Page 41 of Love for a Lifetime

Oh, good gravy. Dawson couldn’t watch while his brother asked Olivia out. He already wanted to handcuff Mark to a light pole. He didn’t need to be jealous of his own brother.

“Sure. Thursday?” Olivia asked.

Jeremy stood. “Sounds good, and do you have a date to Asa and Lyric’s wedding?”

“She does,” Dawson blurted.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t, but Anna is trying to get me to go with someone her brother knows.”

Jeremy glanced at Dawson with a teasing grin. “Lucky guy.”

Olivia huffed. “Considering I’m organizing most of the wedding and reception, he’ll be on his own quite a bit.”

“Well, if you hear of anyone in need of a date, keep me in mind,” Jeremy said.

“Will do. I’ll see you two later,” she said with a wave.

“I’ll walk you out,” Jeremy offered, following her from the kitchen.

Drat. Dawson wanted to walk her out. He had some scratches, not a pegleg. “I will too.”

“You rest that leg,” Olivia said. “I’ll check on you tomorrow.”

Dawson threw his head back and sighed. Why did Olivia keep dancing just out of his reach? He busied himself unloading the dishwasher and wiping down the countertops that were already spotless.

A few minutes later, Jeremy walked back into the kitchen. He pointed to the spread of food on the table. “Lunch?”

“Help yourself,” Dawson said as he tossed the cleaning rag into the sink.

“So, you didn’t get to Olivia first?” Jeremy asked.

“Not because I didn’t try. I asked Olivia, but somehow I ended up with Anna.”

Jeremy was reaching for a plate, but halted when he heard Dawson. “Anna?”

“Yeah. It’s a long story.”

“Are you two together?” Jeremy asked.

“Nope. And we’re not gonna be,” Dawson added for good measure. “I like Anna, but not the way you’re thinking.”

“Does she know that?”

“Surely she does, right? I mean, we’ve never had any sparks.”

“Is that what Olivia thinks about you?” Jeremy asked.

“Way to kill my hopes and dreams,” Dawson said. “You really think Olivia doesn’t like me at all?”

Jeremy shrugged. “Who knows? It’s not like you two haven’t had plenty of time to figure it out by now.”

“I’ve tried asking her out plenty of times. She always brushes it off like I’m joking.”

“Maybe she needs to know you’re serious.”

Dawson rubbed his chin. “How do I do that?”

“Beats me.”

---