Page 10 of All You Need Is Love

“I call.” Quinn placed a hand on her father’s and smiled up at him. “Just not as often as I’d like. But I miss you every day, Daddy.”

Her dad grunted, but something in his eyes softened.

Marshall took a swig of water and shifted in his seat, suddenly warm. With his mom gone for eleven years now and his dad’s abandonment a decade before that, family drama was a foreign thing. But however uncomfortable to witness, at least the focus remained firmly off of him and Quinn for the moment.

Genevieve swung her attention back to Shannon. “So how are the reunion plans coming?”

“I’ve actually delegated most of the events to various cousins. Elise, Samantha, and Gabrielle are helping out.” Shannon shoved her plate away, her steak only a third eaten. “The adoption stuff has put me a little behind on planning the picnic on Thursday night, but I’ll figure it out.”

“I’m sure Quinn would love to help, right, dear?” Her mother turned her big blue eyes on her oldest daughter.

“Oh, well, of course, but I still have some work stuff to do while I’m here.”

“Surely you can find a few hours.”

“I don’t think I can, actually.” Quinn glanced down at Marshall’s hand on the table, then flicked her gaze up at him.

Oh no. He knew that look—the same calculating glimmer she got in her eyes every time she hatched a plan to “catch” a big win at work.

“Babe, would you be able to help my sister out? You don’t have much else going on this week, right?” She batted her eyes at him.

Did that actually work on other guys?

Marshall tried to shake his head slightly, to communicate with his eyes just how bad of an idea this was. And if Quinn had known about his encounter with Shannon this morning, she’d probably agree with him. “I think your sister would much rather have your help than mine.”

But Quinn just laughed and patted him on the arm. “Nonsense. You’ll both be fine.”

A quick glance at Shannon—at her wide eyes pulsing with some unreadable but intense emotion, mouth shaped like an O, hands wringing her napkin tight—and he guessed she felt anything but “fine” about this situation.

He understood completely.

But before he could protest, Genevieve clapped her hands together. “It’s settled then. Wonderful.” She raised a glass of water in a toast. “To a fabulous week of family, friends, and love.”

Because he couldn’t do anything different, Marshall gritted his teeth and lifted his glass in kind.

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