Sweet Beginnings

by Nicole Ellis

  “What’s going on? More than just the bookstore stuff?”

  “It’s Wendy.” Dahlia took another sip of her drink. “You know how her truck was vandalized a few weeks ago?”

  “Yeah. Did they ever catch the person who did that?”

  “No.” She gazed out over the park at the children playing soccer. “Did you see the story in the Candle Beach Weekly about the break-in at her market booth?”

  “No, I’ve been slammed at work. How am I just now hearing about this? Did the Ladies go on strike?”

  Dahlia laughed and then fell silent. “It happened late at night, maybe they were all asleep. Adam covered it for the paper though, so I’d be surprised if it wasn’t making the rounds of the gossip circuit.” She frowned. “Someone from her past is stalking her. Well, they were. Chances are they’ve left town now.”

  “Does Garrett know?” A stray soccer ball rolled over to them and Gretchen threw it back to the kids.

  “No, that’s the problem. He’s been in New York since the break-in. He doesn’t know and Wendy doesn’t want to tell him. I should tell him, right?” She slumped on the bench. “But then I’m betraying Wendy’s trust.”

  “True, but maybe you shouldn’t see it as breaking Wendy’s trust, more like protecting her.” Gretchen looked thoughtful. “I know if my mom was in trouble, I’d want to know.” She glanced at Dahlia and they both laughed. Chances were the very proper Mrs. Roberts wouldn’t ever be in trouble.

  “So you’re saying I should tell him?”

  “I can’t tell you what to do, but if it were me, I would.” Gretchen checked her watch. “I’ve got to get going. I promised to help set up the fireworks seating area. Do you want to meet Maggie and me tonight to watch the fireworks? She’s going to let Alex stay up to watch them.”

  “Thanks, but Garrett’s supposed to be back today. We made plans to watch the fireworks together.” With everything going on, watching a fireworks display would take her mind off of things.

  Gretchen left and Dahlia gathered up her lunch. Marsha would be wondering where she was.

  At the far end of the park, a group had gathered for a series of events. From the pile of burlap sacks stacked near a picnic table, Dahlia gathered that there was a sack race on the agenda. Currently, teams of children and adults were carefully balancing eggs on spoons as they crossed the grassy lawn. Cheers erupted from the crowd as a winner appeared. Dahlia had fond memories of egg races as a child, but she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever get to experience that with a child of her own. Why was that even occurring to her? She’d never had maternal urges in the past, but something about seeing Maggie’s son earlier in the parade and the joy on these children’s faces struck a chord.

  She shook her head. There would be plenty of time for that in the future. Thirty was the new twenty, right?

  21

  Dahlia sat back in her chair and guzzled water. She’d had a long stream of customers at the booth…not that she was complaining. She heard footsteps behind her and someone wordlessly wrapped their hands around her eyes. Panic ripped through her body. Had Wendy’s stalker come after her now?

  She yanked herself out of the attacker’s grasp and whipped around to face them.

  “Whoa,” Garrett said, holding his hands up in the air. “Are you okay?”

  “You scared me.” She placed her hand over her chest. Her adrenaline-fueled heart rate decreased to a normal pace as she relaxed.

  Garrett kissed her cheek and her heart rate shot back up. “Sorry about that. I just got back into town and I wanted to see you.”

  “I’m glad you did.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Having him gone for a week had made her realize how much she cared for him.

  “How’s business been?”

  “Great.”

  “I stopped by Wendy’s booth. It looks like she’s been selling a lot,” he said. “Not much inventory left. She said she was going to close up soon. Something about another migraine.”

  “Well, she didn’t have much furniture to start with this week.” The words popped out of her mouth before she could stop them.

  “So business has been good for her?”

  “Uh, yeah. Business has been good.” Guilt washed over her. Wendy had begged her not to tell Garrett about the man stalking her. Since he’d left for New York the morning after the booth was vandalized, Dahlia hadn’t needed to worry about telling him. Until now.

