Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

“I’m a good boyfriend,” he added. “I’ll be attentive and faithful.”

“Me, too. Not the boyfriend part.”

“Good, because while I respect the other team, I don’t want to play for them.”

She smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He picked up his fork. “If this was high school, I’d give you my letterman’s jacket or something.”

“Didn’t they used to have pins a million years ago? Didn’t you pin a girl?”

“It sounds painful for the girl.”

She laughed. “You know what I mean.”

“I’ll get you a pin.”

“I’m all aquiver.”

“Then my work here is done.”

They finished dinner and moved to the family room. Kelly liked how Griffith listened when she talked and that they were both interested in each other’s work.

“When does your dad play again?” he asked.

“Because you want to hear another awful band?”

“Sure. They’re fun. And sometimes they’re not terrible.”

“You could write advertising copy,” she teased, and made air quotes. “Download this band’s song. Sometimes they’re not terrible.”

“I’m supporting the arts.”

They sat on the sofa, not all that far apart. They’d brought the wine in with them although she had her doubts about them finishing the bottle. Not at the rate they were going, which was also fine.

He reached out and tugged on a strand of her hair. “I like the curls.”

“That was my sister’s doing.”

“How’s it going with her?”

“Really good. I’m glad she and I have worked through our issues. Now there aren’t any more secrets. It’s better that way.”

“Not a fan of hiding the truth?”

“It makes things too complicated. You have to remember what you can and can’t say. It’s hard to keep straight.”

She started to say more but before she could speak, he shifted closer and kissed her.

The move was just unexpected enough to steal her breath away. Or maybe it was the kiss itself. Or the man.

He leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers. The touch was gentle, almost teasing. He kissed her again, his mouth more firm this time. His lips were warm, not yielding, but not taking, either. He held back just enough that she found herself easing toward him, increasing the pressure and moving back and forth.

One of his hands settled on her waist. Her sweater rode up a little and his fingers rested on her bare back. The contact was nice. A little arousing, a little unexpected. This was the good part. The before. If only it could go on forever.

He felt good... No, they felt good together. There was a rightness in the kiss. She liked how he went slow and how his hands made her tingle just a little. Her breathing quickened as anticipation swept through her. The sensation was thick, as if it would take a while to warm up, but it was there and it felt nice.

Unexpectedly, Griffith drew back. “I should let you get home.”

The words made no sense. Weren’t they going to do this for a while? She liked doing this. It was the best part. Later, they would move on to sex and while that would be fine, it wasn’t the same.

“You meant what you said about taking it slow,” she murmured.

“I did. Is that annoying?”

“Just a little.” She spoke without thinking, then held in a groan. She didn’t want him to believe she was hoping they would go further than they had. “What I meant was—”

He kissed her again. Lightly. Teasingly. “I know what you meant.”

She doubted that but didn’t bother trying to explain.

He stood and pulled her to her feet. “This was nice. I’m looking forward to seeing you again.”

“Me, too.”

More than she would have thought. There was something about Griffith. Something she liked a whole lot.

He walked her to her truck, pulled her close and kissed her one last time.

“Think of me tonight,” he whispered.

“I promise.”

Easy words—what else could she possibly think of except him?

*

Olivia printed out another picture of a quilt and put it into the plastic sleeve. She was preparing a sample notebook to demonstrate to Sally how the quilts could be photographed to show the details and colors. Better to have only a few quilts displayed and pictures of the others available than to have a constant mess as people dug through stacks of them. Plus, unattended inventory would get dirty and then be difficult to sell. Sally’s work was exquisite. People needed to respect that.

Olivia had already drawn up several floor plans for the booth. That had been the easy part. A quick trip to the local Target for supplies had meant she could put together the notebook. This, after working on some ideas for decorating tiny homes. Her back was sore and her hand was a little cramped from drawing, but that was okay. She liked what she was doing.

She got up and stretched as she wandered into the kitchen. Her dad was still out with his friends and Kelly was still on her date. Given how hot she’d looked when she left, Olivia wouldn’t be surprised if Kelly didn’t make it home much before dawn.

Olivia supposed she could have been bothered by being alone, but the old house was friendly enough for her to feel safe. She’d heated up some leftovers for dinner. Now she took a cookie from the jar on the counter and walked into the living room.

It was nearly nine—quiet with the sun just going down. She crossed to the window and looked out onto the front yard. Her BMW looked out of place. If she stayed she would have to replace it with something more sensible when the lease was up.

If she stayed...

There was an unexpected thought. Stay here in this tiny town? She hadn’t been able to find full-time marketing work in Phoenix. There was no way she could earn a living here.

She finished her cookie and flopped onto the sofa. Okay—that wasn’t completely true. She could have found full-time work if she’d left Marilee’s firm and gone out looking for a job, only she hadn’t. There were a thousand reasons, none of them especially impressive.

She’d been afraid. She’d doubted herself, which was nearly the same thing. Somehow her mother had always sensed when she was getting ready to quit and gave her a raise or a different opportunity that kept her in place. Marilee was good like that—she could see what was happening and twist circumstances to suit herself, the rest of the world be damned.

“Don’t think about her,” Olivia said aloud as she stretched out her legs and put her feet on the coffee table. It was still early and she wasn’t tired. She would finish Sally’s notebook, then draw up a tiny house loft bedroom design before switching on the TV.

She started back to her room. Car headlights swept across the wall, distracting her. Her dad or Kelly. Olivia smiled as she realized she wanted it to be her dad. That would mean Kelly was still out and having a good time with Griffith. The fact that she wanted the best for her sister made her feel good about herself. She could have carried a grudge or been sullen, but neither had happened. Maybe she wasn’t as terrible a person as she’d feared.