Sisters in Bloom

by Melissa Foster

  “I didn’t change it. You did.”

  “Whatever. Was there something you wanted when you came here? I can’t just bicker about Mom’s dating life.” Her heart ached for Kaylie struggling with her mommy drama, but she had work to do, and she knew that whatever she suggested, Kaylie would either find fault or take it the wrong way.

  “What’s the plan for tonight?” Kaylie asked.

  “We’re all staying at my house. Oh, God. I forgot to tell you, didn’t I?”

  Kaylie shrugged again. “Camille said we were all going to Bar None, but she failed to mention a slumber party.” Her eyes lit up at the prospect.

  Danica knew the stirring excitement was driven by more than a night out. Staying at Danica’s was Kaylie’s escape from her fight with Chaz. “You can’t just run away every time there’s an argument or Chaz says something he doesn’t mean. You do it all the time, Kaylie. You say things, and no one walks away from you.” And here comes the therapist that I just couldn’t hold back. She couldn’t sit idly by and let Kaylie ruin her relationship before it even had a chance. She had a child to think about. But Danica knew she had to be careful. If she told Kaylie to go home tonight to be with Chaz, she’d bolt in the opposite direction.

  “Oh my God, don’t even go there. I’m not running. I needed an outfit for tonight. Something suitable for Bar None.”

  Of course you did. There’s the Kaylie I know and love. She crushed the urge to counsel her, to remind her how lucky she was to have someone like Chaz who loved her and would go to the ends of the earth for her. Instead, she gave Kaylie a hopeful smile. “We’ll have a great time tonight.”

  Kaylie jumped up and hugged her. “Thank you for setting it up! I think I just need a night to chill, you know? No pressure, no thinking about the jobs I’m not getting, and no sad Chaz eyes staring at me, wondering why I’m so crazy.”

  “You’re not crazy, Kay. You’re just hormone laden.” She laughed. “Look, I gotta work, but I’ll see you later.”

  Gage appeared in the doorway and Kaylie picked up her packages. “Thanks, sis. Bye,” she said to Gage with a flirtatious smile.

  “Kay.”

  Kaylie turned back and gave her a now what look.

  “Go home and make up with Chaz.” The big sister in her trumped her intended silence.

  When she was out of earshot, Gage said, “Wow, even pregnant, she’s incredible.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before,” Danica said with a sigh, then realized that it was Kaylie who needed to hear the compliment, not her.

  Gage sat beside her and looked over the documents for the event. “I didn’t mean anything by that. I just meant that she had the flirting thing down pat. I didn’t mean that I thought—”

  “Gage, really, it’s okay. I know how lovely Kaylie is.” She pulled the plans for the event into order on the table and remembered her thoughts about possibly having Kaylie sing. She’d have to mull that over. “Let’s get this done.”

  Danica explained her ideas for the night, and she could feel Gage’s eyes on her. She leaned back and looked at him. “What?”

  “I just don’t want you to get the wrong impression of me. I’m not that kind of guy.”

  “What kind of guy? The kind who recognizes a hot blonde when he sees one? Come on, Gage. Kaylie’s hot, even pregnant,” she said with a roll of her eyes. Her mind was wrapped around the event, and after Kaylie’s visit, she had enough on her mind. She was losing patience and wanted to get through the planning they needed to do. Did everyone feel the need to paint a safe picture for the therapist in her?

  “I’m not the kind of guy who goes after other guys’ fiancées,” he said.

  “I don’t think you’re like that. Kaylie’s just being Kaylie. She’s my sister, and I love her, but she has trust issues, and she’s a little insecure. And right now, she’s got a lot to work through.”

  “That’s what I thought. She reminds me of my ex-girlfriend back in Washington. So wrapped up in being the center of attention that she’d do anything not to lose it.”

  It was one thing for Danica to point out her sister’s issues, but a whole other thing for someone else to. Her protective sisterly claws came out, taking her by surprise. She didn’t want to believe that Kaylie couldn’t get past her insecurities. Kaylie was going to be a mother, and Chaz loved her. Surely she’d find her way to a mature acceptance of all of that. Wouldn’t she? “Kaylie’s strong,” she heard herself saying. “She’ll pull herself together and come out on top. She always does.”