  Should she tell him? If it were her mother, she’d want to know. But she’d promised Wendy. Garrett’s close proximity to her and her guilt over the secret she kept from him made her stomach twist.

  She eased around to the other side of the table, a safe distance away from him.

  “What’s wrong?” He peered into her eyes.

  She avoided making eye contact with him.

  “Dahlia, what’s going on?” He stepped back and stared at her.

  “Nothing.” What was she supposed to say? Wendy was an adult and didn’t need to report to anyone. But she knew how much Garrett hated people keeping secrets from him. She took a deep breath. “Are we still on for watching the fireworks together tonight?”

  “Yeah, sure.” He stared at her again. “I’ll pick you up at nine.”

  Garrett had stopped at the summer market before returning home to drop off his luggage. As soon as he’d reached Candle Beach, he knew he wanted to see Dahlia. The flight from New York had been long and full of conflicting thoughts. He knew he cared for her, but was that enough?

  After he’d surprised her at her booth, she’d been cagey, almost as though she were hiding something from him. But what, he didn’t know. He reached his car parked at the edge of the Marina Park and tugged on the door handle.

  “Hey, Garrett,” a man said, jogging up to him.

  “Adam, hi.” Garrett fiddled with his keys. The flight had been long and he wanted nothing more than a hot shower to wash away the day’s grime and confusion.

  “Glad to see you back in town. And I bet your mother is too. I’m sure she’s worried about what’s going on.”

  “What do you mean, what’s going on?” His relationship with Wendy was still strained, but he’d just seen her at the market and she hadn’t seemed concerned about anything.

  “The vandalism of her truck and her market booth.” Adam looked at him funny. “Didn’t your mother or Dahlia say anything to you about it?”

  “No, they certainly didn’t.” Fury circulated through his veins. What was going on? “Is Wendy in danger?”

  “Nah, I’m sure she’s fine. They think it’s some ex-boyfriend of hers doing it.” Adam shrugged and shuffled his feet. “I’m sure he was just blowing off steam and is long gone by now. Sorry, man. I covered the story for last Friday’s edition of the paper and I figured you knew about it.”

  “No.” Garrett couldn’t manage any more than one word without blowing his top at the wrong person. How could Wendy and Dahlia have kept this from him? He wasn’t surprised that his mother hadn’t bothered to say anything. She probably didn’t even think about being in danger. But Dahlia? She should have told him. He may not have the best relationship with his mother, but he still cared about her safety.

  “Here.” Adam reached into his bag and handed Garrett a newspaper. “All the details of the vandalism at her booth are in here.”

  “Thanks.” He took the newspaper, crushing it in his hand. “I’ve got to get going.” He jerked his head toward his car.

  Adam nodded. “See you later.”

  When Adam was safely out of sight, Garrett scanned the newspaper article. How had Dahlia not said anything to him when he’d called her from New York? He stalked back to her.

  She saw him and her face lit up. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon. Did you forget something?”

  “Did I forget something? Don’t you mean you and Wendy forgot to tell me something?” He held up the newspaper and stabbed his finger at the picture of Wendy’s booth on the front page. His voice sho
ok and he felt heat rise above the collar of his button-down shirt.

  Dahlia blanched. “What do you mean?”

  “You knew some nut job vandalized my mother’s truck and booth and you didn’t say anything?”

  Dahlia stared at him like a deer caught in the headlights. “Wendy didn’t want me to say anything.” She came over to him and put her hand on his arm.

  He brushed it off and stepped back. “So?”

  “I didn’t think it was my place to tell you,” she whispered.

  “What if he’d attacked her instead of only destroying her booth?” He felt the vein in his forehead pulse with every word.

  “But he didn’t.” Dahlia’s face crumpled and her eyes were bright. He hated seeing her cry, but he couldn’t stop himself from yelling.

  “What if he came after her at the bookstore? And if he found you there instead of her? You both could have been in danger. I should have known about this. I could have protected you both.”

  Their conversation had drawn curious onlookers. He lowered his voice. “I expect this kind of disregard for safety from my mother, but I expected you to be different.” He paused and regarded her. “I guess I shouldn’t have, all things considered.”

