Page 39 of Dare Me

“Yeah, so I didn’t see the text until I got home. Then I needed to change and…you know…here I am!” Looking at her mother again, she asked, “So what’s for dinner?”

“Whatever everyone wants,” Kate replied happily. “I just wanted us all here since dinner was a bust yesterday.”

“You know it’s not a bad thing for us to skip the occasional Sunday, right?”

Rather than respond, her mother grabbed her hand and said, “Come to the kitchen with me, Ari. Ryleigh and Will are getting to know each other.” She gave a little tug and started to walk.

“Oh, um…” Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the look of panic on her sister’s face. Meanwhile, Will was staring at his phone.

“I need your help, Arianna,” her mother huffed, and before she knew it, she was in the kitchen.

“Mom? What the hell?”

“Hush! Don’t you see that I’m trying to fix your sister up with that nice boy?” Her mother peeked out the kitchen door for a moment before turning back to Arianna. “You know your sister needs a little push in this area. Will’s perfect for her!”

Her heart hammered hard in her chest as she tried to think of something to say.

“And you should be thankful that I set the two of them up!”

This I’ve got to hear…

“Really? And why is that?”

“Because it means I’m leaving you alone this week,” her mother said sweetly, kissing her on the cheek. “I can only play matchmaker for one child at a time.”

For a minute, Arianna was too stunned to speak, but when she did, she found her mother wiping down one of the prep stations. “Why do you think Will’s perfect for Ryleigh and not me?”

The wide-eyed reaction was brief and over far too soon. “Arianna, Will is too old for you. He’s closer to your sister’s age. You don’t want someone who’s almost ten years older than you.”

“And yet, you keep fixing me up with older guys.”

“Bah, Jamie’s friends are two, maybe three years older than you. That’s not a problem. Your father is five years older than Iam and believe me when I tell you there are plenty of things we don’t have in common because of it.”

“But there are also plenty of things that youdohave in common that have nothing to do with age.”

Sighing wearily, Kate looked at her. “Why must you argue about everything? Honestly, none of your siblings argue the way that you do.” Walking closer, she cupped her cheek. “Just be sweet.”

And for some reason, that set her off. “Sweet?Sweet?Mom, do you have any idea how insulting that is? You want me to just be a doormat to everything and everyone! Don’t you think I’m entitled to feel the way I want to feel or question things I don’t think are right? I mean…I am an intelligent woman and you all treat me like I’m a baby!”

Taking a step back, Kate asked, “Are you having a temper tantrum right now?”

Arianna saw red and had to fight the urge to scream in frustration. Instead, she mentally counted to ten and tried to be reasonable. “I get that you’re excited about seeing all of your kids get married and have babies. Believe it or not, we’d all like that too.”

“I know…”

“However, you raised five reasonably smart kids who are all doing very well in their lives. Don’t you think it’s insulting when you step in and try to tell us that you know better than we do about who we should fall in love with and marry?”

“Arianna…”

“Did you even look at Ryleigh’s face out there? She’s miserable! She’s not interested in Will, just like she wasn’t interested in the dozens of other guys you guilted her into going out with! And for the record, I wasn’t interested in any of the guys you fixed me up with since I’ve come home either!”

She was breathless, but she was also on a roll.

“I know you think I’m being disrespectful, but Ryleigh and I are more than capable of finding nice guys to date. Your bigger issue should be finding wives for your sons!They’rethe ones who are going to need the push! Liam’s thirty-two years old, Mom! That’s practically ancient in this family where having kids is concerned. And Patrick? When was the last time he even went on a date?”

“You know I don’t keep tabs on your brother’s social life. I don’t even think he has one.”

“And yet you know every single guy Ryleigh and I have dated for the last year. More for Ryleigh!”

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