Chapter 21
DORIAN
Two days after Becca’s wedding, I was at the store helping a customer when Delphine came in twenty minutes before the end of my shift. She’d clearly come from the gallery, given her impeccable pale green suit and black pumps.
Annie was at the front table, restacking the staff picks, and called out, “Mom, you’re early.”
“I came by to talk to Dorian,” Delphine said.
“Oh, okay,” Annie said.
I could hear the worry in Annie’s voice, and I hated myself for it.
I’d not handled the last couple days well.
Any texts between us had been polite but distant.
She’d suggested we have dinner together, but I’d said I had work to catch up on.
Total lie. She hadn’t even replied to that message.
And now she was here, cold fury in her eyes, waiting for me to finish with the customer so we could talk.
The customer left and I slowly turned to look at Delphine. “What’s up?” I asked casually.
“I’d like a moment, if possible,” Delphine said.
The tone in her voice could have frozen any half-melted iceberg.
“My office?” I asked.
“Fine.”
I’d spent the morning looking through old photos. They were still spread across the desk. Nate at nineteen; Nate in the desert squinting; Nate holding a newborn Luci, staring at her as if she were the answer to whatever he’d been looking for. If only that had been true.
I swept the photos aside, but Delphine saw them.
“I promised Luci I’d find photos of her dad,” I said. “There’s one in particular she wants.”
“I hope you found it.”
“I did, yeah.” I gestured toward the guest chair. “Have a seat. What brings you by?”
She sat, narrowing her eyes, a flush creeping up her neck.
“What brings me by? You ask as if I were just a casual acquaintance. The same treatment I’ve been getting for two days now.
I want to know why. I want to know why you didn’t ask me to go to the wedding with you.
You owe me an explanation, at the very least.”
“It’s nothing you’ve done,” I said. “But I think we should slow down.”
“That’s obvious. I want to know why.”
“It’s not just us in this,” I said. “I’m afraid we’ve given Annie something to hope for that might not happen. I feel like everything was going too fast, and Annie … I can’t hurt her.”
“Your solution is to withdraw slowly? Boil the frog?” Delphine looked straight at me, without blinking.
I imagined her as an attorney on a television show set in a courtroom—that calm but deadly stillness, directed toward a witness.
Only this was real. She had her gaze focused on me, and she wanted answers.
“I’m just erring on the side of caution,” I said. “Because I’m not totally certain how I feel. That’s all.”
For just a split second, I saw the hurt flash across her face.
But just for a second. She masked it almost immediately with a frigid smile.
“Right. I’ll say this plainly. I don’t do anything half way.
To me, it’s a choice. Either in or out. And it’s obvious which way you’re leaning.
All good. And don’t worry about Annie. She has me.
Just as she always has. You’re not responsible for her, so don’t worry another moment about that.
I should be going. I’ll bring Poe back to the store at my earliest opportunity. ”
“No, he belongs with you.”
“You’re right. He didn’t have any problem making up his mind about who he wanted to be with.” She walked to the door and turned back to look at me. “The summer’s been a little busy for Annie, what with soccer and all, so this will be her last day. I hope that doesn’t inconvenience you too much.”
Then she was gone, the door clicking shut behind her.
For a moment, I sat there, stunned. That had not gone well.
What had I expected? My avoidance just accepted?
Not from Delphine Delacroix. I’d hurt her, and that had pushed her back into emotional exile.
The very thing I’d wanted to avoid. And now Annie would have to give up her job here, which I knew she loved.
Could I mess this up any worse?
I got up and went out to the shop floor, hoping to catch Annie before she left. She was with Delphine by the front display window, nodding her head while looking at her shoes.
Annie untied her apron and folded it into a tidy square, then walked over to me and looked me in the eye just as her mother had.
But this was different. Annie wasn’t masking anything.
She was pale under her tan, her eyes dimmed from their usual brightness.
There was a hitch in her voice when she said, “Thanks for the opportunity. It was great.”
Delphine had already left the shop. She was visible through the window, looking at her phone, typing furiously. I was dismissed.
“The job’s always here if you want one,” I said.
“We both know that’s not true,” Annie said. “But thanks anyway.”
“Have a good rest of the summer,” I said, lamely.
“Will do.” Annie turned to leave, hesitating for a moment, as if she wanted to say something else, but, in the end, she walked away, joining her mother outside. She took her mother’s arm and they headed down the sidewalk until they were out of view.
The shop was empty of customers and cats and the two people who made the place light up.
