“Okay, but Lil did ask you to find a place for these, so what will you do? You can’t just let them sit in a storage unit with the rest of your stuff.”
“Honestly. I don’t know. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what’s stressing me out.” Dahlia’s chest tightened.
“That’s why you need to get laid,” Kara said.
Dahlia shook her head and then laughed. “It’s true.”
“Wow, you’re no longer in denial. This is legitimate progress.” Kara gave a crisp nod. “But back to the art. I have an idea: Why don’t you sell them as prints? I mean, look at all these lining the walls. It’s like Monet and van Gogh had a baby.”
Dahlia laughed. “I’m oddly impressed.”
“What can I say? You’re rubbing off on me.” Kara smiled.
Dahlia walked closer to the pink heritage rose painting with white plumeria tucked among the stems. As she held it in her hands, the palette reminded her of spring when possibility seemed endless. The roses were a salmon hue, and the background felt like the sky on a perfect cloudless summer day. “She always loved her girls the most, though. Anne Pratt, Lady Harriet, and, of course, Georgia O’Keeffe,” she mumbled as Kara looked on.
“What’s that? On the back?” Kara asked. “Turn it back over. Look, there’s a number.” Kara pointed. “It says four.”
“It’s probably just markings from an art show or exhibit.”
Suddenly, a loud tap came from the other side of the barn. “Dimples, you in here?”
Kara’s eyes widened as she mouthed the worddimples.
Dahlia’s heart swelled, and her hands tingled.Dimples, Dahlia repeated in her head. Was this her new pet name?
“Yeah, I’m in here,” Dahlia yelled, feeling her voice crack. She prayed he hadn’t heard any of their earlier conversation.
Noah walked through the plastic tarp with Harry and looked surprised to see Kara there. “Oh hey, sorry. I figured you were alone.”
“Did you know?” Kara asked quietly with a side nod.
Dahlia glared at her with wide eyes, telling her in one look to behave herself. “Was Harry bothering you?”
“No, not at all. He’s my shadow.” He looked down at him, who was sitting ever so patiently next to him. It was as if Harry knewsomething that no one else did. Noah gave Kara a friendly smile. “Hi, I’m Noah.”
“I know. I’m Kara, Dahlia’s cousin. Very, very nice to meet you, Noah,” Kara said, ogling him like a piece of meat, which wasn’t hard because he was practically naked. Well, almost. The thin tank top, which offered a full view of his dragon tattoo over the shoulder, paired with short shorts, didn’t help the drool fest.
Dahlia nudged Kara with her elbow.
“Kara is heading to the Hamptons for a party tonight, so she took the ferry over from Connecticut to keep me company for the day,” Dahlia said, keeping one eye on her cousin.
“And she might be coming with. I might steal her away for the night,” Kara said proudly. “Or she could stay here … if there’s something worth staying for.”
Dahlia glared at her. If looks could kill, Kara would be lifeless on the floor. “Well, I have a lot to do here. I’m really not sure.” Dahlia looked at Noah, secretly wanting to stay.
“You should go. It sounds fun,” Noah said, still not mentioning one thing about his old life there or how well he knew the Hamptons from the show.
“Yeah, maybe,” Dahlia said, swallowing the disappointment.
Noah stared at Dahlia, as if there was something else he wanted to say. “Oh, right. I’m heading up to the chimney. I didn’t want to scare you.”
“Oh, I can help you,” Dahlia said.
“I can help too,” Kara said.
“No, that’s very kind, but I’ll be fine. I’ve done this hundreds of times,” he said, running his fingers through his thick brown locks.
Dahlia just stood there trying to settle the winged creatures that took flight.
