I pause and tilt my head to one side. “That’s a cryptic comment.”
She shrugs. “What’s a cryptic comment?”
“That happiness isn’t easy to come by. Are you happy, Dove?”
“In general?” She shrugs one shoulder––again––but avoids my gaze. “Sure.”
“That doesn’t sound very convincing.”
“Sorry. My life is just pretty boring in comparison.”
“I dunno about that. Tell me about yourself.”
“There isn’t much to tell.”
“Liar,” I tease. “You’ve fascinated plenty of gentlemen at the bar so far.”
Her jaw drops. “I have not.”
“Oh, my dear friend, you most certainly have.” I almost bring up the creepy stranger from the night before but bite my tongue before asking, “What’s your story? I know you gave me the CliffsNotes version at the bar the other day, but I want all the gory details.”
“About my past?”
“Yeah. Who is Dove…” I pause. “What’s your last name again?”
She smiles. “Walker. My name is Dove Elizabeth Walker.”
“All right. Who is Dove Elizabeth Walker?” I press. “And how did she end up working at SeaBird?”
She hesitates. “It’s…complicated.”
I laugh. “Says the girl who made my life sound so easy. You don’t like to have the spotlight on you, do you?”
Grimacing, she wrings her hands in her lap as a slight blush spreads throughout her cheeks. “Is it that obvious?”
“Maybe a little. When we’re talking about me, you’re all about asking for details and giving your advice, but as soon as I changed the subject to you, you went quiet.”
“Sorry,” she apologizes. “But you’re right. I’m not good at being the center of attention.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know?” She bites her lip and peeks over at me. “My sister, Madelyn, was kind of a troublemaker growing up, so she always managed to steal the spotlight in our house, ya know? I guess I just got used to it. Then she moved out, and I stayed with my parents to look after them. Which is kind of ridiculous when I say that out loud,” she admits. “It’s not like they’re old and decrepit or anything. I just felt like that’s where I belonged. I was their perfect little daughter who kept to herself and didn’t really do anything. Like a trophy daughter or something. The one who stuck around after their oldest decided to disappear into thin air. Not that my parents bothered to look for her. They basically disowned her as soon as they found alcohol hidden in her closet.”
My eyes pop. Talk about polar opposites. I would’ve been raised with alcohol in my baby bottle if Milo hadn’t stepped in when we were little, yet Dove’s sister was ostracized for having it in their house. My parents were so hands-off that I’m surprised I didn’t wind up in the system, while Dove’s were so overbearing that she was practically suffocating. Yet neither childhood sounds like a positive environment to be raised in. How’s that for irony?
I nudge Dove’s shoulder with mine. “Damn, Dove.”
“Yeah.”
“So, then what happened? How did you end up here?” I can’t help but ask.
She laughs. “Well, my sister came back home when she found out she was pregnant, and there was a huge blowup.”
“Why? I mean, I get that a pregnant daughter doesn’t exactly sound like a walk in the park, but it isn’t the end of the world. There are options––”
“Sex before marriage in my house is a huge deal, Reese. It made the alcohol in her room look like a walk in the park. It’s not just frowned upon. It’s strongly prohibited. When my parents found out, they disowned her and told her they weren’t going to help with the baby. My sister stormed out of the house, promising to never come back. And I chased after her.”
“Why?” I whisper. Suddenly, my drama doesn’t seem so bad. At least my brother would never disown me.
“Because my parents were wrong,” Dove explains. “And I was tired of sacrificing my relationship with my sister and my future niece or nephew because of them. So, I chased after her. I forced her to see that I wasn’t going to be judgmental or awful like my parents were, even though she still looked at me like the perfect, butt-kissing little sister I was known to be. She kept telling me to go home, you know? But I refused to listen. I followed her home to her crappy apartment that’s about twenty minutes away from SeaBird. I left with nothing but the clothes on my back and the determination of a workhorse, despite how sheltered I grew up.”
“That’s crazy, Dove. Is your sister still mad at you?”
“Depends on the day.” She smiles tightly. “I’m not sure if she fully trusts me yet, but we’ve worked out a plan for when Baby gets here, which is why I work at SeaBird. My sister can work during the day, and I can be at home with Baby, then I’ll go to work in the evening, and she can watch Baby and have a normal routine at night. This way, we won’t have to hire a babysitter to make ends meet, ya know?”
“That’s amazing, Dove.”
“It isn’t that big of a deal.”
“Uh, yeah, it is.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t bother to argue with me. “I’m just excited to help my sister get back on her feet even though she hates relying on me to make it happen. Then again, when the sperm donor is an asshole who refuses to help her, I guess she doesn’t have much of a choice.”
“Do you know who the father is?” I ask carefully.
“Nope. We weren’t close before she wound up pregnant. Honestly, we’re not particularly close now, either, but it takes time to heal wounds, so…”
“Yeah. I get that.”
She nudges her shoulder into mine, mimicking my movement from minutes before. “See? You’re not the only one with family drama. But we got this.”
“Yeah,” I decide with a definitive nod. If she can handle leaving the only life she’s ever known to become a badass sister who works at a bar, I can handle facing my fears and fighting for what I want.
Right?
“Good,” Dove returns. “Now, let’s watch a show. Something with lots of explosions.”
“Deal.”
About halfway through the movie, the front door opens, and I look over to find River with a brown paper bag in his arms.
“Ladies,” he greets us before striding closer to me. He hands me the sack.
Curious, I peek inside and snort. “Caramel popcorn?”
“Someone told me it was a must for girls’ nights, and I ruined your batch. Just one, I’d like to point out. The others were on you, but I’ll still take the blame if you need me to.”
“That’s…” I bite my lip to keep from grinning back at him as the sugary goodness makes my mouth water.
Or maybe it’s the man in front of me.
“Thoughtful?” Dove offers beside me.
Pointing at her, River tells me, “I like her. Have fun, ladies!”
Then he heads back to the front door, and I call out, “Where are you going?”