Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

by Susan Mallery

  He watched her eyes glaze over and felt the rapid contractions. He went with her, filling her over and over until he lost himself in his own release.

  When they were done, she followed him to the private bathroom off his office. When Kelly reached for her clothes, he stopped her.

  “Give me a second,” he told her. “I want to etch this moment in my memory so every time I’m in this room, I think of you standing there, naked.”

  She smiled and slipped a hand between her legs. “Want to picture me doing this?”

  His dick stirred. Griffith swore. “You’re deadly.” He pulled her close and kissed her. “Can we go back to my place?”

  “I have a tourism board meeting, but I can meet you at your house after that.”

  “I’m in.”

  “Good.” She kissed him back before sighing. “I was thinking we could do it with you behind me. Think of all the things you could reach. Oh, and I want to go down on you tonight. I did some reading online and there are interesting techniques I’ve never tried.”

  Griffith had no idea why he’d won the sexual lottery, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to complain. He kissed her again, then wrapped his arms around her. Emotions stirred. Emotions he wouldn’t name or even acknowledge. They weren’t part of the deal and he knew better than to try something he wasn’t good at.

  * * *

  Kelly felt like Cinderella in the classic Disney movie—at any moment little birds were going to fly down from the sky and start singing and talking with her. She felt giddy and silly and happy and many other words ending with the letter Y.

  In her sensible moments, she told herself it was just sex. What she was feeling wasn’t real—it was hormones generated by dozens of orgasms. She was drunk on sex and smart enough to know that while she liked Griffith, she shouldn’t confuse her climax-induced high with real feelings.

  Still, the sky was bluer, the sun warmer and everyone she ran into was just so nice. She was going to go with the sense of well-being for as long as it lasted. And if a few woodland creatures smiled at her along the way, that was okay, too.

  She pulled into the parking lot of the craft mall. The tourism board had a big pre-fund-raiser meeting that night. Two days before, Olivia had been voted as the new mall manager, something that had made Kelly feel oddly proud.

  She made her way back to the community room and waved when she saw Helen was already there. “I haven’t seen you in forever,” she said as she settled next to her friend. “How are you? How are things?”

  Helen stared at her. “What happened?” She leaned close. “Are you glowing?”

  Kelly felt herself blush. “Um, Olivia has me using some special products. There’s a nightly peel. It really works. I’ll get you the name.”

  Which was the best lie she could think of on such short notice. Ack! Now she was going to have to find a peel and buy it because there was no way she was going to admit her skin was dewy from all the sex she was having.

  “Please. We should all look as good as you. So what’s new?”

  Kelly had to consciously press her lips together to keep from blurting out the truth. She loved Helen and they were close but there was no way she was going to admit her former “problem” to anyone.

  “The usual,” Kelly said as casually as she could. “Work, family crap. Things are good with Griffith.”

  “What family crap?” Helen’s voice was sharp. “Your mom?”

  A few of her happy bubbles popped. “Don’t remind me and yes. Marilee is still everywhere. Sometimes she tries to be nice, which makes it all worse. I have no idea how long she’s staying. Oh, and the other morning, she was wearing one of Dad’s pajama tops. WTF? I have no idea what happened there.”

  Helen stared at her. “Do you think... Are they...” She cleared her throat. “Are they back together?”

  “No.” Kelly grimaced. “At least I hope not. Then she’ll never leave. I’ve got to believe he’s smarter than that. It’s been thirteen years and she was awful to him when they were married. Why would he give her a second chance?”

  “Men can be stupid sometimes. She’s very beautiful.”

  “I know, right? But not my dad.” Kelly didn’t like thinking about the two of them together. “I wish he’d call her a bitch or something, but he won’t. He’s so reasonable about everything. It’s annoying.”

  Olivia joined them. “Hey,” she said. “How’s it going?” She looked at Kelly. “Someone’s rarely home these days. Mom or your hot boyfriend?”

  “Both,” Kelly admitted. “I sleep at home—I just get in late.”

  “Really late.” Olivia turned to Helen. “Are you okay?”

  Kelly saw that her friend had gone pale.

  “I’m fine.” Helen managed a wobbly smile. “It’s my time of the month and I’m cramping.”

  Olivia fished a small makeup bag out of her tote. “I have some ibuprofen in here,” she murmured. “One or two?”

  “Two, please.”

  Olivia passed them over. Helen swallowed them dry.

  “We were talking about Mom,” Kelly told her sister. “I was complaining Dad won’t say anything bad about her. You don’t think they’re getting back together, do you?”

  “Of course not.” Olivia wrinkled her nose. “Jeez, that would be awful. No. I don’t think he would ever trust her again.” She hesitated.

  “What?” Kelly demanded. “You’re thinking something.”

  “Just that Marilee still has a way with men. She pretty much gets whoever she wants. Guys find her sexy and appealing. There was this one time when—” Olivia pressed her lips together. “Oh, goody.”

  Kelly turned and saw Marilee walking into the community room. Her formfitting dress and high heels were out of place for the meeting, as were her perfect makeup and diamond earrings. Conversation stilled as everyone watched her make her way to her daughters.

