Page 46 of Dahlia Made A List

When the quiet at the table lingered, Dahlia added, “And I’ll be staying in the yurt soon.”

My mother shifted, her curious eyes darting from my face to Dahlia’s, trying to read what we weren’t saying. I’d introduced Dahlia tonight as a friend. Since I’d never brought anyone, friend or otherwise, to the Pendleton Family Dinner, I had no doubt that both my parents bristled with curiosity. I had zero interest in satisfying them.

“That’s the yurt Vida told us about?”

“Yes, ma’am. The one with the naked man.”

The last of my anger shed away like water from a windshield. My mother and Millsy drew in a breath of surprise. It never ceased to astonish me how my relatives had this public face they showed the world. As though they lived some sort of sheltered existence where people were never naked and they certainly didn’t get discovered in a yurt in the countryside. But here were Minerva and Dahlia talking about exactly that at the Pendleton Family Dinner.

My brother shifted his heavy frame, his chair groaning beneath him. “Jasper, why don’t you and I head out to the—”

“I’m hoping my yurt stay lacks a naked man, if I’m being honest.” Dahlia turned wide eyes to the foot of the table and Minerva. “Not that I have anything against being naked. Though naked in public is probably not exactly proper, is it?”

“I should say not.” J.T. bristled.

“But then who am I to judge? I almost flashed my boobs once at a Renegades game—”

My mother made a garbled sound. “I don’t think—”

Minerva interjected, “I didn’t think you allowed that sort of thing at the games, J. T.”

J.T. slapped his hand against the table, his face turning a strange purplish red. “I do not!”

“My friend really wanted the hockey stick. So did I, actually. Sometimes I can get a little competitive.” Dahlia shrugged. “But she beat me and he tossed the stick right over the glass to her before I could lift my shirt and that was that. She won and I kept my shirt on.”

“Now see here!” J.T. blustered. “Don’t be vulgar at my table!”

I twisted my hand, threading my fingers between Dahlia’s and tugged her hand into my lap. She turned, her eyes dancing in the light of the chandelier, her lips tilted up at the corners with the promise of a grin.

Grams sighed dramatically at her end and with a smile, made a peace offering to the table. “I’m thinking we should collect for the Pendleton Community Center at the Kite Festival this year.”

I took in my relatives surrounding the long table, a mix of resignation, indignation and amusement filling their faces. Leaning closer to Dahlia, I whispered, “I’m on to you.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Glad your friend beat you to flashing your tits, gotta say.”

She twisted in her chair. “It was Shep Landon’s game stick, the night he scored his first hat trick. I really wanted that stick, Wy.”

“Not worth it.”

“It’s probably worth a ton of money today. Probably enough to pay for my truck-car, even.”

“Not worth it,” I repeated. “Right now, thinking about Shep Landon seeing your tits, I’m feeling the need to punch his lights out.”

She froze. Her hand in mine going stiff. After a long moment, she rolled her lips, then raised her eyes to mine.

I’d silenced my little chatterbox. “We’re gonna have to talk about your list.”

Dahlia had succeeded in distracting the table from my giving up The Royal and my mother pulled me into a conversation with Grams about the upcoming Kite festival. Millsy pulled Dahlia’s attention and I caught mentions of cooking and roller derby. She’d quieted, but hadn’t withdrawn completely. I still had her hand in my lap.

But a little over an hour later, Dahlia sat silently in the Silverado as we drove back to her apartment. Unease crept up my spine, but I let her have her quiet. When she bolted out of the truck the instant I pulled to a stop in front of the Redbud apartment, and darted up the stairs neck-or-nothing, the uneasy prickling turned into a burn on the back of my neck.

Chapter Sixteen

Dahlia

Fromtheageofnine until we were eleven or twelve, Jaelynn and I would camp out in her grandma’s back yard every Fourth of July.

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