Curious, I let my eyes fall closed and breathe in. I’ve never met Isaac, but Benji’s mentioned him before, so I try to picture him—fingers dark with soil, shears in hand, dirt on his knees.
I like him,I decide.
Daphne is watching me when I open my eyes.
“My daddy always smelled like flour,” I tell her as I slip the candle back onto the shelf.
Her nose wrinkles again. “Why?”
“He spent a lot of time in the kitchen, cooking for us. On Sundays, he’d wake up real early and make pancakes with lots of toppings.” My favorite is lemon and sugar, which no one ever understands.
“Why?”
A laugh bubbles up my throat, but I swallow it down. “Because he wanted to.”
“Do you have anything that smells like farts?” Dominic asks, prompting Daphne to groan.
“You know what? Not yet,” I say. “But I’ll put it on the list.” Hey, maybe it can be an April Fools’ special. Skye will love it. “What else you got?”
“Nothing,” he says.
Okay then.
“Uncle Benji is taking us to the beach today,” Daphne announces, pulling a jar as big as her head from the counter.
Benji rushes forward to help her with it. “Two hands there, kiddo.”
She grabs at it with both hands, elbowing him away in the process with a huff. Wow. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she was his.
“I love the beach. Are you going to swim?” I look at Benji. “Is your swimsuit hiding under those shorts?”
His lips curl just so, and it’s the exact same look he wore when he was on his knees. “Want to find out?”
Yes, please.
Daphne saves me from answering by pressing herself to Benji’s leg before tugging on his shirt. He looksadorable as he folds himself in half to let her whisper in his ear.
I’ve met a few different Benjis now—the funny stranger, the deep thinker, the persistent suitor. This one—this guy who is sweet and oh-so soft with his niece—he’s dangerous for my heart.
He straightens. “Daphne wants to know if you’d like to come with us.”
“She would love to,” Skye announces, like she’s been waiting for her chance to butt in, which … of course she has. Her smile is wide enough that it could brighten the entire street during a blackout.
“I can’t leave the shop,” I say.
“What are you talking about? Go. Have fun.” She emphasizesfunas if I forgot our earlier conversation.
“But I don’t have my swimsuit.”
I don’t know why I’m still stalling. We all know I’m going to say yes.
“That’s okay,” Daphne says, grabbing Benji’s hand. “We don’t have ours either.”
I raise an eyebrow at Benji, who explains, “There’s some turtle conservation event happening over at The Belle today, and I promised the kids we’d take a look and get ice cream.”
The voice in my head is telling me to go, and my heart is jumping for joy that he asked, so why am I hesitating? Is it nerves or something else?
“Hey, Dom, buddy, what did you say to me this morning?”
