Sisters of Summer’s End

by Lori Foster

  Maris nodded. “Even if we’re each getting nonstop orgasms.”

  “Whoa! Back her up.” Making a rewind gesture with her finger, Joy asked, “You’re getting nonstop orgasms?”

  “I meant you.”

  “Oh.” With a pout of disappointment, Joy said, “Yeah.”

  So little enthusiasm. Stifling a laugh, Maris said casually, “And me.”

  That earned a squeal. “You and Daron? Seriously?”

  Maris couldn’t hold back her grin. “Oh my God, Joy, he’s a certified stud. If I’d been wearing socks, he’d have knocked them off.”

  Joy cheered, honestly, truly happy for her. It made Maris laugh, too. Who knew great sex made the perfect excuse for a celebration?

  “I knew you were seeing him all week. Everyone knew,” Joy said. “I’m surprised no one took bets on how it’d turn out. FYI, we were all rooting for you guys as a couple.”

  Maris wasn’t sure where things would go, but she was pretty damned satisfied about it. “Halloween puts a kink in communication, with everyone being so busy.”

  Putting her hands on her hips, Joy said, “I can’t believe you weren’t here Sunday to give me a report.”

  Maris shrugged. “Actually, we spent Sunday in bed.”

  “Ah, well, then you’re forgiven.”

  “I should have texted, but I thought I’d tell you in person yesterday, after you finished your meeting—”

  “And I got that stupid flat tire.” Shaking her head, Joy headed straight for the coffeepot. “I’m so glad you two are finally on the right track.”

  “What exactly do you consider the right track?” Following her, Maris warmed up her own cup.

  After inhaling the steam from her coffee and taking a cautious sip, Joy hooked her arm through Maris’s and led her to a booth. “Sex is a good start.”

  “Daron would agree with you there.”

  “Of course he would,” Joy said with good humor. “And you?”

  Maris grinned. “I’m loving it.”

  Joy asked softly, “Are you loving Daron, too?”

  Why not tell her? It felt absolutely wonderful to be able to share, so Maris admitted, “Pretty much, yeah.” Saying it aloud made it all too real, prompting Maris to squeeze her eyes shut and groan.

  “You need to tell him,” Joy said.

  Admitting it to Joy was one thing, saying it to Daron would be entirely different. “Why should I do that?”

  “Because once you tell him, I’m sure he’ll tell you, and then you can get on with a life together.”

  “Listen to you.” Maris sipped her coffee, a little afraid to think too much of the future. “Have you told Royce how you feel?”

  “Well...”

  Of course she hadn’t. Maris could tell by the look on her face. Lifting a brow, Maris suggested, “Maybe you should follow your own advice.”

  “Honestly...” Joy hesitated, then sighed. “I think the timing is off. I’ve got all this stuff going on with my parents and I don’t want to tackle too many things at once.”

  “I don’t think you’d need to tackle Royce, but okay. Let’s talk about the other first.” Maris set aside her coffee. “What happened with your folks?”

  Joy winced. “Are you sure you want to hear this? Wouldn’t it be more fun to just talk about sex?”

  No doubt. There were a lot of delicious details Maris wanted to share. Later. “We’ll get to that,” she promised. “But how are you? I’ve been worried all night, so give over.”

  Sighing, Joy shared the whole awful story.

  Wow. Maris had a hell of a time not reacting. She had to keep reminding herself that these were Joy’s parents, and whatever strife they had going on right now, their relationship could change. Sounded like that’s what her parents wanted.

  And if they did reconcile, Maris didn’t want to be on the outs with Joy for stating her mind. In the long run, it’d be for the best if Joy found some form of peace with her mother and father—as long as they treated her better.

  At least this morning, Joy seemed more like herself. Seeing the tears in her eyes last night had left Maris feeling so helpless. She would have liked to go to battle for Joy, but she knew Joy well enough to know she wanted to fight the toughest battles herself.

  “Were you able to sleep?” Maris asked, once Joy wound down. She knew sleep was Mother Nature’s way of calming disordered thoughts and easing a troubled heart.

