Chapter 3
Dahlia opened the door to her new home and suddenly felt like a new woman. After the weeks of winding down her life in San Francisco, she’d finally made it. The weight of the world seemed to lift off her shoulders as she said, “Thank you, Gwynn. I will cherish this gift for the rest of my days.”
There was a tiny spark of light near the stone fireplace that flashed out as fast as it had appeared.
“We’ll chat later,” she said to the ghost of her fairy godmother, Gwynn Loveknot, the woman who had been her mother’s best friend.
She’d left the cottage near the edge of the forest to Dahlia a couple of years ago.
Dahlia had intended to use it as a retreat, somewhere to go to recharge, but after her engagement had blown up, she’d decided Keating Hollow was the perfect place to start over.
Strawberry Shortcake pulled on the leash and let out a little yip, impatient to explore her new home.
Dahlia chuckled softly. “Okay, okay, little one.” She shut the front door behind them and then reached down to free the pup. Shortcake did a little spin before running off to explore. A smile tugged at Dahlia’s lips as her heart swelled with love for the little creature.
Realizing that this was truly her life now, she wiped away the tears that stung her eyes and went to inspect the place.
After she’d inherited the cabin, she’d employed a service to make sure the place was cleaned and maintained on a regular basis.
Upon first glance, it appeared they’d been well worth the money.
The lawn out front was tidy, as was the small flower bed that was full of coneflowers, Shasta daisies, and daylilies.
Inside, the place had a pleasant, fresh scent, the windows were sparkling clean, and there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere.
Thankfully, Dahlia had shipped most of her belongings ahead, so she hadn’t had to haul too much with her, but she still had some luggage and bags to bring in.
After she was done unloading her car, putting away the few groceries she’d picked up, and putting out a bowl of water and dish of food for Shortcake, Dahlia opened the box she’d picked up from The Magic Pie on her way home.
She walked out onto the screened-in back porch and sat on the loveseat, enjoying the fresh fall air.
As Dahlia took a bite of the blackberry pie, she let out a small moan of pleasure and wondered why she hadn’t made the move sooner.
The autumn air felt magical, and the stress of the move seemed to just roll right off her. She looked down, searching for the pup that had been on her heels, but when she didn’t see her, Dahlia rose and wandered back into the house.
A low growl came from the living room.
“Shortcake? What is it, girl?” Dahlia followed the noise and found the pup was standing near a tote bag that Dahlia had left near the front door. Her head was down, and her little body was tense as she bared her teeth. “What did you find, little girl?” She placed a light hand on the pup’s back.
Shortcake turned to look at her new mother and then focused on the tote again as if something were going to pop out of it any second.
Dahlia picked up the bag and immediately saw the issue. The ornate leather notebook that she’d brought with her was glowing with gold light. That meant one thing.
Gwynn Loveknot had something to say.
“Hold your horses,” Dahlia said as she reached in and grabbed the magical journal her godmother had given her years ago.
Shortcake barked and spun around, her little body flailing about as she kept a sharp eye on the journal.
“Hush, now,” Dahlia said mildly. “It’s just Gwynn.”
Shortcake tilted her head to the side, looking at Dahlia with skepticism, but she stopped barking and silently followed Dahlia back out to the porch.
The brilliant light nearly blinded Dahlia as she opened the notebook. Blinking rapidly, she squinted and said, “Tone it down, will you? I won’t be able to read the page.”
The light instantly dimmed, and words began to scrawl across the page in Gwynn’s distinctive handwriting. You made it, finally! Welcome home.
Dahlia felt warmth fill her chest. “Thank you. You know I have always loved it here, but I never realized how much I needed to be here until I walked in the front door this afternoon.”
It’s yours now. You’re going to love it.
“I already do.” Dahlia patted the loveseat, indicating that Shortcake should join her.
The pup glanced at the spot next to her and then at the journal.
“It’s okay, baby. Come here.”
The pup hesitated but then jumped up onto the loveseat and snuggled against Dahlia’s leg. Dahlia ran a hand through her soft fur and let out a contented sigh.
Your new friend has a lot to say.
“She does, doesn’t she? It’s good a girl can speak her mind,” Dahlia said with a laugh.
Now that you’re here, I have a few people you need to meet.
“Besides the gorgeous classic car guy who helped me run away from my wedding?”
Don’t leave him out. I owe him a favor or two for helping you run away from that sniveling coward of a—
“That’s enough, Gwynn,” Dahlia said gently. “We don’t need to talk about my ex. I heard he’s back with Blossom. That’s all I needed to hear to know I made the right decision.”
Okay, but if you need someone to remind you what a jackass he is, I’m your woman.
Chuckling softly, Dahlia said, “Noted.”
Good. Now, here’s what you need to know about Keating Hollow. The first person you need to meet is Harlow Thane.
“The famous ghost hunter?” Dahlia asked, a little surprised. “She lives here now?”