  “Garrett—”

  “No.” He ran his hand through his hair and stared up at the sky. “This isn’t going to work. I’ve got to go.” He turned away from her and stomped off.

  Dahlia watched him go, her bottom lip quivering. She knew she should have told him about Wendy. She smiled weakly at the few people who’d been watching their argument. They avoided eye contact and shuffled away as though nothing had happened. She slumped in her chair and gazed toward the ocean without seeing it.

  Had Garrett just broken up with her? She’d thought they were in a good place, and now this.

  “Hey, Dahl. You okay?” Maggie approached her and rubbed her upper arm. She carried a bouquet of roses and some fresh raspberries from the market.

  Dahlia blinked back tears and tried to focus on her friend. “No.”

  “Oh sweetie, what’s wrong?” Maggie placed her purchases on the table and hugged her.

  “Garrett broke up with me,” she blubbered.

  “What? Why?” Maggie leaned back and scanned Dahlia’s face.

  “He found out about Wendy’s stalker.”

  “So? I don’t understand. That’s not your fault.”

  “Wendy asked me not to tell him about her truck being vandalized and then the furniture being destroyed. So I didn’t tell him.” Dahlia swiped at her face with the back of her hand. “Maggie, he’s so mad at me.”

  “I’m sure he’ll get over it.” Maggie pulled a facial tissue out of her pocket and offered it to her.

  “I don’t think he will. He said it was over. He thinks I’m flaky and irresponsible.” The tears fell faster.

  Maggie hugged her again and then paused for a moment. She put her hands on Dahlia’s shoulders and made Dahlia look at her.

  “Listen. You are an awesome, creative, and kind person. If he doesn’t like you for who you are, good riddance.”

  “But what if he’s right? I should have told him about Wendy.”

  “Yeah, you probably should have, but you made a mistake. He needs to realize that.”

  Maggie was right. Dahlia sat up straight and dried the remaining tears. “And if he doesn’t, maybe he’s not the right guy for me. I promised myself I’d never change for someone ever again.” She looked proudly at the few books left at the booth. “But I’m not the same person I used to be. I never thought I could run a bookstore, and now look at me. I might actually make this place profitable.”

  Maggie leaned against the table, playing with a leaf on one of the roses. “You know, life is short.” She glanced up at Dahlia. “I’ve seen you with Garrett. The way he looks at you is the way Brian used to look at me.” Her eyes glistened and she looked fiercely at Dahlia. “If you care for him, don’t give up so easily.”

  It was Dahlia’s turn to comfort her friend, and she slipped an arm around Maggie. “Thanks.”

  Maggie cleared her throat. “I’ve got to get back home. My mom’s watching Alex right now, but I promised I’d be home in time for dinner. If you’re not going with Garrett now, do you want to join us at the fireworks tonight?”

  Dahlia smiled. “I’d love to.”

  Maggie left and Dahlia gathered up the remaining books and stacked them in boxes. Garrett’s words had hurt and she didn’t know if there was any chance to fix their relationship. Although she’d grown in the last few months, she didn’t know if she’d ever be the person he wanted her to be.

  Her throat thickened at the thought of losing him. She knew what they had was special. He just had to forgive her.

  She loaded the boxes into her car for the short ride back to the bookstore and slammed the door shut. Whatever happened in the future, she wasn’t going to let it ruin Founder’s Day for her. Instead of the romantic evening she’d planned with Garrett, she’d have a fun evening with friends watching the fireworks. Maybe that would take her mind off of him, at least for a few hours.

  Bursts of bright oranges and blues flashed across the dark sky as Dahlia scurried across the grass to where her friends sat.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she said. “I got caught up at the bookstore prepping for tomorrow.”

  “No worries, the fireworks only started a minute or so ago.” Maggie smiled at Dahlia, her hands resting on her son’s shoulders. Alex gazed up at the sky in wonder.

  Gretchen waved at her from the other side of the blue-and-red checkered blanket the three of them sat on, and motioned for her to sit down.

