Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
THE TRUTH IS…
DYLAN
“Who’s your dad?” I ask.
“Bruce Granger.”
I wince. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“Who’s yours?” she asks, looking like she already knows the answer.
“Everett Whitman.”
“Yeah. Right. Okay.” She fans her face with her hand, and I put my hands on my waist and exhale.
“Well, fuck.” I swipe my hand down my face and look at her. “What are the chances?”
“There is no one my dad hates more than your dad,” she says quietly. “And he hates a lot of people.”
“I haven’t known my dad to hate anyone,” I say. “But he intensely dislikes your dad.”
“For the record, I’m not that fond of my dad either.”
I look at her in surprise. “You’re not?”
She shakes her head.
“I thought you said you were close.”
“Honestly? The truth is more like I wish we were.” She bites the inside of her lip. “Who wants to be the girl with dad baggage, right?” Her eyes meet mine, and the sadness there guts me. “My dad is not the easiest person to love…or even like.”
I reach out and lace my fingers with hers. “If he doesn’t worship the ground you walk on, he’s missing out.”
Her lips lift slightly. “Thanks, Dylan.” She rolls her eyes. “Ugh. I hate being that girl who longs for her dad’s approval. It’s so cliché.”
“It’s not cliché. It’s normal to feel that way.”
She sniffs and then looks at her watch.
When I see the time, I whistle. “Yeah, we should get to the airport, but…we should talk more about this family dynamic.” I sigh. “I can’t believe you’re a Granger.” I look at the floor and have to laugh.
“Wait. You still want to go with me?”
I look up to see her wide eyes. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I?”
She flings out her hand. “Because our dads hate each other. Because there’s been a rivalry between our families for longer than we’ve been alive,” she says, like it’s obvious.
She looks at the picture of my family again.
“Your mom was so beautiful. I’m really sorry she’s not here. She has kind eyes.”
I look at the picture and smile. “She was the kindest person I’ve ever known.”
“I saw my dad staring at a picture of your parents when I was in junior high. They were in the newspaper. I thought they were such beautiful people, and when I asked who they were, Dad said the woman was someone he used to know. And then he flung the paper across the room. When I asked my mom about it later, she filled me in on the great divide of the Whitmans versus the Grangers.”
“Yeah, the divide goes way, way back. I guess our grandfathers were good friends at one time. Did you know that?”
“No. My mom wasn’t sure why Dad hated them, just that he does…with a passion. Something business-related?”
“I don’t know the details very well either. Our grandfathers were best friends and in business together…and I think your grandpa said my grandpa stole his idea? I’m not sure. My dad hasn’t talked about it too much, so I don’t know the specifics. Did you know my sister is dating your cousin Milo?”
Her mouth drops. “I knew he was dating someone and happy, but no, I didn’t know that she’s a Whitman.”
“Yeah, so we’re not the first.” I grin.
“We’re different, though. Milo’s mom is so much more chill than my dad. Aunt Kathleen is wonderful. My dad, on the other hand…he would lose his mind if he knew we were even hanging out.”
“This whole thing—it’s a lot to wrap our heads around, for sure, Dahlia—especially given the fact that we share a sister.” I shake my head, eyes wide. “I mean, how weird is that? It’s insane. But—”
I stop when her mouth parts, and she looks at me in growing confusion.
“What do you mean, ‘we share a sister’?” She frowns and takes a step back. “What are you talking about?”
We stare at each other for a few seconds.
“Fuck. Me. You don’t know about Ava,” I say under my breath in disbelief.
Fuck my life.
I put my hands on her shoulders.
“We have a lot to talk about. I’m so sorry, Dahlia. I…didn’t realize—” I shake my head. “We should go, so we don’t miss this flight.”
She nods, looking dazed.
I’ve fucked this up royally.
She looks numb as we put our things in her car.
“Would you like me to drive?” I ask.
“Yes, please.” She hands me the keys, and I help her into the car before shutting the door behind her.
We’re quiet on the drive to the airport, and once we check in and get to our gate, I’m beginning to worry that she’s not okay.
“Why don’t we go get a little snack before we get on the plane?” I suggest.
She nods, and we go to the little shop near our gate.
I hold up a package with cheese, meat, crackers, and grapes, and a yogurt with granola, and she nods again, so I grab two of each, along with two bottles of that fancy hydrating water.
After I pay for it, we walk back to the gate and sit down, and I open everything.
When I offer the two options, she picks the meat and cheese and pops a grape in her mouth.
She takes a bite of cheese and a deep breath, and some of her color returns.
“Are you okay?”
“It’s been a morning.”
“What can I do to help?”
“You’ve already been so sweet. I can’t believe you’re turning around and going back to California with me.” She turns and faces me. “Shouldn’t we stop this now…before it goes too far?”
“Are you talking about me and you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to stop? I don’t.”
“No. I don’t either. But it’ll only be harder later if we get more attached.”
