“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?” Gretchen’s voice cracked.
“Isn’t that the truth?” Dahlia replied, wanting to share more, but stopped herself. She didn’t like withholding parts of herself, but she didn’t have much of a choice.
“Listen, I don’t want to scare you. And I know this may seem out of the blue, but I like you, and more importantly, I like you for my brother.”
Dahlia leaned closer, making eye contact, feeling hope glide across her chest. Gretchen’s approval was everything. And she was essentially giving it to Dahlia on a silver platter.
“But his ex, Josie, is crazy.”
And then her stomach dropped off a three-hundred-foot roller coaster. “How crazy? Like, fist fight crazy?”
“As in jealous, evil crazy. She didn’t want my brother, but she also doesn’t want anyone else to have him either.”
“How …?” Dahlia tilted her head. “What? Did something happen?”
“What didn’t happen? After the dust settled from the meme, people came out of the woodwork to support him. Girls were leaving comments, sliding into his DMs faster than you could blink, and Josie couldn’t handle it.” Her eyes narrowed with an inward gaze. “I don’t know if she wanted him back or if she was just that nuts, but she threatened some of them.”
Dahlia looked like a deer in headlights. She didn’t know what to say, but asked the question that was now at the forefront of her mind. “Should I be worried?”
“I honestly don’t know.” She shook her head. “But I have to think she’s over it at this point. All this happened in February when it finally aired. Plus, she was called a bully all over social media, so she toned it down a bit after that. And you’re in luck, because she cares about what people think of her. Oh, and she may have roughed someone up once in a bar when she was drunk.”
“How do you know all this? Noah?”
“Yeah, partly, but one of the girls she threatened was my ex.” She tsked. “She was just checking in on him, leaving comments on his photos, that sort of thing.”
“Wow, yeah. That’s cuckoo.” Dahlia smiled, while simultaneously wondering what she had gotten herself into. She was just glad he was no longer part of the show, at least for this summer. The chances she would run into this girl were virtually nonexistent. At least there was that.
“I felt it was only fair to warn you. Noah’s friends are planning a big birthday bash for him in the Hamptons tomorrow night, and she’ll probably be there. He wants to bring you.”
Dahlia’s gulp was audible. Was she even ready for this? Did she need boxing gloves? “He does?” She bit the inside of her lip, not sure how she felt about all of it. She’d never been on the other end of that kind of crazy before. Spence’s sister was catty, difficult, and extremely passive-aggressive. Dahlia became skilled at handling her and knowing when to let things go, but she was never involved in an altercation with anyone. The face-to-face conflict wasn’t her style.
“He asked me to go too. I’m just not sure I can make it with all this.” Gretchen waved over the mess. “I still have so much to do before the opening.”
“I know that feeling all too well.” She had so much to do to get Lil’s house ready to go on the market. And time was slipping through her fingers like sand. Dahlia’s thoughts briefly drifted to the email she’d received from the gallery. Her palms suddenly felt clammy.
“I hope I didn’t overstep.” Gretchen winced, handing her some sage. “Burn this in the house. It will ward off negative energy.”
“Oh, thanks. I need all the help I can get at this point.” She laughed lightheartedly, even though her insides were clearly in turmoil. “And no, I’m glad you warned me.” That’s what friends did. This was what she wanted deep down. This felt like a subtle nudge to stay, even if for a little while longer.
“The art! Right.” Gretchen shook her head. “It’s in the office. No judging, it’s mayhem back here.”
“I would never. This is a judgment-free zone.” Dahlia followed her lead. What was she doing? She didn’t have time for any of this—yet here she was.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
July 16
The birds were in a playful flight as they disappeared under the eaves of Lil’s bedroom porch. Dahlia slowly sipped her coffee, watching the first sailing group already out on the water. The sunfish sails formed bright clusters along the glimmering surface. The colors had a likeness to a bag of Starburst or Skittles. Her smile widened as she leaned against the door frame, letting her honey locks sway in the breeze. It was hard not to be blissfully happy with a view like that. It was the telltale sign that summer had begun. The smell of sea salt flooded the air, and she was content to be a voyeur for this Saturday morning ritual.
Dahlia ran her fingers through her knotty, humid hair, wondering if Noah would ask her to his birthday party tonight. But if he wanted her to come, wouldn’t he have asked her by now? She looked out over the grass that led to the bay, realizing maybe he wasn’t ready for her to meet his friends. And who were they, anyway? Friends from the city? Or “friends” as in castmates fromHamptonsHouse? She couldn’t blame him; they’d only known one another for two weeks. And they’d only know each other for another two weeks after today. Going public with their relationship might change things, and Dahlia didn’t want anything to change. Not even the speed of light pace at which they, as a couple, were evolving. Perhaps it was better they kept their lives separate for now.
“Morning, baby,” Noah whispered, wrapping his burly arms around her waist. His toned body was on display, wearing only his tight black Calvin’s. “What a way to wake up, huh?”
“I’ll say.” Dahlia sank into his hold, resting her head against his chest. She still felt torn. On the one hand, she had Noah. If she were honest with herself, he undid her, stitch by aching stitch. His hands, his lips, and his smell, but mostly how he made her feel when their bodies touched. And a part of her wondered if it could be more and what that would look like after the summer. But she was also torn by time, the job she had accepted, and weighted by the discovery of her grandmother’s secret. “What’s the plan for the day? Are you going to work me to the bone again?” He laughed, tickling her ear with his whiskered mouth.
Her body shuddered with pleasure. Eventhatsounded sexy to Dahlia. All she wanted was to be locked away with him in this bedroom all day long. She was turning into a lovemaking ninja. She didn’t feel thirty-eight; she felt thirsty-eight. “I need a shower.” She turned around to face him, sliding her hands up his bare back. “Then I’ll start going through those boxes in the basement.” Her lips tickled his neck, then his chin, then his mouth. “And get back out to the garden at some point,” Dahlia said with a soft, sultry tone. “I’m going to work you really freaking hard, Mr. Sterling.” Her teeth sank into her bottom lip, liking the sound of that. Just saying those words made her hungry for him. And by the feel of him pressing against her stomach, he felt the same.
He pressed his mouth to hers, and their tongues collided in the most erotic and sensual way. It was profound and far-reaching. He felt like hot silk in her mouth. She could kiss this man for hours, and it still wouldn’t be enough. It was that good. Her body hummed with unbridled desire.