  “When I found out about her and my coworker, I knew we could never have a future.”

  Thinking about Kaylie had caused Danica to lose track of their conversation. She shook off her worry and focused on Gage. “Oh, that’s terrible. I didn’t realize. I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Live and learn, right? Anyway, so your sister is pretty, and she’s full of energy, but she’s not my type.”

  Right. Kaylie’s everyone’s type. She watched him staring out of her office door. They wrapped up their event planning discussion, and as Gage left her office, she noticed Sally at her desk, watching him walk toward the basketball courts.

  Chapter Nine

  Chaz paced the living room, staring at the door. He was trying to be patient with Kaylie’s mood swings, and he got it. That’s the hardest part. He understood what she was going through. She was the type of girl who turned heads anywhere she went, and now she was pregnant. Very pregnant. What Kaylie didn’t realize was that she still turned heads. She didn’t notice the leers and second glances. Chaz did, and as much as they singed every jealous nerve in his body, he was proud that she was his. Hell, he was proud of her for everything, not just her looks. She had worked hard to make a name for herself in the music world, but Chaz was a realist. He knew that Kaylie was capable of so much more than singing. He wouldn’t care if she never sang another day in her life, or if she was disfigured in a fiery car crash, or for that matter, if she wanted to be a full-on pop star. He’d support whatever she wanted. Kaylie had a heart as big as the moon, and he’d never felt for anyone the undeniable, inexplicable, all-consuming adoration that he felt for her. And when she touched him—Jesus—there were times he thought his body might explode. But damn it, with the trip to LA coming up and the mess with Lea, he was trying to keep his own messes in a tidy little pile. He hoped he was strong enough for both of them.

  He thought about stopping her from leaving, trying to make some sense of their argument, but he didn’t have the energy. Besides, he rationalized, some time with Danica might do her well. Danica could probably help her through this better than he could. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Kaylie’s number, then hung up before it rang. Should he call her and tell her to come back, or let her blow off steam first? He didn’t have time to make a decision before his office phone rang.

  Chaz stomped across the wide planks of the cherry hardwood floor and into the office. “Chaz Crew.”

  “Hey, Chaz it’s Max again. I called your cell, but it went to voicemail.”

  Chaz looked down at his phone. No bars. No service. “That’s why we installed the office phone, remember? Crappy service up here on the mountain.”

  “I know, but I forget. You’ve only had it a week or whatever. Anyway, you’re leaving Tuesday. I’m booking the flights after we hang up. Lea demanded the change.”

  “Tuesday, as in one day from now?” Chaz took a deep breath. How the hell was he going to pull that off with what was going on with Kaylie? “Why? I’m in LA next week. I’m not going twice.” What on earth was Lea trying to pull?

  “She’s in Hawaii meeting with the Hawaiian Film Festival guys. I tried to postpone until she was back in LA. I even said you’d Skype her, but she was insistent that you meet in person and that it be tomorrow.”

  Adrenaline sent his mind spinning as he looked out the bay window over the mountains below. He wiped at a bead of sweat on his forehead. He’d just planned a night out with Blake w
hile Kaylie was with her girlfriends, and he really needed to explain the whole Lea situation to Kaylie.

  “Are you there?” Max urged. “Listen, you don’t have to go. We have plenty of time. I can woo some smaller sponsors.”

  “No way. We’re ten weeks away from the event.” He paced. “That’s why she’s doing this now, and she’s taking me out of familiar territory, too. Hawaii? Jesus. She knows she’s got us by the—”

  “Balls?”

  “Yeah, Max, by the balls. I was trying to spare you the language.”

  Max’s hearty laugh was infectious, and Chaz found himself smiling despite his frustration.

  “I see, so saying balls is different than fuck or shit or damn? Because those are the words that fly from the setup crew’s mouths on a daily basis.”