  “It took me a little while, but I did finally doze off.” Her brows tweaked down even as she smiled. “I’m a terrible crier. My head gets congested and my eyes swell horribly.”

  “They’re a little puffy,” Maris admitted. “But I wouldn’t worry about it.” God knew Joy had other, more important things to concern her. “What will you do?”

  “The big question, right?” Joy shook her head. “I’m not sure, but at least today I’m not so weepy. Yesterday it all just piled up, and God, you don’t know how much I hated getting all emotional.” She quirked her mouth to the side and confessed, “I cried on Royce.”

  “He’s a big boy. He can take it.”

  She laughed. “He was so understanding, Maris. Every time I turn around, there’s something else to love about him.”

  “Know what I think? You should settle this stuff with Royce before you make any decisions on your parents. That way, you’ll have Royce’s support.” He could help share the burden with her. Joy had been alone long enough.

  Staring down at her coffee, Joy whispered, “It would be nice to deal with this stuff during the day, and then come home to Royce at night.”

  “Well, then?”

  “I think he needs to make that move first, you know? I can’t go to him and say, ‘Hey, guess what, Jack and I want to keep you so how about we shift into a more permanent, committed relationship?’”

  “That’s what you want me to do!”

  “Because it’s just you, and you’re a catch. Don’t forget, I come with a little boy.”

  Maris said, “Jack is a bonus. Everyone adores him.”

  Gratitude put a smile on Joy’s face, but then she pointed out, “There are my parents to deal with, too.”

  With a feigned groan, Maris said, “Look at it this way. If Royce accepts them, you’ll know he loves you an awful lot.”

  They both laughed.

  Oh, it was so nice to do this, to take problems and lessen their impact just by sharing.

  Idly tracing a permanent stain on the booth top, Maris said, “Know how I realized I loved Daron?”

  “Seeing him naked?”

  They both fell into another fit of giggles. Maris said, “Can’t deny that helped. He’s pretty scrumptious. The thing is, I looked around at his house and it’s everything I ever wanted. The perfect home. Cozy and clean, nicely decorated and comfortable.”

  Carefully, Joy said, “I know that’s important to you.”

  True. “But as much as I love that house, I know I’d want Daron even if he didn’t have it. If tomorrow he had to sell it and live in his car, I’d still want him. Crazy, right?”

  Joy reached over and took her hand. “That’s love.”

  “Probably,” Maris agreed, meeting Joy’s gaze. “Because I’d still love you and Jack if you lived in a cardboard box.”

  Their smiles faded. Joy drew in a shuddering breath. “I’m so glad we’re friends.”

  Nodding, Maris tamped down the surge of emotion. “Actually, I wouldn’t let you live in a cardboard box. I’d move you and the squirt in with me.”

  Joy sniffled. “Stop or you’ll have me crying when I swore I wouldn’t do that today.” She drew a slow breath, sipped her coffee and then dabbed at her eyes. With a wicked grin, she said, “Besides, you’ll be living with Daron in his gorgeous house and we’ll just be coming over for dinner now and then.”

 
As if to ensure that would happen, they lifted their coffee cups in a toast. Bringing the conversation back around, Maris promised, “I’ll talk to Daron soon. When will you talk to Royce?”

  “If he calls...” Joy fidgeted. “Usually he does, just to say good morning. I haven’t heard from him today, though.”

  “Huh.” Doing her best to hide her frown, Maris suggested, “Maybe he got busy.”

  “Maybe.” Joy hesitated. “I talked to Jack last night about the idea of getting a house of our own.”

  Maris choked on her coffee. As she struggled to catch her breath, Joy half stood and passed her a napkin. Waving her back, Maris managed to gasp, “You’re moving? Leaving the park?”

  Quickly, Joy said, “No. I mean, if I ever got a house, it’d be near here and I’d still keep my job. But Jack didn’t want to hear about it.”

  “I agree with Jack!” Damn it, she and Joy had just become the best of friends. Selfish or not, no way did she want her moving. “How would we have coffee in the mornings? What would happen to the club?”

