The Dahlia Trilogy (The Gilded Flower Series)

by Winslow, Vivian

  Dahlia and Vi glance at each other. This can’t be good for the lovebirds.

  “How did Alejandro take it?” Dahlia asks.

  Lily laughs nervously. “Not well. He’s got that Cuban temper. He wants to rip Gustavo’s head off.”

  “Wait, why would anyone care what Gustavo thinks?” Vi asks. “Unless . . . .”

  Lily nods. “It makes me sick just thinking about it. As soon as Mama Linda went public, he bought a significant stake in the company.”

  “No way!” Dahlia says in a loud voice.

  “I can’t even imagine why he would do such a ridiculous thing. There’s no way he had enough liquidity to do it. He must have borrowed heavily. But what’s weird is that Alejandro and I hadn’t even started seeing each other when they went public.”

  “Gustavo still wants you, Lil,” Vi points out. “And if he can’t have you, he’ll try to drive a wedge between you and any man in your life.”

  “Consider the timing,” Dahlia jumps in. “He puts out this letter right before your engagement party. He must’ve known it would put a damper on things, right? You can’t let him win.” She rubs her sister’s arm tenderly and sighs. “What a fucking shitshow this weekend is going to be.”

  Lily laughs and runs her hand through her hair. “That’s an understatement. I just hope Alejandro isn’t angry with me.”

  “For what? Fucking Gustavo?” Vi asks. “Oh please, Lil, that’s so in the past and before you met Alejandro. Besides, there’s no way you could’ve known that Gustavo would go to these lengths. Once he sees that you and Alejandro aren’t going anywhere, he’ll get bored with these games and find someone else to torture.”

  “God, I hope you’re right. I can’t stand the pressure this puts on Alejandro.”

  “You know what this means, ladies?” Vi says, a wicked smile on her face. “It’s Friday. Tonight, we go out and forget our problems. God knows they’ll be waiting for us tomorrow.”

  Chapter 7

  “My God, Lily, what in the hell did they put in these mojitos?” Dahlia slurs as she sways to the acoustic rhythms of salsa music on the dance floor.

  “What happened to your tolerance, D? You were always able to drink me under the table,” Lily laughs.

  Vi comes up from behind them and swings her hips seductively with a Latino she had just picked up at the bar only five minutes before. “Hello, ladies,” she says in a smooth voice. “I’ve seriously got to move down here before winter. There’s no shortage of hot men.” She winks and turns back to her man-for-the-night. He pulls Vi into him and grinds his hips against her.

  Dahlia smiles at Lily and Vi, enjoying a sense of freedom she hasn’t felt since she left the island. She looks up at the sky and feels a light breeze tickle her skin. At least here she can see the stars, unlike Manhattan. The pain she’s felt since Shane’s death and his betrayal still creeps up on her, but right now, in this moment, with the rum coursing through her, she can only feel—joy. Dahlia stops dancing.

  “Is there something wrong?”

  Dahlia shakes her head and resumes dancing. “It just hit me that, for the first time in years, I’m completely unattached to someone or something. There’s no man in my life, and I’m not bent on finding that one person to fill some void.”

  Lily takes Dahlia’s hand and leads her away from the dance floor to a private cabana.

  “What’s the matter, Lil?”

  “Nothing, D. I just want to be able to talk to you. We haven’t spoken much since you came back from Indonesia. Now you’re getting all introspective, so I want to be able to listen to you. I feel so badly that I haven’t been with you since you found out about Marissa.”

  Dahlia looks out toward the beach. “You’ve been busy, Lil, I get it. In any case, Vi’s got some investigator helping me.”

  Lily takes Dahlia by the shoulders and turns her sister toward her. “I know. I’m glad she’s able to help you, but I feel like I should’ve be the one to do that for you.”

  Dahlia gently moves Lily’s hands. “You’ve got a lot going on. The new job, Alejandro, your engagement, not to mention the shit with Gustavo . . .”

  “But still, D. You’re a part of my life, a part of me. It kills me that I can’t do more. I mean—you’re a mom. You have a daughter somewhere. Isn’t that exciting?”

