"Hi Brigitte. How are you?"
"Fantastique!" she says with a heavy French accent. Her enthusiasm makes me smile.
"Dahlia!" I hear and I look up the staircase to the balcony. There stands Bell-she could be River's twin, with her light copper-brown-colored hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a USC sweatshirt that must be Xander's, a pair of jeans, and chewing her bottom lip.
She rushes down the stairs. "I've been calling you. I thought you were mad at me."
"Excuse me ladies, I'll let you two talk," Brigitte says as she makes her way toward the kitchen. Then she turns around and looks at Bell. Shooting her a wink she says, "See Missy, I told you she wouldn't be mad at you."
Bell smiles and says, "You're always right, Brigitte."
"If you need anything, let me know, girls," Brigitte says and leaves the room.
"Bell, I'm not mad at you. It's just . . ." I shake my head. "I didn't even know your name was S'belle."
"It's not. I spent my freshman year in France with my aunt and everyone there called me S'belle. When I came back to the States I thought it would be fun to keep my French name, so I told everyone at USC to call me that."
"Okay, that makes sense, I guess . . ."
She cuts me off as she pulls me through the kitchen and into the large family room. Before we have a chance to sit down, Bell asks, "Why haven't you called me back, then?"
I can't help but notice her vibrant green eyes are teary.
"I'm sorry, Bell, I didn't know you called. I haven't been able to find my phone."
She rolls her eyes, and then shakes her head as she settles into the mirror image of the chair I am sitting in. "What a surprise."
"You could have called the house phone."
"Shit, I always forget about landlines. It's just I called you, I called River, I even called Xander, and none of you answered."
"I'm sorry, Bell," I say and shrug my shoulders, not wanting to be the one to explain the tour fiasco to her.
"Dahlia, I'm so sorry. I didn't know my Ben was your Ben. I was immature back then and I didn't respect other people's relationships. When I met Ben at the initiation party, I just had to have him. Nothing else mattered. I didn't know he had a girlfriend at first and even though he told me, that didn't stop me. I tried to get his attention at every party and finally one night when he was really drunk I got it."
I didn't miss the way she said his name. Like she knew him. I should have been more prepared for this moment, but what did she mean? Her Ben? Had to have him? Just went for it?
I avert my eyes from her and momentarily stare at the collage of family photos on the wall. Xander, River, and Bell in front of the Eiffel Tower with Charlotte and her sister on each end, the three kids sitting down for a picnic, and a young River onstage with his guitar. A million questions run through my head as she continues to talk.
"Dahlia! Hey, are you okay? You said you weren't mad."
I blink my eyes and try to refocus. "Wait a minute. I'm confused. You need to start from the beginning."
"Sorry, I assumed River told you everything."
I shake my head without speaking.
"I just thought . . . I don't know. Maybe not. Knowing River, I guess not."
"He didn't say much. Go on."
She blinks, watching me closely. "God, Dahlia, I'm sorry."
"Bell, just tell me," I manage. It feels like my throat is closing up and my voice comes out as a squeak.
She squirms a little in her chair and looks away. "I only knew Ben for the two-month period before I left school. After the accident you know I never went back. And even though my time with him was short-lived, it had a long-term impact."
"You mean long-term because of the accident?" It's all I can manage to ask. I say nothing more, not trusting my voice or its ability to fully convey my real question.
I can tell she's nervous as she rubs her feet together then pulls them up to the chair. "No Dahlia, that's not why I really left. I needed time to recover, but I didn't go back because of the baby."
My hand flies to my mouth. Baby? What baby? My heart's pounding, but I bring my eyes back to hers and nod, urging her to tell me the rest.
"Oh God, Dahlia, that's not where I should have started."
She opens her mouth as if she wants to say more, but closes it abruptly. I take small shallow breaths watching her, waiting for her to tell me the rest. When she doesn't I say very calmly, "Bell, go on, it's okay. Just start wherever you need to."