  Joy laughed. “A club of two.”

  That made Maris scowl. “Small clubs are the best kind.”

  “Maris,” she said softly with a touch of censure. “Maybe you don’t realize what a difference this has made for me.” Joy gestured to encompass the camp store and everything beyond it. “I cherish our friendship. You have to believe that. I grew up alone. My parents were always traveling and the house staff wasn’t interested in listening to a kid. When I went to my parents, they gave me things. Just that. Lots of things. Having someone to talk to, someone who really listens, that means the world to me. You mean the world to me. Trust me when I say I’m not going anywhere.”

  Damn it, now Maris was on the verge of tears, and she never cried. Fighting back the emotion, she nodded in agreement. “I couldn’t talk to my dad because he was usually drunk or sleeping off a drunk. If my mom knew something was bothering me, she prayed about it.” Maris gave a sad smile. “She meant well, but hearing verses from the Bible isn’t the same as someone just hearing me.” She swallowed heavily and met Joy’s gaze. “You hear me, Joy. You always have.”

  With a shaky smile and glistening eyes, Joy lifted her cup for another toast. “To sisters,” she whispered.

  “To sisters.” Maris clinked her cup to hers. To keep from getting too maudlin, she asked, “So...what are you thinking?”

  “That I need more time to consider everything.”

  “But you talked to Jack about moving. That sounds like you’re leaning toward accepting your mother’s offer.”

  “The extra money? No.” Joy shook her head. “I couldn’t do that. It would destroy me to be under her thumb.”

  Well, thank God.

  “Plus that would require I move back near them. I love everyone here as if they were actual family, because in my heart they are. You are. Even if someday I buy a house, and it wouldn’t be any time soon, I won’t ever actually leave.”

  Feeling the same, Maris again lifted her cup. “To our family here at the park.”

  “To each of them,” Joy seconded.

  After sealing that vow with a drink, Maris said, “Okay, so I just thought of something.” Determined now, she leaned forward. “If you don’t mind me jumping in with ideas, I mean.”

  “Of course not. I was hoping you would,” Joy admitted.

  “The lure from your grandmother...it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, right?”

  Joy shook her head. “Basically, I just need to reconcile with them. Accept them back into my life. Be friendly.”

  “That goes both ways, right?”

  “Yes. The attorney said Grams trusted that if I accepted the stipulation, I’d do my best to get along with them. There isn’t a time limit or set of rules. My mother tacked on that part about moving back to the area. That wasn’t in Grams’s offer.”

  “So you’ll give them a chance.” As Maris spoke, the plan took shape. “That doesn’t mean they own you.”

  “No, but they are determined to meet Jack.”

  “Sure, but you’ll call the shots, not them. So invite them here to the park, on your turf. Like you said, this is home. We’re your people. Make them come to you.”

  Joy sat back, mulling over the idea.

  “Hell,” Maris said, getting enthused by the idea, “bring them here, to Summer’s End. We’ll make sure the others join us. Safety in numbers and all that. I promise not to botch the coffee.”

  Intrigued, Joy paused, but then shook her head. “No. Absolutely not. I couldn’t subject all of you to that drama.”

  “You said it yourself, we’re your family,” Maris argued. “Look at it this way. If anything happens that could upset Jack, one of us can take off with him. Daron can get him outside to play with the dogs, or I can lead him back to the kitchen for cookies. It’s a surefire way to introduce them, on your terms, where you control everything.”

  Joy put a hand to her mouth, then nodded. “It would probably be easier for Jack that way, too, instead of taking him to their house where everything is unfamiliar.” She gave Maris a look. “Going back there might even intimidate me, it’s been so long.”

  “Then it’s settled.” Saying it was so might help to convince Joy. “We’ll do it here. You’ll have fulfilled your part of the inheritance specification, and you can just stuff the money in the bank and carry on as usual until you’ve decided what it is you want and what is best for Jack.”

  Shaking her head on a small laugh, Joy said, “You make it sound so easy.”

  “Take out the emotion,” Maris said, “and it is.”

