Pulling in a breath, I tried again. “You and Derek.”
My stomach rebelled, churning violently. I was going to hurl.
Derek’s mouth curved into a smirk. Daphne didn’t notice. She stroked his hand and painted a sickly, sweet smile on her pinched face.
“I know this probably comes as a surprise, but since you and Derek aren’t together anymore, it’s been such a great opportunity for us to explore our connection. And it means you can keep him in your life and not lose him completely. Everyone will be happier, I’m sure,” Daphne prattled on without regard for anyone around her.
As usual.
“When?” I asked.
Daphne continued like I hadn’t spoken, just like she always did. I couldn’t look at Derek again. I didn’t want to see the condescension in his eyes, or worse, pity.
“Honey, I’m sorry I’m late.” Caspian’s voice cut through the haze. He was there, settling on the bench beside me. He took my hand, lifting it and placing a kiss on the back. Magic sparked between us, invisible but undeniable.
Caspian faced Daphne and Derek and gave them a charming smile. “Hi, it’s great to finally meet you. Daphne and Deren, right? Juniper has had such interesting things to say about both of you.”
“Derek,” my ex-husband corrected with an irritated huff.
“Oh, wow, Junie. Who is this?” Daphne’s voice pitched up.
I kept my gaze on my rescuer so I didn’t have to see her strained expression. Caspian brushed his hair back with his free hand, showing off that brilliant grin that always made my stomach clench.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and I tightened my hold on his hand to keep myself from reaching for his face. I wanted to touch the line of his jaw and the elegant sweep of his nose, brush the lock of silvery hair back that had fallen over his brow already, lean forward and kiss his cheek like he’d done to me as we walked in just a few minutes before.
Then again, he was posing as my new boyfriend, so why not?
“I’m Juniper’s boyfriend, Caspian. Has she not told you about me?” he asked, sounding completely bewildered. He really sold it.
Forcing a smile, I leaned over and rested my temple against his shoulder. His fingers tightened around mine, and he bent his head to kiss my hair. My heart swooped at the sweet gesture, and my smile slipped from fake to genuine.
“Wow, that’s a little fast, don’t you think, Junie? You’veonly been divorced for what, a week?” Daphne said tartly.
I barked a laugh. It wasn’t very ladylike, but I couldn’t help myself. “You think it’s fast? You do realize yourboyfriend—” and I drew the word out “—was the other half of that divorce?”
“Well, we knew each other before,” Daphne snipped.
“Clearly,” I said, throwing my hand up. Irritation overrode the pure shock of seeing him, and I finally glanced at Derek.
He’d always been handsome to me, but somehow he looked less so. Honestly, how could he when I’d spent the last two days staring at Caspian? His green eyes met mine in a bold stare, and I dropped my gaze to the table, picking up my tea to take a fortifying sip.
“So how did you two meet?” Derek asked.
“Through pure luck,” Caspian said enthusiastically. “Juniper was meeting an old friend at a restaurant. I saw her across the room and thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. How could I resist? And lucky for me, she gave me a chance.”
Daphne’s mouth opened and closed, and I could see conflicting reactions warring in her eyes. It was an adorable story, and Caspian was endlessly charming, but Daphne had never been able to let me be happy, not even when we were children.
My heart twinged with that old wound, but I’d moved on long ago. I couldn’t force my sister to be kind orunderstanding. She was too much like our mother.
“You were pretty insistent,” I said to Caspian, looking up at him through my lashes. “Lucky for me, because I’d never have considered going on a date right after my divorce finalized, but you convinced me, and it's been the best thing to ever happen to me.”
I meant every word.
“So what do you do?” Derek asked, clearly ready to measure dicks.
Caspian didn’t look away from me. “I’m in the fishing industry.”
“Oh, I’d never date a fisherman. They’re gone so often and it can be a dangerous job,” Daphne said, her words dripping with faux-concern.
