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“Why not both?” she said almost impishly, taking a sip of her coffee as he laughed.
“I can do both – most happily, too.”
11
DAPHNE
Daphne and Max talked all afternoon about everything and nothing. He was so easy to be around once they had let down their guard, realizing they both wanted the same thing despite taking different steps to get there. While being tied to someone seemed like a nightmare to her – being with Max did not. It was a joy to have someone to share the solitary time alone in the cabin, and he made his way toward the wood-burning stove, carefully maneuvering to add more wood and stoking it to keep the cabin warm.
She spent the afternoon sautéing some vegetables and a few slices of beef before covering it with cheese and putting it under the broiler. She was not a chef by any means at all, yet Max ate like a man starved, praising her.
“Oh man,” he breathed, using a slice of bread to sop up some of the oils and juices from the contents of his plate. “So good…”
“You would think that you haven’t eaten in days, and I know better,” she joked playfully. “If you think that is good, wait until you have my grilled cheese. That’s actually edible.”
“Daph… this is incredible compared to the stuff we used to get. The cheese is actually white and not bright orange – and it’s melted!Melted, Daphne. Cheese is supposed to melt and not be like molded plastic,” he laughed easily and smiled at her. “Thank you,” he began and smiled. “This was really nice.”
“Yeah, it was, but don’t get used to it.”
“Oh, I’m not,” he chuckled, smiling. “This is a cute cabin, and I saw the shower had a seat in it. That’s awesome – well, for me, at least. I never expected to see that…”
“I like the drain in the floor. That makes it easy to clean up.”
“I don’t have to worry about slipping with the textured floor, too. I can use my crutches and actually take a shower by myself – unless you’d care to join me?” he grinned wolfishly, and Daphne burst out laughing.
“Cool it, Romeo.”
He rolled his eyes, smiling… and then his smile faded slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
“That’s what they called our squad overseas…”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Daphne began, afraid she had brought up a bad memory or something, and saw him frown a little deeper.
“Captain Logan sent me here… and said there would be someone from medical waiting,” he whispered, his eyes darting as his mind raced, putting together something in his head. “Houghton, Logan, the cabin, you, all of it was just a little bit too convenient, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you speak with someone named Logan?”
“I’ve met the guy,” Daphne began, thinking back to when her truck had died – and saw Max leap off the stool backward where he’d been sitting at the tiny breakfast bar… and landed painfully on the floor – cursing loudly in shock before looking up at her.
“You met Captain Logan? When? How? Are you part of his pen pal program?”
“His what?” Daphne asked, moving to help him up – only to see him swatting away her hands fearfully. “What is wrong?”
“This isn’t real,” he gulped, looking like he was going to be sick. “I’ve heard of that program and how the soldiers all end up lovey-dovey or…”
“Well, that’s not us, Buster,” she retorted, putting her hands on her hips and looking at him as he pulled himself awkwardly up onto the couch, staring at her in dismay.
“Logan… and Houghton,” Max began, looking even paler as he stared at her in disbelief. Daphne got a small plastic trash can and brought it over to him in case he got sick and crossed her arms.
“What is wrong? And what is the problem with Logan? He seemed nice enough when he and Houghton brought me here. My truck had broken down and…”
“Hebroughtyou here?”
“Yes.”
