Page 14 of Dare Me

“They all do, but I didn’t give them a time. I’m hoping they haven’t sat down to eat yet.” And as they walked into the house, it looked like they were all getting ready to do just that.

Will stood back in stunned silence as cries of pure joy seemed to come from every direction. It wasn’t hard to figure out who was who—Shane and Kate Donovan both beamed with pride as they were the first to embrace their son. The dark-haired guy walking over was a little more reserved, so he figured that had to be Patrick. That meant the lighter-haired guy who essentially jumped on Liam’s back had to be Jamie. Once everyone pulled back a bit, Will spotted Ryleigh who squirmed in to hug her big brother and Arianna was right behind her.

But she froze for a moment—almost as if she sensed him there. Turning her head, she looked directly at him. Her eyes went wide and all he could do was give his head a slight shake before taking a step back into the shadows. Besides her, it seemed like no one even knew he was there and he was completely fine with that.

The group moved—en masse—away from the entryway, when Liam stopped them. “Everyone, I brought a buddy home and I’m hoping he’s going to stay and go into business with me! He’s a little more reserved than we are, so don’t give him a hard time, okay?” He laughed and brought everyone’s attention to him. “This is Will Jameson, one of the best friends a guy could ask for.”

Shit.

Will did his best to focus on Mr. and Mrs. Donovan, and then Patrick and Jamie. They all came over and shook his hand before ushering him into the dining room. He wanted to look around and try to gauge Arianna’s reaction, but it was like a wall of Donovans around him.

“It’s so nice to meet you…”

“Where are you originally from?”

“What do you think of Laurel Bay so far?”

“Business? What kind of business?”

On and on it went, even as they all sat down and food was being passed around. Doing his best not to appear obvious, he glanced across the table and caught a smirk on Ryleigh’s face. One seat over, he noticed how Arianna was simply staring down at her plate. Undoubtedly, if he kept looking at her, others would notice, so he put his attention back on answering the dozens of questions the rest of the family was asking. Luckily, most of them were about the business now and Liam was fielding some of them as well.

It was loud and boisterous and the best food he’d ever eaten in his life. Damn, Liam wasn’t joking about his mother’s cooking.

Smiling at Kate Donovan, Will said, “Everything is delicious, Mrs. Donovan. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such an amazing meal.”

Clearly it was the right thing to say because she blushed. “You’re welcome here any time, Will. And might I say we’re all very sorry about your mom.”

He nodded and murmured, “Thank you.”

“Consider yourself family now,” she went on. “And there’s always room at the table for family!”

As much as he wanted to believe that, he wasn’t so sure everyone felt the same. Chancing another look at Arianna, henoticed she had been exceptionally quiet, nothing like the girl he spent the best day of his life with.

What did you expect? You showed up with no warning with her brother. What was she supposed to do?

“Hey, Will?” Jamie asked. “Are you sure you’re prepared to deal with Liam’s bossy ways?”

Everyone laughed.

“I mean…we all know what a control freak he is. It’s not too late for you to run. We’ll even hold him down!” Jamie teased, and then flinched when Liam punched him in the arm. “Damn! I was just kidding!” Then he looked over at Will and grinned. “I’m really not kidding. He’s a pain in the ass. Run while you still can!”

“Jamie,” Mr. Donovan called out. “That’s enough. Your brother’s done an admirable service to his country, and he doesn’t need to come home to you behaving like an idiot.” The words were said firmly and everyone went quiet for a moment. But then he grinned. “You could at least let him get through dinner before you do that.”

And everyone laughed again and Will felt himself relax.

It was an interesting dynamic and after a little while, he just sort of sat back and observed.

Just like Arianna was sitting back and observing him. He could read the question in her eyes and hoped the way he was looking back told her he could explain.

But could he?

The meal seemed to go on forever and no sooner had they finished dinner than dessert was being served. It was beginning to feel like he’d never get a moment alone—or a chance to leave—but considering how nice everyone was, it would have been rude to complain.

“So Will, do you have a place to stay?” Patrick asked.

“For now, I’m going to crash at Liam’s. He’s got a second bedroom and…”

There was a collective groan around the table.

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