she could hear the phone ringing in the kitchen, and thinking it might be her dad since he usually called on the landline, she hurried to get it.

  “So you’re home,” Olivia said triumphantly. “I texted you and even left a message on your cell phone. I figured you might’ve gone out dancing or for more drinks.”

  “More drinks?” Taking her time to fully react, Daphne kicked off the high-heeled sandals that had started to pinch her toes about an hour ago. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Well, I’m not passing judgment, Daphne. But I just never thought of you as a party girl.”

  “A party girl?”

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean it to sound like that. But I couldn’t help but notice the beer was flowing freely at your table.”

  “Mick and Collin had a couple of beers,” she admitted with irritation. “Does that make me a party girl?”

  “I’m sorry, Daph, but as your friend I felt—”

  “So . . . Olivia, how are you?” Daphne would give Olivia one last chance to redeem herself.

/>   “Never mind about me. What was going on with you and those guys tonight?”

  “We were having dinner, Olivia. Just like you and Jeff.”

  “But it just seemed all wrong.”

  “All wrong?” Daphne went to the living room.

  “Sorry, but that group just didn’t look like your kind of people.”

  “My kind of people?” Daphne flopped down onto the sectional.

  “Oh, I don’t mean to sound snooty. That’s not it at all. I mean I like Mick just fine. And his friend seems okay. And your new neighbor, well, she’s sure a chatterbox, but she’s probably nice.”

  “Uh-huh, then what’s your problem with them?”

  “It’s just that you seemed out of place with them. That’s all.”

  “I was actually having a really great time. They’re all such fun. And Collin is a really nice guy.”

  “But what about Jake, Daphne?”

  “What about him?” She watched the cats stealthily approaching her, and before long Lucy settled into her lap and Ethel snuggled up next to her.

  “I thought he was the one.”

  “Well, you were obviously wrong.” Daphne felt herself relaxing as she petted the cats.

  “But I thought you had feelings for him.”

  “Yes, that’s true . . . I did.” Daphne slowly admitted. “But I’ve always been a little concerned. That he might not have finished with his marriage yet.”

  “But he said he was finished. And Gwen was dating Frank Danson. In fact, as far as I know they’re still a couple. Or they were.”

  “Maybe Frank hasn’t heard about Lake Tamalik yet.” Daphne forced a smile.

  “Oh, Daphne, I’m so sorry. I know you really liked Jake.”

  Daphne sighed. “Yeah . . . I did.”

  “Why didn’t you call me and let me know what was going on?”

  “I had intended to. But Sabrina moved in and she’s so, well, sort of needy right now. She’s taken up a lot of my time this week. To be honest, it’s been kind of a relief. She’s a good distraction. I haven’t had much of a chance to feel too bad about Jake.”