I make a sad face. “You’re not already attached to this?
” I vogue for her and am happy when she laughs.
“How about we see where this is going? We had an incredible night together. I want to see you again. And I don’t want what our grandfathers did to each other to get in the way of something good between us. ”
“I don’t either, but…there’s also the other elephant in the room. It feels too big.” She looks down and twists her hands together.
“Ava?”
“Ava,” she repeats. “Who is she? Why have I never heard about her?”
“I’ve only just found out about her myself. It hasn’t been long. I shouldn’t have assumed you knew.”
“Did our parents have an affair?”
“No. They were together in high school. I think your dad should be the one to tell you this.”
She shakes her head. Her eyes fill with tears, and when one drops, she angrily swipes it away. “He hasn’t told me anything. I want you to tell me. I need to know.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you what my dad told us. I trust him, but it doesn’t paint your dad in the greatest light, so you should hear him out too.”
“If he ever decides to tell me.”
“Right. Okay, I’ll try to—”
An announcement about our flight interrupts me. They’re about to begin boarding.
“Should I wait until we’re on the plane?”
“No, let’s get it over with,” she says.
“Okay, if you’re sure.” I wait until she nods to proceed.
“So…my mom was sixteen when she found out she was pregnant. She told your dad, and he insisted she get an abortion. They broke up, and instead of getting an abortion, she went away and had the baby. As soon as the baby was born, she was adopted, and it was a closed adoption. My mom didn’t even hold her.
” I pause because this is the part that kills me every time I think about it, which has been often since finding out about Ava.
“My mom died never knowing Ava and always wanted to. She wrote her letters all the time.” I run my hand down my jaw.
“It’s all really sad. My dad knew about the baby all along and talks about how much regret Mom had, never knowing her.
Anyway, Ava did 23andMe and found Bruce.
” I make a face. “This is where it gets dicier, and I’d rather not even fully go into it.
Long story short, Bruce turned Ava against us and they pulled some shit, trying to shut down our resort project in Windy Harbor.
I haven’t even told you all about that yet, and I don’t really want to talk about that part, because Ava’s come a long way since then.
We’re trying to build a relationship with her now.
I think there’s hope there. Your dad isn’t happy about that, though. ”
When it’s our turn to board, I put the food containers in the bag, and we go wait for our turn to get on the plane. Once we’re seated, I look at Dahlia.
“Did I tell you too much?”
“No. I want to know everything. I’m just in shock. You’re a Whitman. And I have a sister.” She looks at me and sighs. “I always wanted a sibling, especially a sister.”
She leans her head back and is quiet for a long time.
“I wonder how long my dad has known about her.”
“I don’t know.”
Tears fall down her cheeks again, and she’s quiet as she swipes them away. I take her hand as we wait for takeoff.
When we’re finally in the air, I look over and she’s asleep. It’s for the best. I kept her awake most of the night, she’s worried about her daughter, and she just found out she has a sister her dad has kept a secret from her. Not to mention the Whitman/Granger bomb that neither of us saw coming.
Yeah, she’s due a nice long rest.
When her head starts to bob, I tell her to lean on my shoulder. I put my arm around her, and she curls into me. It’s nice. I end up falling asleep too.
I don’t wake up until we’re getting ready to land. I guess I was exhausted too. Dahlia is already awake, slipping her phone into her bag.
“Did you get some rest?” I ask.
“I just woke up a couple of minutes ago.”
“Good. You needed it. We both did.”
“Did you mean it about wanting to see where this goes between us?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay,” she says firmly. “I want that too. But Dylan, my dad can’t find out. I don’t want him anywhere near this. He doesn’t let go of a grudge, and when it comes to the Whitmans, I don’t think he ever will. I know how vindictive he can be.”
“Okay.” I waggle my eyebrows to lighten the mood. “We can sneak around. It’ll be exciting.” I lean in closer. “No, seriously, my dad’s got a lot to think about with his health, so I’ll keep it quiet on my end too.” I bring her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles. “So, we take it day by day.”
“It’s probably going to be short-lived anyway, given that we’re living in two different states,” she says.
“Not for long…”
“But even then, you’ll be a couple of hours away. I say we just have fun and not try to label it.”
“If that’s what you want, but I’m warning you now, I’ll be the most fun you’ve ever had.”
Her cheeks flush. “Oh, you already are.”
I lift my shoulder. “See? You won’t be able to let me go.”
“Okay, okay. Let’s not get too cocky.”
I pull my phone out of the seat pocket. “Since we’re keeping this such a secret, I’m changing your name to a flower emoji. Which one do you think looks most like a dahlia?” I show her the flower options, and she picks the cherry blossom.
She picks up her phone and opens my contact information. She deletes Dylan and puts in a guy on a surfboard.
“We’re official,” I say.
“Officially taking it day by day,” she corrects me.
“Don’t worry, Doll. I got you.” I wink.
She rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling.