Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

by Susan Mallery

  * * *

  While Kelly didn’t like fighting with Helen, she enjoyed spending time with her mother even less, so she wasn’t happy to get home after talking with her friend to find Marilee hanging out in the kitchen.

  “You look awful,” her mother said as Kelly tried to sneak past her and bolt for her bedroom. “Haven’t you been sleeping?”

  Kelly thought about the past two nights. “Not really.” She’d stayed with Griffith the first night only to realize that her tossing and turning kept him up. It seemed kinder to take her crabby self home. Now she surrendered to what seemed to be a case of bad timing and walked into the kitchen.

  “I have a lot on my mind,” she admitted as she crossed to the refrigerator and pulled out the pitcher of iced tea. “Work,” she added, not sure why she was lying. Okay, she knew exactly why she was lying. What was she supposed to say? “I’m upset because my best friend is sleeping with my father, your ex-husband. By the way, why are you walking around in his pajama tops every morning?”

  A conversation she was in no way prepared to have. As it was, she would gladly pay large sums of money to get the visual permanently erased from her brain.

  She put ice in her glass, then poured in the tea. As she took a sip she wondered if maybe her day would be brighter if she started adding vodka to her liquids.

  “Is your father seeing anyone?” Marilee asked.

  Kelly swore as the glass started to slip from her fingers. She caught it, but at the price of cold tea spilling down the front of her shirt. Worse, it was one of the new ones Olivia had bought for her.

  “How would I know?” she demanded as she made her way to the sink. “He’s my father. The thought of him dating anyone is inherently icky.”

  “I just wondered.”

  “What part of gross wasn’t clear?” Kelly asked as she dabbed at the front of her shirt.

  “So you’re not sure? He mentions Helen all the time, but I met her and that’s not happening.”

  Kelly turned to her mother. It was one thing for her to be mad at Helen, but quite another for Marilee to say anything. “Why not? Helen’s my best friend. She’s great. Pretty and smart and funny and kind.”

  Marilee rolled her eyes. “Please. She’s fat. Jeff would never be interested in her. He’s not that desperate.”

  “She’s not fat. She’s curvy. I think she’s fabulous.”

  Marilee looked Kelly up and down. “Yes, we should all rely on your sense of what’s attractive.”

  Kelly gasped at the insult. “You know what, Mom? You think what you want. Helen’s amazing and Dad would be lucky to have her. Plus, she’s got what, twenty years on you?”

  Marilee gasped. Kelly took that as the best she was going to get for the day and bolted for her room.

  * * *

  “Hey, Mom,” Griffith said as the call connected.

  “Griffith!” His mother’s voice became muffled as she covered the receiver with her hand and yelled, “Mark, it’s Griffith. Pick up the other phone.”

  The ritual made Griffith smile. God forbid his parents get a speakerphone, which he’d suggested more than once. But it was too fancy—they were simple people, as they liked to remind him. His father could easily pick up an extension.

  “Hello, son,” His father’s voice was familiar. A little gravelly, but full of affection.

  “Hey, Dad. How’s it going?”

  “We should ask you the same question,” his mother said. “You’re calling us in the middle of the week. Is something wrong?”

  The downside of a regularly scheduled Sunday morning call, he thought with a shake of his head. Any variation in routine was cause for alarm. Unfortunately, this time he did have something he needed to talk to them about.

  “I need your advice,” he admitted. What he really needed was their blessing, but he didn’t want to say that.

  “What’s happened?” his father asked. “You hurt?”

  “I’m fine, Dad. Everything is great.”

  “Good. We’re glad. You’re so successful and you’re doing what you love. That’s what we wanted for you. For both our boys.”

  “Yeah, well, that brings me to the reason for my call. I need to talk about Ryan. He’s fine,” he added hastily. “But I don’t know what to do about him.”

  “What is it?” his dad asked.

  Griffith braced himself for parental disappointment and disapproval. “Ryan’s still being a problem on the floor.” He detailed how his brother rarely showed up for work on time and was calling in sick a couple of times a week. How even after Griffith told Leo to treat him like everyone else and his brother’s paycheck reflected his actual hours, little had changed.

  “If it was just him, I might be able to deal with it,” he continued. “But it’s not. Some of the other guys on his team are picking up bad habits.”

  There was a moment of silence. He pictured his parents in their small kitchen exchanging a look and private conversation.

  “You know what you have to do,” his father told him. “Ryan’s an adult. He’s had some bad luck and he’s going to have to learn how to adjust. You’ve done the best you could to help him out. He hasn’t appreciated the effort and now he’s dragging you down. You have to cut him loose.”

  His mother sighed. “Your father’s right, Griffith. I hate to say it, but it’s time to fire Ryan. He’s a good boy and I can’t help thinking in his heart he knows he’s wrong.”

  Griffith thought their tenderhearted mother was giving Ryan too much credit but he wasn’t going to say that to her.

  “Thanks for understanding,” he said instead. “I know it’s my decision to make but I wanted your advice. I worry that I’m too close to the situation.”

