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Dylan clambered to his feet and threw his napkin on the table. “That’ll be Joseph. I guess we can ask him for his opinion on this.”
Dylan strode out to answer the door, so the others all relaxed and congratulated Ivan on his decision, enjoying a few mouthfuls of their dinner. Adam assured Ivan that Dylan was just being his usual pessimistic self, and that he thought it was a great idea for Ivan to ‘come out’ as alive. But Sarah knew Dylan very well. He wasn’t as overly pessimistic as some thought. He just seemed to have an instinct for smelling trouble.
Dylan led Joseph into the dining room, and Sarah saw that the youngest Quinlan brother looked frantic. He was dressed in his now-trademark leather trousers, but he’d left his rockstar persona at the door. His cheeks were flushed from the cold, and he was wearing sunglasses even though it was night-time and wintertime. Sarah could see that the constant media attention was beginning to take its toll. In short, he looked exhausted.
He flopped down to join them at the table.
“I’ll get your dinner, Joseph,” Sarah said, standing. “You look like you could use a hot meal inside you.”
Dylan waved at her to sit down. “Wait, Sarah, we need to finish this conversation first.” He turned to face his little brother. “Joseph, Ivan’s got something to tell you.”
Joseph rested his elbows on the table. “Oh. Well, I’ve got something to tell you all myself actually. First off, I’m deferring college indefinitely.”
Adam smiled fraternally at his little brother. “Well, I think we all expected that, kid. No one would blame you.”
“The other thing…” he couldn’t help but grin… “I’ve met a woman – she’s amazing.”
Sarah clapped her hands excitedly. “That’s great news, Joseph! I knew there was something going on.”
Joseph’s smile faded. “Thanks. But I’ve really fucked up – Ellie’s not what she seems. The papers are about to reveal the truth about Ivan – everything about Ivan. And there’s nothing I can do to stop them…”
