My brother had fallen for her so hard it was a joke among the rest of us. We all adored her, though, and she was the best thing ever for him. She guarded his heart like the fierce woman she was.
“What kind of soup is it?” I asked as I followed her over to the table in the kitchen area.
My downstairs had an open living room and kitchen with a woodstove situated against the back wall, which was practically standard-issue in Alaska. Wide-plank hardwood flooring throughout the house gave the space a warm feel. The living room area took up most of the downstairs with a loveseat and two chairs facing the television mounted on the wall. Windows to the other side offered a view of a field with trees scattered through it.
An oval table served as a divider between the kitchen and living area. Beside the back entrance was a laundry room and bathroom. A spiral staircase in the corner of the living room led up to a landing with a master bedroom with its own bathroom and a spare bedroom. I’d made sure to install a nice soaking tub along with an excellent shower.
“It’s chicken and dumpling soup,” Daphne said as she stopped by the kitchen counter. “You can have that for lunch. I also brought you fresh bagels with smoked salmon cream cheese. Perfect for a migraine.”
The moment I met her gaze, I knew she knew I’d been lying about having a migraine.
“I don’t have a migraine,” I said with a sheepish smile. “I did have a headache, though. I wasn’t lying about that.”
After setting the container and the bag on the counter, she pulled out the bagels wrapped in foil. She also produced two distinct red coffee cups. “Oh my God, is that Cammi’s coffee?”
She smiled. “Of course. Elias brought some over for us. This cup has your name on it.”
Cammi owned Red Truck Coffee and Misty Mountain Café, the two best coffee shops in Diamond Creek. We were blessed with frequent personal deliveries from her boyfriend and our good friend, who used to live out here at the resort and still worked with us. Cammi had stolen his heart, and we got the plus of getting her coffee on the regular.
“Bonus,” I said, holding my hand out for the cup. “I made my own cup, but it’s not as good.”
Daphne shrugged. “My coffee can’t compete with hers either. I even tried to have her teach me. I’m convinced she adds a secret ingredient.”
I chuckled as we sat down at the table. “One for yourself?” I asked when I saw her carrying two bagels wrapped in foil.
“Of course. We’re having breakfast together.”
We sat down and enjoyed some coffee, bagels, and quiet. One of my favorite things about Daphne was she never felt the need to fill the silence. She was easy to be with.
Besides the fact that I was totally a fan of her relationship with my brother, we had scored one of the best chefs I’d ever known in my entire life for the resort due to their relationship.
I looked over at her after my third bite of bagel. “Speaking of secrets, maybe that’s why you’re such a good baker. You put something magic in these.”
The bagel was the perfect texture of chewy and light. I had no idea how she pulled it off. The cream cheese had just enough flavor not to be overwhelming. Smoked salmon required a balance because it could easily tip into an overpowering flavor.
She laughed softly. “No special secrets. I love food, and I don’t mind trying things again and again until I get it just right. I feel like my cooking skills have improved since I’ve been here because I have plenty of testers. Y’all are the best taste testers ever,” she said in her soft Southern twang.
“You know me, I will taste test all day. I don’t know how useful I am, though. I think my palate is biased in favor of everything you make.”
Daphne laughed again. With her lightly freckled cheeks and bow-shaped mouth, she was so pretty.
“I’m assuming there were no hitches in the flight schedule. Someone would’ve called me by now if there were.”
She pursed her lips, cocking her head to the side. “I think you forgot someone needed to go with Gabriel to deal with your plane today. I told Flynn to leave you alone. He got Trey Holden to help out with some flights. Trey was thrilled because he hasn’t been able to