Small Town Love

Chapter 16

Today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want.

Ken Poirot

Seeing Daphne's exhilaration at being able to write that book had been...one of the most beautiful sights of her life. Brightly smiling, violet eyes sparkling with happiness.

The only problem was that Daphne threw herself into the work for that book without any consideration for herself. And really, Luke was more shocked about that than anything else.

He probably should have expected it to be honest. Daphne was used to doing things on her own, and she did have a serious case of perfectionism going on.

Not unlike himself.

The difference was just that Luke had learned to actually take breaks for food and sleep, something that seemed completely foreign to his girlfriend.

While he was busy with football and learning about the construction business he was one day set to inherit, Daphne wrote the first draft of her book. Half of the time, she was still awake when he curled up to sleep in front of her bed and already awake again when it was time for him to run back home to get dressed and have breakfast.

She was absent-minded a lot of time, all her concentration either on her schoolwork or on the book and maybe Luke was getting a tiny, tiny bit jealous of that book.

Scratch that, he was jealous. Very Jealous.

That Book got all of Daphne's attention after all.

And he was also aware that it was ridiculous because Daphne wasn't going to start to cheat on him with a book of all things. But still...

He was supportive because it was important to her. And he could deal with his misplaced jealousy over something that was a wish being fulfilled that she never thought she would get.

"I thought we could go out on the weekend," he suggested over lunch two weeks later and she made an affirmative noise, blonde hair tumbling all around her in messy waves that she pushed back from her forehead with an impatient growl.

For once her blonde hair was tumbling over her shoulder in silvery waves, something that didn't happen often. Most of the time she had it twisted on top of her head in a messy bun or braided in a long braid fallow down her back with hair trying desperately to escape.

It was itching in his finger to try

"Daphne," he said her name, a tiny bit of possessiveness bleeding into his voice and she looked up startled. Just enough time for him to steal her sketchbook and close it carefully.

"Let's go out. Have a date. Maybe in Augusta..." he suggested again and this time she stared at him before her eyes went down again and she stared at the table like it was the most interesting thing ever.

It wasn't. At all.

"We never had a date," she said softly, sounding nearly unsure and he nodded.

"That's why I thought it would be a good idea," he told her amused but she still seemed hesitant.

"...isn't that kinda superfluous now?" She finally asked him and he could just stare at her. Superfluous? Why would going on a date be superfluous? That made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

He wanted to go out with his mate, with his girlfriend. Why would that be superfluous?

"What do you mean?" He asked Daphne, not understanding why she didn't seem like she was on board with the idea.