  With her thoughts showing on her face, Joy frowned. “I want you to know, a little cash won’t change me.”

  Maris hooted. “Only someone who came from money would call that windfall a ‘little cash.’ But yeah, I get your point. You’re you, we’re friends and the club is intact. So we’re all set?”

  Joy bit her lip, then looked around as if considering it. “This would be a good time for it. We don’t have any campers.”

  “Just your family.” Maris put a hand over her heart, making it a vow. “Your park family.”

  “You’re sure the others wouldn’t mind?”

  “What part of ‘family’ are you not getting?” Maris took her hand, understanding her worry, her hesitation. “I have a feeling your folks will get it together—I mean, who couldn’t love Jack? That kid is all personality. But you may as well hedge your bets as much as you can.”

  Gratitude brightened Joy’s eyes and she nodded. “Yes.” After squeezing Maris’s hand, she got up and circled the booth, drawing Maris up for a hug. “It will be absolutely perfect. Thank you—for everything.”

  It took some getting used to, the demonstrative affection, but Maris liked it. She squeezed Joy tight, and before she could let her go Daron opened the door and stepped in.

  He almost tripped over his feet, he stalled so abruptly when he saw them. “Um...”

  “Come on in,” Maris told him over Joy’s shoulder, opening an arm to him.

  Cautiously, he edged forward—but when Joy held out an arm, too, he grinned hugely and grabbed them both up for a three-way hug. “What are we celebrating?”

  Hiding her face against his shoulder, Maris said, “Well, for one thing, I’ve decided I love you.”

  A sudden silence fell before he went rigid and tried to pull back.

  Neither lady let him go. For her part, Joy was laughing too hard to do anything but cling to him.

  Maris asked her, “Was it unfair for me to blurt it out there like that?”

  “Whatever works,” Joy replied, and she hugged them both more.

  Maris grinned. Having Joy near made it easier, and at least now she’d gotten it over with. No reason to dread it. It was all out in the open now.

  “You should probably say so
mething,” Joy told him.

  Yes, he should, Maris agreed, before she died of false expectations.

  “Did she...?” Daron floundered, bent his head to Maris, and asked, “Did you...?”

  “She did,” Joy confirmed, snickering in glee.

  Maris decided that was better than Joy’s upset any day. Glad that she could lighten her mood, she leaned into Daron, loving them both, feeling so very grateful for the turn her life had taken. “I did,” Maris repeated.

  Daron struggled against her, then barked, “Damn it, woman, let me loose.”

  Both ladies released him, stepping back to stare at him, at each other, then back at Daron.

  Maris swallowed heavily. He didn’t sound pleased.

  After tugging at his sweatshirt, Daron pulled off his hat to run his hand over his hair, exhaled a big breath and said, “Now.”

  Crossing her arms, prepared for anything, Maris asked, “Now what?”

  “Now I can do this.” He hauled her in and took her mouth in a kiss so scorching hot she forgot Joy was still there until she heard her clear her throat.

  “I think this is my cue to go.”

  “Or,” Daron said, smiling down at Maris as he kept her draped back over his arm, “you can stay and hear me tell this lady how crazy she’s made me.”

  “I agree you’re a little nuts,” Maris said, her tone deadpan.

  “I’ve been waiting on you for years.” He kissed her again, quick but thorough. “Marry me?”

  Marriage? Just like that? She glanced at Joy.

  Grinning ear to ear, Joy said, “I’m going now so you two can talk, but Maris, I expect—”

  “Full report later,” Maris promised, before pulling Daron back into a kiss.

  Marriage. Yes, she liked that idea.

  Because she loved Daron.

  What the hell had taken her so long to accept it?

  Once the door closed behind Joy, she ended the kiss and straightened, but kept Daron close. Fingering the lapel of his coat, she asked, “You love me?”

  “Have forever, but man, you’re a tough nut to crack.”

  She punched his shoulder.

  Laughing, he squeezed her close so she couldn’t strike him again. “You’re also gorgeous, funny, smart, sexy as hell, and yes, I love you so damn much.”