Dean’s wife, Emery, came out of the kitchen door cradling Aaron in her arms, and Cosmos, Desiree’s scruffy pooch, darted past her, causing Hadley to squeal. Hadley crouched and pushed her hand through the fence. Cosmos licked her fingers, and when Hadley pushed her cheek against the fence, he licked that, too. A glorious smile split her daughter’s pudgy cheeks, and sweet giggles tumbled out. Music to Daphne’s ears.
“How about we go in and see him?” Daphne opened the gate, and Hadley toddled in.
“Morning, girls,” Emery called out as Hadley raced by her chasing Cosmos. Emery taught yoga at the inn. She was about four and a half months pregnant, and she’d just started to show, but she still looked hot in her yoga pants and yellow tank top, with her long light-brown hair pinned up in a ponytail. “Girlfriend, why do you look like you’re ready to kill someone on such a gorgeous morning?”
“Don’t ask,” Daphne said, admiring Aaron. “Good morning, little man. Hadley was so excited to see him, and now look at her, chasing after Cosmos.” If only it was that easy to distract herself from a certain resort resident. Cosmos and Hadley began running around the table, and Daphne said, “Hadley, play with Cosmos away from the table, please.”
Hadley ran toward the fence on the far side of the yard, and Cosmos bounded after her just as the other girls came out of the house with breakfast. Their friendly greetings brought Daphne’s tension down a notch.
“I wish I had that much energy in the mornings,” Desiree said as she set a tray of croissants and fruit on the table. She looked beautiful in a floral nursing top and tan shorts, her blond hair tumbling over her shoulders in loose waves.
Chloe set a tray of bacon and eggs on the table and said, “I have that much energy in the mornings. But Justin and I do our best to use it up.”
The girls laughed.
Chloe was a tall, slender blonde. She was the administrator for an assisted living facility, and she’d recently suffered a frightening sexual harassment situation with her boss. It had been harrowing for her and her fiancé, Justin Wicked, an artist and a member of the Dark Knights motorcycle club. Thankfully, they were past that now, and Daphne was glad her friends’ lives were finally getting back to normal.
“It sounds like you and Justin are on the same page as me and Dean.” Emery nuzzled Aaron and said, “Pregnancy hormones are the best.”
Tegan set a pot of coffee and a carafe of orange juice on the table and said, “There are no pregnancy hormones over here, but I’m still like the Energizer Bunny.”
Daphne was happy for her friends, but now that they were all coupled off, her lack of a love life seemed magnified. As she dished breakfast onto a plate for Hadley and began cutting the fruit for her, she said, “You guys have fun with that while I’m over here buying stock in Energizer batteries. My battery-operated boyfriend has been the only action I’ve gotten since my divorce. After three years of exclusivity, I’d say my BOB and I are pretty much on the marriage track.” She glanced at Hadley, knowing she should call her over to eat, but Hadley listened to everything these days, so she let her play for a few more minutes and filled a plate for herself.
“We’ve all been there,” Emery said.
“Mm-hm,” Chloe said. “Well, not three years, but a long time.”
“Your time will come,” Desiree said, pouring coffee for everyone.
Emery handed Aaron to Desiree and plucked a piece of fruit from the tray. “You’re a smart, gorgeous mama, Daphne. The right man is probably just around the corner.”
Daphne bit into a piece of bacon and said, “Package deals are not exactly the going trend, and I don’t have time to meet a guy, much less date one.”
“What about Everett?” Desiree asked. Everett Adler was a music teacher at the local high school who ran the offices of Bayside Resort on the weekends. “You two have a lot in common. He’s divorced with a little boy, and you both work at Bayside.”
“I forgot he was divorced,” Emery said. “He’s really cute, and his little boy is adorable.”
“Everett is great, but it’s not like that between us. He doesn’t make me all tingly.” The trouble was, nobody made her body tingle like Jock did, which was ridiculous. Besides, when she was around him without Hadley, she usually became too flustered to speak.
“I can’t be the only one who has noticed the way Jock looks at you.” Tegan tore off a piece of a chocolate croissant and popped it into her mouth.