Theo came in the back door, ready to take over for the evening. “Hey, boss, everything good?”
“Yes, all good here. Busy day. We’re having a great summer.”
“Cool. Good time to ask for a raise?” Theo asked.
“Can we talk about it later?”
“Sure thing. I’ll keep reminding you.”
I’m sure he would.
I finished up in my office, putting the photos into an envelope for Luci.
I’d promised her the photo sooner than later.
Maybe I would just head up there now and give her what I found.
Not just the baby photo, but all the others she might not have ever seen.
She’d want them. I’d promised her. So yes, I would head north to drop them off. It would give me something to do.
An hour later, Mark answered the door in an apron. “Dorian? You okay?”
“Yes, I have some photos for Luci. I’m realizing I should have called.”
“It’s no problem at all. I’m sure Luci will be thrilled with whatever you brought. Come in. Are you hungry? We had homemade pizza, and there’s some left.”
“No, I’m good, but thank you.” The house smelled of garlic and tomato sauce and yeasty bread. Homemade pizza. Annie would love to make homemade pizzas. So would I.
The girls came pounding down the stairs at the sound of my voice.
“Uncle Dorian, what are you doing here?” Maria asked, looking up at me before hugging my legs.
Luci stood a few feet away, looking wary. “Did Mom know you were coming?”
“No, I was too anxious to get up here and give you photos of your dad.” I handed her the envelope. “The one of you as a newborn is on the top of the stack. But as I was searching for it, I discovered a bunch I’d taken of him over the years—while we were away on the ship mostly.”
Becca came out to the foyer, her face a question mark. “Dorian?”
“I brought photos. For Luci.” My voice cracked. “And I had the night free. You know …”
“What happened?” Becca asked, coming closer.
“I just needed to see you all,” I said.
“I’m going to get us a few beers,” Mark said, clearly wanting to give us space. “Maybe we can sit out back?”
“That would be great,” I said.
“Can I come?” Maria asked, slipping her hand into Mark’s.
“How could I say no to you?” Mark asked as they headed to the back of the house.
“We’ll be right there,” Becca called after them.
“Do you want to look at the photos?” I asked.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Luci opened the envelope and stared down at the photo of her as a baby.
“I really did look like an old man,” she said, voice thick.
“A very cute one,” I said.
Becca peered over Luci’s shoulder. “I remember that photo. I took it. You were only hours old.”
“He looks like he loves me a lot,” Luci said.
“He certainly did,” Becca said. “He often told me you and Maria were the best things he ever did.”
We flipped through the dozen photos I’d found. I told Luci what I remembered about the times they were taken. “We went all over the world. The Navy gave us that.”
“It took too much,” Becca said softly.
“Yeah, it did,” I said. “Way too much.”
“I’m going to my room to look at these again,” Luci said. “Maybe I’ll make a collage for my wall?”
“That’s a great idea,” Becca said.
Luci gave me a hug. “Thanks for bringing these. And finding them.”
“My pleasure.”
Luci took the stairs two at a time as she headed up to the second floor.
Becca studied me. “Come out back. You can tell us all about it.”
Like a docile lamb, I followed. The night was chilly now that the sun had set. Mark had turned on the patio lights and the gas fire pit. Several beers waited on the patio table. According to Mark, Maria had wandered off to study an inch worm she’d seen making its way up the patio wall.
“When do you leave for your honeymoon?” I asked, after taking a seat around the fire.
“In two days,” Becca said. “We’re heading to Kauai. The girls are staying with Mark’s sister.”
“I’m glad for you,” I said.
“So what’s going on? Why the sad face?” Becca asked. “Does it have anything to do with a woman?”
“Yeah. I’ve been seeing someone—Delphine. Annie’s mom.”
“Annie from the bookstore?”
“Right.”
Understanding washed over Becca’s face. “You’re dating Annie’s mom?”
“I was. We broke up.”
I told them the whole story. How we met. The fast immersion into each other’s lives. My worry about hurting Annie. “She’s been through hell, and I can’t bring a new fresh one to her.”
They’d listened without questions or comments. I expected Becca to be the one to jump in with advice. Instead, it was Mark.
“Man, I totally get it,” Mark said. “These children are precious and innocent. Feeling like what you do or don’t do could harm them forever—it’s a humbling thing.”
“Terrifying,” I said.
“But if you love her mom, you’re just going to have to believe in yourself,” Mark said. “Even when the kids don’t react like you wish they would.”