Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

by Susan Mallery

  Kelly felt as if someone had stabbed her in the gut...or the heart. “Not that I know of. I’m sorry.”

  Helen whimpered. “I should go home.”

  “If that’s what you want, I’ll take you and stay with you. Griffith can hang out here and walk with the kitten and the armoire.” Olivia would understand, Kelly told herself.

  “No, you have to stay.”

  “What’s going on?”

  Kelly turned and saw Griffith had joined them. He moved to Helen and put his arm around her.

  “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m a little shaky.”

  Griffith squeezed her. “I want you to look at me and think happy thoughts. Then I want you to fake laugh. Now.”

  Helen sniffed, then did as he asked.

  “Good,” he told her. “Marilee is here and she was looking this way.”

  “That’s it,” Kelly said firmly, deciding this was the time to worry about her friend. She would deal with Griffith and her father later. “We’re taking you home.”

  Helen hesitated, then squared her shoulders. “No. I’m staying. I don’t care that she’s here. I bought my ticket and I’m going to support the craft mall. This is my town, too.”

  “I already saved us seats,” Griffith said.

  “Thank you.” Helen wiped her face. “I have to go tidy up. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Kelly said quickly.

  Kelly stayed close through the restroom visit and sat next to Helen at dinner. When her friend leaned away to talk to the couple on the other side of her, Kelly turned to Griffith.

  “When did you find out?” she asked, her voice low. “About my dad and mom?”

  “Last Sunday when I stayed.”

  “Is that why you left so early?”

  “I needed to tell Helen.”

  She tried not to show her turmoil, but she had a bad feeling her confusion showed on her face.

  “You’re upset,” he said gently.

  “Yes, and pissed. You should have said something to me. I had the right to know what was happening in my own house.”

  “Why?”

  An unexpected question. “Because it’s my dad and my best friend.”

  “You weren’t sure how you felt about Helen dating Jeff and I didn’t know if you were ready to be supportive. Trust me, telling her was not fun. The last thing she needed was you being ambivalent. I figured I’d let Helen tell you when she was ready. I wasn’t keeping secrets from you, I was keeping secrets for her.”

  Her outrage grew. “I would have been there for her. I was tonight. It wasn’t your decision to make.” She couldn’t believe he’d kept this from her.

  His gaze was steady. “Yes, it was, Kelly. Helen is my friend, too.”

  But we shouldn’t keep secrets from each other. The thought formed, but she didn’t speak the words, mostly because she wasn’t sure they were true. Of course they kept secrets. They hadn’t known each other that long and while they’d agreed to be a couple, it wasn’t as if they were on the road to falling in love and getting married. In fact Griffith had pretty much promised that would never happen.

  “I love Helen,” she said instead. “I would never hurt her.”

  “You love your dad, too. What about him? Besides, you weren’t exactly supportive when you found out about their relationship, were you?”

  She looked at him and didn’t know what to say.

  “I’m sorry if you’re mad at me,” he told her. “I won’t apologize for telling Helen and I won’t apologize for not telling you. That’s between you and her.”

  The servers set salads in front of them, Helen turned back and the chance to continue the conversation was lost.

  Ignoring the fact that Helen was devastated and Kelly alternated between shame and hurt, the evening went perfectly. The auction items, including a year’s worth of tulips, went for way more than Kelly would have expected. When she got up to go backstage for the fashion show, she spotted her parents sitting together. Marilee looked dazzling while her dad seemed more resigned. She had no idea what might or might not have happened and couldn’t begin to figure out how to handle the situation. There was only one thing she knew for sure.

  She turned to Helen. “I’m sorry. I was wrong not to be more supportive when I found out about you and my dad. I’m sorry I wasn’t the kind of friend you felt you could tell from the beginning. I love you and I want to be there for you. Please forgive me and help me do better.”

  Helen started to cry and Kelly did, as well. They hung on to each other until Olivia raced over.

  “What are you two doing? Stop it this second. There’s an antique furniture and pet fashion show about to start and you’re both in it. Stop it right now!”

  Kelly held out one arm. “Group hug,” she announced.

  “Fine. Then no more tears. I mean it.”

  The three of them hugged, then straightened. Olivia wiped each of their faces, pronounced them camera ready and motioned for them to get in place. Kelly pulled an armoire on a wheeled pallet while Helen held a small black-and-white kitten in her arms. She nuzzled the sweet baby.

  “You’re right,” she said when they were backstage again. “This is really helping.”

  “I’m glad.” Kelly stopped. “If you and my dad get back together, I want you to know I’ll be really happy for you. I want you to tell me everything.” She wrinkled her nose. “Unless it’s about sex and if you get married, there’s no way I can call you Mom. Otherwise, I’m game for anything. Deal?”

  Helen nodded and tried to smile. “Deal.”

  31

  Kelly waited in the kitchen for her dad to wake up. They’d both had a late night with the fund-raiser. She didn’t know about him, but she sure hadn’t slept well. There’d been a lot on her mind. Not just what had happened between him and Helen, but how it had been handled. While she understood why Griffith hadn’t told her, she didn’t like the implication—that she was a bad friend.