  He pictured the smirk he knew was on Max’s face. “Okay, I get it. Max, it’ll cost as much to fly there as it would for the sponsorship on this short notice.” He’d tell Kaylie tonight. No way would he let that one little omission come between them, and knowing Lea, if what she wanted was Chaz, she’d find a way to ensure Kaylie knew about their tryst. Damn it. He couldn’t think that way. He was the man here, not Lea. He’d end this charade before it went any further.

  “Nope. If it was going to cost as much, maybe I’d be able to convince you to forget about her sponsorship and if we fall short, we fall short; but it’s not. You have enough frequent flyer miles for two of you to go. You can bring Kaylie.”

  “Oh, that’ll go over well.” He imagined Kaylie, who didn’t even know Lea existed, being swallowed alive by her. “We can’t fall short, Max. It’s not like her funding doesn’t matter. Right now it’s the difference between the festival taking place and being canceled. Fine. I’ll go.”

  “Want me to come with you as backup?”

  Max was the most efficient sponsorship coordinator Chaz had ever worked with, and after five years, she was like a younger sister to him. He considered the offer. “It might piss her off even more, bringing you along to ensure she behaves.”

  “The real question is can you behave yourself?”

  “What do you think?” Chaz asked with more bravado than he felt.

  “Honestly?”

  “Have I ever asked for anything else?” Chaz sat down in the leather chair behind his desk.

  “Well, in all the years I’ve known you, I’ve seen you date some of the most glamorous actresses, the richest debutants, and some of the most annoying bimbos who exist. You’ve slept with, I don’t know how many women in that time,” Max said.

  “I dated them, but I didn’t sleep with them. Not many of them, anyway. I’m not like that, Max.”

  “Whatever. The point is, I’ve never seen you fawn over a woman like you do with Kaylie, and I’ve never seen you so driven by your penis as you were with Lea. So, when you ask if I think you can handle it, I can’t honestly give you a clear answer.”

  “Gee, thanks for your vote of confidence.” Chaz leaned his elbows on the desk and lowered his forehead into his palms.

  “I know how you are with Kaylie, and I know you love her. I want to believe that you can behave, but then again, I knew you before her, too.”

  The truth hurt. And what made it sting even more was that Chaz and Kaylie had laid their pasts on the table with each other, and she’d accepted his without question. He remembered the feeling of relief when she said she loved him for all he was and anything that had made him into the man he had become, and the guilt of omitting his affair with Lea strangled him. He knew then that if he told her about Lea, she’d worry at every festival thereafter, and since he had about as much interest in Lea as a fish would have in a desert, he didn’t see the point in thrusting that particular bad decision upon her.

  He trusted himself, but he definitely didn’t trust Lea. He thought again about using his trust fund money. He weighed it in his mind—giving in to using the family money versus facing Lea head-on. As much as he hated it, using his family money still left an acidic taste in his mouth, but shutting down Lea once and for all, now, that was appealing. Maybe she’d changed. Maybe he was underestimating her and she had serious negotiation in mind. Chaz was always game for a negotiation. He’d come out on top with stronger people than Lea Carmichael. The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that this would be okay—and if he found that she really did want him, then if nothing else, he’d squelch that fantasy and move forward without a guilty conscience. Max would only further empower him, no matter which direction the meeting took.

  “Yeah, why don’t you come along?”

  Chapter Ten

  By the time Danica arrived at Blake’s, she was exhausted. The last thing she wanted to do was spend an evening at Bar None. She fantasized about throwing on her sweatpants and cuddling up next to him on the couch.

  “Is Kaylie doing any better?” Blake asked when Danica came into the living room.

  “Who knows. She called from her cell and said she was going home to get ready for tonight. She plans on eating ice cream and watching television in my fuzzy slippers after we all go out. It’s Chaz I’m worried about. I mean, I know Kaylie, and she doesn’t mean anything when she does this. She runs away from things. It’s who she is. But Chaz doesn’t know that.” Danica set her purse down on the table and joined Blake on the couch, snuggling up under the warmth of his arm, even if only for a few minutes.

