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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.”
