“Night,” was all he said before putting his attention on his own phone. Once Liam was gone, however, he pulled up his photos and found the ones of him and Arianna. Just looking at her beautiful, smiling face made his heart ache.
Seeing her again would be both pleasure and pain, and he had to be realistic. It wasn’t going to be some big romantic reunion. What he did—while right at the time—was still really unfair to her. Knowing how stubborn her brother was, Will had a feeling it was a family trait. If she couldn’t forgive him or—worse—if she’d moved on, could he really stay in their tiny town and make a life for himself there?
His gut told him no. It would be too hard and it didn’t matter that they’d only had the one day; he knew Arianna was perfect for him.
But could he possibly convince her and her family that he deserved a chance?
That was the million dollar question and he wasn’t sure he could handle the answer.
Chapter Two
She’d found the perfect job opportunity.
And it wasn’t in Laurel Bay.
Arianna stared at the listing and uploaded her resume before she could second guess herself. And, just like she’d told Ryleigh, it was in Chapel Hill. As soon as her résumé uploaded, she immediately began looking at apartment listings. The cost of living—especially housing—was much higher there, but she’d also be making more money, so it would all balance out. She could have her privacy and the freedom to date whomever she wanted, and it was everything she could have hoped for.
Her heart raced a little and she wondered if it was the right thing to do, but…she had to try.
“Dare to dream,” she murmured to herself. “You’re allowed.”
After her conversation with her sister the other night, she knew she needed to do something. She was living in limbo and it was never her dream to stay in this tiny town. After college and her internship in San Francisco, she now knew there was so much more out there. True, she needed to go where there were job opportunities for her, but in the medical field, that was pretty much everywhere. She really loved her job as a radiation therapist—all the doctors were nice and she adored her patients; it was the fact that it was a small practice in an even smaller town that left her feeling a little disenchanted. After spending her internship in San Francisco – and at a huge hospital – sometimes it felt like she was just standing still and not doing enough.
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to live someplace else,” she said as she shut her laptop. “Just because the rest of the Donovans think this is a great place to live doesn’t mean I have to.”
She just had no idea how she was going to say that to her parents without them freaking out.
It had been bad enough when she announced that she couldn’t get a degree in her desired field by going to a local community college. Her mother had cried for a week and her father had paced and then made her take self-defense classes so she could handle herself without him or her brothers around.
Looking back, it had been incredibly smart and practical, and now she knew how to kick anyone’s ass, but…they were all going to have to accept that this was her life and she was living it her way.
Groaning, she just hoped they wouldn’t give her too much grief. With Liam coming home, maybe that would take some of the focus off of her and she could sort of slip away and move without too much fanfare.
“Sure, and elephants could fly.”
Ugh.
Tonight they were all getting together for Sunday dinner—something that happened way more than any other family she knew—and perhaps she’d start feeling them out. If she brought it up a little at a time, maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal when the time came.
“One can only hope.”
With nothing on the agenda until dinnertime, Arianna took her time cleaning the apartment before showering and getting dressed. It really sucked that she had no idea what day her brother was coming home and she hated how it was okay for him to be so vague while she had to give a minute-by-minute detailed travel itinerary to her parents when she came home from San Francisco. It was pointless to argue about it, though. It was something she’d learned a long time ago and even though it was incredibly sexist, her parents were extremely traditional and overly protective of their daughters.
“Someday I’ll think of it as being sweet, but today is not that day.” So until Liam came home, she would have to make sure the apartment was neat and tidy and ready for him to just move right back in.
And hopefully not kick her out.
If she could prove that she could be his ideal roommate—at least until she moved away—it would make her life so much easier.
When there was nothing left for her to do, she opted to head over to the pub and see who was hanging out there until it was time to go to dinner. There was so much more room at the pub for all of them to eat, but her mother always insisted on making everyone come back to their childhood home and eat around the dining room table. There would be some kind of roast and potatoes and more food than they could all eat, but it was always loud and fun and delicious. It was something she had missed when she was away at school, but she just wished they would do it once a month rather than once a week.
“And this is why I need to move. Too much family time.”
What she needed was someone to give her that nudge—to dare her to make the move. It was ridiculous, but Arianna thrived on a good dare. Unfortunately, no one in her family ever dared her to do anything except conform to the way of life they all enjoyed.
“Not gonna happen.”
Grabbing her purse, keys, and sunglasses, she headed out the door and walked down to the pub. After dinner, either Ryleigh or her brother Jamie could drive her home. It just seemed silly to drive two blocks when she could walk—especially on such a beautiful September day.
With a smile, she made her way toward the pub and waved at the neighbors. There were so many familiar faces and she secretly enjoyed this part of small town life. It was nice to see people you knew who were always happy to see you. That didn’t happen in a big city. There, you tended to blend into the crowd but there was a certain appeal to that too.
“There’s my Arianna!” Kate Donovan called out from behind the bar as soon as her daughter walked in. Wiping her hands on her apron, she walked over like it had been months since they’d seen each other instead of two days.
“Hey, Mom!” she said and accepted the fierce hug she always received. When she pulled back, she let her mother fuss with her hair for a moment before saying anything. “I thought you’d be home cooking by now.”
“Bah! Today I’m doing all the cooking here and then we’ll bring it to the house. Less mess that way.”
“Well…not for poor Francis,” she murmured. Francis was her uncle’s best friend and had been washing dishes here at the pub for as long as Arianna could remember. “That seems a little unfair.”
“Nonsense. We’ve got that big industrial dishwasher back there, so all Francis has to do is rinse them and load them up. What’s a few extra pots?”
It was pointless to argue, plus…less dishes for her and her siblings to have to help with after the meal. “So, what’s on the menu?”