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.”