Chapter 39
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
HEY, SHORTY
DYLAN
A couple of weeks later, it’s Chloe’s birthday. Three years old. I swear she went to bed a toddler and woke up a CEO. She marches into the kitchen like she’s got a board meeting to run—Bill tucked under her arm like her tiny, long-bodied assistant.
Bill looks half asleep and entirely resigned to his fate.
He manages to look stoic even while his butt is being dragged on the floor by a three-year-old.
These two have been glued together ever since we got back from California, and it’s the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen.
Chloe carries him everywhere. And he lets her. Happily. The dog worships her.
“There’s the birthday girl!” Dahlia says, going over to hug Chloe.
“Happy birthday, Princess Chloe,” I say, hugging her…and Bill.
She does a little curtsy and then climbs onto her chair and sets Bill in front of her. She pats his head once like she’s crowning him king, then announces, “It’s his birfday too.”
Dahlia hides her smile behind her coffee mug. I’m not as graceful. I snort.
“Oh yeah?” I ask, leaning on the counter. “Both of you are turning three today?”
She nods so hard her curls bounce. “Yes. Bill is three.”
Dahlia looks at me in alarm. “She’s saying her L’s perfectly now.” Her face scrunches up as she tries not to cry. She fans her face. “I will not cry. I will not cry.”
Chloe could be right. Since Bill kept wandering into my shop in California with no owner in sight until I finally claimed him, we never knew his exact birthday. The vet guessed, and by that timeline, he’d be about three now.
Which means in Chloe logic, it’s destiny.
Dahlia kisses the top of her head. “Then we’ll celebrate both of you.”
Chloe’s grin could power Windy Harbor. She scoops Bill back into her arms and leans toward Dahlia.
“Mama,” she whispers dramatically, “Bill needs a hat.”
To Dahlia’s credit, she barely hesitates. She goes to get the craft basket and pulls out construction paper. This woman is impressively organized.
“Okay,” she says. “What color are we thinking?”
“Pink!” Chloe yells.
“Of course,” Dahlia says.
“You saw that coming, didn’t you?” I tease, and Dahlia laughs and waves several shades of pink paper.
When it’s time, we load everything into the car: cupcakes, presents, Bill in his birthday hat that keeps sliding over one eye, and a giddy Chloe.
The drive to my land takes two minutes. I’ve sectioned off a portion of the back lawn just for today.
It’s got the best shade, soft grass, and enough space for what I’m about to reveal.
When we pull up, Chloe spots the streamers, a banner, and the long tables, and she gasps dramatically. “Mama, LOOK!”
Dahlia laughs. “I’m looking, baby girl. Isn’t it pretty?”
“Pretty!” Chloe agrees.
But the best part is behind the fence. I open the gate and usher everyone in. The moment Chloe sees, she freezes.
The petting zoo.
Goats, bunnies, a couple of miniature sheep, two calm old ponies, and the happiest, roundest pig I’ve ever seen. Juju’s Papa Hector pulled a few strings and found the same farmers he’d gotten the chickens and Ralph the rooster from.
Ralph did not get an invite today. That bird would’ve chased every female guest under a table.
Chloe screams in overwhelmed joy and barrels toward a docile-looking fellow.
“SHEEP!!” she shouts, even though it’s clearly a goat.
The goat bleats. Chloe bleats back. I’m honestly impressed. The goat looks startled, like she’s just spoken his language.
The family arrives in waves, and Chloe is in heaven seeing all of her favorite people.
Dahlia’s mom and aunt meet everyone for the first time, and it’s fun to see Maren and Aunt Ginny chatting with my sister and grandmas.
Christian shows up an hour into the party, alone. He looks uncomfortable, but I’ve gotta say that I’m impressed that he’s shown his face around here. I thought he might insist on seeing Chloe in a neutral location, but he’s been decent about respecting Dahlia’s boundaries.
Dahlia and I walk over to him, and I shake his hand. “Hey, man. Glad you’re here.”
“Thanks.” He seems surprised by my kindness.
“Thanks for coming,” Dahlia says.
He nods. “Where’s the birthday girl?”