Daphne sipped her juice and said, “Yeah, like a mess of a mom who can’t control her toddler.”
“More like a guy who wants to sink his teeth into your honey bun,” Chloe said with a smirk.
Daphne gave her a deadpan look.
“What? There’s serious sizzle between you two,” Chloe said. “He’s always checking you out.”
There were times like this morning when he was looking at her, but probably not seeing much more than the woman who couldn’t control her little girl. Then there were the rare occasions when their eyes had briefly met across a room and she’d thought that maybe she’d seen a spark of interest. But he’d only done it when Hadley wasn’t with her, and she’d quickly realized he’d probably just been making sure her daughter didn’t pop up. If not for Hadley, he probably wouldn’t ever even notice her. It didn’t matter anyway. She didn’t want a man who didn’t want her daughter. She’d been down that painful route with Hadley’s father.
“If not for his fear of Hadley, I don’t think he’d even notice me.”
“Why not?” Emery asked. “Look at you. You’re curvaceous and beautiful.”
Daphne scoffed and grabbed her belly roll. “This does not create inescapable lust like you guys have with your guys.”
“Oh, please.” Emery waved her hand dismissively. “Dean thinks motherhood is sexy—all phases of it.”
“Dean would say women with three legs were sexy if you had that many, too,” Daphne teased. Her friends’ significant others were madly in love with them, and Daphne wanted that, too. But she needed more. She wanted someone who adored every part of her, including her daughter.
“Remember when we went to help Tegan with her amphitheater a few months ago and Jock was there making breakfast?” Chloe asked. That was when Jett and Tegan had been dating only a few weeks, before Jett had moved back to the Cape to live with her. He’d traveled all the time, and Tegan had missed him terribly. She’d also been trying to get new programs for the amphitheater up and running. Chloe had gathered the troops, and they’d all taken the day off to help Tegan with her work and distract her from missing Jett.
“Of course,” Daphne said. “I’ll never forget our Absentee Boyfriend Damage Control mission.”
“Then you remember that when Jock put a plate of bacon on the table, you said you were going to skip it because it went straight to your hips,” Chloe reminded her.
Tegan’s eyes widened and she said, “I remember that. Jock gave her one of those lusty looks and said with a figure like hers, she shouldn’t worry about it.”
“Because with a body like mine, what’s another pound or two?” Daphne sighed. “Look, I appreciate your support, but I know I’m not every guy’s cup of tea, and that’s okay. I have child-bearing hips, a thick waist, meaty thighs, and my arms jiggle, but I like myself, and I like food too much to want to change. Especially for a man.”
“But that’s what we’re saying,” Chloe exclaimed. “You’re beautiful exactly as you are, and guys definitely check you out. Jock included. He was leering at you the whole time at Gavin and Harper’s wedding. Justin even made a comment about it.”
“Oh, please. The only one Jock lit up for at that wedding was Tara, that blond photographer. Remember the way she hugged him?” Daphne would never forget it, because she’d been a teeny-tiny bit jealous.
“Didn’t she say they were old friends?” Emery asked.
Daphne rolled her eyes. “Like nobody sleeps with their old friends?”
“I think you’re wrong. I haven’t seen Jock look a
t anyone else the way he looks at you,” Chloe insisted. “I think that man knows true goodness when he sees it.”
“We can agree to disagree on that point, but it wouldn’t matter if he did. He got on my last nerve this morning,” Daphne admitted. “Hadley took off running toward him, like she always does, and he froze. You guys know how he is with her—and don’t try to pretend otherwise. I always try to avoid him when I have Hadley, but I swear she has a built-in homing device specifically for the big, cringing, frustratingly hot pain in my butt. He practically bolted while Hadley cried for him. It was heartbreaking. You know, when I met him at Gavin’s birthday party last year, I said he must be pretty special for Hadley to have attached herself to him that night the way she had. Jock said her radar was off, and I have to agree. My poor daughter has got the worst man radar.” And clearly since I think he’s hot, I have the same problem. “I have to find a way to help her or she’s going to spend her whole life chasing unavailable men. I don’t know if it’s because my ex isn’t in our lives, or because I’m doing something wrong, or what.”
