Chapter 19
DORIAN
I’d been to Alex and Gillian’s place several times, but the scale of it still made my jaw drop.
If I’d been a more insecure man, I might have worried that Delphine would weigh me against a man like Alex, who had founded a tech company that made him a billionaire.
Not that anyone would ever know it. Alex was the opposite of pretentious.
A family guy through and through. And between them they had three teenagers and a baby. Not for cowards, that was for sure.
“What a nice evening,” Delphine said, taking my arm as we came up the walk. “I’m glad you could come with us.”
“I’m glad to be asked. A bit surprised, actually. I know these dinners are sacred.”
“They are.”
“But I’m here?” I asked.
“You are here. I’m a little nervous actually. Mostly because Seraphina’s going to be super smug. She loves to be right.”
“In this case, I’m happy for her to be right.”
Annie had taken off the moment we parked. By the time we reached the house, she had been absorbed into a cluster of kids around the pool.
The patio looked like a magazine spread, other than it was filled with people.
Gillian was at the long table filling water glasses, Leo riding her hip while sucking on his fist. Alex stood at the grill with Grady, who had four-week-old Soleil strapped to his chest. Esme was stretched out on a lounger nearby, fast asleep.
How she could sleep in this chaos was a mystery.
Lila and Seraphina were bringing out side dishes to the table. Vance was opening a bottle of red.
The pool churned with kids—Lila and Vance’s girls, Tyler on a flamingo float, Bella and Annie tossing a ball back and forth.
Peter tossing Madison and Margot into the pool.
Only Robbie was out of the pool, his nose in a book far enough away to avoid splashes.
Nobody could have sorted out whose children were whose, and that was rather the point.
Thankfully, no one made a big deal about Delphine and I coming in together, greeting us as if it were completely normal.
Soon enough, we both had glasses of wine in hand.
Delphine wandered off to take Leo from his mother, kissing him and cooing, her eyes alight with joy.
After kisses, she smelled his head, an expression of bliss on her face.
A possible Delphine imposter? No, this was who she truly was.
A woman who loved her friends and their children and sweet babies.
Seraphina approached. “Dorian Flynn. You have something to share with me?”
“That you were right?”
“God, I love to hear that,” Seraphina said. “But I’m in shock.”
“Did you know I was coming tonight?”
She laughed like that was the most hilarious thing she’d ever heard. “My friend, nothing is a secret for long in this group. Our text chat chain is miles long. We know all about what you’ve been up to.”
“Up to?”
“Making our friend glow. And laugh. You have no idea how much it means to us to see her happy again. She went through hell.”
“I know.”
“I’m glad you finally got the nerve to ask her out,” Seraphina said.
“Me too.”
“Annie’s pretty happy about it too,” Seraphina said. “She went on and on earlier about how you taught her your mother’s favorite dish. It was adorable. She really likes you. I hope that doesn’t scare you away.”
“Why would it?”
“Breaking a grown woman’s heart is one thing. Doing the same to a child? That’s risky stuff.”
“I don’t plan on breaking anyone’s heart.” But her words made me nervous. She was right. I had to be careful with Annie’s soft heart.
“I feel confident you won’t,” Seraphina said. “But then again, I’m a romantic.”
The evening moved along—food appearing in waves, kids cannonballing into the pool, husbands drifting between the grill and the wine. The men folded me in naturally, asking me about the store, then moving to a debate about the drive-in reopening.
At one point, Gillian got me alone, finding me at the drinks table opening a bottle.
“Hey, Dorian. You having a nice time?” Gillian asked in her gentle voice, placing a graceful hand on my shoulder for a quick second.
“I am, thanks.”
“It’s good to hear Delphine laughing,” Gillian said.
“I think so too.”
“I was thinking about this earlier,” Gillian said. “Delphine has never once brought anyone to one of our dinners.” She let that sit. “Not a date. Not a friend. Not anyone. I wasn’t sure she ever would. So thank you for being the one. We’re all so pleased.”
Everyone seemed to think this was a permanent situation. Including me. Was it foolish to think so? Delphine could be unpredictable. Maybe she’d change her mind.
“What did I say?” Gillian asked, clearly picking up on my thoughts.
“Nothing. I just worry … you know, that I’m getting my hopes up. I really like her.”
Gillian studied me a second. “I understand. But sometimes you just have to trust that God knows what he’s doing.”
