Sisters in Bloom

by Melissa Foster

  “Why do you think they didn’t give it to you?”

  Kaylie loved everything about Chaz, from his dimpled chin and rumpled blond hair to the way his voice felt like a caress. But at that very moment, with her hormones wreaking havoc and the realization of her sinking career as fresh as a morning breeze, all she could think of to say was, duh, and she’d never let such a rude comment slip from her lips to the man she adored. Instead, she looked down at her belly and pressed her lips tightly together.

  “I’m sorry,” Chaz said, and reached around her, pulling her closer to him. “They’ve probably hired new mothers before who’d canceled at the last minute and left them in a bind or something.”

  She leaned against him and closed her eyes. The scent of his Tommy Hilfiger cologne reeled Kaylie in, softening her steely reserve. “I get it,” she said. “But every job I got took so much hard work. I had to prove myself every single time, and I had this one. Three years, I’ve done their gig, and I’ve never let them down. Doesn’t loyalty count for anything?” She nervously twisted her hair around her finger. “I’ve worked so hard since my junior year of college to find my way and make a name for myself. And I did, too. I haven’t had this much trouble lining up jobs in forever. I always thought I’d end up with a record contract at some point—that all my hard work would pay off. And now, between this one and last week’s cancellation, it’s like I’m just watching it all fade away.”

  “There are so many other things you can do,” he said.

  She lifted her eyebrows. “Like what?” She looked down at her belly and laughed. “Make babies?”

  “Well, that’s always fun,” he said, as he put his lips on hers and kissed her.

  “Yeah, but we’ve talked about this. I want my career. You know that.”

  He planted light kisses along her jawbone. “You could be the band manager.”

  “No way. What am I, a scut monkey?” Why am I being so bitchy? It’s not his fault.

  Her bitchiness didn’t deter him. He pushed her hair from her face and said, with his hand on her cheek, “You could write instead of singing.”

  Kaylie was finding it hard to concentrate as he slid his hand from her cheek to the back of her neck, kissing the center of her collarbone and moving up to the underside of her chin. Her head fell back and she whispered, “I’m not a writer.”

  He pulled her onto his lap and brushed her straight blond hair from her shoulders. “Songs. You can write them if you can’t sing them.” He laid her back on the sofa and sank down beside her, tracing the crest of her cleavage with his finger. “You don’t even have to work if you don’t want to.”

  “What?” Kaylie pushed at his chest. What did he think she was going to do? Stay at home, barefoot and pregnant?

  “We don’t need the money, and you work late hours, weekends. I’m just saying.”

  Kaylie’s pulse sped up. No way was she giving up her career. It might not seem like she had much of one left, but she wasn’t going to just walk away from it. She wouldn’t be her mother. They’d talked about this. “I love singing. I love working.” She swung her legs over the end of the couch and pushed herself to her feet. “I’m not just a baby maker.”

  “I never said—”

  “No, but you were thinking it. I could hear it in your voice.” Kaylie paced. Anger surged through her, and she knew it was misdirected. Chaz was in her line of fire, and she was powerless to quell her emotions. Goddamn hormones. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes. Why does everything have to change?

  “I didn’t mean that.”

  The confusion on Chaz’s face portrayed exactly what Kaylie knew he must be feeling—tangled in a web of estrogen and Kaylie’s faltering career, which he couldn’t possibly understand.

  “Look,” he said, with a frustrated sigh, “I just thought that if you couldn’t sing, you could write songs, or take time off, or whatever, until you’re ready to go back.”

  His blue eyes pleaded for understanding, but Kaylie’s anger was galloping full-speed ahead. She couldn’t rein it in. “I was never ready not to work,” she spat.

  “What? Did you expect that bars would hire you at eight months pregnant? Or they wouldn’t have a backup plan?” His voice rose, and even though Kaylie didn’t blame him, it still fed her need to defend herself.

