Sisters in Bloom

by Melissa Foster

  Once she realized that everyone was taken care of, Danica went to find Blake. She couldn’t help but feel good about how things were going. Everyone was smiling and having fun. She gave Kaylie a thumbs-up as she passed the makeshift stage. Kaylie was already on another song, something having to do with naughty and nice. Danica hoped none of the parents would complain about the lyrics. Could she be held responsible for inappropriate music? Another thing to put on her to-do list.

  Blake leaned against the front wall of the barn, his long legs crossed at the ankle. Danica felt her breath hitch. Damn, how long will his looks do this to me? Her eyes dragged slowly from his dark, sensuous eyes, which were scanning the parking lot, unaware of her presence, to his slim waist and her favorite pair of Levi’s—the dark ones that were tight in all the right places. He wore a pair of black boots, which only heightened his sexiness.

  “Are you going to just drink me in, or are you going to come over here and actually talk to me?”

  Jesus. He saw me? How the hell? Flustered, Danica shook off her embarrassment. She sidled up to him and whispered, “I was afraid you might elbow me again if I came too close.”

  In the next breath, his arms were around her waist and he was backing her up against the barn. “I’ll elbow you, all right,” he teased, lowering his lips to hers.

  Danica scanned the entranceway. She realized they were tucked into a dark area and closed her eyes. Her limbs relaxed as they kissed the noise of the party away. When Blake pulled back, she felt like a teenager, kissed for the first time. Her mind was useless, a foggy mess of hormones and lust.

  “Wanna sneak out into the woods?” Blake asked.

  “Yes,” she said, and then quickly added, “No.”

  The din of the party grew louder. Blake leaned down to kiss her again, and a shout pulled Danica from his arms.

  “What the hell was that?” She and Blake ran into the barn. The crowd converged just beyond the back doors.

  Gage’s voice boomed above the music. “That’s enough!”

  The music came to an abrupt stop as Danica sped by, tearing past the open doors and through the crowd of murmuring kids and wide-eyed parents. In the center of the crowd, Brad lay on the ground with a bloody nose. Gage stood behind Rusty, his arms wrapped around Rusty’s forearms, trapping him. Michelle reached for Rusty and he turned away. His chest rose and fell with each angry breath.

  “What’s going on?” Danica demanded. She fell to her knees beside Brad and asked him if he was okay.

  He nodded silently, and Danica turned on Rusty. “What happened here?”

  No one answered.

  “Someone’s gonna tell me what went on here,” she said angrily. What a nightmare. Her first event and there was a fight? She felt hot, angry tears burn the corners of her eyes and the harsh stares of the crowd around her.

  Sally’s nervous, embarrassed voice broke through the silence. “Rusty!” She said to Gage, “I’ll take him home.” Then she turned her mortified face to Danica. “I’m so sorry.” She lifted her eyes to the rest of the crowd. “I’m so sorry.” She took Rusty by the arm. He shrugged her off and stalked off toward the parking lot.

  Gage helped Brad up, as he watched Sally and Rusty climb into their car. “Should I go with her? He seemed really angry.”

  Danica tried to think. What would Sally want? She had no idea how close she and Gage had become, or if Sally would be too embarrassed to even talk to him. She erred on the side of caution. “I think you’d better stick around. She’ll call if she needs us.”

  “Okay, everyone, it’s just a little tiff, that’s all,” Blake said to the crowd. “You know how kids are.” He tried to lighten the mood, but parents were already guiding their kids toward the doors. He caught Chaz’s attention and asked Kaylie to play if she was up to it.

  Kaylie sang a slow tune laced with emotion. Two adults stopped by the exit and turned to watch her. Even the teenagers who had been huddled together were drawn closer by the husky voice that filled the barn. She sang of the weather, it seemed, something about hot and cold; then the band broke into an upbeat tune and Kaylie sang about dancing in the rain and riding on a train. Smiles came over the adults’ faces. Kids began to dance to the beat of the music, and more guests filtered back into the barn from the parking lot. Danica let out a sigh of relief as she and Brad walked down the property.

  “I’m really sorry, Danica. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.” Brad’s hands were shaking.

