Dahlia and Noah looked at each other and laughed.
“Not like that. I’m a little nervous,” Gretchen said, fanning herself.
“You’ll be great,” Dahlia said, looking up at the girl who was human after all. “You look pretty.”
“Thanks.” Gretchen smiled. “I’d better go.” She started to walk away and turned back.
“Hey, Dahlia, maybe one day you can come by and give me some last-minute art advice. You know, before we open.”
“I’d love to,” Dahlia said, feeling her voice lighten. A friendly relationship with a sister was a foreign concept to her. Spence’s sister Emily hated her from the very beginning for trapping him, despite it being the furthest thing from the truth. She resented Dahlia for “ruining” his college experience because he had so much “guilt.” The Newberrys weren’t people to own their scandals. They much preferred the blame game. Emily had said on many occasions that Dahlia only had Daisy to get their family money. The irony was that she never took a dime from them, even when she had to secure a second job to make ends meet before Spence came back.
“Later.” Gretchen waved as she stepped up onto the boardwalk.
“She likes you.” Noah sat back down next to Dahlia.
“You think?” Dahlia shrugged, wanting him to move closer.
“Yeah, it usually takes her months, even years, to warm up to someone.” He looked up at the boat lights that flickered in the distance.
Dahlia wasn’t sure what was different for Gretchen this time, but she wasn’t going to waste another moment pondering it. She looked out over the water and closed her eyes, wanting to stayburied in this moment forever. In the feeling of being wanted for more than her managerial skills. Of being wanted for simply being herself. The sounds of masts echoed in her ear like a concert, breaking her from her peaceful interlude.
The putting on a hat and glasses business still bugged her a little. Although she wasn’t the kind of person to get right to the point, she was running out of time and didn’t want to play games. This entire situation already felt out of her comfort zone. “Do you like me, Noah?” Dahlia asked.
He was quiet. He looked around, trying to avoid the question.
“Oh, that much, huh?” She laughed, not knowing what else to do. Deep down, she knew he did. A man doesn’t kiss a woman that way unless there are feelings involved. But Dahlia needed to know why he was holding back in his words. And she needed to understand why he was hiding their relationship, especially when going to a very public place had been his idea.
“D, I like you too much. That’s the problem.” He laced her fingers with hers.
That simple motion made her heart skip a beat. She wondered if he would always be this hard to read. “Then I don’t get it.”
“I don’t want to get hurt.” He shook his head.
“Neither do I. And I certainly don’t want to hurt you.” Her eyes met his.
“There’s a lot you don’t know,” he said.
“Like what?” Dahlia asked, tilting her head with a sincere tone in her voice. Hearing what happened from him made her wonder if he did trust her. “Come on. Out with it.”
He took in a lungful of sea air and blew slowly. “I got my heart broken on national television last year. There are memes about me all over social media. With my shocked face, the moment I opened the door on my ex having sex with my best friend.”
Her heart sank. Hearing it in his words broke something inside her. It also made her angry—that someone could be so cruel and hurtful to someone that she cared about. “Is that why you’re trying to be incognito?” She gestured to the hat and sunglasses.
“Bingo. When I heard my name earlier, I froze.”
“Okay, I thought, maybe …” She exhaled in relief.
“Geez, I’m an idiot. I’m sorry. Come here.” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him.
“No, you’re not,” Dahlia said, settling her face into the crook of his neck. God, he smelled good.
“She made a fool out of me.” He cleared his throat. “For months after it happened, the paparazzi were everywhere. I couldn’t escape, which meant every day I had to relive it. I was followed, stalked, and harassed. It took a toll on my mental health.”
Even after an entire year, he still seemed wrecked over it. The realization that he might not yet be over his ex crushed Dahlia. She squeezed her eyes shut and held him tighter. “I’m really sorry, Noah. You didn’t deserve that.”
“I swore off women after that. Then you came along and uprooted my plan with your feisty attitude and see-through tank top.” He laughed.
“Oh, my God.” Dahlia instinctively drew back, covering her chest. She’d honestly hoped he’d been so inebriated that he’d forgotten about it.