“Hadley does not have bad radar. I think it’s just the opposite. She loves Jett, and he’s the best man I know,” Tegan said. “Remember when we were painting your apartment, and I was telling you guys about me and Jett getting together? Everyone else said he’d never settle down, but, Daphne, you told me that you thought there was a great guy under all the cold-shouldering he used to do. You said you wouldn’t blame me for falling for him. Well, you were right, so I think Hadley is spot-on with her male radar. I’ve known Jock for a long time, and beneath all of his cold-shouldering toward little ones lies a great man, too.”
“And you’re an amazing mom, Daphne,” Desiree said as she began nursing Aaron. “Don’t ever doubt that. You’re not doing something wrong just because Hadley runs to Jock. He won’t come near Aaron, either. He said he’s uncomfortable around babies, and I don’t think that’s all that strange. Not everyone is good with kids.”
“I know. I get the whole not being good with kids thing. But it’s not easy to watch my little girl begging for his attention and having her tiny heart broken. Jett said something this morning that made me think there’s more to Jock’s aversion to kids than just disliking them.” Daphne bit into a croissant and looked at Tegan. “Do you know if there is?”
All eyes turned to Tegan, and she said, “He doesn’t dislike children.” She lowered her eyes and pushed food around on her plate.
“Spill it, chick,” Emery said.
Tegan’s brows knitted. “Okay, yes. There’s more to it, but it’s not my story to tell. He didn’t even tell me about it until I’d known him for a few years.”
“I respect your loyalty, but Daphne is our girl,” Chloe said firmly.
“I know. I’m sorry, Daph, but I can’t breach his trust,” Tegan said. “What I can tell you is that I think he’s still having a hard time with Harvey’s death, which is understandable. Imagine caring for someone twenty-four-seven for your entire adult life, and then suddenly they’re gone and you’re alone.”
“It’s been a year,” Daphne said carefully. “I haven’t dealt with losing someone I loved, but you seem okay and he was your relative.”
“I am okay, but I didn’t live with my great-uncle day in and day out for years on end. You have to understand, Jock left his entire life behind when he came to live with Harvey. His world revolved around my uncle because of his poor health, and despite their age difference, they were best friends. Jock’s starting over. He was a brilliant writer, but he hasn’t written in more than a decade. I was hoping that all the traveling he did would help him find his muse and work through his troubles. But I don’t think it did because he put all that time into helping me with the theater, which I love, but it tells me he’s not putting words on the page.”
“That’s the other thing I’m wondering about. When your uncle ran the theater, it was solely a children’s theater. You said Harvey went to nearly every show, and Jock had to be with him, right?” Daphne asked.
“I know what you’re getting at,” Tegan said. “You want to know how Jock could be around all those kids and not freeze up or walk away. I asked him about that a few weeks ago, and he said the kids were there for the shows and for Harvey. They never tried to connect with Jock. He said he felt invisible to them. But I know firsthand that he created those barriers. He was standoffish during the shows and made it clear that he was there for Harvey and nothing would take his attention away from him. Believe me, plenty of single moms tried to change that. I saw it when I visited, and I used to tease him about it. Harvey did, too. But it was like Jock had blinders on. I’m sorry he has a tough time with young kids, and I can’t imagine how hard it is to see him react that way to Hadley, but he’s a good man and he’s worth being patient with.”
“It’s not like that between us. I was just curious, but I appreciate your insight.” Daphne saw Hadley toddling toward Aaron and Desiree. She hurried around the table and said, “I have to get Had’s hands washed before she gets puppy germs all over Aaron.”
She scooped up her daughter and took her inside to wash her hands. When they came back out, Hadley went straight to Desiree and stroked Aaron’s head as Desiree nursed him. “I love my baby.”
“Aaron loves you, too, sweetie,” Desiree said. Her love of Hadley was as tangible as her love for her own son.
“I kiss him?” Hadley asked.
“She’s so precious,” Chloe said quietly.
Desiree nodded. “Yes, you can kiss him.”
