Page 118 of See You There
She inhaled the rich aroma and slowly exhaled with a smile. When Dahlia found out she was going to have to leave Atlanta and go into hiding, she never expected it to turn outas wonderful as it had. Hank was still out there. But secluded in the cabin with Luke, Dahlia felt safe. When was the last time she’d felt that way? When her father was still alive? Even then, there was always uncertainty about money, or whether her grandmother would unleash her hatred on Dahlia or her mother. With Luke, she felt protected. Loved.
Dahlia’s hand trembled as she set the mug on the table. Where had that thought come from? Luke didn’t love her. Did she even want him to?
A warm glow flowed through her. She did. Because Dahlia knew she was more than halfway in love with Luke. It was terrifying but she refused to give in to the fear.
It was time to act on the decisions she had made.
Her first call was to Elizabeth Gorman, one of the lawyers on Luke’s list. Dahlia had felt comfortable with her almost immediately and knew Elizabeth was the right choice. Once that was handled, she began drafting a press release. The next task had her stomach swirling with nerves. She needed to call Hannah. Dahlia’s career affected her family.
“Wow! Youhaveturned a new leaf.” Hannah said, picking up the phone. “I’ve talked to you more this week than I have in a year.”
“I know. I want to change that,” Dahlia said. “Look, Hannah, I know you don’t understand why I did some of the things I did in the past. And I know you blame me for the littles going into foster care… but I was only eighteen. I didn’t know what I was doing either.” The words came out in a rush, followed by silence. Dahlia bit the inside of her cheek, a weight on her chest.
Hannah let out a heavy sigh. “I know. It wasn’t fair, but it was easier to blame you than face the fact that what happened was out of our control. For so many years, when things weren’t going right in my world, I needed a face to blame. You were the easiest. Mom was gone, Granny was, well, she was Granny.”
Hannah chuckled, and Dahlia gave a tiny laugh, hope spiking in her heart. Hannah’s voice was serious when she continued. “But the choices I made weremychoices. Not yours. You took your shot and got out. I’m glad you’re happy.”
“That’s kind of the thing,” Dahlia said slowly. “I’mnothappy. I haven’t been for a long time.” Admitting the truth, Dahlia felt the weight completely lift. “You know Scott and I live separate lives, right?”
“I figured that out the first time I saw you were dating someone. The blogs never mentioned him, so I just kept my mouth shut. I figured it was your business.”
“I appreciate that.” Dahlia took a deep breath. “Truthfully, I haven’t seen Scott in almost seven years.”
“Are you serious?” Hannah sounded shocked.
“I’ve been trying to get him to sign divorce papers ever since he left me, but I can’t track him down.”
“His mom moved years ago. Do you want me to ask around? She would know where he is.”
Dahlia hesitated. “If it’s someone you know really well. I’m worried if they find out I’m asking, they’ll give him a head’s up. His mother never liked me.”
Hannah snorted. “No, shereallydidn’t. You’d think she’d be happy for him to get a divorce.”
Dahlia had never told her family about the money she paid Scott. “There’s something else. I want to tell the truth about where I came from. I’m getting a new agent, and Victor is most likely going to sell my story.”
The silence between them felt loaded, and Dahlia fidgeted, waiting for her sister to say something.
“You’re dropping the small-town princess act?”
“That wasn’t my idea. Victor convinced me it was necessary and…” Dahlia sighed. “I went along with it. Like you said, my choices aremychoices. I’ve lived in fear for so long, alwaysworried someone would find out about our family—about what I did—I was convinced it would ruin me. Not just me. All of us.”
“I’m not going to lie and say the money you send doesn’t bridge a gap for us, but you deserve to be happy, too, Dahlia. And I know it’s not just me. You send Brian money to put on his books every month. I love you, but you aren’t responsible for us. You never were. Maybe now that I have kids of my own, I see it more clearly… You weren’t responsible for Daddy, or Mama—no matter what Granny said. You were a kid.”
Dahlia’s throat tightened when Hannah’s voice shook with the next words. “You weren’t responsible for the littles either. I said some really hateful stuff to you over the years, and I’m sorry.”
When Dahlia heard her sister sniff, tears of her own filled her eyes. She swiped at them as her sister continued. “I saw one of your movies on TV.”
“Really?” She chewed her lip, wanting to ask Hannah what she had thought, but she wasn’t that brave yet. In the early days when Dahlia asked, Hannah had always been dismissive. Usually saying something along the lines of,she didn’t have time for silly things like that.
“The one where you’re a housewife, and you think one of the ladies in your mom’s group killed someone.”
“I remember that role! It was one of my first big ones.” Dahlia chose her next words carefully. “This movie though… Hannah, it has the potential to be much bigger. Hopefully that means even bigger things will come along. There’s going to be more focus on me, and… I just want you to be prepared. Victor is furious that I’m leaving him, and I’m worried people will start digging for dirt and harass you.”
“Fantastic,” Hannah drawled. “Are you worried I’m going to embarrass you?”
“No! I love you, Hannah. I only want to protect you and your kids. The media can be vicious. I’m going to have my new agent put out a preemptive press release, but people will most likely find your name. I’m not ashamed of our family.”
Only when the words passed her lips did Dahlia realize it was true. She might regret some of her own actions, but not her family as a whole…