  “I didn’t see what happened. Why did he hit you? Did you provoke him?” She watched Brad’s eyes for a hint of untruth. She had no idea what to expect. Rusty could be a bit of a hothead. She knew that from what Sally had said about how Rusty acted right after Dave had died, but she thought he’d moved past that.

  She looked back at the barn and saw Michelle watching them. Chase and Trisha were off to the side, talking head-to-head. Danica assumed Trisha was also trying to figure out what had transpired.

  Brad wiped the remaining blood from his nose. “I don’t know. I was talking to Michelle and some other kids, and then someone said something, and the next thing I knew, I was being punched.”

  “Who said what?”

  He shrugged. “I really have no idea.”

  “Brad, were you hitting on Michelle? I know she’s really cute and really nice, but I think she’s seeing Chase.”

  “Chase?" He looked back up at the barn.

  “I don’t really know. This is all kind of hearsay.”

  “Whatever. Look, I don’t know what set him off, and I’m really sorry. All I did was ask Michelle if she was going to join the ski club this year. I told her it would be cool if we could ski down Little Hellion. My friends have done it and—”

  Shit. “Brad, Rusty’s father died there last year.”

  “Shit. Sorry,” he said, then ran his hand through his hair. “I had no idea.”

  “He probably thought you were taking a cheap shot at him or something. I don’t know.” Danica was glad she hadn’t told Gage to go with Sally. God only knew what she’d be dealing with tonight. “Listen, Little Hellion is named that for a reason. Please be careful. I’m not sure it’s really safe for kids.” She saw the creasing of his brow, and she knew she was overstepping her bounds. His parents could deal with the ski slope. She’d warned him, and he was a smart kid. Hopefully he’d think twice about going up there. Right now Danica had to deal with the issue at hand. She took another good, long look at Brad. He wasn’t bruised or limping, which was a relief. “Are you hurt at all?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, then you go ahead back and have fun. I’m really sorry this happened. I’ll call your parents and let them know.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” he said.

  “Yes, I do.” Her first parental confrontation. This should be fun.

  He headed back toward the barn. Danica watched Michelle come to his side and sling her arm around his shoulder. Chase wasn’t far behind. She headed back toward the barn to talk with Trisha and Gage.

  “How’s the damage control going?” she asked them.

  “Chase said Brad said something about Little Hellion and Rusty went off. Poor kid. He’s carrying around his father’s death like something he has to protect.” Trisha’s tone was fraught with empathy.

  “Sally will take care of him.”

  “Tell me what I can do. We have to make some phone calls to the county. They’ll hear about this, and it could have an impact on future events. I mean, I know you own the center, and the county generally keeps its nose out of these kinds of events, but if anyone complains, they might inquire.” Gage’s eyes were serious, dark. “Danica, I dealt with the county at my last job. It’s better to be ahead of the game.”

  “I know. I’ll call the director first thing tomorrow. I have his cell number. I want to talk to Sally and to Brad’s parents first.” She went looking for Blake, relieved to see him standing beside Chaz near the stage. Sentinels guarding Kaylie. She tucked her arm int
o Blake’s as Kaylie switched to an unmistakable love song, looking right into Chaz’s eyes with more love than even Danica imagined she was capable of showing. Good girl, Kaylie. “She’s beautiful,” she said to Chaz.

  “She sure is. I’m a lucky guy for more reasons than I can count.” Chaz never took his eyes off Kaylie.

  Danica pulled Blake into the center of the barn, rested her head on his chest, and swayed to the music.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’ll have shit to deal with tomorrow, but for now, I’m doing just fine.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  “You know, I always loved how you sang, but yesterday, Kaylie, something was different. It was like you weren’t just singing, but you were living each word.” Kaylie and Chaz had invited Danica and Blake over for brunch, and the four of them sat around a glass table on the rear patio. The sun warmed them like a spotlight against the mild mountain breeze, carrying the scent of fresh-baked croissants. Blake’s hand on Danica’s thigh sent goose bumps along her arms. They’d spent the morning making love, and Danica’s body was still shuddering with tiny aftershocks. She crossed her legs beneath her long cotton skirt, and Blake lifted his hand. Thank God. Now maybe her lingering desire would settle down. She leaned back, focusing on Kaylie.

