Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

Olivia looked into one of the trays. “There’s a little stem already.”

“I root them while they’re still cold. It speeds up the forcing time and allows me to know exactly when they’re going to be ready. Between now and when they bloom, they’ll live in a perfect sixty-seven degrees with plenty of light and nutrients.”

“Do you grow more for Mother’s Day?”

“We deliver about six hundred and fifty thousand stems.”

“Don’t you worry about something going wrong?”

“Every time I plant.”

Olivia frowned. “And here I thought farming was boring.”

“It’s a lot of things, but boring isn’t one of them.” The guys continued to put trays on tables. “I need to go back to my office and take care of a few things. You can stay and watch if you want.”

She expected her sister to refuse, but instead Olivia nodded. “Thanks. I’m going to walk around for a while. I’ll stay out of their way.”

“Have fun.”

When Kelly was back in her office, she slipped off her coveralls. She checked her email, then opened her scheduling program to confirm she would have enough workers when the tulips began to bloom.

Her dad walked in and took a chair across from hers.

“How’s it going?” he asked. “I saw you’re moving the bulbs into the greenhouse.”

“All hundred thousand. We’re on track for our deliveries.”

“I’ll put out the word. Brides across the west will sleep easier.”

“Somehow I think they have more to worry about than tulips.”

“Have you seen that Bridezilla show?” He shuddered. “They worry about everything.”

“When have you ever seen a show about Bridezillas? How do you even know what that word is?”

“I hear things.”

“You have a whole secret life, don’t you?”

“Telling would mean it wasn’t a secret.”

She laughed. “Olivia’s out there, watching the trays being put on the tables. She’s fascinated.”

“It’s all new to her.” He looked at Kelly. “I like having her back.”

“Me, too.”

“Do you? I wasn’t sure at first.”

Kelly sighed. “I was shocked when she showed up and more than a little resentful because I thought she would get in the way, but we’re all different now. I guess growing up has a way of changing a person.”

“I hope so. If not, there’s a bigger problem.”

She leaned toward him. “Does she remind you of Mom?”

“Olivia? Not at all. Why?”

“I just wondered. When we were kids she was with her all the time.”

“I’m sorry about that,” he said. “Marilee and I screwed up as parents in every way possible. The fact that you two are the least bit functional is because of you, not us.”

“You didn’t screw up.”

“Sure, I did. We each had our favorite child. That was wrong. We were rarely a family—we were two teams. When Marilee left, Olivia had no one. I didn’t know how to relate to her at all. I should have been there for her as much as I was there for you.”

Kelly understood his point, but what she wanted to say was if her dad had been more involved with Olivia, he would have been less involved with her and then she would have had no one. It wasn’t as if her mother would have picked up the slack. But that sounded petty and immature.

“I don’t think we should have gotten married,” he admitted. “I never thought she’d say yes. I should have taken you myself and raised you as a single father.”

“Then you wouldn’t have had Olivia.”

“You’re right. It’s complicated. I know the divorce was hard on you. All the fighting, your mother doing what she did.”

Kelly rolled her eyes. “You’re always so nice when you talk about her. You never call out her crap.”

“Whatever I think of her is my problem. Marilee will always be your mother. I respect that.”

“You’re a good man.”

He grinned. “Thanks. Just don’t tell your mother you said that.”

“As I haven’t spoken to her since I was fifteen, I don’t see that as a real problem.”

*

Olivia stopped running long enough to shrug out of her jacket and tie it around her waist. She checked for traffic, then crossed the street on her way to the park. Her breathing was steady, matching the rhythm of her stride. Her mind cleared of all the general crap, leaving her able to focus on what was important.

Since the volunteer day, she’d received more calls and emails about items people wanted to donate. At this rate she was going to be using a lot more of Sven’s barn than she’d first thought. She was also going to have to figure out how to bundle various items so the number of bidding opportunities was manageable. If there were too many items, people wouldn’t be able to make a choice. Or they’d go bargain shopping and that wouldn’t help anyone. Fewer items that were more exclusive meant bidding wars.

She had one more meeting with a caterer and then she would make her decision on the dinner menu. The tourism board had given her an advance to use as a deposit. As the event was being held at the craft mall, she wouldn’t need to pay for the space, but she did have to organize some burly help to move booths out of the way, opening up a large area for the silent auction.

Tickets would go on sale at the end of the week. The city had an online site she was able to use for collecting the money. Two of the local high school teachers had offered students in need of their volunteer hours to graduate for her to use as free labor. While the project was still at the “Am I going to pull it off” stage, she was feeling relatively positive.

A truck pulled up behind her. In that split second before she turned, she found herself smiling. Sven, she thought happily, hoping he would invite her back to his place. She could use a little mind-clearing sex, followed by great food. Honestly, his last girlfriend had been an idiot. Who wouldn’t want to be with a guy who was that good in bed and could cook? The walking around naked part was good, too. Dinner and a show.

She was still grinning as she turned around and saw the driver wasn’t Sven at all. It was Ryan.

She let the smile fade as she walked toward him. Technically Ryan was one of the main reasons she’d returned to Tulpen Crossing. She was supposed to get closure and he’d really hurt her feelings that first night she’d sought him out. Since then, she’d thought of him less and less. But as she got closer and she saw his familiar face, she wondered if she’d just been fooling herself. Ryan had always been the one. The dream guy.

He rolled down the window and leaned toward her. “God, you’re beautiful.”

She stopped a couple of feet away. “Hello, Ryan. Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“I’m good. Besides, if I was at work, I wouldn’t be talking to you. How are you? I never see you around.” His expression turned serious. “I miss you, Olivia.”

“Do you?”

“Every minute of every day. I’ve been thinking about you a lot. About how we were, back in college. It was the best ever.”