  “Thanks to our mother, I’m not a mom. I had a baby. That’s it.” Dahlia takes a deep breath, feeling the rum wear off.

  A quiet settles between them as they watch the waves wash onto the shore. Finally Dahlia says, “Look, Lily, it’s all well and good, but it’s okay that you can’t help. No one really can except me. It’s something I need to do for myself. I’d rather you stay here and take care of your life.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Lily stands up and begins to pace.

  Dahlia tucks her hair behind her ear. “I thought you and Alejandro would be living together by now. Instead, you’re living in a hotel. Granted it’s the Four Seasons, but still . . . .” Dahlia says. “It’s not really like you to live in a hotel. Why haven’t you gotten something a bit more permanent?”

  Lily stops pacing. This is the meddling side of Dahlia—one Lily hasn’t encountered since Dahlia went to California to see Shane. Dahlia’s been so encumbered by her own pain that she hasn’t been able to show an interest in anyone else—until now.

  “I’ve been busy.”

  “Oh, please. Don’t bother deflecting. What’s up?”

  Lily shrugs. “I spend a lot of time at Alejandro’s when I’m not at work. There hasn’t been any time to make the move official.”

  “Since when did you require an engraved invitation? You’re not waiting until you get married, are you?”

  Dahlia’s probing immediately puts Lily on the defensive. She shakes her head and folds her arms across her chest. “No, not all. For the first few months, I was commuting between New York and Miami. Having a place in the hotel just makes it easy.”

  “But now you live here, in Miami.” Dahlia points her fingertip to her seat. “And if I’m not mistaken, Alejandro lives in some grand penthouse apartment one mile away from you on Brickell Key.”

  Lily nods and smiles.

  “My God, you’ve got it bad, Lil. You got that dopey in love look when I said his name.”

  Lily blushes and playfully shoves her sister. “So what. He’s my fiancé. I love him.”

  “So?”

  “Fine. You want to know why I’m waiting to move in with him?”

  “Enlighten us, dear, why don’t you,” Vi says, walking into the cabana. She throws off her red Louboutin spiked sandals and begins to rub her feet.

  “What happened to your Latin hottie?” Dahlia asks.

  “Ugh, don’t get me started. He had all the right moves on the dance floor, but when we started making out, his tongue was all over the place. There’s no way he was going to be any good in bed.”

  “You can tell that from one kiss?” Lily asks incredulously.

  “Sometimes I can tell even before the kiss, Lil. I’m usually good at judging a good lay, but I was hopeful.”

  “So you’re stuck with us for the night?”

  Vi shakes her head and smiles wickedly. “Of course not, my friends. I’ve already texted Diego. You remember the Cruz brothers’ Panamanian friend. He said he’s on the Beach as well. He’ll be by soon.”

  “Did he say who he was with?” Dahlia asks, a lump forming in her chest. She was only prepared to see him at the engagement party. She wasn’t anticipating an impromptu sighting.

  “No, darling, he didn’t. In any case, catch me up. What’s Lily avoiding?”

  Lily leaves the cabana and walks out onto the sand. She stands and watches the waves, remembering what it was like just last New Year’s Eve when she was still licking her wounds from the blow that Gustavo gave her by trying to buy her company out from under her. It was also on this very beach that she had her first talk with Alejandro. A man she can’t imagine her life without. Why can’
t Gustavo just leave her alone?

  She turns and heads back toward Vi and Dahlia. “I’ve already cancelled one wedding. And just when I want to move forward with Alejandro, Gustavo rears his ugly head. I’m afraid something is going to go wrong. I’m beginning to think Gustavo isn’t going to go away quietly.”

  “Karma can be a bitch,” Vi says.

  Dahlia gives Vi an evil look. “Yeah, but it can be your friend too. You’ve worked hard to get this far. Move in with Alejandro now or I swear I’ll do it for you before I leave.” Dahlia reaches her arms around Lily and hugs her. “At the very least, go see Alejandro tonight. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I think you’ll feel better if you see him.”

  “Um, D,” Vi says, peering down at her phone. “Remember how I said karma’s a bitch?”

  “Yeah?” Dahlia leans over to look down at Vi.