  “Hello, girls,” Marilee said cheerfully. “I thought I’d come and see what you two were up to.” She turned to Helen. “Hello. I’m Marilee, Jeff’s wife. You must be Helen.”

  “Ex-wife,” Kelly corrected, then frowned. “How do you know who she is?” She and Helen had become friends as adults, long after Marilee had left town thirteen years ago.

  “Oh, your father’s mentioned her a few times.” Marilee’s smile relaxed. “I was expecting someone...different, but I see you’re nothing like that.”

  Helen sucked in a breath and rose. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m not feeling well.”

  Kelly stood. “Want me to drive you home?”

  “No. I just need to, ah, lie down with a heating pad. I’ll be fine.”

  Kelly hugged her. “Call me if you need anything.”

  “I will.” Helen waved and left.

  Kelly sat down, then looked at her mother. Had something just happened? Was there more going on than she realized? Before she could figure it out, Olivia pulled her tablet and a stack of handouts from her tote.

  “We’re okay on ticket sales,” she murmured. “I have donations. The fund-raiser is going to be a huge success.”

  Marilee rolled her eyes. “You don’t actually care, do you? You’re never going to see this ridiculous little town again. Why does it matter if it’s a success or not?”

  “If it’s so awful here, why do you stay?” Kelly asked, doing her best to make her voice as sweet as possible.

  Marilee’s expression turned knowing. “I would have thought that was obvious, darling. Your father is a very handsome man. I’ve missed him.”

  Kelly snorted. “Yeah, right. That’s why you cheated, then left him. Am I missing anything?” She thought of the meeting she’d gone to with her dad the year after she graduated from college. The one that explained the structure of the farm and the family-held corporation that owned it. “Ju
st so you know, you’re still not eligible to claim any part of the business. The prenup was solid.”

  Marilee’s smile twisted as her eyes narrowed. “Did he tell you that?”

  “No, Mom. The lawyer did.”

  “There was a prenup?” Olivia asked, spinning to stare at Marilee. “Daddy made you sign that when you were pregnant?”

  “Impressive, huh?” Kelly asked.

  Marilee stood. “Be careful, girls. I’m a lot better at this than either of you.” With that she turned and walked out.

  Kelly shivered. “I want to say I don’t care, but she’s scary.”

  “Tell me about it.” Olivia glanced at her notes. “On the bright side, I’m a lot less nervous about my presentation now.”

  “A death threat has a way of serving as a nice distraction.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  26

  Helen’s fake cramps faded as soon as she got home but the nausea lingered. She paced the length of her small house, trying to collect her thoughts or convince herself she’d misunderstood what Marilee had said, only she couldn’t do either. The insult had been clear.

  You’re nothing like that. Whatever Marilee had meant, it wasn’t good. Or nice. Or pleasant or any other positive word. Helen had a feeling what the beautiful ex-Mrs. Jeffrey Murphy had meant was fat. Or maybe fat and ugly. Because Marilee had taken one look at her and known everything. That Helen was in love with Jeff, that Jeff hadn’t declared himself beyond wanting to sleep with her, and that Marilee was a threat.

  While she was willing to admit she might be giving the other woman too much credit, Helen knew Marilee had figured out something. Otherwise, why bother to attack?

  Helen decided she had to change the mental subject or go crazy. She walked over to the piano, then backed away. She was too agitated to play.

  Her phone chirped. She looked at the screen and saw a text from Jeff.

  You around? Want company?

  Questions that made her both excited and nervous. Did she really want to see him after her close encounter? Was she too vulnerable?

  “Maybe this is a good time to get answers,” she muttered as she texted back a single, Yes.

  She raced to the bathroom to check on her makeup, then spent five minutes trying to decide if she should change her clothes or not. If anything fun was on the menu, then an outfit slightly more accessible than jeans and a sleeveless shirt that buttoned could be a good idea, but under the circumstances, fun seemed unlikely.

  She’d barely made her decision when she heard a knock on the front door. One of the downsides of living in a small town, she thought. It didn’t take long to get anywhere.

  She opened the door and let him in. As usual, Jeff looked too good to be true and just staring into his brown eyes had her heart and resolve both melting. He handed her a bottle of red wine and a box of brownies from a bakery she liked in Maryville, which meant he’d made a special trip to get them. She happened to know they closed at four, which meant he’d made that special trip earlier today.

  Not sure what to do with that information, she crossed to the kitchen. “Want to open the wine?” she asked.

  When he didn’t answer, she turned to glance at him.

  He stood just inside the kitchen, his arms at his side. But what really caught her attention was the stricken look in his eyes. Her melty heart froze. No. No! He was going to tell her he’d slept with Marilee. These weren’t let’s have sex brownies, they were an apology.

  “Jeff?” She was proud of herself for being able to speak that single word. She wasn’t totally broken. “What is it?”

  He sucked in a breath. “I miss you, Helen. Every second of every day. I hate this. I hate having that woman in my house. I know it’s important for my girls, but dammit all to hell I want her gone and I want to be back in your bed.”

