Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

She took a bite. The combination of creamy, salty cheese with the tart pear and toasted bread nearly made her groan. She devoured half the sandwich before trying the blueberries. They were as perfect and ripe as he’d claimed. She inhaled the second half of her sandwich before reaching for her coffee.

Her blood sugar must have stabilized because she felt more alert. The emotional pain of the previous night was still there, but that would take a while to fade. Time and very possibly an apology.

She sighed. “My mother’s back.”

“I heard.”

“I don’t know how much you know about her past,” she began, then hesitated, not wanting to go into it.

“I know enough.”

“Good. Then you can imagine what a shock it was to everyone. I’m not sure she’s even seen my dad since she walked out on us thirteen years ago. She hasn’t seen Kelly, either. I don’t think they talk at all.”

“What about you?” His blue gaze was steady, as if he had all the time in the world for her.

She explained how she’d been sent to boarding school when she was fifteen and how alone she’d felt. “I didn’t have anyone in the world. A friend’s older sister helped me track down my mom and we got in touch. We met a few times. Different weekends. She flew me to New York once and we stayed at the St. Regis hotel. It was very fancy.”

“And nice to have a secret.”

She nodded. “We were friends more than mother and daughter. She was so fun, like a grown-up girlfriend.”

She drew in a breath. “I went to TCU to be with Ryan. When he was drafted and left school to play for a triple A team, Mom suggested I transfer to ASU to be near her. Then when I graduated I went to work for her in her real estate firm.”

She set down her coffee and rested her elbows on the table. “I never told my dad or Kelly any of that. Not when it was happening or later. Like you said, it was a nice secret. Mom and I were back together and we had each other. I told myself that was all I needed. Only it didn’t work out.”

“Why not?”

“She’s...she’s not like other mothers. Marilee lives her own life by her own rules and no one gets in the way. Not even her daughter. When I first went to work for her it was great but lately she’s been difficult. I’ve been thinking of trying something different, of getting away. I took off the summer to figure out my next move. She knew I was coming home. I just never expected her to follow me.”

“You’re uncomfortable having your mother back here?”

“Yes, and I didn’t tell my dad or Kelly about any of it. When she showed up, we agreed she wouldn’t say anything.”

“You lied to them.”

There was no judgment in his voice but she felt the slap. “Not exactly.” She hesitated then groaned. “Okay, yes, and it was stupid. Not only because I was wrong, but because I trusted her. Then she spills it all at dinner. Kelly’s furious. I don’t know what my dad’s thinking, but he can’t be happy. I didn’t mean for it to happen, it’s just I thought if they knew I was with Mom they...”

She reached for her coffee, not sure what she was trying to not say.

“You were afraid they wouldn’t like you if they knew about your mother,” Sven filled in. “That they would think less of you. Or worse, that they wouldn’t welcome you. Because despite spending time with her all these years, you don’t have her. Not the way you want to.”

She nodded, too tired to be surprised by his insight. “I hurt Kelly. I betrayed her and I don’t know how to fix that. Plus, when I think about what happened when we were kids, I get so mad. Kelly had Dad. He’s the good parent. Mom is fun, but it’s not like I could ever depend on her. She left me. I was twelve years old and she disappeared without warning. One day she was just gone and I didn’t have anyone.”

She wasn’t aware she was crying but suddenly it was hard to see. She brushed at her cheeks and was surprised to find tears. Sven made a noise in the back of his throat and reached for her. Before she could figure out what was happening, she was on his lap with his arms around her.

She hung on and rested her cheek against his rock-hard shoulder. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had been so willing to take care of her.

“I’m screwed up,” she whispered.

“Yes, you are, but everyone is in one way or another.”

“Kelly hates me.”

“Kelly isn’t the type of person to hate anyone. Apologize. She’ll forgive you. You’re safe, Olivia. Right this second, you’re totally safe. Do you believe me?”

She nodded because speaking was impossible. Who was this man and why was he being so nice to her? Not a question she was going to ask, she told herself. Instead she was simply going to be very, very grateful.

*

Griffith stared at the computer screen and wished he’d put in a “no porn” filter before beginning his search. He mentally weeded out the obvious gross sites, then reluctantly clicked on a promising looking article.

Only text appeared, along with a couple of ads for a belt sander he’d been thinking of buying. Nothing a guy didn’t want to see at eight on a Saturday morning. Not that he minded looking at a naked woman, but unless she was someone he was actually sleeping with, Griffith preferred to wait until his second cup of coffee.

He read the article twice, learned nothing new, then closed it and leaned back in his study chair. He didn’t have a clue about what to do with Kelly. Or to her. Of all the things he’d thought might derail them, her not being able to have an orgasm hadn’t even been in the top one thousand.

For the past three days he’d read enough to qualify himself as a semi-expert on the topic. He understood the stages of female arousal, he’d studied shockingly detailed diagrams of female anatomy. He could name all the parts, describe what it felt like when the G-spot was swollen, list fifteen different techniques to use during oral sex and he had a working knowledge of common physical reasons women didn’t climax. While he found the information interesting, he had his doubts about any of it helping Kelly. He didn’t think the problem was her body at all. He thought it was her head...and her mother.

In addition to reading and studying, he’d been doing a lot of thinking. Kelly’s mom had been, to put it politely, promiscuous. She’d slept with more men than he would have thought possible in a town their size, including a few students. She hadn’t been subtle about it and she’d humiliated her husband and her children. Griffith knew Kelly had been traumatized by her mother’s behavior. Having Marilee walk out when Kelly was only fifteen had only compounded the problem.

Kelly didn’t want to be like Marilee. Marilee liked sex, therefore Kelly couldn’t.