  “It’s been months since I’ve worked, and no, I didn’t expect they’d hire me at eight months pregnant, but I didn’t expect to lose my career after the baby was born, either.” Even if I’m not sure I want it. “I thought I’d bounce right back, that all the places I’d worked would hire me without giving it a second thought.”

  Chaz ran his hand through his hair. “Okay, I get it,” he conceded. “It stinks. It’s not fair, but, Kaylie, you have a chance to take some time off for yourself, and soon, for our—”

  Kaylie held up her hand. “Believe me, I know what’s coming. Soon I’ll have no life.” Jesus Christ, shut the hell up. What neurotic woman has taken over my vocal cords?

  “But you’ll have the baby,” he pleaded.

  “Yes, and it will all be worth it. But now, at this very second” —she sank onto the couch as a tear tumbled down her cheek— “it doesn’t feel like it’s worth it. It feels a little like Kaylie is disappearing and being replaced with a mindless baby factory, and afterward, I’ll be a diaper-changing, exhausted blob, while you’ll be just as gorgeous and intellectually fulfilled as always.” Just like my parents.

  Chaz shook his head. He had so much empathy in his eyes, Kaylie could feel it wrapping itself around her body like a blanket, but her hormones had won. They’d taken full control of her ability to speak, and her tear ducts were currently emptying themselves as if her cheeks were about to shrivel up and die of dehydration and they were the only water source around. “Don’t look at me like that. Do you think I want to feel this way?” she snapped, and stomped into the bedroom.

  Chapter Seven

  Danica’s body was still feeling the effects of the lovemaking they’d enjoyed the night before. She didn’t want to leave Blake this morning. Staying in bed and making love again was too delicious a thought to turn away from, but now, as she rushed toward Camille’s house, she was paying the price for that extra forty minutes. She was meeting her friends before work to talk about the baby shower. They’d had a difficult time finding a date when they were all free to plan Kaylie’s shower, and she was already leaving most of the planning up to them. The guilt was killing her. But not enough to give up a few extra minutes of being close to Blake. With the No Limitz event right around the corner, she just didn’t have the time to dedicate to planning both the shower and the event, and there was no way she’d let her busy schedule impede her sister’s first baby shower.

  Camille answered the door with her typical squeal. “You made it! I was so worried. I know how busy you are right now.” She looked stunning in her tiny white shorts and powder-blue tank top.

  Danica felt her face flush. “Mrs. Danber,” Danica teased, hoping it would take the attention away from her heated cheeks. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” She hugged Camille and stood in the large, ceramic-tiled foyer. “Wow, you weren’t kidding about the house.”

  “I know, right? Jeff wasn’t happy that it took so long for them to finish, but—” She lifted her hands in presentation. A crystal chandelier hung from the center of the two-story foyer. Danica touched the banister of the wide, sweeping stairs that curved sexily up to the second floor.

  “Come see what I’ve done. I’ve got the whole house completely finished, except for the guest room. I can’t decide on a comforter for it.” Camille guided her through a tastefully appointed living room with delicately carved wooden end tables and a four-inch-thick black carpet with flecks of gray, offsetting the cream-colored couch and black and teal pillows perfectly.

  Danica tried to mask her shock at the enormity of their house. She felt like she’d walked onto the set of Homes of the Stars.

  “I feel like I’m in a
model home.”

  “Me too.” Camille laughed. “Jeff said he doesn’t want to be embarrassed if clients visit.”

  “He’s a sports agent. Do clients actually visit?” Jerry Maguire ran through Danica’s mind.

  “Sometimes, I guess.”

  She made a mental note to find out who Blake’s favorite sports guy was and see if she could hook him up. Did sports agents even handle pro skiers?

  They descended a wide set of carpeted stairs to the lower level, which opened into an enormous great room, the back of which was a wall of windows overlooking a pool, surrounded by a kidney-shaped patio.

  “The girls are outside,” Camille said, as she pulled the doors open. “Look who’s here,” she called out in a singsong voice.

  “Danica!” Chelsea was the first to reach her, and she squeezed Danica so tightly she thought she’d magically slipped into a corset.