  “She was amazing, wasn’t she?” Chaz squeezed Kaylie’s hand. He looked regal in his khaki shorts and white button-down shirt. He doled a few pieces of cantaloupe and honeydew melon onto his plate from the large decorative bowl in the center of the table, then went back for seconds of grapes, blueberries, and strawberries.

  Kaylie reached over and snuck a blueberry from his plate, popping it in her mouth with a playful grin. “I felt different up there. I know that sounds weird, but I think it’s because I wrote those songs.” Kaylie tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her ear. “I meant every word of them, too, so they felt real to me, not just like empty lyrics that I needed to memorize.”

  “Crazy good, Kay. Seriously. I hate to say it, but I never knew you had it in you to be so deep.” Danica realized how negative that sounded, and she quickly tried to remove the foot from her mouth. “I didn’t mean that you’re shallow. I meant—”

  “Oh my God, sis, chill. I know what you meant.” Kaylie had a serious look in her eye as she turned her focus to Chaz. “I think I’m changing. I honestly didn’t know I had that in me either, but when Chaz suggested that I write, and I started writing just to show him that I could, I never thought I’d write anything worth singing.” Her eyes lit up. “I was so wrong. So wrong!”

  “See, sometimes it’s good when boyfriends push a little,” Blake said, nudging Danica.

  “Speaking of nudging, I hear we’re going to have neighbors. Good move, Blake.” Chaz leaned his elbows on the table and said with a conspiratorial look in his eye, “You know what that means.”

  Blake raised an eyebrow. “More brunches?”

  “These girls will be doing their girl things and we can go skiing all we want, do guy stuff—play golf, hit the clubs.” He winked.

  Kaylie punched his arm. “You hate golf.”

  “Yeah, golf? Not my thing either, Kaylie, don’t worry. He’s just playin’ with you.” Blake put his hand on Danica’s. “And I can’t even pretend to love clubs anymore. As far as they go, I’ve got no interest unless this pretty lady’s on my arm. But I love hanging out with you, Chaz, so what about skiing and getting together for a drink and watching a game sometime?”

  “That sounds even better,” he answered.

  Kaylie startled, knocking the table with her knee. Everyone reached for their juice glasses to keep them from toppling over.

  “What is it?” Chaz asked.

  “The baby. She’s going nuts in there.” She rubbed her belly and leaned back. “It feels like my whole stomach is tightening.”

  “Braxton Hicks contractions,” Chaz said. “Don’t you remember? The Lamaze teacher said they could start three or four weeks before the baby came.” He reached out and rubbed her belly.

  “I’m impressed,” Danica mused.

  “Hey, I’m every bit as invested in this baby as she is.”

  “He is,” Kaylie said, as she let out a long, slow breath. “Ah, that’s better. Wow, that was weird.” She filled her bowl with fruit and took a croissant from the tray. “We have some big news we wanted to share with you guys before anyone else found out.”

  Danica’s ears perked up. “The sex of the evil spawn?”

  Kaylie shook her head. “Can we please call her something cuter? Beautiful spawn maybe?”

  “So it’s a girl?”

  Kaylie laughed. “No, that’s not the news. We have no idea what we’re having. I’ll let Chaz tell you.”

  Chaz sat back and took Kaylie’s hand. “We’re buying out my partners. We’ll be the full owners of the festival by the end of the month.”

  “Dude, that is huge.” Blake stood and shook his hand. “What does that mean for the festival, exactly?”

  “Nothing, really. I mean, it means more for the business. It means that I have full ownership instead of having two partners, so even though the other partners had no involvement in decision making before, now I don’t have to worry about ever losing a piece of the ownership. I own the whole thing.”

  Kaylie looked at Danica and held her gaze. “And it means that the freaky Lea Carmichael can’t get her gaudy little claws into it.”

  “Why do I know that name?” Blake looked at Danica. She shrugged. “Wait, Lea Carmichael, I know who she is. She owns a ski shop—well, a ski mall, really—over in Vail. Why would she want to buy into the festival?”

