Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Daphne shook her head because that was a ridiculous thought. Like she would even think about hitting on someone so out of her league. She didn’t hit on anyone, much less a gorgeous god of a man with the sweetest damn smile she’d ever seen.
She stepped inside and let the door close between them.
And locked it.
She did not live in a world of sweet, gorgeous men who were thoughtful and kind. It was good to know there was at least one of them out there.
But he wasn’t for her.
Chapter Two
“Are you sure you can’t at least give me one week, Becky?” Daphne paced across her balcony, the air slightly crisp around her. Soon it would be too cold to be on her balcony in her pajamas after dark. She would have to find another place where Lou couldn’t overhear her.
“I’m sorry.” Becky’s voice was grating over the line. “I got a better gig, and it starts tomorrow. I know it sucks, but you should pay better. Bye.”
Daphne’s heart dropped to her knees. What the hell was she going to do?
Her cell trilled again, and she glanced down at the name.
Then her heart dropped all the way to the floor because it was her mother-in-law. The last thing she needed was to deal with her mother-in-law today. She’d had a reasonably decent dinner with Lou. The food had been fabulous. That man knew how to cook. The reasonably decent part had been the logical conversation she’d had with her daughter, who had argued and won her over to the idea of not using Mrs. Callahan as a babysitter any longer. But she couldn’t stay alone. It was over a mile to the private school she attended. She couldn’t walk alone, and Daphne couldn’t pick her up and take her back to the bakery every day.
Amelia Carlton could, of course, but her mother-in-law’s help would come at a price. Usually a steep one.
She wished she could ignore that call, but that would come with a price, too. She slid her finger along the display to answer the call. “Hello, Amelia. How are you tonight?”
“I’m a bit worried.” Her mother-in-law never did small talk. She got right to whatever point she needed to make. “I was talking to one of the other mothers at Hanover, and they were saying there’s a trip to Austin coming up and they’re short on chaperones. I don’t believe Louisa should be allowed to go if one of us doesn’t chaperone her. I understand that she wants to visit places with her classmates, but she’s two years younger than they are. She requires her own guardian to ensure her safety. Are you able to go with her?”
A weariness came over Daphne. This was her whole life. She worked. She took care of Lou. She justified her existence and choices to her in-laws so they would keep paying for Lou’s private school.
One day she would be free. She would be old and tired and free from her mother-in-law’s constant interference.
“I’m looking into it. We’ve put down a deposit for the trip, but if I can’t go with her, I’ll think about pulling her out.”
“Well, you should know that I stand ready to do the job. I know you have a lot of work to do,” Amelia replied in that brusque way of hers. “I would hate for Louisa to miss an excellent chance to learn. It must be difficult to run a shop and take proper care of a child. I worry about Louisa’s after-school activities. When can we sit down and discuss the situation? According to the teachers, she’s not participating in any after-school clubs. I know the school year has only begun recently, but this should have been decided weeks ago.”
“She’s twelve,” Daphne pointed out. She had to do that a lot with her in-laws. “She needs some unstructured time.” Was she getting that with Mrs. Callahan? Shouldn’t she get to relax from time to time? “And she is on the quiz team and mathletes.”
“Those aren’t social clubs. They are competitive teams, and while that is important and will look excellent on her résumé, I wonder if she shouldn’t be doing something to help her be…less awkward,” Amelia said. “She is a Carlton, after all, and she’ll need to be presented at some point.”
“I don’t know that she’s going to want to do the whole debutante thing.” This was a subject that got harder and harder to talk about.
“We had a deal, Daphne.” There was an unmistakable edge to Amelia’s voice. “Are you planning to break it?”
“We made that deal when she was five.” It had been the year Dennis had died. She would have promised anything to have survived that first year. “I don’t know that Lou is going to be suited for that kind of a social life.”