Daniel frowned. “You didn’t like it?”
“Not even a little bit. I didn’t fit in, and because I was tall and rail thin, the other girls made fun of me. They called me all kinds of names. For a long time, I had a really poor self-image thanks to that bullying. Thankfully I found a really great friend my second year there. Bethany. She stuck up for me and taught me how to stand on my own feet and fight back against the bullies. We’ve been best friends ever since. She works for me now as my assistant.”
“It’s great to have a best friend. I grew up with seven best friends, so I consider myself truly fortunate. I’m not sure how I would have waded through my childhood without them.”
Lorelei’s expression changed to one of surprise. “I remember Micah talking about his big family, but I didn’t realize there were so many of you.”
Daniel let loose with a throaty chuckle. He was used to this reaction from most people. “Eight was a handful for my parents, but they did it with a large measure of faith and an equal portion of love. They’re my heroes.”
“There should be more heroes like them in this world. It’s so sad to see young kids idolize reality stars who do nothing but flaunt their wealth and document every moment of their lives for the camera.”
“Well said,” Daniel responded. He couldn’t have said it better himself. It bugged him how the most idiotic people were put on pedestals. “I do a lot of volunteer work with at-risk kids and it’s really important to steer them toward positive role models and people in the community who are actually doing worthwhile things.”
Lorelei nodded, then sent him a sweet smile. “We all have to do our best to make sure the world we inhabit is a good one. We all have a part in it.”
Amen! Daniel thought.
By the time Daniel dropped Lorelei off at her house, he was smitten. He didn’t know if there would be another date—he prayed there would be—but he felt thankful to have spent tonight getting to know her better. It was a gift.
Thank you, God, for giving me this evening with Lorelei. I’m not sure where things are headed with us, but tonight served to show me that my heart is still in working order. It’s still beating and pulsing and waiting to love and be loved. I’m still in the game.
**
When Lorelei entered her house she turned around to wave at Daniel before entering the code on her security panel. Within seconds she was safe and sound inside her house. And she had spent a wonderful evening with Daniel. They had gotten along so well, Lorelei thought. Maybe too well. There she went again doubting things. Why couldn’t she just sit back and revel in the events of this evening? Why was she always waiting for the other shoe to drop? Why was it so hard to believe that she could relate to a man so wonderfully? Not all men were bogeymen waiting to commit bad acts. Matter of fact, some were absolute gentlemen who made her laugh till her side hurt with tales from a rambunctious childhood growing up in Pelican Bay. Some men held doors open and pulled out chairs for women. Some men had the sensitivity to not push when you gave them tidbits of a painful past.
She smiled as she went into the kitchen and reached into the fridge for a cold water. Suddenly, her entire body tensed up. A thud rang out from upstairs. Lorelei froze. Maybe she was hearing things! Her breathing was shallow as she stood still and listened for further noises. Creak. Was that a door opening? Dear Lord! Someone was upstairs. She could hear the heavy trod of feet. Strangely, the intruder wasn’t even trying to hide their presence in her house.
Fear held her rooted to the spot. She couldn’t even move a muscle. For a moment all she could see were flashes of the past. An intruder dressed in black. A knife pressed against her jugular vein. Pure terror.
Footsteps rang out. Closer and closer toward where she was standing in the kitchen. Lorelei couldn’t move a muscle. Fear prevented her from running. Despite everything she knew about keeping herself safe, Lorelei felt helpless.
“Lorelei. What’s wrong?” The voice came to her through a haze. “Lorelei, it’s me. Bethany.”
“Bethany, you scared me,” she said, her breathing shallow and uneven. “I-I thought someone had broken in.” Her hand was resting at her throat. She knew she look wild-eyed and out of control. It was how she felt on the inside.
Bethany came over and hugged her, squeezing her tightly. “Oh honey, I’m so sorry I startled you. Don’t you remember asking me to stay over so we can leave for the airport together in the morning?”
Oh, goodness. How had she forgotten?
Tears pricked Lorelei’s eyes. Tonight had been so magnificent and she’d ruined it with her own foolishness. “Of course I did, Bethany. I didn’t see your car in the driveway so I forgot. I’m being ridiculous.”