  She leaned back on the soft flannel blanket to watch the light show, allowing herself to be caught up in its glory. Around her, families oohed and aahed over the display. The fireworks technicians set off the final round, a magnificent show that lingered over the water before trailing off beyond the inky horizon.

  The attendees gathered their belongings as the last firework disappeared, the crowd abuzz with the excitement of Founder’s Day.

  “Well, that’s it,” Maggie said. “Alex, time to get you in bed.” She turned to her friends. “I have to work the evening shift tomorrow, but do you guys want to meet for breakfast somewhere?”

  Gretchen started to say something, but her response was cut off by a series of explosions behind them.

  “What the—” Dahlia said, as everyone turned to look for the source of the noise.

  From somewhere near the center of town, flames shot high in the sky and smoke billowed from the fire.

  “The café,” Maggie shouted. She shoved her son at Gretchen. “Can you watch Alex please?” Gretchen nodded.

  Maggie took off running, with Dahlia close behind her.

  When they got closer to the café, they saw that the fire was further up Main Street. Maggie stopped and Dahlia almost ran into her.

  Please, please, don’t let it be To Be Read, she thought.

  The chances of it being another building grew slimmer the closer she got. Sirens filled the air as the town’s only fire truck forced its way through the clogged streets. Dahlia pushed through the crowds. The fire truck had entered the short alley behind the book store and was spraying the dumpster behind the store. Flames had crept up the side of the building.

  Where was Wendy? Garrett had said she’d gone home with a migraine earlier in the day. Dahlia looked around frantically for her friend, but didn’t see her. Then someone grabbed her from behind.

  22

  “Dahlia, thank goodness you’re okay,” Garrett said. “I was taking a stretch break outside and saw the flames.” He scanned the crowd. “Where’s Wendy?”

  Dahlia stared at him, her eyes wide with fear. “I don’t know,” she whispered. Fiery orange flames licked at the upstairs apartment. An icy chill shot through her body. Was Wendy still in the building?

  Garrett ran over to the firefighters, shouting at them. Dahlia followed close behind him. “My mother, she�
��s inside.” His eyes were wild.

  The firefighter relayed the information to his team. Garrett tried to bolt for the building’s front door, but the firefighter held him back and directed them to stand on the other side of the street, at a safe distance from the scene. She put her hand on Garrett’s arm, her fingers digging into his skin as they waited together.

  Just then, a firefighter in full battle gear burst out of the front door of To Be Read cradling Wendy in his arms. He carried her over to an ambulance, where the EMTs immediately began assessing her.

  No one could keep Garrett and Dahlia away. They waited until the EMTs had finished and then they circled around Wendy.

  “Mom,” Garrett said. “I was so worried about you.”

  Wendy reached out for him, pulling him close. Whether from smoke or emotion, his eyes filled up with tears.

  She pulled off the oxygen mask and croaked out, “I’m fine.” She smiled weakly at them before replacing the mask.

  “We’re going to need to take her to the hospital in Haven Shores for observation, but I think she’ll be okay,” the EMT said to Garrett as they loaded Wendy onto the ambulance and shut the door. The crowd parted for the ambulance, which pulled onto a side street to make its way out of town.

  “We can take my car to Haven Shores.” Dahlia tugged at Garrett’s arm. “It’s right over there.” She gestured at her car parked next to Wendy’s truck. She closed her eyes for a second. Please, please, let Wendy be okay.

  Garrett looked at her for a moment as if not really seeing her, before he snapped out of it.

  “Dahlia, wait. Your store.”

  They both looked over at To Be Read. The firefighters had controlled the fire and only embers flickered now on the roof. Smoke hung heavily in the air.

  “It can wait. Me being here doesn’t change anything. Hold on.” Dahlia found Gretchen, Maggie, and Alex standing at the periphery of the crowd. As she neared them, they started talking in a jumble of words.

  She held up a hand to silence them. “I’ve got to go to the hospital with Garrett. Can you please talk with the fire department? Let them know I should be back in a few hours. You can give them my cell phone number if they need to reach me before then.”