Chapter 10 #3
His sister looked at Dahlia and then at him with folded arms, like she wasn’t sure about this.
Dahlia’s mouth was dry. Suddenly, she felt like she was about to be interrogated.
Once Noah had left the room, Gretchen paced around Dahlia. “You seem like a nice girl.”
Dahlia wasn’t a girl. She was a woman—a mother.
“But my brother is very fragile right now. I don’t need anyone messing with his heart.” She stopped and glared at Dahlia.
“I assure you we’re just friends.” Dahlia tried not to stutter.
Gretchen snickered. “Oh, honey. I know my brother, and he likes you. But there are things you need to know.”
Dahlia leaned in closer, as if to say, I’m listening. The truth was, she wanted her to spill the tea before he came back. Deep down, she was dying to know what had happened with his ex.
“You probably know this already, but his last girlfriend broke his heart on national television. It was awful, the poor guy. Since then, he’s just been out here building his heart away to distract from the pain and humiliation.”
Dahlia could feel her creases deepen by the second.
“Oh, you don’t know?” Gretchen’s head drew back. “You must have seen Hamptons House. The reality show that films in Southampton? It’s like Grey Gardens meets HGTV meets Love Island.”
“I don’t know much about it, but there has been chatter in the town.” Dahlia shrugged, letting her continue.
“Well, at the end of last summer, he walked in on his best friend having, you know, having sex with Josie,” Gretchen said, shaking her head.
Dahlia’s heart plummeted to her feet, realizing that was why he’d been so distant at first. “What a bitch,” Dahlia blurted and quickly covered her mouth.
But Gretchen just nodded. “Damn straight. Josie the Hosie is what I like to call her.”
They laughed, and Dahlia let out a sigh. The moment of connection was quickly followed by “Anyway, if you break my brother’s heart, I’ll kill you.”
A short time after Dahlia assured Gretchen she had no ill intentions with Noah, she found herself sitting on a picnic bench waiting for him to return with beers.
She tapped her fingers against the splintery surface, feeling a cool waft of air glide across her face.
It hung just beneath the willow branches and brought with it an earthy aroma that made her pause to soak in the goodness of Mother Nature.
“Whatcha thinking about, Dimples?” Noah placed a beer-filled glass in front of her.
Dahlia shuddered in surprise. This wasn’t the first time he’d used this term of endearment, but she still wasn’t used to it. It was cute, maybe not for a thirty-eight-year-old, but she’d take that over crazy or bitch any day.
Before she could answer, he said, “It’s like time stands still here.”
“I was just thinking that.” Her eyes felt wide. How could he read her mind like that? It was like they were riding the same wavelength.
“You’ll like this.” He nodded at the beer and tucked his long, thick legs into the picnic table. “The guy said it’s light and refreshing.”
Dahlia took a long sip, feeling the froth linger on her lip. “It’s citrusy; I like it.”
“Good,” he said, pointing to her mouth.
“Oh, thanks.” She licked the foam off her lips. “What did you get?” Dahlia peeked at his glass.
“A pilsner,” he said, taking a manly swig. He, too, had froth that lingered. Unlike him, she liked looking at it. At another time and place, she’d be that girl who climbed on top of him and kissed it off. But not today. Dahlia kindly pointed to his creamy ’stache.
He laughed and wiped it off. “So, what did you think of my sister’s place?”
“It has a great vibe,” she said eagerly. “I have no doubt from what you’ve shared that her culinary skills will be a hit, especially on the island.”
“And my sister?” Noah asked.
“She loves you so much. That’s evident.” Dahlia got quiet, missing her cousin Kara. She was the closest thing she had to a sister.
“Yeah, she does. She’s a protective mama bear, that’s for sure.” Noah let out a long breath.
“That’s a good thing, Noah,” Dahlia said with conviction. “You’re lucky.”
“Do you have any siblings?” he asked.
“Nope, just me.”
“Your parents? You haven’t mentioned them.”
Dahlia stared into space, unsure if this was the right time to share, but there was a comfort level with Noah.
It was something she hadn’t felt with Spence.
Even after being married to him for fifteen years, their life together had been one-dimensional.
She didn’t have to bend herself inside out or pretend to be someone else with Noah.
She was enough just the way she was, and that made her feel connected to him in unexplainable ways.
She drew in the humid, earthy air and said, “Well, my mother was an art historian. That’s why I went into gallery work, I suppose.
” She lifted her shoulders. “She was beautiful. My dad said she had Bo Derek’s looks and Goldie Hawn’s wit.
She never took herself too seriously, which is a rare combination these days. ”
“I don’t think so,” he said, meeting her with a tender glance.
“And my dad was a professor at MIT. He was tall, thin, and had a great smile. He was a little tough on me at times, but definitely the fun parent growing up.” Dahlia’s nose began to tingle as her smile widened.
“There was this one summer at Lil’s. The ice cream truck came to the edge of the property late.
I thought my Gran was going to call the cops the way she was yelling.
We chased it all the way down the road on our bikes.
We could barely see, but we laughed the whole way.
” Dahlia let out a lighthearted giggle. “That vanilla soft serve melted quicker than we could eat it. By the time we got home, it was everywhere, even in my hair.”
“Sounds like a great memory.” Noah laughed. “A man after my own heart. And your mom?”
“I just remember always trying to emulate her. She was literally good at everything,” Dahlia said with a shallow sigh.
“Good at her job, good at making me feel heard and valued, good at gardening, baking, and being a wife. You name it, she found a way to master it with such ease.” She could feel her face turn beet red.
“What happened to them?” he asked as his brows drew together.
She inhaled. “My parents were killed by a drunk driver when I was thirteen. They didn’t even make it to the hospital.
” A shiver ran down her spine. Not many people knew about that part of her life.
To her, it needed heavy guarding because it was so layered and painful.
Spence had often become dismissive when Dahlia would bring it up, almost as if he were jealous and didn’t want her to get attention for having a sad story.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” His tone lowered.
“No, it was eons ago. I’ve cried an ocean, grieved like I was the only kid to lose her parents, and then moved on. I’m not sad about it anymore, not really.”
“My real dad passed away last year, but we weren’t close.” His voice cracked. “I never had that kind of admiration for my parents. My stepdad, though, he’s the real deal.”
“I’m sorry too.” Dahlia wanted to sit beside him and wrap her arms around him. She wanted him to know she understood heartbreak and the searing pain that came along with it.
He lifted his shoulders. “My biological dad left when I was little.”
“Still. That had to be hard.” Dahlia leaned closer. “And your mom?”
“She passed away when I was young.”
“Oh, Noah.” Their childhoods felt parallel in many ways. “How?”
He stared down at his hands wrapped around his beer.
“Gosh, I’m sorry. Please don’t feel like you have to answer that.”
“It’s okay.” He wiped his eyes. “Ahh, it’s been so long. Not sure why it still gets me.”
She slid her hand over his. “Because some wounds are harder to heal than others. Maybe you can tell me another time.”
Noah nodded. “Fair enough.”
“Let’s change the mood and make a toast.” Dahlia held up her glass. “Here’s to unexpected friendships and a summer of our making.”
“Cheers,” he said with a hopeful tone. “And to leaving the past behind us.”
As they clanked glasses and linked eyes, she wondered what part of his past he was referring to.