“Not unless you consider sibling squabbles, cranky kids and overeating unusual.”

“Oh boy. That sounds extremely familiar. Are you sure we’re not related?” She and Logan had plenty in common. On the one hand, it was kind of cool, feeling so comfortable with him, so quickly. On the other hand, this likely meant a relationship between them would never work. She and Huntley had had everything in common, yet ultimately they’d fallen apart. “What do you squabble about?”

“It’s mainly the kids who squabble these days. Although my old man’s not too pleased with me at the moment.”

“Why not?”

“I made a kind of impulsive career move. Sold my stable, lucrative, predictable, boring business for a crazy, risky, unstable one.”

“Are you talking about that ski resort in your town?”

“Yeah. Cool you remember it.”

“I think it sounds incredible. Congratulations.”

“My family thinks I’ve gone off the deep end.”

“I know the feeling. The first time I disappointed my parents was the moment I was born.”

“What, did you have a tail or something?”

“Ha-ha.”

“I’ve heard those can be removed.”

“It’s what I didn’t have that disappointed them.”

“What’s that?”

“A penis. After four girls, they were desperate for a boy.”

“You have four older sisters. And I thought I had it bad, with India and China.”

“And how is it your sisters were named after exotic foreign countries while you were named after an airport?”

“Quirky folks. I just feel lucky they didn’t call me Madagascar or Sri Lanka.”

“Yet another thing we have in common—quirky parents. Mine are English professors. My sisters and I are named after literary figures. I guess that makes them quirky but predictable.”

“Darcy. I can’t recall a Darcy from college English.”

“Hint—it’s a surname.”

He gave a short laugh. “As in Fitzwilliam Darcy? You’re named after Mr. Darcy?”

“It gets worse. My sisters are Mary, Kitty, Lydia and Lizzie. My full name is Darcy Jane.” She punctuated the list by plopping chunks of potato into a pot of cold water.

“Don’t tell me Lydia is married to a reverend...”

“Worse. A motivational speaker, who happens to be the brother of my ex.”

“And suddenly it all comes clear. You came to Florida to escape the dubious pleasures of the family Thanksgiving.”

“Exactly. It’s so much easier to get along with other people’s families.”

“Agreed. And can I just say, this dinner is going to be epic.” He slid the turkey into the oven. Then he looked around the kitchen and wiped his hands on a tea towel. “We’re finished for now. There’s nothing more to be done for about three hours. Let’s hit the beach.”

He flashed that killer smile again. Oh, why did he have to have a killer smile?

Chapter Six

chapter six