Something to Prove (26 page)

She shook her head. “Look, I appreciate the invite, but I’m not going to a family
gathering.”

“It’s not a gathering, it’s dinner.”

She hung her towel up and left the room. Hopefully, he’d get the hint that the conversation
was over. She couldn’t do a family thing with him. Their relationship would become
even more complicated. She dressed quickly.

He followed her into the bedroom, water still sliding down his chest. How she wanted
to follow that trail with her tongue. “If you want to talk, get dressed.”

He chuckled low. “I think I do better at negotiating when I’m not.”

“That’s the problem.”

“What’s the big deal about dinner?”

“I don’t want to offend anyone by not eating the food. I’m still a little cautious
about eating. You know that.”

“Trust me, my mother’s food is good, but there’s no way it’ll upset your stomach.
The only seasoning she owns is salt and pepper. The food is about as bland as you’ll
find.”

She threw a pair of underwear at him. “That’s not a nice way to talk about your mom’s
cooking. Plus, you said it was her recipe they use for the shepherd’s pie, and I really
like that.”

His smile spread across his face. “I never said you had good taste. Although it started
as her recipe, Liam doctored it.”

She gave him a shove, knowing it wouldn’t actually move him, but it gave her an excuse
to put her hands on his chest. “We also have the bowling alley opening tonight. One
of us should be there.”

He pulled her to his chest, and water began to soak into her T-shirt.

“We’ll both be at the alley tonight. Dinner isn’t an all-day thing. We eat, we talk,
we leave. Plus they all know the alley is reopening tonight. They plan to come.”

She groaned and twisted away. “As much as I appreciate you filling our establishment
with your family, I’d much rather have paying customers.”

Colin pulled clothes from his dresser. “They’ll pay. And they’ll bring friends who’ll
pay.”

She sighed. This conversation was getting them nowhere. She went to the living room
and gathered the notes she had on licensing the bowling alley to serve food. It was
all so complicated because no one could verify what licenses the bowling alley had
or used to have. She’d avoided calling Keith. She really didn’t want to get him involved.

“Ryan will be at dinner. I’m sure you can talk to him about the food issue. He probably
knows people who can help.” He grabbed his keys from the counter. “Let’s go.”

They stood staring at each other for a minute. He wasn’t leaving without her. He’d
made that clear. She finally caved.

“I still don’t understand why you need me to come.” She left her papers on the table
and walked toward him.

He slung an arm over her shoulder and kissed her head. “I like hanging out with you,
and if I leave you here, you’ll just stress about licenses and forget to eat.”

An hour later, Elizabeth was sandwiched between two of Colin’s brothers on the couch
in their childhood home. She’d met Ryan, of course, when she’d first offered him the
chance to partner with her. The other one, Liam, looked nothing like the other two.
Moira was helping her mother in the kitchen.

According to Colin, they were short a couple of siblings, not that she’d notice, but
they’d gained in-laws to fill the gaps. Gaps? He’d talked about having a big family
often enough that she should’ve known what to expect, but there was no way to prepare
for being crowded into a bungalow with this many people. It wasn’t normal.

Just as she’d started to talk about the bowling alley license, the baby in Ryan’s
arms began to squawk. Ryan shifted to rise, but Colin came from the other side of
the room.

“I’ll take him.”

Ryan’s face wrinkled. “He needs to be changed.”

“I can handle it.” Colin stretched out his arms and took the baby.

“I’m not going to argue. Have at it.”

Elizabeth sat stunned for a minute, knowing that she should gather her thoughts to
get Ryan’s input, but the sight of Colin cradling a baby surprised her. He appeared
to be totally at ease with holding a newborn.

“So you were saying . . .” Ryan prompted.

“Your brother busted a hole in the wall between the bowling alley and the bar. They
used to be connected and the storeroom was a small kitchen. He’d like to start serving
food, but I’m not sure. I can’t figure out how difficult it would be to get the correct
licensing. He suggested I talk to you.” She eased back on the couch, and although
she listened to Ryan’s answer, part of her brain was cued in to watching for Colin’s
return.

Ryan indeed had friends who might be able to help with her dilemma, and he promised
to call them first thing Monday morning.

When he finished, she said, “I haven’t had the chance to thank you for your help with
the break-in. I’m sure Colin told you that I’d gotten sick. I’m really grateful you
stepped in to help him.”

He shrugged, like he hadn’t been expecting her to acknowledge his help. “It’s what
family does.” He braced his elbows on his knees and leaned toward her. “You’re good
for him. I haven’t seen him this focused in . . . ever.”

“That’s not me, it’s the business. He really wants to build something of his own.”

“Don’t we all,” came a voice from behind her.

She’d forgotten Liam was there.

“He could’ve started or taken over any number of businesses. There’s a reason this
one stuck with him. I owe you some thanks too. Colin hasn’t been around much, and
this project of yours has kept him close to home. It means a lot to my mom.”

But not to you?
She wanted to ask, but didn’t. She’d never understand the dynamic between these siblings.

Colin returned with the baby, but didn’t move to hand him over to Ryan. The infant
was curled under Colin’s chin, comfortable and quiet. Elizabeth couldn’t argue with
that. She knew how nice that exact spot was.

“Dinner,” Moira called from the kitchen door. She walked over to the dining room table
and placed a plate of ham in the center. Her mother followed with what looked like
mashed potatoes.

Colin held out his free hand to help her up. “It’ll be fine,” he whispered as she
walked past him.

Elizabeth inhaled deeply. Was that homemade bread she smelled?

In the dining room, Moira pointed to a chair. “Sit next to me. I haven’t seen you
all week and I want to catch up.”

