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.”
“Of course not. The more the merrier is literally a Donahue family motto,” Daniel said, his lips twitching as he uttered the words.
Lorelei smiled at him and he found himself mesmerized by the way it lit up an already gorgeous face. Her smile did funny things to his insides. It felt like a hundred butterflies were swarming around in his belly. He’d heard people speak about this type of feeling before, but until now it had been a foreign concept to him. It was both scary and liberating. It was as if his heart was being cracked wide open and there wasn’t a single thing he could do to stop it.
Penelope stood off to the side, sneaking glances at the two of them. She had a curious expression on her face, as if wondering how Daniel knew Lorelei. When he locked gazes with his mother she mouthed the words, “She’s beautiful,” which made Daniel want to laugh out loud. He knew what she was doing. Matchmaking! Whenever he was in the presence of a woman even remotely in his age group his mother did her best to encourage him to ask her out.
It was kind of sad really. Did his whole family think he was some lonely recluse who was going to die alone? He was still pretty young and reasonably good looking. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have options. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t bringing things to the table. He had a nice life and he really wanted to find someone to share it with. What was that saying? Good things happened when you least expected them to happen. Lorelei had come into his life like a summer rain in the middle of a heatwave.
“Are you hungry? I can fix you a plate if you like,” Daniel said, eager to make Lorelei comfortable.
Lorelei rubbed her stomach. “I’m actually starving. I’m really not a fan of plane food.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Do they still even serve food? More like peanuts and a bag of pretzels.”
“And don’t forget the small glass of ginger ale,” she teased.
“Why don’t you go sit down with Faith and I’ll get you something to eat?”
“That’s so sweet of you, Daniel. I’d love to catch up with her,” Lorelei said, placing her hand on his arm. The gesture was a warm one and Daniel felt euphoric. It wasn’t as if Lorelei and he were at his family barbecue on a date, but it sure felt nice to be able to pair up with someone like his siblings. He hadn’t realized until this very moment how it had felt lately to arrive at family functions solo. There was a little part of him that ached a little every time one of his brothers paired off. It wasn’t as if he was jealous or anything—he had always been the first one to raise a toast—but it highlighted his loneliness.
“So, do you like my surprise?” Micah asked, coming up behind him and speaking in a low voice.
“It’s a great surprise, Micah,” Daniel said, unable to contain his happiness. He put his arm around Micah. “How did it come about? You just ran into her by accident?”
“Pretty much. Our planes must have landed at the same time. When Faith and I ran into her at the airport the wheels started turning in my head once she started gushing about you.”
“Gushing?” Daniel asked, wondering if he’d misheard his brother.
“Oh, yeah,” Micah said, nudging Daniel in the side. “She was really beaming talking about your date. Don’t tell her I told you. I don’t want her to feel embarrassed. She really likes you.”
“I won’t,” Daniel said as heat rushed to his face. He was a bit overcome with emotion. It was nice to know Lorelei was as interested in him as he was in her. Perhaps that was why she’d agreed to a second date. He really did need to thank Jason later. He’d been annoyed at his brother for grabbing his phone, but he’d done him a solid.
“So, the two of you like each other, huh?” Micah asked.
“I know I like her. A lot,” Daniel admitted. “She’s amazing.”
Micah clapped him on the back. He jerked his chin at the two plates Daniel was holding. “Go get your girl her food. I’m making Faith a plate.”
Daniel walked over to a side table laden with an assortment of food. Caleb walked over from the grilling area and placed a plate of burgers, hot dogs, ribs and salmon down on the table.
Normally, Caleb was all smiles and easy charm. At the moment he looked utterly wiped out. He couldn’t even muster a smile which was unusual for him.
“Take a break, Caleb,” Daniel urged. “You look stressed.”
“Did Addie get here yet?” he asked, wiping his brow with his arm. “She was supposed to be here a while ago.”
“I haven’t seen her.” Daniel frowned. “Are you worried?”
Caleb let out a beleaguered sigh. “It’s not like her to not answer her cell phone. And you know how on time she always is.”