“No, you’re not. After what you went through it’s only normal to feel skittish from time to time. And you must have had a great time with Daniel because my car is parked right outside. Clearly, you had stars in your eyes when you came home because you didn’t see it,” she said in a teasing voice.
At the mention of Daniel, Lorelei’s breathing began to calm down. She mustered a smile for her friend, happy the danger had been all in her mind. “Bethany, I had the best time. He was really great. A true gentleman. We talked the whole night long and he took me to this fabulous restaurant, the Grotto, and then we walked along the marina. The weather was perfect and everything was just amazing.”
Bethany grinned at her best friend. “Sounds like he’s a keeper.”
“I don’t know about that, but I really like him.” Lorelei had a feeling Daniel was a keeper, but it was way too soon to tell her best friend that. If she did, she would never drop it. Lorelei wanted a little time to savor Daniel without anyone else knowing about how she felt.
“And I bet he likes you too. Who could resist that face and smile?” Bethany asked, reaching out and tweaking her nose.
Lorelei made a goofy face. “A face only a best friend could love.”
Bethany let out a snort. “Yeah, right. You know you’re a showstopper.”
Lorelei shook her head and laughed. “I think I’m going to head upstairs to take a shower then get into my pajamas. We’ve got an early flight to catch in the morning.”
“I’m ready to turn in myself,” Bethany said, walking side by side with Lorelei as they headed upstairs. When Bethany reached the guest room door she turned toward Lorelei. “Let’s both set our alarms for five a.m. so there’s no chance of us oversleeping.”
Lorelei groaned. “Ouch. That’s early. Will do.”
“Sweet dreams,” Bethany said in a sing song voice. “I know who you’ll be dreaming of.”
Before Lorelei could respond, Bethany had darted into the guest room and shut the door.
With a shake of her head, Lorelei headed into her bedroom and walked into the master bathroom, quickly shedding her clothing before jumping into the shower. After a few minutes, Lorelei was finished and drying herself off with an over-sized towel. Not long afterwards, she was in her pjs and settling down for the night under her covers. As she drifted off to sleep, Lorelei’s last thoughts were about Daniel Donahue being a keeper.
“Falling in love with a Donahue means falling in love with the Donahue family.”
Nash Donahue
Chapter Six
Eight days. Lorelei had been out of town on a modeling gig for eight long days. She and Daniel had been texting the whole time, but it wasn’t the same as seeing Lorelei in person. She’d sent him some gorgeous pictures from beautiful and sunny Barbados. It was an island paradise, with blue skies and shimmering aqua waters. He was happy for Lorelei because he knew it was a big campaign she’d been hired to shoot, but he missed her all the same. He missed the time they could be spending together. He missed her. It was a little strange because it wasn’t as if he really knew her all that well.
Daniel was feeling a little grumpy. It was Donahue family time and the clan had gathered at his parent’s house for a Sunday afternoon barbecue. Frankly, he wasn’t in the mood for a gathering. It
was a family ritual, created so they could stay abreast of the goings-on in each other’s lives. His father, Jude, had conceived the idea, eager to make sure the Donahue family retained their tight-knit ties.
Normally he really looked forward to it, but for some reason, Daniel wasn’t feeling it this week. If Lorelei had been home he would have invited her, although it might have seemed strange to bring her to the family home on their second date. Had they really only gone out once? Why did seem as if he’d known her for much longer?
“What’s wrong with you?” Jason asked, giving him the once over. With his tan complexion, rugged frame and almond-shaped eyes, Jason had always been a big hit with the opposite sex. He was a bit edgy and knew how to take care of himself in any situation. With Parker serving as his mentor, Jason was now a private investigator at Parker’s PI firm. Growing up, Daniel had always looked up to Jason. He’d been popular and beloved by all. He’d been everything Daniel hadn’t been. And above all else, he was loyal and loving. He’d been born to drug addicted parents, then turned over to the foster care system before being adopted by the Donahue clan. As a teenager Jason had struggled with drugs and he’d been fortunate to come out on the other side clean and sober.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Daniel said, shrugging.