  Time stood still long enough for her to indulge in an internal happy dance. She silently shrieked her victory call and gave the virtual finger to Marilee before crossing to the man who looked both hopeful and chagrined.

  “Why didn’t you say so?” she asked before leading him down the hall.

  * * *

  Kelly and Olivia walked into The Beer Garden shortly before seven thirty. Jeff and Helen’s newest band project was making their debut here instead of at the community room in the craft mall. She hoped the music lived up to the improved venue.

  She and her sister found a small table in the back, then each ordered a glass of wine. Olivia leaned back in her chair and sighed. “I’m exhausted. The fund-raiser is keeping me busy and avoiding Mom is an additional time suck. It seems like every time I turn around, she wants to have a heart-to-heart.”

  Not a problem Kelly had been having, she thought. So far Marilee had kept her distance and Kelly preferred it that way. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about Olivia’s confession on the mother front.

  “Did she offer you the job while you were still in college?” she asked.

  “Sort of. It was more of an understanding over time. She would talk about how things would be when I came to work for her.” Olivia shifted in her seat. “Don’t take this wrong, but I thought it was nice that she wanted me around, you know? She was there for me, or so I thought.”

  Kelly was fairly sure that Olivia’s explanation should be taken at face value, even though that didn’t erase the slight slap at the reminder of what had happened.

  “At first it was great,” Olivia continued. “We hung out, she helped me find my first apartment. Well, it took me a while to catch on to that. She helped me with my clothes and makeup. I felt so sophisticated and together and there I was, all of twenty-3o.”

  The server dropped off their wine. Kelly held up her glass. “To making interesting choices.”

  They touched glasses.

  Olivia set hers back on the table. “I went to visit Ryan a couple of times,” she confessed. “In the off-season. We had a great time, but he had no interest in moving to Phoenix and he never exactly asked me to stay, so I felt stuck.”

  “I didn’t think you were seeing him. Isn’t he with—” Kelly stopped herself in time and sipped her wine. “I mean how nice if you two get back together.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes. “You are the least subtle person I know. I have no idea if he’s with Autumn or not and I sort of don’t care. It’s so strange—he’s one of the reasons I came back this summer. I wanted closure with him. At first I was so hurt and pissed that he’d told me to come see him while he was dating someone else. But now I can’t seem to summon any interest in him. He’s just some guy I used to know.”

  “So it’s over?”

  “Yes.” Olivia looked surprised, then grinned. “It’s completely and totally over. How great is that?” She drank some wine. “I wonder if it’s like that for Mom. If Dad is her Ryan and she’s always wondered what would have happened.” Her humor faded. “Of course she had a great marriage and totally blew it all on her own. There’s a difference.”

  Kelly hated thinking that her parents might rekindle the flame, so to speak. While she wanted her dad to find someone and be happy, Marilee was not that person.

  “You really don’t know why she’s here?” Kelly asked.

  “Not a clue. She and her previous boyfriend aren’t together, so that could be part of it. She might be hoping to get some money from Dad. Whatever’s motivating her can’t be good.”

  The band took their place on the small stage. They were all in their twenties and thirties but Kelly knew from experience that age didn’t matter when it came to how bad a group could be. As far as she was concerned, guitars should come with warning labels and playing in public should require strict licensing.

  “They look interesting,” Olivia said, turning so she could see the stage more clearly.

  “Ah, the optimis
m of youth.”

  “What are you—”

  The band starting playing. It took Kelly a full minute to realize they were butchering OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars.” It was only when her dad and Helen joined in at the chorus that she could understand the words enough to pick out the tune.

  When the song was over, there was a moment of stunned and grateful silence before everyone broke into applause. Olivia picked up her wine.

  “I should have ordered something a lot stronger. How do you keep going to these?”

  “They can be fun. Sometimes the bands aren’t awful. Plus Dad and Helen usually have a duet and that’s nice.”

  Four painfully played songs later, the band put down their instruments as Jeff moved closer to Helen. Three notes later, Kelly smiled.

  “Helen does love the piano man,” she told her sister as Helen and Jeff began to sing Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are.” She picked up her wine knowing she could relax for the next few minutes.

  She glanced around the bar and saw most of the patrons looked equally relieved. Helen and Jeff were often the highlight of the showcases. She wondered if they’d ever thought of starting a band of their own. A good one that people wanted to listen to.

  Olivia leaned toward her and laughed. “Okay, one worry we can let go.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Olivia pointed to the stage. “Them. There’s no way Mom’s getting Dad back in her bed. Not when he’s so crazy about his girl. Why didn’t you tell me about them? I would have slept a lot easier knowing we were safe from a parental reunion.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kelly asked, even as she looked at the couple performing.

  Helen sat at the keyboard. Jeff stood close. Rather than look at the audience, they stared at each other. No. Not stared. There was a better word. Not gazed—it wasn’t intense enough, but she couldn’t think of anything that worked.

  Helen finished her line and Jeff started singing his. Kelly had a feeling the rest of the room had disappeared and it was just the two of them. Although they weren’t touching, the connection was obvious, as was the yearning. They looked like two people who couldn’t wait to get back into bed together.