Yes. And if anyone has contacts that can help you build your business, it’s her. Maybe she’ll even set you up with producers so you can do the paranormal version of the Antiques Road Show.
Dahlia scoffed. “The last thing I need is to be on television.”
You’d be great. Think about it.
There wasn’t really anything to think about.
Dahlia wasn’t interested in television or fame.
But her fairy godmother did have a point about meeting Harlow.
The kind of people who would come to Harlow to seek out ghosts who might be haunting their homes were the same kind of people who might want to speak with their loved ones who had crossed over.
And that’s where Dahlia could come in. She wasn’t a ghost hunter, but she could contact spirits.
All it took was an object that was connected to them, and Dahlia could replay messages.
It was something she’d been able to do for as long as she remembered.
For years people had treated it as some sort of parlor trick, and Dahlia had mostly kept her gift to herself, but now she was planning on hanging her shingle out for clients who were serious about contacting their loved ones.
But she didn’t want to do it in front of a camera.
Those types of connections were often far too private.
She didn’t want to subject her clients to being filmed.
“I’ll look up Harlow. Seems like a good connection to have,” she finally relented.
Also, you need to befriend the Townsend sisters. They are the heartbeat of this town. If you ever need anything, they are the ones to go to. Their father owns the Keating Hollow Brewery, and they all have businesses in town.
“Okay. I’ll see what I can do,” Dahlia said, but honestly, she wasn’t in a huge hurry to befriend half the town. She just wanted to settle in and see what came her way. But she knew arguing with Gwynn wouldn’t get her anywhere.
Good. Now don’t forget to check on my herb garden. I know you had someone keeping an eye on things, but I’m sure it needs attention.
“Of course. First thing tomorrow.”
That’s my girl.
The pale glow from the journal winked out, and Dahlia let out a sigh of relief. She ran her fingers through Shortcake’s fur and sat back in the loveseat. She loved Gwynn and was grateful for the connection with her, but sometimes she could be a little much.
After a while, when Shortcake had passed out and was sleeping soundly, Dahlia rose from her spot and went to freshen up. Dutton would be there soon, and she didn’t want to look like she’d been on the road all day.
Thirty minutes later, just as Dahlia was finished refreshing the curls in her blond hair, she heard Shortcake running through the house as she announced someone’s arrival with her high-pitched barking.
Dahlia unplugged her curling iron, added a spritz of hairspray, and then went out to greet her date.
She pulled the door open, finding Dutton standing on her front porch. He held out a small bouquet of red and yellow sunflowers. She grinned at him. “These are lovely, Dutton. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She held the door open and waved him in. “Have a seat while I go put these in water.”
He nodded and sat on one end of the overstuffed sofa.
Dahlia quickly got the flowers into some water and then placed the flowers in the middle of her table. When she returned to the living room, she found Shortcake snuggled up in Dutton’s lap. He was petting her and telling her what a pretty girl she was.
“Looks like you made a new friend,” Dahlia said, smiling at them both. The dog had been in her life for less than five hours and already, Dahlia didn’t know how she’d managed to live without her.
“I definitely did. I don’t think she’s going to let me up,” he said with a smirk.
“Shortcake,” Dahlia said.
The dog ignored her, and instead rolled over so that Dutton could rub her belly.
They both laughed.
“Come on now,” Dahlia said. “I have treats for you.”
Shortcake opened one eye and looked at Dahlia. When she didn’t see the treat appear, she closed her eye again and placed both paws in the air, waiting for Dutton to love on her some more.
“Oh my goodness. What an attention whore,” Dahlia said as she disappeared into the kitchen.
The minute Shortcake heard the rustle of the treat bag, she came flying into the kitchen and sat at Dahlia’s feet.
“I see whoever you lived with before has trained you well.” Dahlia leaned down and gave the pup a couple of treats.
As she watched her gobble them down, Dahlia started to have second thoughts about leaving her pup so soon.
Maybe she should ask Dutton if they could order something in.
But when Shortcake picked up her final treat from the floor and went to go lie in her open crate, Dahlia decided it was as good a time as any to find out how her new pup would do when she was away.
Dahlia checked her water and food dish, patted her on the head, and said, “I’ll be back in a couple of hours. You be a good girl, okay?”
Shortcake licked her hand and then cuddled up in the blanket. Her eyes were already closed before Dahlia had latched the crate door.
Dahlia joined Dutton in the living room and said, “Okay. I’m ready for dinner.”
He held his hand out to her.
She hesitated for just a second and then placed her hand in his. A spark tingled along her palm, and Dahlia sucked in a tiny breath.
“Everything okay?” he asked, his expression concerned.
“Fine,” she said a little breathlessly. But that was a lie. That spark… She’d only felt that with someone once before. And when she lost him, it had nearly broken her.
Dutton tightened his grip on her hand and led her out the door. Dahlia followed, her hand still tingling as she told herself that the spark was just a little bit of static electricity.
It meant nothing.
But when Dutton let go, the tingling stopped, and she knew she was lying to herself.