  “Because she’s a freaky bitch who wants to ruin my future husband’s life.” Kaylie’s smile had faded, replaced with an angry frown.

  “We sort of had a thing for a few days a few years ago. It was a big mistake. She’s a huge sponsor—well, she was. She turned all girl-gone-crazy on me and I ended it. After a few weeks, she stopped trying to get my attention, and I thought she was over it. I mean, it was a fling, you know.” He looked at Blake.

  “Sometimes flings can have the worst aftertaste,” Blake said.

  “I thought I’d heard the last of her, and then I met Kaylie.” He paused, his gaze lingering on his fiancée. “Then she pulled this crazy scheme, told me she was buying Carl Jansen’s percentage, and basically all hell broke loose.”

  “She even called me and tried to make it seem like she’d been with Chaz. With him, you know.” Kaylie looked at Chaz and then shifted to Danica. “But I know better. She wasn’t. She was trying to come between us.”

  “Anyway.” Chaz stood to divert the conversation. “We’ll be full owners, which is great.”

  “Hey, did Danica tell you guys that Sally is keeping her half of AcroSki?” Blake reached for a croissant as Chaz sat back down.

  “Really? Why?” Kaylie picked a grape from Chaz’s plate and fed it to him.

  “She thinks that Rusty might want it when he’s older.”

  Kaylie furrowed her brow. “I thought he hated skiing.”

  “He does,” Danica answered. “But sometimes things change, and Sally doesn’t want to steal the chance that he’ll grab on to something of Dave’s.”

  “Not to bring up a sore subject, but what the hell was that about last night?” Chaz asked.

  “What a nightmare.” Danica sipped her orange juice. “I spoke to the director for the county earlier this morning. He didn’t seem concerned at all about the fight. I wonder if I even should have bothered calling. It seems like I’m more worried about what they might think than they are about what’s actually going on. Apparently, even though the county allows us to hold programs for them, they don’t get involved with the rest of this stuff.” She shrugged as Blake reached over and ran his palm along her back. “I talked to Brad’s parents last night. They seemed to take it in stride, or at least as much as a parent can do that, I guess. So, I’m not going to stress over it too much. I’m calling Sally later today.
I’ll see what’s going on with Rusty. As far as I could tell, Brad, the kid who was hit, said something about Little Hellion, and Rusty lost it.”

  “Maybe I should talk to him, just to make sure he’s okay?” Blake offered.

  Danica saw the memory of his friend’s death shadowing his kind offer. “Let’s just wait and see what Sally says.”

  “I can see a kid losing it over that,” Chaz said.

  “Hey, I don’t want our children settling things that way,” Kaylie said.

  “I know, but hey, a guy’s gotta be a guy. If someone said something bad about you or me, would you want our son to walk away?”

  “No, but he won’t have to punch the guy, either.” Kaylie looked to Danica for support.

  “Yeah, he won’t have to hit. But the truth is, Kay, that boys that age have so much testosterone flowing through them that sometimes I think they can’t help it. Besides, I’m not so sure it didn’t have something to do with Michelle, too.”

  “Finally, some juicy gossip. It’s been ages since I’ve heard any.” Kaylie leaned forward, and Danica followed suit.

  “I don’t have any idea if what I heard is true or not, but there seems to be some sort of love triangle going on. Trisha says Chase is dating Michelle, but Sally says Rusty is. Throw into the mix that Brad comes into the center to talk to Michelle—alone—and I catch Rusty watching them through the glass.” She sat back and crossed her arms.

  “The plot thickens. God, I’ve missed this.” Kaylie laughed.

  Danica gave her a stern look and then cocked her head toward Chaz.

  “What?” Kaylie’s eyes grew wide. “All I’m saying is that we’re all settled down now, and Camille is married, and I don’t see the girls very often. Even Chelsea has been dating the same guy for two months. I’m not saying I want to live in that gossipy world again. I’m saying it’s fun to hear about someone else’s love life troubles instead of my own.”

  “That it is,” Danica agreed. “Anyway, I have no idea what that’s all about, but I’m hoping Sally can enlighten me.”

  Kaylie stood and stretched her legs. “Sometimes I just gotta stand or my legs go numb.”