Page 136 of See You There

“You are.” Hannah used the same tone she used with her toddlers when they were acting up. “It’s like you’re punishing yourself. Like you think you don’t deserve to be happy.”

“Maybe I don’t,” Dahlia whispered.

“God! You can be so stupid!” her sister exclaimed.

“Why is it right that I have this fairy tale life? Holden’s dead, Brian’s in jail, god knows where the littles are, and you—”

“What about me? You think that my life is so terrible?”

“I didn’t mean it like that, but be honest, this wasn’t the life you wanted—”

“No, it wasn’t the lifeyouwanted! My kids might make me absolutely insane sometimes, and yeah, I wish we had more money to make things easier. Cole can be a pain in the ass—name a man that isn’t—but I’mhappy.With my family. With my life.”

Dahlia felt terrible. “I’m sorry.”

Hannah let out a loud, exasperated breath. “You havegotto stop acting like such a martyr!” There was a pause, and then her sister chuckled. “You know who would have loved all this self-flagellation, right?”

“Granny,” Dahlia groaned.

“Exactly. She’d be ecstatic to know she got in your head that much. Don’t let her win! Be my sister who always had to put twomiddle fingers up to everyone who judged her, not just the one. I miss that girl!”

Tears sprang to Dahlia’s eyes again, but this time it was gratitude. “Okay, enough mushy stuff. Has the press found you yet?” The press release had gone out the day before. So far, only a few blogs had picked it up, but it was still early.

“Not that I know of.”

“I could send you some money. You and the kids could go stay at a hotel for a few days.”

“We’re good. Don’t worry about us. Enjoy your moment. You’ve earned this. I’m proud of you and can’t wait to see your new movie. You can do me a favor, though.”

“Sure. What do you need?”

“Don’t throw away your chance at happiness because you’re too scared to see what’s around the corner. Life’s never a straight line.”

“I can see far enough ahead to know what it would do to Luke.”

“You were mad at him because he made a decision for both of you ignoring your feelings… How is what you’re doing any different? He sounds like a smart guy. Given his family and all, I’m guessing he’s not naïve, so why do you get to decide what’s good for him if he wasn’t allowed to do the same for you?”

“Who are you? Do they hand out life manuals at the hospital along with your new baby?”

Hannah snorted. “I wish. I’m just saying no one likes a hypocrite.”

“Damn. That’s harsh,” Dahlia laughed.

“You’re welcome. It’s what sisters are for.”

“I have a bit of free time coming up. My new agent is considering some offers, but I should have a couple weeks of downtime. I thought maybe I could come and see you. Spend some time with my nephews.”

“I’d love that,” Hannah said softly.

Dahlia was thankful that the rest of her day was jam-packed with emergency fittings for the gown she planned to wear the next day.

Her new agent had proved to be a godsend. When he heard Dahlia planned to wear a dress from her closet, he sent over a stylist with several racks of dresses for her to choose from. A masseuse and facialist showed up soon after, followed by a nail technician. It felt like a fantasy.

But even with all the organized chaos going around her, Dahlia’s thoughts returned again and again to Luke. Was Hannah right? Was she a hypocrite? Luke was intelligent and the furthest thing from naïve that she could imagine.

If he thought it was worth the risk…

CHAPTER FORTY