Page 60 of Dahlias, Sapphires, and Cool Autumn Dusk
He grunted, a sound like a half laugh. “You do. It is coming out because you finally feel safe with us. That being said, maybe you shouldn’t storm out of classrooms.”
I sighed. “How much trouble am I in?” I wondered if I would meet the chipper principal under less than chipper circumstances, or if they would throw me out entirely.
He shook his head. “None. Your whole classroom witnessed that nightmare accusing you of trying to have sex with your uncle. The question is why did she think she could say something like that and get away with it? I looked into her on my way here. I didn’t bother Kit, since he’s working on other stuff for us, but his paralegal dug into her for me and found quite a history.”
I snuggled further into his arms before confessing, “Bethany said she blackmails people.”
He stopped spinning me, his gaze concerned instead of steady. “Well, that completes the picture. Her life looks pretty normal on paper until she gets dumped at the altar at the end of the 1980s. She was engaged to an investment banker, and she’s been a problem ever since. Maybe a blackmailer, too, who knows? Regardless, it’s time to get rid of her.”
I widened my eyes. “What do you mean by that?”
Barrett laughed, spinning me again. “I’m not going to have her killed, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m not a hitman. No, I intend to have Stephen offer her a lot of money to go away. Otherwise, we’ll expose some of her secrets to a lot of teenagers. Honestly, she must be abusing someone powerful to be so brave. If she attacked the crème de la crème, she’d be shit out of luck by now.”
“Will Stephen pay her?” From what I knew, Kit usually handled that sort of thing.
“Kit’s busy, and I think Granny probably berated him for putting you guys in harm’s way. He’ll probably avoid me for a while because of it, and Daniel was part of it. He is alsopersona non gratathis week, but Stephen looked sad at Granny’s the other night. He knows we’re disappointed in him, so I think he’ll do it.”
I shook my head, wondering when Barrett learned how to handle his family like he played a chess game.
Finally, I said, “Listen, I don’t know what’s going to happen, Barrett. I think I might be gone in six months.” I put up my hand to stop him before he could insist I wouldn’t be going anywhere, since I wouldn’t believe him anyway. “It’s my birthday, so I get to say whatever I want without you arguing today. If I’m wrong and this is real, then someday, I hope our lives have as little drama as possible. Do you think we could manage drama-free?”
His smile became dreamy, so I dropped a quick kiss on his chin. He tugged on the end of my hair, boyish charm in his every cell. “Are you seriously going to try to use your birthday, even though you don’t do birthdays? That was impressive. We’ll make it our goal, life drama-free. We probably should live somewhere in the middle of the ocean, just the five of us, to ensure we don’t have any outside drama, but we’ll figure it out. In the meantime, what would you like to do today?”
I considered it, while he continued dancing me slowly around in circles to distant notes captured on the breeze. “What’s Coney Island like?” I finally asked.
“Honestly, I’ve never been there. It’s after Labor Day, so I don’t even know what’s open, but let’s go. Together.”
Could it really be so simple?
With Barrett, sometimes yes, I learned.
He opened the door of the car he called for me, and as I ducked inside, he told me, “Reminder, the twins’ birthday is in two weeks. Phoenix’s is next month, while mine is in November. We’re all fall babies.”
“It might not be my birthday, for all I know. If I wasn’t born in Colorado, maybe I wasn’t born when I think, either.”
He shrugged. “I don’t mind an excuse to celebrate you again. We can have multiple Alatheia birthdays.”
I pinched him, tossing him a fake scowl. “My mom celebrated it today, so this is the birthday I recognize, regardless of that fact. I don’t honestly want more than one day.”
“Then this will be it.”
As we got in the car, the sky opened up, the promised rain finally falling all at once. I almost told him to cancel the plan, since nature said we shouldn’t go to Coney Island. I didn’t say it, though, and by the time we arrived, the rain had stopped.
The amusement park portion shut down after Labor Day, but we could still walk along the beach. I kicked off my shoes and held Barrett’s hand, my toes sinking into the cool sand, while wondering if we were about to get soaked. The ocean appeared angry, churned up by the rain and capped with white peaks. As much as I appreciated the view, the scents, the breeze—what a truly surprising treat—I couldn’t shake the urge to glance over my shoulder, certain eyes were on me. I couldn’t see the PI anywhere but that didn’t mean he couldn’t see me.
“Little different from the Hamptons.” Barrett said, capturing my attention as he kicked some sand at me. I shrieked, dodging easily. “Not better or worse, just different. What do you want to be when you grow up? We’ve talked about my dreams and goals, but I don’t think we have discussed what you want out of life. So, what do you want?”
I used to just saya life. When I didn’t even have a single friend, my goals were pretty simple overall. Could I honestly imagine something else? “I have no idea, honestly. You make me feel like I can do more than survive. I don’t know what the rest looks like yet.”
When his mouth met mine, I tasted his possession. It was different than how Barrett usually kissed me, but I hung on and gave myself to him as the sky opened up around us, the angry waves crashing to the beach at our feet.
15
My clothes continued to stick to me as though they were still soaked but I never felt happier. I ate a Nathan’s hotdog and with my head on Barrett’s also soggy shoulder, fell asleep in the rideshare on the way home.
“Alatheia,” Barrett’s gentle voice roused me about a block from home. For a birthday treat, I let myself call it my home, too. Tomorrow…would arrive soon enough.
I stretched and smiled at him. “Sorry, was I snoring?”