“Can I help with something?” Elizabeth asked.

“Nope. Sit.” Then Moira disappeared back to the kitchen. When she returned, she was
carrying two round loaves of bread.

Colin nudged her and took the seat at the head of the table, baby still in his arms.
Another woman, Ryan’s wife, if Elizabeth remembered correctly, came in.

“I’ll go put him down.”

“If you move him, he’ll wake up. Eat.”

Quinn eyed him with a raised brow. “Are you sure?”

Ryan had taken his seat. “Don’t question it. He already changed a diaper. I think
he’s trying to impress our guest.”

“Fuck you,” Colin said with no anger.

Quinn moved away to sit, but pointed a finger at Colin. “I do not want those to be
my son’s first words, so watch your mouth.”

Unbelievably, the reprimand worked, and Colin mumbled an apology.

Elizabeth looked at Quinn. “Can you teach me how to do that?”

“Years of being a teacher.” She smiled broadly at Elizabeth. “So tell us about yourself.”

“Not much to tell. I’m here fixing a mess of a business my father bought a long time
ago and left neglected. With any luck, the bowling alley will open successfully tonight.
If I can get the right license in place, we’ll start offering a small menu, and I’ll
be done.”

Quinn’s eyes narrowed. “Colin already told us that. I meant tell me about yourself,
not your work.”

Colin’s mother, Eileen, entered the room, wiping her hands on a towel before taking
her seat opposite Colin. Conversation stopped.

“Colin, say grace.”

Everyone around the table held hands. Since he was still holding the baby on his chest
with his right arm, only Colin’s left hand was free, which he extended to her. She
placed her hand in his.

He stroked her fingers before he spoke. “Lord, thank you for family, good friends,
and a good meal. And thank you for healthy baby Patrick. Amen.”

He squeezed her hand once more and, for a minute, she thought he wouldn’t let go.

She slid her hand from his grasp and took a sip of water.

“You still haven’t answered my question, Elizabeth.”

Water slid down her throat and she began to choke. She’d hoped that questions would
stop once people started to eat. Apparently, Quinn was a multitasker.

When her throat cleared, Elizabeth tried to answer. “There’s still not much to tell.
I live in a suburb of Miami, but I’m not there often. I travel for work probably about
eighty to eighty-five percent of the time.”

“What about your family?” Eileen asked.

“My father has the business headquarters in Miami.”

“So you don’t see them?” The thought appeared to really bother Eileen.

Elizabeth shrugged. “I see my father and brother on various job sites. I live in the
coach house that my brother owns, so when I’m home I see my sister-in-law and nieces.”

Eileen tsked.

“I didn’t bring Libby here for an inquisition.”

As soon as she heard him use her nickname, Elizabeth felt the wave of attention shift
back to her. Her cheeks flamed.

Eileen didn’t falter. “We’re just getting to know your lady friend.”

Moira gave her a nudge under the table. “Libby?”

Elizabeth turned to Moira and knocked her fork off the table. Then when she bent to
pick it up, she whacked her head on the underside of the table.

She clenched her teeth to prevent the curse word from slipping out. She was embarrassed
enough without Quinn scolding her too. When she resurfaced, everyone had begun to
eat and conversation had continued as if she hadn’t just made a total fool of herself.

Except Colin. He smiled, and her muscles eased a little.

Unfortunately, Moira also kept her attention on Elizabeth. She leaned close and whispered,
“So what exactly is going on with you and my brother?”

“What do you mean?” Elizabeth didn’t want to lie, but she certainly didn’t want to
fuel any gossip or place any unrealistic expectations on her relationship with Colin.

“You’re sleeping with him.”

Elizabeth felt everything from her chest to the tips of her ears burn red. “Even if
I wanted to talk about this, it would never be at a dinner table with your entire
family.”

“Moira, stop whispering at the table. It’s rude,” Eileen reprimanded.

“Sorry, Mom.”

The apology might as well have come from a snotty teen because, at a glance, Elizabeth
saw the corner of Moira’s mouth lift as she tried to hide her smile.

With excellent timing, the baby began to squirm and cry. Quinn stood. “He’s probably
hungry. I’ll take him.”

Colin handed over the bundle and focused his attention on loading his plate. In between
bites he filled his family in on the progress of the bar and the bowling alley. Colin
had been right, the food was pretty bland, not that it mattered. Elizabeth didn’t
taste much after Moira’s declaration.

Except for the bread. That was truly delicious. “What kind of bread is this?” she
asked Moira.

“Irish soda bread.”

“I thought that had raisins and stuff in it.”

“Shh . . . don’t let my mom hear that.
Real
Irish soda bread is bread and not dessert.”

“Whatever it is, it’s fabulous.”

“It’s an old family recipe, passed down from generation to generation.” Moira wagged
her eyebrows. “Maybe we’ll get a copy for you.”

Elizabeth sighed. This was why she didn’t want to come to a family dinner. There were
always expectations when a date is brought to the family home.

She poked at the remaining food on her plate and glanced at her watch. They had no
idea how many people to expect at the bowling alley. They’d sent out flyers around
the neighborhood and done some basic advertising, but it was a bowling alley. It wasn’t
like they were introducing a new nightclub.

She envisioned a senior center sending a bus full of old people who would haggle over
prices. Maybe the local high school might start using it as a hangout. She couldn’t
imagine which would be worse.

Colin leaned over and touched her arm, sending a warm pulse up. “I’m done. How about
you?”

She nodded and stood so quickly her chair almost toppled. After rescuing the chair,
she turned to grab her plate, but Colin already had it in his hands.