“It wouldn’t matter what you’re wearing—you are stunning. But yeah, you might be cold,” I say. “Go home and get warmer clothes and meet me?”
She bites her lower lip and takes so long to answer that I think for sure she’s going to say no, so it surprises me when she takes a deep breath and quietly whispers, “Okay.”
I want to fist-pump in the air but try to keep my cool. I smile and nod slowly.
“Perfect. I’d love to pick you up, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“You don’t, but yeah…how about we meet somewhere. This is a little out of my comfort zone.”
“Done.” I nod. “Will it give you enough time if we meet at six?”
“Yes.”
“Have you been to Demi?”
“No, I don’t think so.” She shrugs. “I don’t get out much.”
“It’s in the North Loop. Does that work?”
“Let’s go. I like to try places I’ve never been.”
I call my brother Tully and tell him I’d like to spend the night in the city before going to Windy Harbor. I’ll just get an Uber to our family’s house, so he doesn’t have to do anything special for me. He’s fine with it…said he’s exhausted, so tomorrow would actually be better for him too, after he’s had some sleep. I don’t know why I don’t tell him about Dahlia. I’m sort of dying to, but it feels too big to tell him over the phone. I’m not ready to get teased mercilessly about the massive crush I have on a girl I just met. This is the sort of thing that my older brothers would be all about. Especially Tully. You might say that the two of us have enjoyed our single lives.
I’m not one of those guys who isn’t capable of commitment, and neither is my brother. All the Whitman men are still single. My brother Noah lost his girlfriend way too soon and hasn’t gotten into the dating scene since Margo passed away. He’s too busy to date, working full-time and taking care of my nephew, Grayson. I haven’t seen Camden go outwith anyone in a long time. I know who I think would be perfect for him, if he could ever get his head out of his ass, and that’s Juju. The two of them are at each other’s heads all the time, and it’s good TV. Gotta have the popcorn whenever they’re around. But they don’t realize they’re perfect for each other. And Tully…there was one girl he was crazy about…Lola. I’ve never fully understood why he let her go. He claims his hockey career took priority, but he’s just not the kind of guy to choose his career over someone he loves. He doesn’t like to talk about Lola, so I don’t push it.
As for me, seeing the kind of love my parents had for each other has made me picky. I can go out with someone and know pretty quick if we’re meshing. Some have tricked me, and I’ve learned the hard way that they weren’t who I thought they were, or maybe the spark just wasn’t there, even if it looked good on paper. Goldie says I’ve let a lot of great women go and that I’m being too particular, but I want what my parents had: a forever kind of love. Anything else feels like a waste of time and a good way to hurt someone or to get hurt…which is why I’ve kept it casual for a long time now. Everyone I go out with isn’t looking for a relationship, and they know I’m not either. So far, it’s worked out well.
But Dahlia…I don’t know how to even compute this development, because without question, from what I can tell so far, Dahlia checks all the boxes.
Of course, it’s too soon to know. But damn, I’m crushing hard.
My phone buzzes, and I grin when I see my dad’s text.
Dad
It’s been an annoying day. Ava’s been here, and I get so riled when I hear how Bruce is treating her. I need some humor, or I’m going to find reasons to seek vengeance on that dude. That’s not my speed, it’s his. Proof of life, please.
We recently found out that my mom had a child before she got with my dad…with Bruce Granger, a guy who hates our family. The Granger family has long held a grudge against the Whitmans. It goes back to my grandpa and Bruce’s dad, and it’s a long, convoluted tale—aren’t family rivalries always? My dad has never been as vindictive as Bruce, but I know he doesn’t like the guy. What my siblings and I never knew is that Dad was aware that Mom had had a baby and placed her for adoption. When Ava Piper, Bruce Granger’s daughter, showed up in Windy Harbor wreaking havoc with a weird fixation about our family, we didn’t realize that she was, in fact, our sister. Way more drama than the Whitmans are used to. Ava’s softened since then. Once she saw Bruce’s true colors, she realized she hadn’t been told the whole truth when she’d found her birth dad.
I think once you lose people you love, the way we have with Mom and Noah’s girlfriend, Margo, you just don’t have room for the other kind of drama. The extent of ours is that Grandma Donna keeps us stocked with all the knitted things we could possibly want and then many things that we don’t want, while Grandma Nancy plies us with Lutheran Jell-O that we all barely stomach.
Goldie
UGH. He is such a tool. I’ll reach out to Ava.
Tully
Sorry, Dad. Deep breaths.
I look around, wondering how I’m going to take a picture without them knowing I’m at the St. Paul house.
Noah
Reason 10,099 why it’s a good thing Ava found out the rest of her family isn’t as bad as she was told.
Camden
Love you, Dad.
