“No, and if she were, I would’ve told you,” Keeva comments, and the two of us proceed through the swinging door into the chef’s kitchen.
“What’re you two whispering about?” Delaney asks as she’s cutting some scallions for the garnish to toss on top of the potatoes.
“Bran brought someone for family dinner,” Keeva says as she rounds the island.
“What? You’re kidding.” Delaney seems about as confused as the rest of us. “She’s kidding, right?” Delaney asks as she looks at me, like I’m really going to contradict what Keeva just said.
“I’m afraid not.”
Delaney puts down the knife and goes over to the swinging chef’s door we just came in from. Keeva follows her, and I stand from where I am in the kitchen. A few moments later, they both return, and Delaney looks furious. Now she’s never visibly shown her anger like she is right now.
In fact, Delaney’s typically the quiet one in the family.
“I can’t believe him!” she huffs, throwing her hands in the air.
I narrow my eyes on Delaney, and she’s red in the face. Keeva’s gnawing on her bottom lip, and I’m damn certain a bomb is about to go off. “Dare I ask what’s wrong?”
“Bran. He brought . . . ugh!” Delaney huffs and stomps her foot, something I haven’t seen her do in a very long time. I find myself smiling, remembering the little outbursts she would have when she was a child. “Why in the bloody hell are you smiling? Did you know?!” Delaney comes up with the rage of a bull and pushes on my chest.
I back away from her and throw my hands up in surrender. “Know what exactly?”
“Bran must be sleeping with the girl who used to bully Delaney. The one who started the rumors,” Keeva states, and I drop my mouth open in surprise. I thought the girl’s name was Olga who bullied her, but it must’ve been Orla. The girl had started some rumors about Delaney sleeping with boys in their school, but I know Delaney, and she’s never been the type. This girl only started the rumors because a boy Orla was interested in fancied Delaney for a while. It made her last two years of school torturous, and Bran’s really showing how much of a dick he can be.
“Wait a second. How old is this girl? She isn’t a minor, is she?” I, of course, think about the risks first, but Delaney quickly fills me in.
“No, she’s nineteen.”
“Nineteen?” Keeva blurts out, seeming as confused as I am.
Delaney gives us a curt nod. “Yes, because she was held back a year. You both know I was one of the latest birthdays in the year to be accepted into my class. She’s born earlier in the year, and was held back . . . so Bran isn’t doing anything wrong, I guess.” She shrugs.
“Oh no, he’s doing something wrong.” Keeva comes to her defense, and Delaney shoots our sister a slight smile.
The oven timer begins to ding, and I head over to pull the dish out from the oven. I set the lamb chops on a serving tray, and each one of my sisters fills their hands with the sides. “Are you going to be okay eating with this girl?”
Delaney huffs, “I don’t have much of a choice, and I won’t let her make me uncomfortable in my own home.”
“Damn straight, you won’t.” Keeva hypes Delaney up, and we all head to the door. We exit the kitchen and take the food to the dining room table. Keeva had set the table a bit earlier, and everything is ready. Only, I didn’t anticipate we’d have an additional guest.
“Dinner’s ready,” Keeva calls out to the others in the living area. Eamon comes through the archway first and takes his seat directly to my right, as he should. He’s always been my right-hand man, since birth, really. Out of all my siblings, he’s the one I trust the most.
Delaney sits on my left, and Keeva is beside her, while Bran sits across from Keeva, and Orla is sitting on his right. “Is Delilah coming this evening?” Delaney asks, probably praying for the buffer. Delilah’s the type who’d keep the conversation going all night long so nothing would be too awkward.
“Unfortunately not. She’s working her arse off. I’ll be taking her some dinner after we’re finished, though.”
“Only serving her dinner tonight, hmm, brother?” Keeva giggles, and Eamon cracks a smile.
“Enough, let’s eat,” I tell my siblings, and we start passing dishes around the table. Meanwhile, Bran sits beside Orla, who has no table setting in front of her. I doubt Keeva will even get up and get one. There’s too much animosity between them, and Keeva will always stick up for Delaney, no matter what. She’s the baby of the family, and for the most part, we’ll rally beside her. Everyone besides Bran, who only cares about shagging the easiest woman around. It looks like he found her too.
Part of me wonders if he’s screwing around with her to piss me off. He knows I have a soft spot for Delaney because she’s practically my daughter when we all think about it. I’ve always been more of a father to her than a brother. Hell, this might not even be about Delaney at all.
I pour myself a glass of wine and pass the bottle to Delaney, who pours her own drink. Though, I notice how Orla hasn’t said a word since sitting at the table. I figure now is as good a time as any to strike up a conversation, so I clear my throat and direct my attention to her. “Orla, was it?”
“Yes,” she replies.
“How is it you and Bran know each other?” I ask Orla. I’m interested in finding out what she’ll tell me.
Orla giggles in a fake manner and looks right at Delaney. “Delaney and I were friends in school, so I always knew who—”
