“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.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
July 7
Dahlia woke up smiling under the bed sheet. The sun poured in, drenching the space in light. The covers were warm even though the room was still a bit cool from the brisk wind the night before. She bit her lip, thinking about the gorgeous rainbow-colored sunset they’d shared after the brewery. And how, in one look, he’d shattered her armor. She knew she needed to get up and make coffee if she had any hope of making a dent in the lengthy to-do list today. These things weren’t going to fix themselves, but she couldn’t peel herself from the bed and the urge to have a lazy morning. Suddenly, a claw appeared on her leg. “Harry, is that you? Or have we been invaded by zombies?” She laughed, yanking the sheet off her head. There was no denying it: Dahlia Newberry was in a good mood. A great mood!
She brushed the hair from her eyes and turned to face the wall. Harry came over and licked her face, her cue to get up and take him out. She wiped the slobber from her face. “Ugh, one moreminute.” The morning rays highlighted the imperfections in the pine planks. Dahlia’s eyes traveled to the charcoal sketch on the nearby wall; it was a barn in the middle of a cornfield. That wasn’t their barn, and it wasn’t Lil’s piece. It was most likely the work of one of her students. Dahlia lay there staring at it, not understanding why Lil never hung any of her own paintings on the wall.
Just as Dahlia’s lids dropped again, she heard a loud knock at the front door. Noah always knocked at the back door. So, who would be showing up this early at her front door?
Immediately, Harry started barking. She threw on her cotton robe as he leaped by the door like a kangaroo. She ran down the staircase and peeked through the dusty sheers. “What?!” she squealed, not able to open the door fast enough. “Are you kidding me? What are you doing here?” Dahlia threw her arms around the dark-haired beauty standing on her porch while Harry followed suit. “I can’t believe it,” she said, holding her palm to her forehead.
“Are you surprised? I wanted to surprise you. Hi, boy.” Kara gave Harry a scratch as he slipped between her legs.
“Yes, don’t I look it?” Dahlia could feel her entire body shudder with excitement. “Come in, come in,” Dahlia said, looking for Harry, who was most likely on his way to Noah’s.
“What on earth are you doing here?” Dahlia asked Kara, her heart overflowing with joy.
“We have a big bash tonight in the Hamptons, but I wanted to see my favorite cousin first. Tony went ahead. I’ll meet him later in Amagansett.”
“I’m so glad you did.” Dahlia looked past her. “Where are the boys?”
“With my mom. She says hello, by the way.”
“Oh yeah, hi to her too.” Dahlia’s posture recoiled. Ever since she found out she was pregnant with Daisy, her Aunt Cathywanted little to do with her. It was as if Dahlia had been abandoned all over again—this time for bringing shame to their perfect family.
“So where is he?” Kara asked, ogling the joint.
“Who?”
“McHandy,” Kara declared. “I didn’t interrupt anything, like a sleepover from last night, did I?”
“What? God, no!” Dahlia exclaimed with wide eyes.
“Honey, look at you. You need me.”
“What? Do I look that bad?”
“No, you’re naturally pretty, hon. And it always pissed me off because I work so hard to look this way.” Her eyes narrowed as she pointed to her face. The truth was, Kara always turned the heads and got the guy, with or without makeup. Dahlia was the understated one who never believed a guy like Spence would be attracted to a plain Jane studyholic like herself. And apparently she was right.
Kara continued, “But you need me to remind you of how amazing you are. That’s why I came to give you a little in-person pep talk,” she said, walking through the tight hallway. “It still has that old smell you like.” She chuckled. “I’ll never, for the life of me, understand why you like that smell.”
“Because it reminds me of the past, the good old days.” Dahlia felt her breath hitch, missing the people in the good old days.
“If you say so,” Kara smirked.
Dahlia led her into the kitchen. “Coffee?”
“I’d love a cup. Ferry coffee is gross, and I didn’t have time to stop for my morning Chai.”
“You poor thing. No Starbucks, huh?”
“It was too crowded, and I was anxious to see you. God, I’ve missed you!” Kara said, giving her a side hug. “I miss having you in the next town.”
“I miss it too. So, how was your Fourth of July party?” Dahlia asked, plugging in the percolator. “It will just be a few minutes.”