Dahlia points to Chloe, who’s standing next to Grayson in the middle of all the animals. Her head falls back in laughter when a goat licks her cheek.
“She looks happy,” he says.
We watch as he walks over to Chloe and bends down to hug her. She grins at him, but she’s so enamored with the animals, it’s clear that she’s distracted. Christian takes her gift and puts it on the table with the rest.
Guests continue to arrive. I think everyone in Windy Harbor has come out for the celebration.
A few resort guests have even found their way to the party.
Dahlia stays close to Chloe. She’s admitted that she’s not used to the small-town vibe yet and will never not lock the doors.
I think what’s happened with her dad has made her even more reticent with her trust, and I don’t blame her.
I’m staying watchful for him at all times as well.
I hear a commotion next to me, and I have to laugh when I see that it’s Juju’s Uncle Hal arriving.
Every time he sees Grandma Nancy, he turns into an old peacock.
Grandma Nancy is wearing a sundress with huge roses on it and sunglasses that almost cover her entire face.
Uncle Hal leans in, tugs his beard, and wiggles his eyebrows at the same time.
“Nancy, Nancy, Nancy,” he says dramatically, “your legs go clear to Pittsburgh.”
She fans herself with a paper plate, looking at him nonchalantly. “They still look good, but they’re moving a lot slower these days.”
“Perfect. Means you can’t run away when I sweep you off your bunions,” he says, winking at her.
I choke on my handful of Goldfish. The man has got game. Doesn’t miss a damn beat.
Later, he tries to help her sit on a hay bale and tells her he’d rather they were on a beach in the Bahamas, where he could be oiling her up.
She tells him, “Come at me with any more oil talk, and I’ll deep-fry your driver’s license and serve it with a side of guac,” but she uses his hand for help anyway.
I’m laughing too hard to keep it together and have to walk away.
But then I run into Grandma Donna. She’s wearing a pink sweater that keeps slipping off one shoulder, and Hector stares at her without blinking. Her hair is extra fluffy like cotton candy, and I kiss her cheek.
“Looks like you’ve caught someone’s eye,” I say.
“What?” she says, staring up at me. “What do you mean?”
Hector walks over with a bunny in his hands. “Look at this sweet little guy,” he says, softly. “Thought you might like him. His name’s Waffle Cone. The owner says he’s lost his vision in one eye and loves to be held.”
Grandma Donna flushes. “Oh…well, he’s just precious, isn’t he.” Her voice goes all fluttery. She sets the bunny against her chest, and the thing curls up like it’s found its home.
Hector beams.
I feel like I’ve fallen into a soap opera. Love is alive and well in Windy Harbor.
Chloe, meanwhile, is living her best life.
She tries to hug a pony’s face. She feeds a goat a carrot, then decides she wants a bite too and takes one from the other end before I can stop her. Dahlia and I die laughing.
She attempts to carry a sheep by putting her arms around its belly and grunting, “It heavy.” The sheep just stands there, confused by the tiny human trying to deadlift it.
At one point she sits in the grass with four bunnies in her lap, pretending she’s their mama. Bill, wearing his crooked birthday hat, trots over and licks one of the bunnies. Chloe is delighted.
“He loves them too!” she says, looking up at us with her huge smile.
Dahlia and I snap a ton of pictures.
Eventually I end up sitting down with Dad, Tully, and Noah by the bonfire.
“Great party, son,” Dad says.
“Thanks. She looks happy, doesn’t she?” I nod toward Chloe.
“Beside herself with joy,” Dad says, grinning. “Hey, Tully mentioned you were talking about an indoor surf area around here. Was that something you were serious about?”
Tully glances at me apologetically. “Sorry. I should’ve waited for you to say something. I was just so excited by the idea. I think we’ve reversed roles. You’ve become way too good at keeping secrets, and I can’t seem to hold them in.”
We laugh.
“It’s okay,” I tell Tully. “Maybe I learned my lesson by blowing too many birthday surprises.”
I glance at Dad. “I started thinking about this in California. I wouldn’t want to take away from all we’re doing outside, but it’d be nice to have backup activities for those subzero temps here in the winter.
