Blue Dahlia (The Dahlia Trilogy of The Gilded Flower Series Book 1) Page 6
“What’s in Miami?” he asks.
“Not what, who,” she says in a low voice.
He looks at her curiously.
“Someone who mattered a lot to me before I rediscovered you.”
Chapter 32
“Now or never,” Dahlia mutters to herself as she knocks lightly on the heavy white door. She avoids ringing the doorbell. Obviously, she gets the subconscious reason behind this. She’d rather be anywhere but here.
Dahlia knocks again, secretly hoping he’s not home, although Lily assured her he would be.
Finally, raising her arm for a final knock, a beautiful brunette with dark green eyes answers the door, her nakedness barely concealed beneath a man’s shirt. Dahlia quickly recognizes the blue Prada linen shirt she gave to Rodrigo during her last visit to Miami.
“Who are you?” the woman asks, frowning at Dahlia.
Dahlia swallows her initial surprise and squares her shoulders. “I’m here to see Rodrigo,” she says, her voice calm and cool as steel.
“Who’s at the door?” Dahlia hears him call out.
“Some blond looking for you,” the woman smirks. Dahlia raises an eyebrow at her.
She feels him before she sees him. Every nerve ending becoming alerted to his presence. Her heart races as she hears his footsteps on the white marble floor.
“Oh, wow, Dahlia. Hey,” he says, looking embarrassed. As he leans in to give her the two-kiss Cuban greeting, she closes her eyes and takes in the familiar, heady scent of his aftershave.
“Hi,” she says quietly. “I came by to see if you’re able to do lunch. But I can see you’re busy.” Dahlia takes a step back, bracing herself for his rejection. She hurt him, and she’s prepared to assume responsibility for that, and for keeping her secret from him. It’s only fair that he moved on, considering she’s with Shane. But seeing him there, in the flesh, shows her a small part of her still loves him too. And his being with someone else isn’t sitting well with her. Not entirely.
“Yeah, of course I can.” Rodrigo smiles at Dahlia. Turning to the woman he says, “I’ll call you later. Be sure to lock up when you leave.”
She yells something in Spanish that Dahlia can’t understand and slams the door behind them.
He places his hand lightly on the small of her back, guiding her down the corridor and into a waiting elevator.
Dahlia steps ever so slightly to the right to avoid contact with him. His touch was becoming too much. She is ready to own her life with Shane now.
They walk in awkward silence down Collins until they come to a small café. With every step, she summons the courage to give Rodrigo what he needs—closure.
He pulls out her chair for her and then takes the seat to her right, blocking the sun.
“How’ve you been?” Rodrigo finally asks, breaking the silence.
“I’ve been good,” Dahlia replies, taking a sip of water. “You?”
“Alright.”
She can feel her heart pounding in her chest. The truth is so much harder to face when it’s spoken. Taking a deep breath she starts in, “Look, Rodrigo.”
“Listen, Dahlia,” he interrupts her, “You don’t need to do me any favors. I’m fine. I get there’s someone else in the picture.” Rodrigo waves away the waitress who’s slowly approaching them.
“Yes, but . . .”
“So I’m not sure why you flew all this way to talk. Really, I’m alright.”
But he isn’t. Dahlia can see the hurt in his eyes.
“It’s not that simple, Rodrigo,” she says firmly. Taking another deep breath she says, “When I met you, I was still married.”
Her heart drops into her stomach saying the words aloud to Rodrigo. She had never uttered them to anyone before, except to Lily when Dahlia called her from Vegas to give her the news. She never bothered to tell her parents. She knew they’d found out, and it wasn’t Lily who told them.
Rodrigo leans back into his seat and lets out a long exhale, as if he were just punched in the stomach. It’s an agonizing ten minutes while she watches the look on his face change from shock to anger to fury to anger and then resignation.
Finally, in a restrained voice he says, “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me, Dahlia?”
Chapter 33
“It’s complicated,” she replies.
“Then uncomplicate it for me.”
She looks down, twisting the napkin in her lap. “I was twenty at the time. Shane was twenty-two.”
“So it’s this Shane guy you mentioned when you were in California? You flew there to see him after I left New York?”
Dahlia nods. Rodrigo opens his mouth to speak but she holds up her hand. “Just let me finish.”
Sighing, she begins, “I had every intention of moving to Miami to be with you. The only thing that was standing in the way of that was a divorce. I left him just before my twenty-first birthday. I was young and such a complete mess that I let my parents deal with it.”
“And? Their army of lawyers couldn’t make it happen?”
Dahlia shakes her head. “No one would tell me why. My mother just told me she’d take care everything and to leave it alone. I was more than happy to do anything just to forget about it all, so I did.”
“You pretended like it never happened.”
“Mostly. Until I met you.”
“Am I supposed to be flattered?”
“You don’t have to be, Rodrigo. I fell so in love with you that I wanted to be with you. So much so that I decided I would pursue the divorce. Until you, it never mattered since I didn’t care about getting married again.”
“Then, if you wanted to be with me, how could it all change in a week?”
“Because, the part that complicated it the most was we had a child together.”
Rodrigo’s eyes betray his shock.
“You have a kid? Is he raising your kid?”
Dahlia shakes her head and runs her hand through her hair. “She died,” she says in a whisper.
