His hand was warm on her face, and Harper could’ve sworn she felt his heart hammering through his chest. His palm pressed harder on the small of her back, pulling her against him, and she slid her arms up around his neck. She stretched up, standing on her tiptoes … and then her dad said her name.

“Harper.” Brian almost barked her name as he appeared in the living room. Harper jumped away from Daniel.

“Hi, Dad, sorry.” Harper flushed and looked everywhere around the room except at her father or at Daniel. “We were just talking. We weren’t doing anything. How’s supper going? Do you need help with supper? I can help you. Do you want me to go in the kitchen?”

“No, supper is fine,” Brian said. His voice was gruff, but it softened a bit. “It’s cooking, and it won’t be that long. Gemma was just setting the table, and so I thought I would ask if your boyfriend would be staying to eat with us.”

“Oh, um, he’s not my—” Harper tried to stammer out but Daniel interjected.

“That would be fantastic, Mr. Fisher,” he said. “I would love to join you. I don’t get a lot of home-cooked meals.”

“So you’re still living out on that boat, then?” Brian asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Harper stood off to the side, her eyes bouncing nervously between the two of them.

“For now.” Daniel nodded.

“Why are you staying out there?” Brian asked. “Aren’t you working?”

“Yeah, I’m working,” Daniel said. “I mostly do odd jobs, but it keeps me busy.”

“You make any money doing that?” Brian asked.

“I make enough to support myself,” Daniel said. “But it’s hard to save up enough to get my own place. I’m working on it, though.”

“The boat must get pretty cold in the winter?” Brian asked.

“It can get cold,” Daniel admitted. “But I make do.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Brian scratched his temple and shifted his weight. “You know about the island, don’t you? You helped Harper clean it up last weekend?”

“You mean Bernie’s Island?” Daniel asked. “Yeah, I was out there helping Harper.”

“I don’t have any use for it,” Brian said. “If you wanted to stay out there, rent the place, that’d be fine by me. It wouldn’t be free, of course, but I wouldn’t charge you too much.”

“Really?” Daniel asked, sounding surprised.

“Yeah, seriously?” Harper chimed in.

“If you’re going to be seeing my daughter, I can’t have you living on a boat,” Brian attempted to explain. “So … it’s there if you want it. Think about it, and … you can decide later.”

“Supper’s ready, guys!” Gemma called from the other room.