Page 8 of Dare Me

“Will, just…trust me. You don’t get it. You’re an only child. You have no idea what it’s like to have sisters.” He growled again. “All your friends hit on them and it’s just…it’s wrong.”

Well, there was the definite confirmation that he’d made the right decision, but it didn’t make him feel any better.

“You know what? I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Liam said as he got to his feet. They were hanging out in the barracks while most of their squad was out celebrating the weekend. “I want to know if you’re in on my business plan.”

Liam’s plan for when he returned to Laurel Bay was to form a construction company and his first project was going to be a tiny house community that would either be some kind of fishing resort or perhaps a fifty-five and over one. Either way, it sounded fascinating. Will had an architectural engineering degree and he knew the two of them could really do something amazing together, but the thought of being that close to Arianna and not being with her was really holding him back.

“Before we switch gears,” Will began, “let me ask you something.”

“Sure.”

“What if…say…your sister…”

“Which one?”

“Either one.”

“Okay…”

“Let’s say your sister meets a guy on her own and he’s older than her,” Will said cautiously. “What if he’s a genuinely good guy and you scare him off because you’ve got it in your mind that he can’t be good for her because of his age? Have you thought of that?”

“No.”

His eyes went wide. “That’s it? Just no? Liam, come on. You can’t be so closed-minded.”

“Look, I get what you’re trying to say, but…I don’t know. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal for Ryleigh, but any guy older than Arianna? It would just feel a little creepy. I’ve beaten the crap out of several good friends just for looking at her.”

Awesome.

“O-kay, so…”

“Why are we still talking about my sisters when we have a serious business opportunity ahead of us?” Liam asked as he took the seat across from Will. “I really think you and I have a chance to make this great. Why aren’t you as excited about this as I am?”

There was no way he could answer honestly, so he had to go with some of his other concerns.

“For starters, I think this is going to take a lot of time and capital to get this project off the ground, Liam. Neither of us has sat down with a bank or lawyers or whoever else we need to, so…I’m just hesitant to make a decision to move someplace where things might not work out.”

Nodding, Liam considered him. “That’s fair. And I realize Laurel Bay isn’t a big city, but you’ve always said how you hoped you could settle down in a small town. And trust me, Laurel Bay is as small as they get.” He grinned. “Personally, I think it’s exactly what you need.”

“I can’t imagine there’s a lot of real estate there…”

“You can crash with me. I’ve got a two-bedroom apartment that I plan on keeping only for a short time, but then you’re more than welcome to it.”

“Why? Where are you planning to go?”

“Not only have I been looking at real estate for our project…”

“Your project,” Will corrected.

“Our project,” Liam stated firmly, “but I’ve also been looking at houses for myself. I’ve spent so many years here in the service either living in barracks or tiny apartments. Before that, I grew up in a small house with four siblings. I’m really looking forward to buying a place of my own and having a yard and not sharing walls or rooms with anyone.” His smile grew. “And I think I’ve found a few places that could work. My brother Patrick dabbles in real estate and property management and he’s going to help me out.”

“Oh, well…good for you.”

“What about you? Are you interested in a house? Condo? Do you want to rent or own…?”

“Hard to decide until I know where I’m going to land. I joined the Marines right out of high school, and I guess back then I always thought I’d go back to Oakland.” He shrugged. “With my mom gone, there’s no reason for me to go to the West Coast, but…”

“Then you should try the East Coast!” Liam exclaimed.

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