We can surf on the lake in the summer, but in the winter, or even those summer days when the waves aren’t very high, we could have it going inside too. It wouldn’t have to be very big.”
“How does it work?” Dad asks.
“There are different ways to go about it. It just depends on how large we want to go with it. We could do a small rideable wave in a controlled, landlocked pool. Or we could do the legit surf lagoon that would take anywhere from two to fifteen acres.”
Dad whistles. “I wonder how that would go over with the town.”
“My guess is that they’d prefer the pool or something around the two-acre mark,” Tully says.
“We could do a lot with two or three acres,” I say, getting excited at the thought. “And I’d want to do a retractable roof, so it’d feel like we were outdoors during the warm weather.”
“That’s a great idea,” Noah says.
“Draw up a proposal,” Dad says. “Let’s see if it’s feasible.”
“Okay, I will. Thanks, Dad.”
Tully lifts his eyebrows at me, and I grin at him.
“Thanks, Tully,” I say, giving him a slight shove.
Toward the end of the party, while everyone’s eating cupcakes and the pig is rolling in the kiddie pool, I look over at Dahlia.
She’s holding Chloe, who’s sticky with frosting, and laughing with Ava, Erin, Camden, and Juju.
She glances over and sees me, and her lips lift. She blows me a kiss, and I catch it.
“Did I just see you catch a kiss?” Tully snorts.
“Yeah, and I’d do it again, motherfucker.”
He sighs. “I don’t blame you. Love looks good on you, man.”
It hits me full force for the millionth time since I met Dahlia how damn lucky I am.
“Fuck.” Tully’s face is thunderous, and I turn to see what he’s looking at.
Bruce Granger is stalking toward Dahlia. He reaches her before I can. I see her look around and relax when she sees that Chloe is by Grandma Nancy and Grandma Donna.
“We need to talk,” he says.
“Dad, I told you not to contact me. You need to leave immediately,” Dahlia says.
Ava steps next to Dahlia and reaches for her hand. I grip Dahlia’s waist, and Erin moves next to Ava, looping her arm through hers.
“Well, isn’t this quaint,” he says.
“Bruce, you need to leave,” Maren says, walking up behind him. He knocks her hand away.
“Stay out of this, Maren.” He steps closer to Dahlia, and I step closer to him.
“Back off,” I tell him.
“Or you’ll do what?” He laughs. “I have every right to talk to my daughter. Both of my daughters. You’ve fully immersed yourselves in the Whitman family, haven’t you?
” He swings his arm between Dahlia and Ava.
“Guess you didn’t want all those millions in your bank account after all,” he says bitterly.
“If the money is attached to you, you’re right. I want nothing to do with you at all,” Dahlia says.
Ava nods. “I feel the same way.”
He sputters. “How can either one of you say that? Where is your loyalty? I have done everything for you, Dahlia! This is how you repay me?”
“You tried to destroy the man I love,” Dahlia says, her voice breaking.
A crowd has gathered around us, but Bruce is zeroed in on Dahlia.
“There is no proof of that,” Bruce hisses.
“Oh stop. Just stop. The whole time I’ve dated Dylan, I’ve been terrified of you finding out.
I told myself it was because I didn’t want you to fire me or ruin his reputation because that would’ve been devastating.
Why I didn’t walk away from you then, I’ll never know.
When I found out about the fire, deep down I knew it was you. ”
She lets out a bitter laugh.
“I knew you were capable of bad things. When I look back at my life, I can’t believe how many things I justified for you.” She shakes her head.
“I saw the way you mistreated people, you manipulated everyone around you, and you even did illegal things…”
She stops to wipe her face, but the tears keep falling.
“And still I stayed. I’m so ashamed about that. But despite everything, I loved you, and I always thought you loved me in your own way. But you don’t. You’re incapable of it. And I don’t have to put up with it for a second longer.”
She looks around me and points at Tully and Noah. “Can you escort him off the property? Thanks for reminding us to file a restraining order, Dad.”
Tully and Noah surround him, and he attempts to shove them back, but they’re barrels—they barely budge.
“I’m going,” he says. He points at Dahlia. “This isn’t the end of this discussion.”
“Oh yes, it is,” she says. “We’re done.”