  “It just walked into the club.”

  Chapter 8

  Within minutes, Dahlia finds herself surrounded by couples. Dahlia’s almost certain that Alejandro would walk across the pool if he could get to Lily any faster. He scoops her sister into his arms and kisses her for what feels like an eternity. Dahlia turns away, feeling happy but slightly envious and nauseous by the overt display of affection. Lily doesn’t seem to mind. Perhaps it was the reassurance she needed after the day they had. At least Gustavo’s plan to break them up doesn’t seem to be working.

  Vi and Diego are a bit more discreet, possibly because their mutual interest doesn’t require any emotion other than lust. Dahlia makes her way to the bar as soon as Vi and Diego move into their own cabana. She sandwiches herself between a couple having an awkward first date conversation and a guy who’s content with staring down her dress. Dahlia barely registers this though, feeling relieved to have some breathing room. As soon as she orders another mojito, she hears a familiar laugh from the other end of the bar. She spots Rodrigo talking to a tall, beautiful brunette Vi had pointed out earlier as some famous Colombian model who just did a campaign for the House of Dior.

  He scans the bar until his eyes rest on Dahlia. Rodrigo had to know she was there, but clearly he wasn’t ready to see her. The look in his eyes goes from shock to anger in a flash.

  Dahlia sips her drink and plays out every scenario she had imagined when she knew she was going to have to see him again. Somehow it all seemed easier in her mind. Now, as she watches him flirt and whisper into someone else’s ear, she realizes she wasn’t prepared for how seeing him with another woman would make her feel. Her heart begins to race, and the nervous knot in her stomach that she felt on the airplane just got a bit tighter. She downs the rest of the drink and walks over to him.

  “You can’t even say hello to me?”

  “Oh, D, hi. I didn’t even realize that was you. I thought perhaps it was Lily.”

  Dahlia raises an eyebrow. “So you were ignoring my sister? Come off it. You came with Diego and Alejandro. Of course you knew it was me.”

  “Right. Well, it’s good to see you,” Rodrigo says, offering her a two kiss greeting.

  Dahlia’s heart is racing even faster. Anger and rum create a heady adrenaline rush. The rage she thought she had left in New York bubbles up to the surface. “What? Now you’re just going to blow me off? I didn’t realize you could be such a passive/aggressive prick!”

  “I see some friends over there,” the model nods over at a group of women by the pool. “I’ll see you around,” she says to Rodrigo and hurries away.

  “What the fuck, D!”

  Dahlia crosses her arms. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll find someone else you can screw tonight. But I’m not going to let you ignore me.”

  “Well, you have my attention, now. What else do you need from me? My balls? ‘Cause you took those a few months ago. I don’t have anything else to give you!”

  “You know what, Rodrigo, you’re right.” Dahlia waves her hand as if shoving away something unpleasant. “I thought we could be cordial this weekend, but clearly you can’t.” Dahlia spins around and heads toward the exit.

  Rodrigo is on her heels, seething. The exit opens into an alley where the valets park the expensive cars. He offers a valet his ticket.

  “You don’t plan to go back to your model tonight?” Dahlia asks. As much as she doesn’t want to admit it, the thought of Rodrigo screwing that woman gets under her skin. He gets under her skin. “Damn it!”

  “What the fuck is your problem now?”

  “Nothing,” Dahlia lies. “It’s just that with Lily and Alejandro getting married, we’re going to see each other from time to time. I was hoping we could somehow put the past behind us and just be . . . .”

  “Friends?” Rodrigo laughs. “Come off it, D. Did you really think that would be possible after what you did? You ripped my fucking heart out.” He steps forward and closes the distance between them. She takes a step backward and realizes she’s up against the wall. Literally and figuratively.

  “I’m so sorry, Rodrigo. I swear, if I could . . . .”

  “What? Do it all over again? You’re kidding right?”

  Dahlia shakes her head. Not even she can believe that. Despite the turmoil of the past several months, she knows she wouldn’t change what happened even if she could. Because now she’s different. She’s better, and somewhere out there she has a daughter she has to find. “I never meant to hurt you.”