“You look like you just lost your best friend,” Jason responded with a raised brow. Like Parker, Jason was intuitive. It must be the PI thing! Daniel thought, although he knew he didn’t have much skill at hiding his feelings. He tended to wear his emotions on his sleeve.
“I went out on a date the other night.” He scratched his jaw and avoided eye contact with Jason. He was feeling a bit vulnerable. “I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“Hey!” Jason said in an excited tone. “Since when is that a bad thing? You really needed to get back out there in the dating world, Daniel.” He clapped him heartily on the back. “I’m so psyched for you.”
Daniel grinned at his brother’s enthusiasm. “Not so fast with the congratulations. She went out of town on business so I haven’t been able to ask her out on a second date.”
Jason leaned back on the wooden railing. “So, what’s stopping you? I assume you have her cell phone number.”
“We’ve been texting and she sent some scenic pics from Barbados.”
“Sounds good, but you should text her and ask her out.”
“In a text?” Daniel asked, realizing he wasn’t up to date on the latest ways of asking a woman out. Wasn’t a text rather informal?
“Texts are quick, but however you choose to do it, don’t let too much time pass by before you ask her out again. Women tend to count those days against you,” he said with a laugh.
Daniel bit his lip. “Yeah, you’re right. She might be wondering why I haven’t asked her yet. It’s been a week since our date.”
Jason let out a groan. “A week? Oh brother. You better act fast. Women aren’t like we are, Daniel. Once the clock starts ticking they make certain judgements about us. Taking a week to ask her for a second date is a big no-no.”
His brother Heath was sitting nearby in a lawn chair with sunglasses perched on the end of his nose and his face tilted upward toward the sun. He turned his head slightly toward them. “Jason’s right. A week is like a month on a woman’s calendar. After that they start to write you off.”
Daniel frowned. He was suddenly consumed with worry. His brothers were making it seem as if he’d blown it with Lorelei. The last thing he wanted Lorelei to do was to write him off. He took his phone out of his pocket and looked at it. He pressed four numbers to unlock it. Lorelei’s last message had been a smiley faced emoji. She hadn’t seemed one bit upset.
“Are you texting her?” Jason asked, peering over his shoulder.
“No. Not yet.” Daniel looked at the screen blankly. He wasn’t witty. Or suave. But he needed to lock down this date. Heath and Jason knew best when it came to women. Jason was a woman magnet while Heath had been in a relationship with his wife ever since they were teens.
“Gimme that,” Jason said, swiping the phone. The next thing Daniel knew his brother was using both hands to do something on his phone.
“Hey! Give me the phone, Jason!” he barked.
With a wide grin Jason turned the phone back over to him.
He locked gazes with his brother as suspicion raced through him. “Did you do something? Seriously, Jason. Did you?”
Jason smiled. “I may have just gotten you a second date.”
Daniel felt as if his eyes might bug out of his head. “You texted her? Pretending to be me? No way! You wouldn’t.”
Jason looked at him with an incredulous expression. “I was helping you, Daniel. Are you upset?”
Daniel let out a groan. “Am I upset? Am I upset?” he asked in a raised voice. He felt as if his head might explode. What had Jason been thinking?
“Yep. He’s upset,” Heath said. He pointed toward Daniel’s face. “Can’t you tell? He always has that vein pop on his forehead when he’s upset.”
Daniel raised a hand to his forehead as he looked at his screen. Jason hadn’t been pulling his leg. There was a message that had just been sent to Lorelei. Daniel scanned the message, uttering a prayer that it wasn’t something ridiculous.
Hey there. Let’s grab dinner as soon as u get back in town. I’d love to catch up with u.
Daniel read the text three times. It wasn’t bad. Jason had handled the matter smoothly. It shouldn’t surprise him since Jason had never had a single problem with women. He’d come out of the cradle knowing how to talk to the opposite sex.
Suddenly his phone pinged. Lorelei had messaged him back. Daniel swallowed past his nervousness. He tapped the screen. Her message was short and sweet. Great idea! I’d love to hang out with u as soon as I come home. She had even inserted another smiley face emoji.