  She loved Helen. They were there for each other, depended on each other, yet all this time, Helen had kept a really big secret from her and based on how she’d reacted, her friend hadn’t been wrong.

  Kelly didn’t like what that said about her as a person. She’d always thought she was a good and thoughtful friend. That she was dependable. It was kind of a shock to find out that wasn’t actually true.

  She poured herself a second cup of coffee. She had to come up with an action plan, or at the very least, vow to do better so she could be the kind of friend she’d always imagined herself to be.

  She heard footsteps in the hallway and got another mug from the cabinet, then handed coffee to her father as he walked in the kitchen.

  He looked tired, as if he, too, hadn’t been sleeping well. She supposed if she were a better person, she would be sympathetic, but she wasn’t. Right now she had to be Team Helen all the way.

  “Dad, we need to talk.”

  Her father sat at the kitchen table and sighed. “I figured we’d get to that. You found out what your mother said.”

  She settled across from him. “Let me be clear. What you do in your personal life is your business. I get that. You’re an adult and you’re my father. There are things we don’t talk about. Which is fine, but I’m not here as a member of your family right now, I’m here as Helen’s friend.”

  She stared at him. “She’s my best friend, Dad, and you hurt her. You led her on and humiliated her. How could you do that? She’s wonderful and doesn’t deserve that.”

  He hung his head. “Nothing happened. Not that night, not any night. I haven’t so much as kissed your mother. She’s staying here for you and Olivia, not me.”

  Kelly desperately wanted to believe him, but she wasn’t complete
ly sure. “Then why aren’t you at a hotel? You told Helen you’d move into one a few days ago.”

  His head snapped up. “Because I can’t get a goddamn room. Do you think I haven’t tried? It’s summer, Kelly. We might not be a tourist destination here in Tulpen Crossing, but everywhere else is. It’s warm and sunny and I can’t get a room for thirty miles. Don’t believe me? You go spend an hour on any travel website you like. Find me a room and I’ll move out.”

  Sweet relief eased some of the tightness in her chest. “Really? That’s the reason?”

  “Of course it’s the reason. Otherwise I would have been gone. I told Helen I would—I care about her. I’m not going to lie to her. She matters to me. I figured it would be okay—that your mother would get bored and leave.”

  Kelly stared at him. “Then tell Mom to go.”

  He shook his head. “Her being here isn’t about me.”

  “Oh, my God! Are you serious? Are you still trying to give me time with my mother? I don’t want time with her. I don’t even like her.”

  “Kelly Ann, don’t say that. She’s your mother.”

  “Don’t ‘Kelly Ann’ me. She’s a horrible person. The only reason I don’t say I hate her is because she’s my mother, but that’s all she gets. I’m going to tell her to get her ass out of this house right now.”

  “No, you won’t.” Her father sounded sterner than she’d ever heard. “You will not. Tonight, when everyone is up, we’ll have a family meeting and discuss it. You’re not going to go yell at her on my behalf. Not when you’re upset about Helen.”

  Kelly glared at him. “You’re still defending her. I don’t get it.”

  He touched her hand. “I’m not defending her. I’m making sure you don’t say a lot of things you’ll regret later. The last thing you want to have to do is apologize.”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it. There was the tiniest possibility that he might be right. Which was annoying.

  “Fine,” she grumbled. “I’ll wait until tonight.”

  “Thank you.”

  She sighed. “Relationships are hard.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “You have to make things right with Helen.”

  “I’m still working on that one.”

  * * *

  Sven put a plate in front of Olivia. “You have to eat.”

  She stretched and yawned. “I don’t but I will. I’m still tired.”

  “You’ve been doing too much, getting everything ready.”

  “Maybe, but it was worth it.” She looked at the perfect omelet with fluffy eggs, cheese, avocado and bacon. “You sure know how to dazzle a girl. Thank you for breakfast.”

  “Thank you for coming over.”

  She took a bite, then wrinkled her nose. “I wasn’t very good company.”

  The event had ended just after nine, but Olivia had stayed until nearly eleven to help with the cleanup. Sven had driven her back to his place, where she’d crashed on his bed and hadn’t stirred until about twenty minutes ago. Probably not the romantic evening he’d had planned.

  “Just let me eat and I’ll rally and then we’ll go back to bed and have some fun.”

  He crossed to the table and sat across from her. His blond hair was mussed, his blue eyes concerned. Even more upsetting, the man was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. She liked her Sven cooking naked.

  She was about to say that when he spoke first.

  “This isn’t just about sex, Olivia.” His voice was low and stern. “Don’t you know that?”

  “I, ah, just thought...”

  “You were wrong,” he said firmly, returning to the stove and flipping his own omelet.

  He wanted her for more than sex? Wasn’t that nice to hear? She tried to remember the last time a man had said that to her only to realize the reason she couldn’t was no one had. Not ever. She wasn’t the girl you took home to meet your folks. She was the girl you did in the back of your car.