  “So, tell him.”

  Danica shook her head. “It’s not my place. She’s a big girl. She has to figure things out for herself.”

  “Wanna talk about it some more?” He kissed her cheek.

  “Not really.”

  “Wanna tell me how your mom’s doing?”

  She smiled to herself. Blake was the perfect boyfriend. What man remembered what his girlfriend did during the day? She’d counseled so many broken people about their damaged relationships that she’d expected so much less from him. And there he was, Prince Charming written all over everything he did. So why couldn’t she bring herself to move in with him?

  “She’s great, actually.” Danica went to the refrigerator and took a bite out of an apple. “She’s dating and texting. Oh, and she joined a gym, and she dyed her hair red.”

  “Sounds like a midlife crisis to me,” Blake joked.

  “Maybe, but I’m happy for her. I see it as a midlife finding herself, not a crisis. Their divorce was the crisis. I just wish Kaylie would be nicer to her. She’s stuck in some weird, angry stage, and I feel bad for Mom. Mom wants nothing more than to be part of her life.”

  Blake came into the kitchen and pulled out a pan. “She’ll come around. Just give her time. Chicken?”

  Danica glanced at the clock. She had an hour and a half before she was supposed to meet the girls. “Are you cooking?”

  “Yup.”

  “In that case, yes, please.” Danica loved that their relationship hadn’t taken on the usual gender-defined roles. They’d fallen naturally into a give-and-take with everything from taking out the trash and cooking, to laundry, and even lovemaking. “Isn’t that the chicken that’s been in the fridge forever?”

  “Not forever. It’s fine.” He kissed her on the cheek. “I love how easy to please you are.” Blake cut the chicken breasts into thin slices, eyeing Danica. “So, do you want to hear what Chaz thinks?”

  Danica spun around. “You talked to him?”

  “You told me to call him and invite him out, remember?”

  She was so wrapped up in Kaylie’s dramatics that she’d almost forgotten. “Oh, God, what did he say? He probably thinks she’s a nut and wants nothing to do with her. I hope she didn’t screw this up.”

  Blake poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Danica. “She’s not a nut.”

  Danica took a swig of the wine. “No, she’s just a little damaged.”

  “That’s not nice.”

  “No, but it’s true. We’re all a little damaged, aren’t we?”

  Blake mulled that over while he dr
ank his wine. “Is that why you can’t move in with me? Because you’re damaged?”

  Yes, but right now I’m dealing with my damaged sister. Danica shook her head. “How about you tell me what Chaz said? I can only handle one crisis at a time.”

  “He said he doesn’t care if she works or not. He only wants her to be happy. He suggested that maybe she write songs instead of singing while she’s pregnant, and she stormed out of the room.”

  “Well, that’s not what she said.”

  “Right. She thinks he wants her barefoot and pregnant. I don’t know about women and their hormones, but he said her emotions are all over the place. He seems used to it.”

  “That can’t be good,” Danica said. “Even if he’s used to her hormone-induced mood swings, he’ll get sick of her really quickly if that’s the case.”

  “Not all men run from problems, Danica. Look how many times you pushed me away, and I stuck around.” Blake threw the chicken in the pan and stirred it, then moved closer to Danica, until she could smell the sweet wine on his breath. “You’re still pushing me away, and I’m not going anywhere.”

  Danica put her hand on his chest. She loved the feel of him, and rested her fingers on his pectoral muscles while she debated giving in to the desire that stirred within her. Damn you. It took only one touch, and she lost track of all thoughts. What happened to the reserved, professional Danica who could keep her desires under control? All it took was one quick look in his hungry eyes to know she didn’t give one hoot about the reserved person she used to be. She was about to kiss him when she realized what he’d said. “I’m not pushing you away. I’m just not ready to move in yet.” Thinking of Kaylie, she said, “Maybe I should go over there and talk some sense into her.”

  “Can’t you do that tonight? You’ll see her in an hour.” He pulled him into her arms. “Maybe I can talk some sense into you,” he teased.