Page 21 of Wicked & Wildflower

“I bought a monstera,” I say.

I bought a monstera? Idiot.

Those chocolate eyes and straining arms—tattooed fingers—make me incapable of normal speech sometimes. “I mean, for my office. I bought a plant for my office. Lou wanted to see it, and then she wanted to see the store.”

He nods, a knowing smile on his face. Without taking his gaze from mine, he calls, “What do you think of it, Luce?”

Small foot steps pitter-patter toward us until she’s at my side. “It’ssocool!” She tugs at my shirt. “You have to come look at this one board. Ineedit, Mom.”

We both laugh. “What are you gonna do with a surfboard, bug?”

She gives me an eye roll that is far too exaggerated for a child her age. “Surf?”

“You don’t know how to surf.”

“Leo can teach me.”

For the fact that she’s never actually met him in person, only having ever spoken on Facetime, Lou is incredibly comfortable with Darby’s new fiancé. I’m thankful for that, for the ease in which she settled into her new reality, but I don’t need my sister or my brother-in-law feeling like they have some kind of responsibility over her, not when they’re just starting to build their new life together.

I’m not sure Lou understands those boundaries, though. Darby has been so deeply ingrained in every aspect of her life since she was born, I’m not sure Lou knows what normal family dynamics are supposed to look like.

“Leo’s busy, bug. I don’t know if he’s going to have time for that. You know they’re only going to be back in town for a few weeks before they have to leave again.”

Leo has another competition later this year in Hawaii or Africa or… somewhere. I can’t keep track. He’ll be working with me, training for that next competition, and running Heathen’s in the meantime, not to mention helping Darby get her flower shop ready to open and planning their wedding.

I’m already living in their house. I don’t need to add this to their plate too.

“I can do it,” Everett says. My head snaps up from Lou’s pleading puppy eyes to meet his. He has a soft smile on his face, nothing but sincerity in his eyes. “I mean, I’m no record-settingprodigy, but I’ve spent pretty much my whole life on a board.” He laughs to himself. “I always say that the only reason Leo is as good as he is is because he spent so much time trying to be better than me when we were kids.”

I can practically feel my daughter vibrating with excitement next to me. “I couldn’t ask you to do that. You’re just as busy as he is.”

“You’re not asking, I’m offering.” He shrugs. “I could easily carve out…what?” He looks down at Lou with a smile. “An hour a week? Would that work for you, kid?”

She nods rapidly.

“The auto-shop is closed on Sundays, so how about Sundays at….ten o’clock?” he asks me.

I give a strained smile. “Yeah, that works.” I press against Lou’s shoulder and point back toward the swimsuits. “Why don’t you go pick out a new one?”

She starts to run off toward racks of children’s swimwear when she pauses and turns back. “Okay, but what about–”

“Girlfriend. I am not buying you a new surfboard when there is a strong possibility you will get out there and after ten minutes decide you hate it. We’ll rent one until we know it’s something you actually want to pursue, then I’ll take a look at getting you a new one for yourself.”

She lets out a frustrated huff. “Fine.”

“I have boards you can borro–” Everett tells me the same time as I say, “You don’t really have to do this.”

He blinks at me. “Dahlia. Do you not want me giving your daughter surf lessons?” he asks in a hushed tone. “I want to respect your boundaries. If it makes you uncomfortable, then we don’t have to do it, of course.”

I shake my head. “It’s not that. I just…I don’t understand why you’d want to. What’s in it for you?”

“Something has to be in it for me?” He crosses his arms. “She looks excited. It’s the same excitement Leo and I used to have in our eyes when we were two poor, good-for-nothing kids running amok around town and wishing we had boards we could ride waves with.” He nods in Lou’s direction, and we both turn our heads to look at her skipping around the back corner of the store. “That kind of reaction is exactly the reason we opened this place, the joy we want to spread to anyone willing to accept it. So…that’s what I get out of it. The smile on the face of a kid who just discovered how great it feels to be out there on the water.”

I swallow slowly. Somehow, I feel like there’s more to it than that, but I’m afraid to know what that may be. All I know is the way his brown eyes electrify with intensity as he looks at me spell nothing but sincerity and conviction.

“Thank you,” I say quietly, looking away. “I can pay you.”

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

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