  “But you did!” Rodrigo’s voice is hoarse from shouting. “You ran off to the husband you never told me about. You had a baby with him, and I didn’t even know that either. It was just one lie after another. Now you just want me to be okay with it all, because you didn’t mean to hurt me.”

  The valet approaches and hands Rodrigo his keys. He pauses and takes a deep breath. “I don’t think we can be friends, D,” he says plaintively. Rodrigo gets into his car, a black Aston Martin Vanquish, and says, “I’ll see you tomorrow. I will try to be friendly.”

  Dahlia waves good-bye, unable to speak. It feels good to vent her anger. But if she had to keep score, Rodrigo won this round. He’s right, she should’ve been honest with him, but she couldn’t because she wasn’t honest with herself. Thanks to her mother, lies have stained her life, but Dahlia won’t let that happen anymore.

  Chapter 9

  “Mom say anything else about Marissa before you left New York?” Lily asks, holding up her hair so Dahlia can clasp the blue sapphire teardrop necklace.

  “Ha. Not a chance. She just advised that I not bother looking for her.”

  “Well that’s just not an option. I never realized how manipulative that woman could be. I still find it hard to believe that Gustavo just happened to find me wherever I’d go. I swear if I didn’t know better . . .” Lily’s voice falters.

  “I’m assuming you’re talking about your mom.” Vi walks into Lily’s bedroom wearing a fitted black organza and lace dress. “Oooh, sexy, Lil. The red lace Valentino. Alejandro won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”

  “I didn’t get any memo about lace this season,” Dahlia says sarcastically. Lily points to her closet, but Dahlia doesn’t budge, preferring her gold lamé Rochas dress with its jewel neck and open back. Rodrigo always liked this dress on her. I did not just think that, she mumbles to herself.

  Dahlia returns to the vanity to apply her blush, pushing all thoughts of Rodrigo out of her mind. But already she can feel her palms begin to sweat, her nerves rising to the surface. She couldn’t sleep last night. He had laid his pain out there for her, and she finally saw clearly what she had done to him. Of course an apology isn’t going to be enough. Dahlia spent a good part of the day berating herself for being naïve enough to think he would make it easy by forgiving her. Now she has to see him again. The best man and the maid of honor. There’s one for the storybooks.

  “We were just talking about our mother,” Lily shares.

  “She’s a real peach, that one. What I wouldn’t give to have that body when I’m her age though.”

  Lily clucks her tongue. �
�Be serious.”

  “I’m being completely serious. You two ladies were born to two physically perfect specimens.”

  “Who don’t have a single shred of moral fiber,” Dahlia quips, turning away from the mirror.

  “True. But don’t worry. That won’t keep you from finding your daughter. Until then . . .”

  “We have our bridesmaid duties to attend to.” Dahlia finishes Vi’s sentence.

  Vi nods and Lily smiles, looking the happiest Dahlia’s seen her in years. Dahlia takes a deep breath and takes one last look at herself in the mirror. “Let’s do this.”

  Chapter 10

  The driver had barely put the Mercedes into Park when Alejandro approaches and opens the door. As soon as he helps Lily out of the car, he pulls her into him and kisses her deeply. Dahlia can’t help but notice him squeeze Lily’s ass. She elbows Vi and points at the couple.

  “Alright, enough, Alejandro,” Vi teases, stepping out of the car. “Anymore of that and this party will be over before it even begins.” She winks at Alejandro who smiles back. Dahlia recognizes the same mischievous look Rodrigo used to give her. She feels the knot return and takes another deep breath. Four-hour countdown starts now, she thinks to herself.

  “If you don’t mind, ladies, I think I’d like to have my fiancé with me for the night. I’m not sure if I can share her too much longer.” Alejandro wraps his arms around Lily and bends down to kiss her neck, whispering, “I have a little surprise for you.”

  Dahlia gives them a playful shove toward the front door. “By all means, please take her. We were getting a bit tired of her anyway.” She blows Lily a kiss.

  Vi and Dahlia follow behind Lily and Alejandro who still has his arm around Lily’s waist. He leads them across the large courtyard and around a fountain to the front door. They are surrounded by the Cruz’s family and friends as they enter the great room.