  “He’s your brother, but you’re not wrong,” his mother said. “I’m sorry it turned out like this.”

  “Me, too.”

  “How are you otherwise?” she asked. “How’s Kelly?”

  He thought of the last night they’d spent together and grinned. “Good. She’s doing good.”

  “Is that bitch Marilee still around?”

  Griffith raised his eyebrows. “Mom, that’s kind of surprising talk from you.”

  “I know but I won’t apologize. There isn’t another word to describe her.”

  “She’s still here.”

  “I hope Jeff is smart enough to avoid her. He’s a good man and deserves someone nice in his life.”

  “I think he knows to avoid his ex-wife,” Griffith said, careful not to mention the Jeff-Helen revelation. He knew Kelly was still upset and didn’t think the information had gone public. He loved his mom but if he told her that juicy tidbit, she would be on the phone with every person she knew in Tulpen Crossing and he was pretty sure she knew them all.

  “When are you going to marry that girl?” his father asked bluntly.

  Griffith nearly dropped the phone. “Dad, I told you. It’s not like that. We’re not interested in taking things that far. This is enough.”

  “That’s crap and you know it. Griffith, you’ve always made me proud of you. You’re smart, determined and you’re doing a hell of a job with your company, but when it comes to women, you’re an idiot.”

  “Mark!”

  “You know I’m right, Melinda. You’ve said so yourself.”

  “I’m right here,” Griffith muttered, trying not to imagine what else his parents had been discussing about his life.

  “You fell off the horse,” his father continued. “Granted your divorce was painful, but it happens. I want to say it was all Jane, but you have flaws and part of the responsibility for the failure of your marriage falls to you.”

  “You never should have made that poor girl move to Africa,” his mother chimed in. “That was never part of the deal. For some women it wo
uld have been fine, but not Jane. I don’t know how she kept from killing you in your sleep.”

  Sometimes his mother’s willingness to speak her mind was charming—other times, not so much.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” his dad added. “That you failed. Well, so what? What if you’d given up the first time you hadn’t been able to solve a math equation? Should we have pulled you out of elementary school and sent you to work in the fields?”

  “Dad,” he began, only to have his mother tsk him into silence.

  “Your father is right,” she said firmly. “Things have come too easily to you. You’re making a mistake, Griffith. Love is important. Marriage is important and anything worth having is worth working for. Don’t give up so easily. You’re better than that. Now your father and I have to go to water aerobics and you have to fire your brother. We love you and we’ll talk on Sunday. ’Bye.”

  There was a click, then nothing. Griffith put his cell phone on the desk and shook his head. For a second he thought about pounding it on the desk, but he knew he would regret the action later, even if it felt good in the moment.

  His parents were wonderful people and he’d been lucky to have them in his life, but every now and then...

  Better not to think about what they’d said on the Kelly front, he told himself. They didn’t know what he’d gone through with Jane. The divorce had been—

  What? Devastating? Not really. He’d been surprised and angry and hurt, but he’d kept going. If he were completely honest, a part of him had been relieved. Because neither of them had been happy for a long time.

  He stood and then sat back down. Now, looking back, he could see that someone like Kelly was a much better fit for him, but he hadn’t known that then. He’d thought he’d loved Jane. He’d thought they were going to be together forever.

  Was it possible that he’d gotten it wrong? He’d assumed the problem was that he wasn’t good at marriage and love. Maybe the issue had been his choice instead. And if that were true, didn’t it change everything?

  “Damn,” he muttered, not sure what to do with the information. Not that he had to do anything right now. He would sit with it. Of course if it were true, then what about Kelly—what about them?

  Questions he couldn’t answer and he still had his brother to fire.

  He walked into the warehouse and found Ryan lounging against the wall. When his brother saw him, he straightened.

  “Hey, bro, how’s it going?”

  “Can I talk to you for a second?”

  Ryan rolled his eyes, but fell into step. When they reached the office, Griffith shut the door behind them.

  He’d planned a couple of different speeches where he explained how he’d tried to give his brother a place to regroup only to have it bite him in the ass. He wanted to say that Ryan had been given more chances than he deserved and if he’d been anyone else, he would have been tossed out his first week. Which meant he was waiting for his brother to get it—for Ryan to say “Hey, wow, I’ve been a dick. Sorry.” That was never going to happen.

  He walked to his desk and pulled an envelope out of the top drawer. “You’re fired,” he said, handing it to his brother. “Clean out your locker. This is two weeks’ pay, which is more than you deserve. You can stay in the house for three months while you figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life, then I’m having the locks changed.”

  “What? You can’t do this to me.”

  “You didn’t leave me a choice. You’re not doing your job and you’re bringing the team down with you. This is a small company, Ryan. I can’t afford to take the hit.”

  “So you’re going to screw me instead.” Ryan glared at him. “Some brother you are.”

  “Back at you.”

  “Autumn thinks she’s pregnant. What am I supposed to tell her now?”

