Page 54 of Shy Girl
“Good to see you again, Alison and Anthony,” I said to clear the suddenly strange air. “If you’d excuse us, we need to—”
“A stutter?” Anthony asked Dagny. “Is that what I heard?”
Something fierce welled up inside of me, but before I could rescue her, her head shot up. She stared at him, wide-eyed.
“Wh-what?” she whispered.
He smiled, and not unkindly this time. “I recognize a fellow sufferer when I meet one,” he said gently. “I had a stutter for years, especially as a young man. The right speech therapist worked wonders for me, although it still arises from time to time. Have you ever worked with one? If not, I’ll send you mine. She’s a whiz.”
Dagny shook her head, more shocked than ever now. I couldn’t decide if I was annoyed, impressed, or shocked by Anthony’s straightforward tackling of the topic. From one sufferer to another, however, I imagined it felt more like solidarity than an imposition. Dagny looked like she was about to throw up.
Anthony held out a hand.
“Excuse me, I haven’t introduced myself. I get excited when I meet another person with a speech impediment, and then neither of us can talk.” He laughed, a rolling sound, and I smiled to save face. Dagny didn’t even flinch, just looked at him as if she’d seen a ghost. “I’m Anthony Dunkin, father of the bride. We’re grateful to have any of Grady’s friends here.”
“D-d-dagny,” she whispered.
“Good to meet you, Dagny.”
Color returned to her haunted face. She straightened her shoulders a bit and regained some of her usual presence back.
“G-good to m-meet you as well. Th-thank you f-for . . .f-for the lovely island es-scape. F-forgive me, b-but my sandal broke and I'm very tired.”
Both of them smiled graciously, murmured farewells, and continued down the sandy path back toward the atrium. By the time I turned back to Dagny, she was running back to the bungalow with one flip flop on and sand flying off her fast heels.
15
Dagny
The world spun around me when I stumbled back to the bungalow, barely able to breathe. My chest had tightened like an elephant sat on it, and it was all I could do to crawl to my bedroom, kick the door closed with a foot, and lay on the ground. The dizzy sensation cleared when I closed my eyes.
Calm down.
Calm down.
Calm down.
The day had been difficult to process without my biological father crashing into my unexpectedly. Kissing Jayson Hernandez was enough to set my stars spinning, and then he destroyed it with a single comment.It was just a kiss.Victoria’s arrogant posturing, combined with an exhausting dinner filled with small talk, which was my nightmare, left me emotionally depleted.
And to run into Anthony like that?
My chest began to tighten again, but I forced myself to draw in another deep breath. What if Jayson came in? He’d find me sprawled on the floor like a maniac. I covered my eyes with a hand, then scrambled for my phone. I’d tucked it into the pocket of my dress—because Serafina had some magical affinity for dresses with pockets. It’s like theyfoundher, and she’d given me this one.
Desperate, I sent a quick text into our app.
Dagny:Need you?
Her reply came seconds later.
Serafina:I’m here.
Dagny:Jayson kissed me.
Serafina:WHUT. CALL ME NOW.
Dagny:No. No words.
My breath wheezed as I forced it in and out. The pins and needles feeling in my fingers started to fade, and so did the black halo around the edge of my vision. Serafina couldn’t know about Anthony, not with the NDA on the line. But I could get Jayson off my chest. Except no words would come out of my mouth right now. I could barely squeak the breath in and out as it was.