I thought about the connection Delphine and Annie had with my mother and thought she might have a point.
Before we could speak further, Vance strolled over, nudging my shoulder. “I’ve got something really good open. Join me?”
“Sure.” I followed him to a corner of the patio, facing out to the sea. The sun was just setting, a ball of orange sinking slowly into the horizon.
He’d already poured me some wine. I sat next to him and took a sip. “Oh, that’s good stuff.”
“I know,” Vance said. “I found a case of it at an auction last month. And it’s ready to drink, so lucky us.”
We sipped, not speaking. We’d known each other since we were eight years old. Although we’d both been away for a good part of twenty years before moving back to Willet Cove, when we were together, it was as if no time had passed.
“So, how are things?” Vance asked, too innocently. “Anything new?”
“Very funny.”
“I’ve got to be honest, I was surprised to hear she was finally letting you in.” He swirled his glass. “Even the kids had given up on her ever dating again.”
“So I keep hearing.”
“And yet here you are.” He looked at me sideways. “I know you’ve had a thing for her for a while. But I just wanted to check in. See if you’re okay.”
I smiled. “Yeah, I’m good. Really good. She’s everything I could want.”
Vance nodded slowly. “Just be a little careful. She’s like a wild horse. Hard to tame.”
“I know. I understand who she is.” I took a sip of wine. “But I get it. I’m happier with her than I’ve ever been with anyone, and it scares me to death.”
“Just take it slow. I worry about you,” Vance said.
“I’m a big boy. But I do worry about Annie. If this doesn’t work out, she’s going to be crushed.” An image of Annie in the pool at the resort flashed through my mind. She’d been so trusting, so open with me. “We had the best time in Cliffside Bay the other day. It was perfect. But I worry anyway.”
“Yeah, it’s tough when there are young, tender hearts at stake. Lila and I felt that too. Especially with the whole Margot situation.”
“Your ex-wife always had impeccable timing,” I said.
After keeping his daughter away from him for years, she’d called out of the blue and told her she wanted him to take Margot so she could remarry.
Lila, bless her, had taken it in stride.
Now they were a happy family of four. “I want what you have. That’s just the truth. ”
“And it’s Delphine, not just the idea of Delphine? Because you want to meet someone?”
“I don’t think so.” I turned the glass in my hands. “Becca’s getting married. I’m giving her away.”
“And? Is that relevant to your relationship with Delphine?”
“Just the timing part of it.” I stopped, hunting for the right words.
“She met the guy at Christmas. Six months ago. And my first thought was that it’s too fast to get married.
She can’t possibly know him well enough.
But here I am, falling hard for Delphine.
Not that different, really, if I’m being honest.” I looked at him.
“How do I know I’m not just … that she isn’t just the first warm thing after a lot of cold years?
How do I know if this is real or that I’m simply tired of being alone? There’s Annie to consider.”
Vance was quiet for a moment. He took his time with the wine, swirling and sniffing before taking a sip. “Here’s the thing. When you know, you know. I knew it with Lila almost from the start.”
Down at the pool, somebody shrieked and somebody splashed.
That was just it. I didn’t know. I was in unfamiliar territory in every way.
“I’ve been half in love with her at least a year,” I said. “But I have to be careful.”
“Just trust yourself,” Vance said. “But also, take care of yourself. You’re a good person who deserves someone whole, without the past getting in the way.”
How was it possible that a past like Delphine’s could ever be anything other than an impediment? Was it really possible that she would fall in love with me? Trust me enough to make this something that lasts? I didn’t know the answer and I didn’t like not knowing the answer.
But wasn’t that the nature of love and romance?
Risky? Still, what if it was me who couldn’t be trusted?
What if I was the one who did the leaving?
Or the running? I could not hurt them. I just couldn’t be that guy.
Which left me feeling confused and anxious, with no roadmap about how to make sure that didn’t happen.
The day of Becca’s wedding, I drove north to Cliffside Bay. Since it was a small affair, only a dozen or so friends, Becca had decided against a rehearsal dinner, for which I was grateful. Conflicted as I was, a wedding ceremony and reception was about all I had in me.
The two weeks since Becca's announcement had been the happiest of my life, which should have told me something. Dinners at Delphine's or my place every night. Playing checkers with Annie. Going to her soccer games.