  “You’re here!” Marie gave Danica a quick squeeze, overwhelming her with the sweet smell of Hawaiian Tropic suntan lotion.

  “How’s that yummy man of yours?” Chelsea asked as they settled into the cushioned chairs beneath the shade of a wide umbrella. The table was stocked with an array of breakfast treats—fresh fruit, croissants, muffins.

  Danica was immediately drawn into the familiarity of how the girls described everything in terms of food or exotic places. “Looks delicious,” she said. Camille handed her a fruity drink with a tiny umbrella

  “Virgin Bahama Mamas,” Chelsea said, taking a long sip through a straw.

  “We’re pretending we’re in the Bahamas.” Marie giggled. “I don’t know how Camille does it, but she can mimic mixed drinks without the alcohol. We figured we couldn’t all go to work shnockered. Girl’s got skills,” she said with a wink.

  They filled her in on the details for the shower.

  “So, the shower is dolls, no guys, as you know.” Marie gave a disapproving frown. “We’re going with pink and blue everything! Balloons, streamers, napkins, centerpieces." She flipped a page in her notebook. Marie was a buyer for a high-end boutique, and her job required her to communicate with people all over the globe. She’d become adept at juggling schedules, time zones, and personalities. She was the perfect person to handle the specifics for the shower.

  An hour later, they’d hammered out the details for the shower, including silly games that Danica was sure Kaylie would love. She was having such a good time just being with her girlfriends that she didn’t want to leave, but No Limitz wouldn’t run itself.

  “I’ve really gotta go, and I feel so guilty for not being more involved in Kaylie’s shower,” Danica said.

  “Are you kidding?” Camille asked. “We live for this stuff. I mean, what could be more fun than celebrating your friend’s first baby? We’ll make you proud, Danica. Don’t you worry. No gift will go ungiven and no silly game will go unplayed.”

  “I can’t wait!” Marie said. “I love that diaper poo game, where you put mashed chocolate bars into diapers and guess what they are.”

  Danica crinkled her nose. “Yeah, have fun with that one. Just hand me a few unmashed, undiapered chocolate bars. I’ll be happy to do a taste test and reveal their true identities.”

  “Don’t be a party pooper,” Marie said.

  “Um, you know, I’d much prefer Danica’s option, too,” Chelsea added.

  “What? You too? We just agreed!” Marie stuck out her lower lip.

  The playful bickering was Danica’s cue to leave before she got sucked into another round of which games should we play.

  She hugged her girlfriends and thanked them again. As she headed to the front of the house, Camille hollered after her, “What about your mom?”

  Danica stopped cold. She’d meant to invite their mom, but she was waiting to see how things fleshed out between her and Kaylie, and so far, it looked like there wasn’t going to be much of a change anytime soon.

  “She’s definitely coming!” Danica hollered back. Whether Kaylie wants it or not and whether Mom has plans or not. I’ll make sure of it. She made a mental note to try to push Kaylie a little harder into patching things up with their mother.

  Chapter Eight

  Danica’s vision for No Limitz was just beginning to blossom. She’d developed the youth center with one thing in mind—giving kids a place where they could gather while offering healthy, fun things to do in a safe environment. After she’d given up her therapy license, she’d quickly developed a business plan and then researched and settled on the space. With the encouragement of the community and Blake’s unending support, Danica knew she’d made the right decision. She was awarded an Incubation Grant from the city, which paid for the first year of the staff’s wages, making her decision to move forward that much easier. Hiring staff, it turned out, was the simple part. Blake’s old business partner’s widow, Sally Tuft, had been looking for something new in her life, and she’d taken on the accounting and scheduling of the programs. Michelle and Sally’s son, Rusty, had both accepted part-time positions. And, most recently, at Blake’s suggestion, she’d hired Gage Ryder. He’d been a sports coach for a high school in Washington State and had moved to Allure to escape a bad relationship. He and Blake had met on the slopes, and while Gage was working only part time, he offered a fresh perspective on sporting events for the kids; and he and Danica seemed to be on the same page with their goals for the center.