“Oh no, Dahlia, that’s terrible.”
She takes a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears she feels coming.
“It was a few days after I gave birth. There were serious complications, and I got really sick. I was so out of it and drugged up for days. There was no NICU at the hospital where I delivered so they had to transfer her. Shane was on the other side of the world chasing his big wave when it happened.”
Dahlia shifts uncomfortably under his gaze. She doesn’t want his pity.
“I felt so much guilt and shame over all of this. I was too young and immature to cope. I left California and wanted desperately to leave it all behind. But then I met you. You deserved better than all that baggage, so I went to California to get him to sign the divorce papers. Little did I realize . . .”
“That you were still in love with Shane.” Rodrigo finishes her sentence.
Dahlia nods. “We couldn’t work through our daughter’s death together. Hell, I couldn’t deal with it until recently. I’m finally able to move forward in my life. I’ve taken up my art again. That was my passion.”
“Glad I could help,” he replies facetiously.
Dahlia gives him a slight smile. “I won’t say all those ridiculous things about how a part of me will always love you and that we can be friends or that you’ll make someone very happy. You deserve better.”
“Than you?”
Dahlia nods. “Thank you for loving me the way you did. I never felt so safe and accepted by anyone else in my life. It’s just . . . I’m meant to be in California.”
“With Shane,” Rodrigo says bitterly.
“It’s different. Things are still tenuous, like it could all change still. I don’t know. But with you, I never felt more certain about anyone.”
“This isn’t making me feel better.”
“I’m so sorry, Rodrigo.” Dahlia reaches out and touches his cheek.
Chapter 34
“Hey, babe,” Shane answers his phone excitedly.
&
nbsp; “Hi,” Dahlia replies, leaning her head against the window.
“How’d it go?”
“About as well as you’d expect.”
“I feel bad for the guy, D. You’re not easy to get over. Hell, I couldn’t do it.”
Dahlia smiles. “I’m glad you didn’t.”
“Damn straight, Mrs. Walker. When are you flying back? I’m serious about us taking that honeymoon.”
“Tomorrow. My flight arrives in the evening.”
“Awesome. We head out for Cortes around three in the morning. Surfline shows some good swells by evening. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“I can’t wait to see you.”
“Me too. You’ve made me the happiest man, D. I’m proud of you for letting the guy down in person. Couldn’t have been easy.”
Dahlia shakes her head. “No, it wasn’t. But there isn’t anything holding us back now, is there?”
“Nothing, D. Although we have to talk when I get back to Santa Barbara.”
“Everything okay? Can it wait ‘til then?”
“Totally. God, I’m so wishing I could see you when you land. Two days and I’m already going through withdrawals.”
“Too late to cancel the Cortes trip?” Dahlia chuckles, turned on by the sudden image of screwing him in her art studio.
“Yeah, unfortunately. You know what a production it is getting the boat and the team together. But I’ll be with you as soon as I can.”
“Can’t wait, Shane.”
“Me too, D. I love you, babe.”
“I love you too.”
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Acknowledgements
There are so many things that go into writing a book that have little to do with sitting down and writing. First it’s the inspiration, an idea, or even the inkling of an idea that is sparked by experience, a memory or dream, or a person. I want to thank my husband, first and foremost, for sharing numerous adventures with me that have inspired my stories, as well as his tireless support. I’d also like to thank my children. While more often than not they keep me from writing, they inspire me everyday.
Aside from ideas, there are the friends who make you feel as if anything is possible and that how you execute it, however messy and awful, is the most terrific thing you’ve ever done. Sara and Lisa, you two crazy bitches make me feel invincible.
Of course, I seem to find crazy bitches wherever I go. Karen and Lucia, you two troublemakers have made my years in New York City memorable. Promise me to never share those pictures.
Then there is that one friend who not only tells you that what you do is wonderful—even if she thinks otherwise—is willing to go along for the ride. Suzann, I will be eternally grateful to the universe for sending you to me. Thank you for holding my hand and encouraging me every step of the way.
Sonja, we’ll always have Paris . . .and Chicago, and New York. Thank you for all the profound experiences we had together.
And of course, the family who’s had my back since I took my first steps. Of course you weren’t surprised to find out that I write those kinds of books—and I wouldn’t presume they’d read them. That my sisters-in-law do read them means the world to me. B and K, thank you for being a part of my family and for reading my books.
Last, but certainly not least, my deepest gratitude to my fans, readers and bloggers who feature my books. This series is for you! I am incredibly humbled and grateful to you all for your support and your kick-ass reviews. There are so many books out there. That you’ve found mine and enjoyed them enough to write a review or buy these books means the world to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
About the Author
Vivian Winslow was born and raised in Southern California. Before becoming a writer, she made a career out of moving around the world every couple of years thanks to her husband’s job. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and two elementary school age children, and is grateful to finally have a place to call home for more than two years. New York is the perfect city to indulge her love of shopping, the arts and especially food. If she’s not at home writing or running around the city with her kids, you’ll most likely find her indulging in pizza on the Lower East Side or having a cocktail at her favorite bar in Alphabet City. That said, she’s still a California girl at heart and would gladly trade in her heels for a pair of flip-flops to catch a sunset on the beach.
You can connect with Vivian at:
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