When he looked up at Jason, his brother was smiling at him, showcasing his pearly whites. “I’m not going to say I told you so. A simple thank you will suffice.”
“Thanks for pushing me off the ledge,” he said with a roll of his eyes.
Jason came over and shook him lightly by his shoulders. “Sometimes we all need a push in the right direction.”
Heath got up from his chair and bumped fists with Jason. “Good job, man. No worries. Daniel will thank you later.”
“Thank you for what?” Shayla, the youngest of the Donahue brood, popped up beside them carrying a platter of watermelon, pineapple and cantaloupe before placing it on the large-sized picnic table. “What did I miss?” With her blonde hair and hazel-colored eyes, Shayla was a beauty. She was also a bona fide princess as far as he, his brothers and their father were concerned. Shayla was a teacher who was fiercely protective of her brothers.
Jason put his arm around Shayla and pulled her close to him. “I just did Daniel a solid for his love life.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I think he’s falling for someone.”
“Daniel!” Shayla cried out, throwing herself against his chest. “I’m so happy for you.”
“We just started dating, Shay. Let’s not break out the champagne just yet,” he said, shaking his head at Jason.
“But that’s good,” Shayla said, practically jumping up and down with excitement.
Daniel loved his little sister’s exuberance, but he didn’t want his family to be under the belief that his relationship with Lorelei was serious. They’d only just begun!
All of a sudden he heard a slight commotion on the deck. Micah and Faith had arrived and were being greeted by his mother. Daniel squinted. There was someone else with them. Unless he was seeing things, Lorelei was standing right next to Faith.
“Who’s that with them?” Shayla asked. “She’s pretty.”
“Lorelei.” The single word came rushing out of Daniel’s mouth.
Jason’s mouth gaped. “Isn’t she that model from the jeans commercial?”
“I think so. She was in that campaign with Micah. Lorelei James. She’s pretty famous,” B
ella, Heath’s wife added.
“She is,” Daniel said, taking a swig of his soda. “She’s the star of my next video game series. And she’s also the woman you just texted, Jason,” Daniel explained, knowing he needed to get the words out before Lorelei, Faith and Micah came walking towards them. It would get any awkwardness out of the way.
Jason frowned at him, appearing thoroughly confused. “What do you mean?”
“That’s who you’re dating?” Heath asked, his jaw practically on the floor.
“Don’t sound so surprised!” Daniel said, slightly enjoying their shock and awe.
“Aww, don’t take it personally. She’s a supermodel. I’d say that to just about anybody,” Heath said.
“You can stop staring any time now,” Bella said pointedly to her husband. Heath leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He leaned over and pressed a kiss on his baby girl, Chelsea’s forehead for good measure.
“Why would I be staring when you’re the prettiest woman in Pelican Bay?” Heath asked, his voice as sweet as sugar. “And our baby girl looks just like you. Thankfully she got your looks.”
Bella looked at Heath and shook her head. “Don’t try to sugarcoat it now.”
Jason smirked and jabbed Heath in the side. “Busted.”
“Hey! They’re coming over now,” Shayla said, calling out a greeting to them. “Hi, guys. Good to see you.”
Daniel’s heart threatened to stop beating as Lorelei walked over toward the picnic table, accompanied by Micah and Faith.
“Hey everyone!” Micah called out.
Lorelei stood in the background. She looked a little bit shy, although every inch of her looked beautiful. Even dressed in light-colored Capri pants and a sleeveless top, she looked flawless.
Daniel walked toward her. “Lorelei. I thought you were still in paradise.” He leaned down and gave her a hug. She smelled like flowers—a light floral scent that seemed perfect for her.
A look of relief swept across her face. She looked genuinely happy to see him. “I came back early this morning. I ran into Micah at the airport and he insisted I come to the barbecue. He was out of town on a modeling gig just like myself.” She let out a nervous laugh. “I feel like I’m intruding on a family gathering.”
Forever and a Day (Seven Brides Seven Brothers Pelican Bay Book 5) Page 7