  Griffith’s gut twisted. There was a disaster waiting to happen. And if Ryan took off, Griffith had a sinking feeling about who would be picking up the pieces.

  “Tell her whatever you want,” he said with a carelessness he didn’t feel.

  Ryan gave him the finger, then walked out. Griffith sank onto his chair. He supposed it could have gone worse, but he didn’t see how.

  He picked up his cell and hit a couple of buttons. Kelly answered on the first ring.

  “How did it go?” she asked.

  “Not great.”

  “I’m coming over. You need a hug and then we’ll go get ice cream.”

  Despite everything, he smiled. “I’m not five.”

  “The ice cream was for me.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  “You know it.”

  28

  Kelly’s life had become segmented. There were the happy bits—hanging out with Griffith or her dad or even, surprisingly, Olivia. Then there were the confusing parts which were mostly about Helen, and then there was the horror of having her mother still in the house.

  Kelly missed her old life where everything had been pretty much the same. There was something to be said for predictable. Yes, the sex was better now, but it was a high price to pay for—

  She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and smiled. Who was she kidding? The sex was so great and worth nearly everything. So she would put up with her awful mother and assume that settled her account with the universe. As for Helen—that remained a question she couldn’t answer.

  Kelly left her bedroom and walked into the kitchen. She needed coffee, then to start her day. She poured coffee, only to yelp when she saw Marilee sitting at the kitchen table.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I live here.” Marilee was already dressed and wearing makeup. She stretched as she stood. “I never get to see you, darling and you’re one of the reasons I came back to this wretched little town. I want us to spend the day together.”

  That would be a nightmare, Kelly thought grimly. “I have to work.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. We both know your father would happily give you the day off. I was thinking we’d go get your sister and the three of us will have some quality girl time.” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t suppose there’s a halfway decent day spa anywhere around here.” Her expression brightened. “Oh, I know. Let’s drive into Seattle. We can check into a hotel and stay the night. Just the three of us. We’ll shop at Nordstrom and have a delicious dinner, go to a spa.” She sighed. “Just like civilized people.”

  Or they could rub hot pokers all over their bodies and jump into bubbling tar. Kelly did her best to smile normally. “I’m not kidding, Mom. I have to work.”

  “You grow tulips. They do it all themselves. It’s not like you have to be there to encourage them.”

  “Thanks for dismissing my work so completely.”

  “I’m sorry, but the truth is a monkey could do what you do, Kelly. And not a very bright one.”

  The slap shouldn’t have stung and yet it did. Kelly put down her coffee. “Thanks for making it easier to say I’m not spending the day with you, Marilee.”

  She turned to leave. Her mother hurried after her.

  “Wait. I’m sorry. That came out wrong. If you won’t do the day, at least have lunch with me. I really want to spend time with you. I mean it.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re my daughter. My firstborn. We have a special bond. Please?”

  It was all crap and she was being manipulated for reasons she couldn’t understand. At the same time she found it more difficult than she’d thought to say no. In fact, what came out of her mouth instead was, “Fine. Lunch. But not at the café.”

  She might not be speaking to Helen at this moment, but there was no way she was going to force her friend to serve Marilee lunch.

  They settled on a time and place. Before Kelly started her tru
ck, she texted her sister about the lunch date and asked that she be there, as well. Marilee was better in small doses and having a third person there would lighten the load.

  * * *

  “Is this really the nicest we could do?” Marilee asked as they settled in a booth at Tulip Burger. “Is that a bowling alley across the street? How do you stand it here?”

  Kelly looked across at her sister. Olivia offered a sympathetic smile. Oh, yeah, this was going to be a stellar lunch.

  “They have the best burgers this side of the Cascades,” Olivia said.

  “As if that’s something to brag about. Still...” Marilee smiled. “I’m with my two favorite girls.” She picked up the menu, then put it down. “I wish your father had joined us.”

  Kelly held in a groan.

  “Have you heard from Roger lately?” Olivia asked. “He was so nice.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Marilee’s tone was icy. “Roger and I barely dated.” She turned to Kelly. “Men can sometimes be a problem. You smile at them and they get the wrong impression.”

  “You and Roger were practically living together,” Olivia said, then grinned at Kelly. “Mom was supposed to spend the summer with him at his place in Colorado.” She looked back at Marilee. “What happened? I thought you said he was ready to propose.” She lowered her voice. “Was it ED?”

  Kelly struggled to keep from bursting into hysterical laughter. She’d been wary about having her sister back but she had to admit Olivia was great to have around. She was smart and funny and when she got on a roll, you needed to stay out of the way.

  “It wasn’t anything to do with that,” Marilee said, her voice low and sharp. “He was no one. It’s over. I’ve moved on.”

  “Dad has, too.” Kelly smiled. “It’s great that both of you have full lives without each other. I always think it’s kind of pathetic when one person can’t let go.”

  “Oh, me, too.” Olivia’s expression was innocent. “Don’t you feel sorry for them? There’s nothing sadder than living in the past. Mom would never do that, would you, Mom?”