AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dahlia hung up, glancing at the time once more. It was a critical moment. The decision she made would have consequences. She tapped her finger against her lips, weighing her options. In the few weeks she’d been working the balcony, she’d noticed a pattern. Neither Trey nor Rogue ever showed up before ten. The chance of no one noticing her tardiness was in her favor. She’d mention it to Sloane, who could dock her pay, and no one would be the wiser.
Decision made.
Dahlia drew in a breath and walked through the room, taking a seat facing the hallway. She smiled over at the older man, probably in his seventies, holding a small bag of pretzels from the vending machine. She’d purposely left the seat between them empty so as to not invade his space. She clasped her hands on her lap and waited.
She had been sitting in pure silence when her stomach growled. Dammit! With all the excitement and rushing around, she’d forgotten to eat dinner. It would make for a long night.
The older man extended his arm across the vacant chair, offering her some of his pretzels.
“I know the polite thing to do is decline, but I’m starving.”
He laughed. “I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t willing to share.”
There were still good and kind people in the world, though they seemed to be few and far between. Dahlia took a handful from the bag and popped a pretzel in her mouth. She’d been starving, and this was immensely satisfying.
“I’m Sal.”
She smiled. “I’m Dahlia.”
“Aw, that’s a pretty name.”
“Thanks. My dad named me.” It was a small, unnecessary fact that she always took a lot of pride in. Her mother had picked a million other names, but her father had been firm and ultimately won the argument. I love my name.
“You here for the good or the bad?”
Dahlia swallowed the pretzel, knitted her brows, and glanced over, unsure what he’d meant. “I’m sorry?”
Sal smiled with a careless shrug. “Only two reasons people show up at the hospital. Either it’s good news or bad.”
Interesting, yet he had a point.
“Very good news. First baby.”
“Well, that’s what I would call the best news.” He raised his brows. “Are you family?”
Dahlia smiled, shaking her head. “No, not really. But I consider Karia and Trick like family. My actual family is pretty small. Just me and my mom.”
There was a recognition she saw in his eyes. His face softened, and his smile widened, but she couldn’t quite understand why.
“Small usually means close. That’s not a bad thing.”
Dahlia nodded. “Yeah, we’re pretty tight.”
“Close with your father, who picks beautiful names?”
Dahlia stilled, staring straight ahead. Even eight years later, the mere mention of her dad caused a physical ache in her chest.
The man leaned closer and whispered, “I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Oh no.” She waved her hand. “You’re fine. I just, um…” Dahlia drew in a breath. “No one really asks about my dad, so the question caught me off guard. But yeah, we were very close. My mom used to say I put him on a pedestal. She was teasing me, but it was true. She did the same thing. He was just an amazing man.” She clasped her hands. “The glue that kept us all together.”
“Sorry for your loss.”
Dahlia nodded, then blinked. She may have spoken of her father in the past tense, but she never said he passed. She slowly turned her head, and Sal smiled.
“How do you know he died?”
Sal cocked his head, staring back at her for a few seconds. “The tone of your voice. That’s how I know he’s not with you anymore. Your voice shakes on the last word of every sentence. He’s hard to talk about. Considering all your praise, he doesn’t sound like a man who would willingly leave his family. If I had to guess, he wasn’t ready to go, and you weren’t ready to lose him.”