  Danica pored over ideas for the upcoming teen night. She was excited about the first community event that No Limitz was hosting. They were going to have a dance, refreshments, and a general gathering for the teens in the community. Danica was making a list of volunteers they needed when Kaylie came through the office door.

  “Hey, you busy?” she asked. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was askew. Danica knew immediately that something was wrong.

  Gage appeared at Kaylie’s side. Gage looked like a young Hugh Jackman, and Kaylie, though she’d known Gage since he started working at the center two months earlier, took a second glance.

  “Hi,” she said, turning on the charm with an instant smile that looked so real Danica almost believed it.

  Danica shook her head. Even pregnant and engaged, Kaylie could send men to their knees. “Guess you’re feeling happier,” she said as her sister ran her eyes up and down all six feet three inches of Gage.

  Kaylie sat down at the table where Danica was working. “Are you busy?”

  “Sure.” What now?

  “I don’t mean to interrupt,” Kaylie said with a twist of her hair around her finger and a doe-eyed gaze in Gage’s direction.

  “I’ll come back later,” Gage said, flashing a warm smile before retreating down the hall.

  Danica watched Kaylie’s eyes trail behind him.

  “Yummy,” Kaylie said.

  “Kaylie! You’re pregnant, living with your fiancé. What is wrong with you?” she snapped.

  “Pregnant and engaged, not dead.” She smirked.

  Danica closed her eyes and sighed. “What’s up with you? First you’re all over Mom for finally getting on with her life. Then you’re all weepy about your job, and now… now you’re flirting with my employee?” And here she had planned a girls’ night out and was secretly planning her baby shower. What kind of trouble was she in for? Ugh, and their poor mother! Danica didn’t know what to do about that whole situation, but at least they were taking baby steps, and hopefully, Kaylie’s shower would help bridge that gap.

  “I’d never do anything.” Kaylie folded her arms.

  Danica stared at her and shook her head.

  “Danica, come on. Cut me some slack. I look like a blimp, no one will hire me, and Chaz and I got in a big fight, so he’ll probably never talk to me again.”

  “You what? Why?” Was she ever going to settle down?

  Kaylie lowered her eyes. “He was talking about me finding other things to do—or not do—until I could go back to work, like I’d stick around the house doing nothing but making babies or something.”

>   “Did he say that? I can’t even imagine him saying that. He’s always so supportive of you.”

  Kaylie fiddled with the end of her shirt.

  “Kay? Did he say it or not?”

  “Well, not in so many words, but that’s what he meant. Or maybe he didn’t. I don’t know.”

  Danica let out a frustrated sigh. “Why do you always do this?” She stood and paced. Settling her sister down would be her biggest therapy job of all, and she was done with that—or at least she hoped she was. She’d never turn her back on Kaylie. “Kaylie.” She heard the frustration in her voice and reminded herself to tone it down a notch. She sat back down beside Kaylie and said, “I know you’re entering new territory. Your body is changing in ways that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable.”

  “You sound like Mom when I was thirteen years old.”

  “Oh, God, I do.” Danica laughed. “Wow. She looks great, doesn’t she?” Danica loved the changes she saw in her mother. Her new outlook was a healthy, active one. Even though she didn’t see her mother very often, she was definitely going to make more of an effort. It’s so easy to get lost in our own busy lives. And so wrong when it comes to family.

  Kaylie shrugged.

  “Kaylie, why are you so angry with her? She’s allowed to have a life. Your life is moving on. So is mine. Why shouldn’t hers?”

  “It’s just weird. She was so weak to stay with Dad after what he did, and I guess my anger at her, for letting Dad hurt her so much, is still there. So, to hear about her dating...Dating, Danica. Mom is dating.” She locked eyes with Danica. “Don’t you think it’s weird?”

  “Not at all. I think…” You’re trapped in a world of being a hurt girl whose parents have split up. She knew better than to play therapist with Kaylie. “I think she deserves to be happy and have a life and that you’re changing the subject.”