Page 18 of Dare You to See Me
“Dahlia’s teacher,” I correct. “I can’t get caught in a tawdry affair with him. I’d be shunned.”
“Okay Hester Pryne, by who?”
I throw my hands up. “I don’t know. By all the moms. All the women who lust after him. They’d come for my head. I do not need to be run out of another town. One in a lifetime is enough for me.”
“You were not run out of town. You left to get away from the woman whoshouldhave been the one leaving.”
I take a deep breath and close my eyes, trying to push away the vivid images that still live in my mind of Gene and Meredith. It’s a constant struggle.
“Meredith emailed me again,” I mutter.
“Ugh. What vomit did she spew this time?” Kyle tips her glasses down her nose as she eyes Malik and Dahlia by the water.
“Same crap, different day.Family is important. Please help me fix things. Blah, blah, blah. I didn’t even finish reading it. It’s the same word salad tossed around.”
“She should’ve been the one hit by a car. That heinous twat.”
I snort, covering my mouth and nose, just as Malik and Dahlia come running up to us. They’re laughing and spilling water that sloshes up and over the sides of the buckets. I give Kyle one last warning to keep her mouth shut, and plaster on a smile for my girl.
“What’s so funny?” I ask them.
Dahlia releases her bucket and puts her hand over her mouth as she giggles. “Mr. Dare said a funny joke.”
“Oh yeah?” I turn to Malik who looks at me with the same lighthearted yet lustful smile. “Let me hear it. I’ll be the judge of whether or not it’s funny.”
Dahlia bounces on her toes, tugging on his arm and looking up at him. Malik looks a little embarrassed, but finally lays it on us.
“What did the ocean say to the beach?...Nothing. It just waved.” Dahlia falls to the sand in laughter, holding her stomach and kicking her feet as if it’s the funniest joke she’s ever heard.
I chuckle a little, then a little more as I continue to watch the way my daughter cracks up. It’s such a relief to see her acting like a five year old girl should. She had to grow up a bit too fast when her dad died. It was difficult for her to comprehend at first. But after a few weeks of him not coming home or calling or going to her Jiu Jitsu classes, she finally understood that he was gone and not coming back.
She wept for days upon days once it all clicked. And then moving her away from all that she knew really broke her heart. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do, but I needed a new start. But now that she has taken to Malik, I realize that this is exactly what we both needed.
He meets my eyes and as best as I can, I tell him thank you for giving her the little extra that she needs.
“Alright chuckles. Let’s build this castle. My friends are over there.” He points to the left and I see two gorgeous men, who look more like sketch pads than human, standing with two equally beautiful women. “And that girl with her hair in braids, that’s Dagen. I bet she’ll want to help. She has a little brother and sister about your age.”
“She does? Can I be their friend?” Her little eyes sparkle and shine at the possibility of new friends.
“They live in Texas, but I bet they'll come for a visit. If they do, I promise to let you know.” Malik catches the attention of his friends and motions for them to join us.
I see the guys give each other a look that communicates that they are not in the mood for kids, and the women begin tugging on their arms, dragging them to where we sit.
“Hello. Sorry about crashing your beach day. Mal saw his favorite student and said he just had to see her. I’m Dagen, by the way.” I stand once again and shake her hand.
“Soleil. So nice to meet you and don't worry, you aren’t crashing anything.”
“I’m your favorite, Mr. Dare?” Dahlia has stars in her eyes and absolute joy on her face.
Malik holds his finger up to his lips and says, “Shh. Don’t tell the others.”
We get introduced to the others –Hendrix, Danté and Kinsley– and while everyone works on helping Dahlia build the best sand structure I’ve ever seen, we chat and laugh.
My smiles are genuine, and our laughter is boisterous. Every once in a while, Kyle passes me a look like she’s meeting a new woman for the first time.
I wonder if this is what healing feels like? If so, I want more of it.
TEN
