“Where do I start?” Dahlia shook her head.
She told her about Hank having a heart attack, being left without a handyperson, the hole in the porch, the squirrel invasion, and the fridge and stove not working.
“And that’s not even the worst part. Lil left me a letter, Kara. It started as a summer bucket list with everything I need to do for myself.”
“Which is awesome. Go, Lil.”
“Yeah, well, she went on to say there’s a ginormous family secret and that it will set me free. That I need to find a safe-deposit key and open this box before I go, but she forgot where she put it. How am I going to get all of this done before I leave for South Carolina at the end of the summer?”
“Okay, wow. Let’s unpack this. I’ve known Lil my entire life; she didn’t keep secrets.”
Kara was right. Lil had never been the mysterious type. So then what on earth did this all mean? “I know, that’s why I’m so rattled, Kara. But honestly, I’m a little annoyed she didn’t tell me what it was before she died.” Dahlia shook her head. “How could she leave me with all of this to figure out without her?”
“She obviously wanted you to see whatever is in that box. You have to believe that whatever’s in there is that important. And maybe she couldn’t find it before she left for your house. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation. She loved you so much; the last thing she’d want to do is hurt you.”
“Thank you. You’re right—I’m just overwhelmed. Harry’s a good listener but not great at small talk.” Dahlia laughed for the first time in hours.
Harry cocked his head.
“Listen, tomorrow is a new day. You’ll head into town and ask around. Go to the hardware store first. There’s got to be someone who’s retired that would love to help you.” Kara took a much-neededswig of air. “Plus, everyone loved Lil, so that shouldn’t be hard. Maybe even an art student from the high school?”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll also go back to the grocery store and check the community board. I didn’t have the bandwidth for it today.”
“Lil’s favorite,” Kara said with a warm smile.
“I know. Oh, speaking of the store—I must have just missed him, but apparently, this guy fromHamptons Housecame in.”
Kara squealed. “Who?And why are you just telling me this now? Oh my God. They’re all so hot,” she rambled, yanking her long brown hair from the bun.
“I think his name was Noah.” Dahlia shrugged, spotting a large crack in the wall over the door. The work was never going to end.
“What?” Kara screamed. “He’s my favorite—very mysterious. He got double-crossed last year in a big way by his best friend. Poor guy. Have you googled him yet?”
“No!” Dahlia said, noticing a light go on next door. “That’s weird.” Dahlia peeled herself from the sticky sheets.
“What’s weird?”
“The guys next door are away for the summer, but a light just went on.” Dahlia peeked out the window. No one was supposed to be there. Bruce and Garrett would have told her, wouldn’t they? “Maybe someone’s breaking in?” Dahlia could feel her eyes widen.
“No, it’s Southold. The safest small town in America. It’s probably just someone checking on the house. Or maybe a timer on a light.”
“You’re probably right.” Dahlia hesitated. “Kara, thank you.”
“For what?”
“For listening?”
“Always. Now, get some rest. I’ll check in tomorrow—and Dahl?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re Dahlia Fucking Newberry, and don’t you forget that. You had Daisy on your own and raised her without any help from Spence or his family, at least until—”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Dahlia wanted to say marrying Spence was the biggest mistake of her life, but then Daisy wouldn’t have had two loving parents all those years. Him coming back when Daisy was five and begging Dahlia to marry him as a new graduate about to take over his father’s business was unexpected, to say the least. But when Spence wanted something, he was very persuasive. Plus, Dahlia was tired, and any partnership sounded like music to her ears. Yes, she had Lil and Gran, but Dahlia had had to move closer to campus once she started taking classes. Being a single mom while trying to accumulate one hundred and twenty creditsandworking wasn’t for the faint of heart.
“Remember how strong and resilient you are. You’re a badass.”
Dahlia lifted her chin and straightened her posture. She did do that, didn’t she? And she stood up to his family when they wanted to pay for her pregnancy to go away. That was by far the toughest thing for her to get past once she became part of the Newberry family. “True, but—”
