Breaking the Greek's Rules by Anne McAllister Page A

sure her brain kept him in the “business” folder of her mind than to start filling it with other assignments, as well? “Yes,” she had said. “I’d like that.”
    And so she had two shoots for Lauren to do before the holidays, as well.
    “Go to sleep,” she told Charlie now. “It will get here sooner.”
    “How much sooner?”
    Daisy bent and kissed him good night. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
    Charlie made a face. But eventually he screwed his eyes shut, and Daisy, knowing that was going to be his best attempt, smiled and turned out the light. “Night, Chaz,” she said softly. Then she pulled the door and went down the hall to her office where she’d be working until midnight at least.
    First on the docket were the wedding photos she’d taken last night. Wednesday night weddings weren’t common, but this had been a small intimate affair to which Daisy had been thrilled to be invited—and eager to take the photos.
    They were her wedding present to the couple because both the bride and the groom were “hers.”
    Seeing Rafaela Cruz, a tech at Murphy’s veterinarian’s office, and Gino Martinelli, a cop who lived in Finn MacCauley’s building, standing at the altar together made Daisy’s heart sing for she had helped them find each other.
    When she’d learned that besides being a photographer, Daisy was a matchmaker, Rafaela had said, “Huh. Not sure I believe in that.”
    “Some people don’t,” Daisy had replied. She wasn’t in the market to twist anyone’s arm. But Rafaela had wanted to know more because, as she said, “I don’t believe there’s any good men left.” So Daisy had spent time talking to her, trying to discover who, beneath her bluster, Rafaela really was.
    Even when she finally said she wanted to try it, Rafaela had had her doubts.
    And she and Gino had definitely not been “love at first sight.”
    Gino, who was Rip MacCauley’s soccer coach, had been badly burned in an earlier relationship. But somehow he was the one Daisy had thought of when Rafaela had challenged her to “prove there’s one good man.”
    “Come watch him coach,” Daisy had suggested.
    Rafaela had dismissed the idea. “I don’t want a coach. I want a husband.”
    “You want a patient man,” Daisy said. “A man who works hard and values kids and will be there for you and your family no matter what.”
    “Yes, but—” Rafaela had protested.
    “Maybe Gino could be that man. Unless you’re afraid to try?” Daisy had challenged her right back. Then she’d turned around and challenged a reluctant Gino, too.
    “She’s too pretty,” Gino had said. “She’ll want some hotshot stud.”
    Daisy had just looked him up and down. “And you’re not a stud?”
    Gino had laughed at that. “All right. Bring her on.”
    They’d been cautious to the point that Daisy sometimes wanted to bang their heads together. But gradually Rafaela and Gino had faced their doubts, had given each other a shot. Had discovered in each other what Daisy had seen from early days. Over the summer they had fallen in love.
    And now they were married.
    Daisy’s gift to them was going to be a book of photos she’d taken throughout their courtship and at their wedding. She just needed to get it finished. The pages from the courtship were done. Now she picked up the wedding invitation and set it on the flatbed scanner. It was high rag content paper, heavy and elegant.
    Daisy remembered when she’d plucked it out of the mailboxright before Thanksgiving. She had stared at it, feeling an odd sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach because she hadn’t thought it was Rafaela and Gino’s invitation at all.
    She’d thought it was Alex’s.
    She’d been shocked at the relief she’d felt upon opening it to discover Rafaela’s and Gino’s names inside.
    Of course, she’d told herself logically, even if Alex had run right out and asked his perfect woman to marry him the minute he’d left her that night, they