  Emotions threatened to overwhelm her. She carefully pushed them down to be dealt with another day. She was tired and this wasn’t the time for any kind of serious discussion. Her entire goal for this particular Saturday was to do as little as possible, then start fresh tomorrow.

  “Thank you,” she said, then deliberately switched topics. “I think we’re going to clear over a hundred thousand dollars.”

  “That’s wonderful. More than a roof.”

  “A lot more than a roof. I’m sure the tourism board has some thoughts, but I’ve prepared a list of ideas anyway.”

  He chuckled and joined her at the table. “I’m sure you have.” He picked up his fork. “When we first met I thought you were nothing like your sister, but I’ve started to see similarities. You’re both strong and creative, in your own way.”

  And while she appreciated the compliment, it was kind of a strange thing to say.

  “Kelly? Really? Do you know her that well?” She waved her hand. “I get it’s a small town and all, but are you two friends?”

  She’d never seen them together and couldn’t remember her sister mentioning Sven more than in passing.

  He stared at her. “What are you talking about? Of course I know Kelly. We were together for five years.”

  The fork slipped from Olivia’s fingers and clattered to the plate. Her mind went blank, then regretfully rebooted and she was forced to absorb the information.

  “Wh-what?”

  “We dated.” He frowned. “We broke up six months ago. It was common knowledge, Olivia. I thought you knew.”

  “I didn’t.” She sprang to her feet. The bit of omelet she’d eaten sat heavily in her stomach. The room spun a couple of times before settling down. “Oh, God. This is bad.” She glared at him. “You never once thought to mention it, just to be sure?”

  “Like I said, I thought you knew. Why is this a problem?”

  “Because she’s my sister. I can’t date her ex. I never mentioned you—not that we were...” She waved her hand between them, realizing she had no idea how to characterize their relationship.

  “Kelly and I are long over. She’s fine with it.”

  “She doesn’t know about it. You don’t understand. We’ve barely become friends. She might have been fine if I’d asked, but I didn’t. She’s going to think I went behind her back. Oh, this is bad, Sven. Really, really bad. Can you please take me to my car? I have to find her and tell her.”

  He shook his head. “You’re making more of this than it is, but fine. I’ll take you to your car.”

  “Thank you.” She hugged him. “You’re the best.” Then she punched him in the stomach which, given his muscle mass, was a meaningless gesture. “You still should have told me. Sisters? Come on. What is this? Porn?”

  He winked. “I can be kinky.”

  “We’ll deal with that later.”

  * * *

  Kelly finished the last of her emails, then switched programs and waited for her orders to boot. It was time she reviewed them anyway. The office was quiet and—

  She heard the front door open followed by the sound of running feet. She’d barely stood when Olivia burst into her office.

  “Who works on Saturday?” her sister demanded. “I raced home only to be told you were here. It’s the weekend. Stop working.”

  Olivia was wide-eyed and breathing hard, as if she’d run miles.

  “What’s going on?” Kelly asked, not sure she could deal with another crisis. Her apprehension turned to dread when her sister twisted her fingers together and tears filled her eyes.

  “I didn’t know! I swear, I didn’t know. No one said a word. Not one person. We can talk about the minutiae of everyone’s lives, but no one saw fit to mention that you’d dated Sven for five years? It’s so unfair. I mean it, Kelly. No one. Not Da
d or Helen or Griffith or the guy at the grocery store who knows everything.”

  Kelly assumed Olivia meant the guy knew everything and not the grocery store but figured this wasn’t the time to mention that.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I’m sleeping with Sven.”

  The four words hung in the room for what felt like a really long time. Kelly collapsed into her seat.

  “You’re—”

  “Sleeping with Sven. Yes.” Olivia perched on the chair opposite. “I didn’t know. It just happened. We met and I thought he was cute and one thing led to another and I’ve been seeing him and dammit, it’s not my fault. I would have told you or asked or said something. I really, really didn’t know.”

  Sven and Olivia? Kelly had to admit it made sense. They were both gorgeous and they would have a lot in common. There was a weird factor and if she thought about it too much, she could see herself getting angry, but first...

  “I thought you were dating Ryan.”

  “God, no. Yuck. He’s a disaster.”

  “But you came back for him.”

  Olivia shifted in her seat. “Maybe at first. Or maybe he was the excuse. I don’t know. But I haven’t been seeing him. Besides, even if I was interested, he has a girlfriend.” She sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry about Sven. I would have talked to you. I know it could really make you uncomfortable to have us together so if you want me to break up with him, I will. I’ll never see him again.”

  Kelly knew Olivia was telling the truth. This was her way of saying their new, closer relationship was more important. Kelly poked at her heart, trying to figure out if there was any genuine anger or hurt. She and Sven had been together a long time—she should feel something. Only she didn’t. Amazement that she hadn’t known, but other than that—

  “It’s fine,” she said. “I mean it. I’m kind of shocked but Sven and I were never right for each other.”

  Olivia stared at her as if waiting for there to be more.

  Kelly smiled. “It’s okay. He’s great. I can see the two of you together. Kind of. I don’t actually want to think about it too much.”