Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98789 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
“No. She’s a waitress—her family owns a diner. But she went to culinary school, and she’s an amazing chef.”
“Do you have a picture of her?”
I had some pictures on my phone, which I’d set down over on the bar where we’d gotten the bubble tea. A few women were sitting there now—I hadn’t even seen them come in—and I realized with dismay that one of them was Katherine Carroll. Was this how I was finally going to meet her? After shuffling over to the bar in a fucking shark onesie? At this point, did I even care?
“Hang on,” I said. “Let me go get my phone.” After standing up, I gave the girls a big laugh as I Charlie-Chaplin-walked over to where I’d left my phone. The women were seated farther down the bar, and I was hoping to escape without talking to them, but Olivia called my name.
“Dash,” she said from where she stood behind the bar. “Let me introduce you to Katherine.”
Reluctantly, I turned around and waddled closer to them. “Hi,” I said. “I’m Dashiel Buckley.” I pushed my shark hood off and held out a fin.
Katherine, who was seated closest to me, shook my hand and smiled. Possibly she was in her forties, although it was hard to tell someone’s actual age in L.A. Her long blond hair was gathered in a ponytail, and her skin was fair and smooth. “So nice to meet you. Thank you very much for being here today. My niece was just ecstatic when I told her.”
“Best birthday gift ever,” said the woman seated on the other side of her, leaning forward to flash me a grin. “I’m Pinky’s mom, Nicole.”
I nodded, wishing I was wearing something—anything—else. “Glad to meet you both.”
“You’re so good with them,” Nicole said. “Do you have kids? Sisters?”
“No kids. One little sister.”
“Well, you’re a natural. And such a good sport.” Katherine laughed. “I can’t believe they made you wear the shark onesie.”
“Dash! Come on, where’s the pic?” Pinky called from the couch.
“Better get back to your adoring fans,” said Olivia. “And thanks again for coming.” She clasped her hands at her chest and gave me a look that said you saved my ass.
“Sure.” Leaving the women at the bar, I shuffled back to the couch and sank down between Pinky and Plum. The rest of the girls huddled around us. After opening up my photos, I found some recent ones I’d taken of Ari—mostly her in the kitchen, but I’d also snapped a couple the night I’d taken her to Etoile, and there were some from Devlin’s wedding too. “That’s her,” I said, scrolling through them one at a time.
“Ooooh, I love her hair!”
“She’s so pretty!”
“I love that red dress!”
“Aww, you’re so cute together!”
“So, wait. How come she’s not your girlfriend?” Alaska wanted to know.
“Because she lives in Michigan and I live in California.”
“Why can’t she just move here?”
“Because she loves where she lives. Her family is there. Family is very important to her.”
“Is it important to you?” Plum asked.
“Yes.”
“Where’s your family?”
“They’re in Cherry Tree Harbor too.”
“So why don’t you move there?”
“Because my work as an actor is also important to me. And my work is here.”
“Do you love her?” Pinky demanded from my left.
“I—” I tugged at the neck of my onesie. Suddenly I was sweating. “That’s kind of a hard question.”
“No, it isn’t,” she said. “Do you think about her a lot?”
“I can’t stop thinking about her,” I confessed.
“Really?” The girls all leaned in.
“Really. She’s the best, sweetest, most generous person I know. She makes me laugh, and when I make her laugh, it feels like someone just handed me a million bucks. When I’m with her, I’m always happy. I can be my real self and not have to hide anything. And she’s so beautiful—sometimes I just look at her, and I think my chest might explode.”
A chorus of sighs surrounded me.
“Have you kissed her?”
“Um. Yeah.”
“French kissed her? Like, you touched tongues?”
“Yes,” I said, squirming a bit.
“And you liked it?”
I shook my head. “This is weird, you guys.”
“Dash.” Pinky put a fin on my arm. “You’re so in love with her.”
“Definitely,” said Alaska.
“It’s so obvious,” said Plum. “Haven’t you ever been in love before?”
“No,” I told them. “I’ve never said those words about anyone. I’ve never even thought them. But then, I’ve never felt this way either.”
“That makes sense,” said Pinky. “You need words you’ve never used to describe the feeling you’ve never felt.”
Alaska sighed. “I’ve been in love like ten times.”
“Same,” said Plum.
“So you never told her you love her?” asked Seven from where she was perched on the back of the couch.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I—I didn’t want it to be true.”
“Just because you don’t say a thing out loud doesn’t make it not true,” Scribble said.
“I realize that,” I said. “But the situation is complicated, okay?”