Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

“We’re okay on ticket sales,” she murmured. “I have donations. The fund-raiser is going to be a huge success.”

Marilee rolled her eyes. “You don’t actually care, do you? You’re never going to see this ridiculous little town again. Why does it matter if it’s a success or not?”

“If it’s so awful here, why do you stay?” Kelly asked, doing her best to make her voice as sweet as possible.

Marilee’s expression turned knowing. “I would have thought that was obvious, darling. Your father is a very handsome man. I’ve missed him.”

Kelly snorted. “Yeah, right. That’s why you cheated, then left him. Am I missing anything?” She thought of the meeting she’d gone to with her dad the year after she graduated from college. The one that explained the structure of the farm and the family-held corporation that owned it. “Just so you know, you’re still not eligible to claim any part of the business. The prenup was solid.”

Marilee’s smile twisted as her eyes narrowed. “Did he tell you that?”

“No, Mom. The lawyer did.”

“There was a prenup?” Olivia asked, spinning to stare at Marilee. “Daddy made you sign that when you were pregnant?”

“Impressive, huh?” Kelly asked.

Marilee stood. “Be careful, girls. I’m a lot better at this than either of you.” With that she turned and walked out.

Kelly shivered. “I want to say I don’t care, but she’s scary.”

“Tell me about it.” Olivia glanced at her notes. “On the bright side, I’m a lot less nervous about my presentation now.”

“A death threat has a way of serving as a nice distraction.”

“Tell me about it.”





26

Helen’s fake cramps faded as soon as she got home but the nausea lingered. She paced the length of her small house, trying to collect her thoughts or convince herself she’d misunderstood what Marilee had said, only she couldn’t do either. The insult had been clear.

You’re nothing like that. Whatever Marilee had meant, it wasn’t good. Or nice. Or pleasant or any other positive word. Helen had a feeling what the beautiful ex-Mrs. Jeffrey Murphy had meant was fat. Or maybe fat and ugly. Because Marilee had taken one look at her and known everything. That Helen was in love with Jeff, that Jeff hadn’t declared himself beyond wanting to sleep with her, and that Marilee was a threat.

While she was willing to admit she might be giving the other woman too much credit, Helen knew Marilee had figured out something. Otherwise, why bother to attack?

Helen decided she had to change the mental subject or go crazy. She walked over to the piano, then backed away. She was too agitated to play.

Her phone chirped. She looked at the screen and saw a text from Jeff.

You around? Want company?

Questions that made her both excited and nervous. Did she really want to see him after her close encounter? Was she too vulnerable?

“Maybe this is a good time to get answers,” she muttered as she texted back a single, Yes.

She raced to the bathroom to check on her makeup, then spent five minutes trying to decide if she should change her clothes or not. If anything fun was on the menu, then an outfit slightly more accessible than jeans and a sleeveless shirt that buttoned could be a good idea, but under the circumstances, fun seemed unlikely.

She’d barely made her decision when she heard a knock on the front door. One of the downsides of living in a small town, she thought. It didn’t take long to get anywhere.

She opened the door and let him in. As usual, Jeff looked too good to be true and just staring into his brown eyes had her heart and resolve both melting. He handed her a bottle of red wine and a box of brownies from a bakery she liked in Maryville, which meant he’d made a special trip to get them. She happened to know they closed at four, which meant he’d made that special trip earlier today.

Not sure what to do with that information, she crossed to the kitchen. “Want to open the wine?” she asked.

When he didn’t answer, she turned to glance at him.

He stood just inside the kitchen, his arms at his side. But what really caught her attention was the stricken look in his eyes. Her melty heart froze. No. No! He was going to tell her he’d slept with Marilee. These weren’t let’s have sex brownies, they were an apology.

“Jeff?” She was proud of herself for being able to speak that single word. She wasn’t totally broken. “What is it?”

He sucked in a breath. “I miss you, Helen. Every second of every day. I hate this. I hate having that woman in my house. I know it’s important for my girls, but dammit all to hell I want her gone and I want to be back in your bed.”

Time stood still long enough for her to indulge in an internal happy dance. She silently shrieked her victory call and gave the virtual finger to Marilee before crossing to the man who looked both hopeful and chagrined.

“Why didn’t you say so?” she asked before leading him down the hall.

*

Kelly and Olivia walked into The Beer Garden shortly before seven thirty. Jeff and Helen’s newest band project was making their debut here instead of at the community room in the craft mall. She hoped the music lived up to the improved venue.

She and her sister found a small table in the back, then each ordered a glass of wine. Olivia leaned back in her chair and sighed. “I’m exhausted. The fund-raiser is keeping me busy and avoiding Mom is an additional time suck. It seems like every time I turn around, she wants to have a heart-to-heart.”

Not a problem Kelly had been having, she thought. So far Marilee had kept her distance and Kelly preferred it that way. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about Olivia’s confession on the mother front.

“Did she offer you the job while you were still in college?” she asked.

“Sort of. It was more of an understanding over time. She would talk about how things would be when I came to work for her.” Olivia shifted in her seat. “Don’t take this wrong, but I thought it was nice that she wanted me around, you know? She was there for me, or so I thought.”

Kelly was fairly sure that Olivia’s explanation should be taken at face value, even though that didn’t erase the slight slap at the reminder of what had happened.

“At first it was great,” Olivia continued. “We hung out, she helped me find my first apartment. Well, it took me a while to catch on to that. She helped me with my clothes and makeup. I felt so sophisticated and together and there I was, all of twenty-3o.”

The server dropped off their wine. Kelly held up her glass. “To making interesting choices.”

They touched glasses.

Olivia set hers back on the table. “I went to visit Ryan a couple of times,” she confessed. “In the off-season. We had a great time, but he had no interest in moving to Phoenix and he never exactly asked me to stay, so I felt stuck.”