Hadley kissed Aaron’s head, and Daphne’s heart melted. Hadley’s gushing over the baby was bittersweet. Daphne had always wanted a big family. But the way her life was going, there would be no siblings in Hadley’s world for a very long time, if ever.
“Awwon eating?” Hadley asked.
“He is. Do you want some breakfast?” Desiree asked.
Hadley scowled, vehemently shaking her head. “I big guul.”
“She thinks you want to nurse her.” Daphne patted the chair beside her and said, “You are a big girl, and Mommy’s got your breakfast right here. We need to eat pretty quickly to get to school.”
Daphne had heard horror stories about children crying when they were dropped off at preschool. She’d decided early on to call daycare school in the hopes that when Hadley started preschool next week, she wouldn’t be one of those crying children.
“I’m totally stealing your use of school when Aaron gets bigger,” Desiree said as Hadley climbed onto the chair beside Daphne.
“Let’s hope it works,” Daphne said.
They chatted as they ate, and Daphne tried to keep up, but her thoughts kept trickling back to Jock’s continual dismissal of her daughter and Tegan’s private knowledge of whatever was behind it.
“Hello?” Chloe waved her hand in front of Daphne.
“Sorry. I must have zoned out.” She blinked several times to clear her head and glanced at Hadley, who was devouring blueberries.
“We’re all getting together for a bonfire on the beach Friday night. Can you make it?” Chloe asked.
“Let me check my very busy social calendar.” Daphne laughed and said, “Oh yeah, I don’t have one. Of course Hadley and I can make it.”
“Good.” Chloe finished her juice and said, “I was also wondering if you had any thoughts on where we should hold the next book club meeting.”
Daphne and Chloe ran an online erotic romance book club with members all over the world. Although most of the discussions took place on the forum, every month a member was chosen at random to select the next month’s book and the location of the in-person meeting. Members who couldn’t make it to the meeting were invited to join them via video chat. Daphne, Chloe, Tegan, and a handful of other members from the Cape got together for their own monthly meetings. This month a member in Nebraska had chosen the book His Surrender and a location that was near her home.
“How about Nauset Light Beach?” Daphne suggested. Her parents
had a standing date with Hadley the nights of Daphne’s monthly book club meetings, and even though they kept her overnight every few weeks, they were always eager for more.
Chloe nodded. “Sounds good to me. What do you think, Tegan?”
“Yes, perfect. I just started reading this month’s book.” A shimmer of excitement flared in Tegan’s eyes. “Have you started it yet?”
“Yes,” Chloe and Daphne said in unison.
“Talk about being thrown right into the fire. I’d let that sexy chef”—Chloe glanced at Hadley—“lick my muffins any day.”
“I like muffins,” Hadley said around a mouthful of eggs.
Daphne stifled a laugh as she wiped Hadley’s mouth. “That’s because you’re my mini me.” But unlike her daughter, Daphne smiled often. She’d been through enough with her ex-husband to realize how precious good times and close friends were, and to appreciate them all.
Desiree cradled Aaron in her lap as she fixed her nursing bra and said, “I can’t read those books without turning bright red.”
“Why do you think I hide in my chair and read at night when it’s dark out and nobody can see my face?” Daphne said. When she and Chloe had first started the book club, they’d planned to read all types of romance. Daphne had never even read erotic romance until a member had chosen an erotic book. It had taken some time to get comfortable with the raw sexuality in erotic romance novels, but once she had, it hadn’t taken much for her to allow herself to fantasize about being one of the heroines. Now erotic romances were all their book club read, and she couldn’t get enough of them.
“We all know why you read those books. To rev you up for that boyfriend you’ve had for three years,” Emery said with a wink.
There was some truth to that. Her life was so focused on work and taking care of Hadley, she couldn’t remember the last time a living, breathing man had made her feel wanted. Not that she’d ever be brave enough to be as open, passionate, and dirty with a real man as the heroines in her books were, but fictional boyfriends knew all the right things to say and do to make a woman feel safe enough to want to let go. To make her want to let go too.
Tempted by Love: Jack Jock Steele (The Steeles at Silver Island Book 1) Page 2