Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

Helen’s stomach rose up in her throat. Had she eaten, she would have thrown up. As it was, she was terrified she was going to start retching, although maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. At least it would be a distraction for everyone.

Time slowed, or maybe her brain sped up. She noticed how the second hand on the wall clock barely seemed to be moving. She registered that it was five in the morning and that Sven was with Griffith. Obviously he’d put a call in to his friend because he’d wanted moral support. No, that wasn’t the reason. He’d done it so she could have someone else to...to...

Someone else to hang on to when he said what she knew he was going to say.

“She said sex always made Jeff hungry. That she was fixing him a sandwich and wondered if Kelly shared that characteristic.”

Griffith hung his head. “I’m sorry, Helen. I didn’t know what to do except tell you.”

Sven’s hold on her hand tightened. She gripped him just as hard, hoping the pain would distract her. Tears filled her eyes and fell down her cheeks but that was nothing compared with the awful ripping in her heart. It was as if she were being torn in two and then tossed to the floor.

She didn’t remember moving, but suddenly she was on her feet, being held. Both men hung on to her, offering comfort and supporting her as she tried to suck in air.

He’d betrayed her. She’d trusted him and he’d betrayed her. Had anyone else told her, she would have had doubts, but not Griffith. He was a good guy. He would never tell her something that wasn’t true.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I couldn’t not say something.”

“It’s okay,” she managed, wiping her face. “It’s horrible, but I’d rather know.” She sniffed and turned to Sven. “Thank you for coming with him.”

“You’re a good girl. You don’t deserve this. I can beat him up for you.”

She managed a strangled laugh. “I’m sure you could, but that would create a lot of trouble in our little community. Plus, you’re too handsome for prison.”

Sven raised a shoulder. “You’re right. I would be very popular.”

They hugged her again. She tried to control herself, but emotions overwhelmed her.

“Child.”

She turned and saw Delja walking toward her. She hurried to the tiny woman and began crying again. Strong hands held her tight.

“I heard,” Delja said, then spoke in Russian. Helen had no idea what she was saying, but it sounded mean and violent.

“You go home,” Delja told her. “You need time. I’ll get in someone else.”

Helen started to protest, then nodded. “You’re right. Thank you.”

“We’ll walk you back to your place,” Sven told her. “Make sure you get there okay.”

She wiped her face. “I appreciate that, but I’m going to stay here and set up.” Once one of the other servers arrived, she would duck out. When she was in her own house, she could figure out how to deal with the gaping hole inside her heart.

Neither man moved. Helen walked to the door and opened it. “You were great. I appreciate you telling me what you saw. Sven, thank you for being there for me. I’m not okay, but I will be. Seriously. You can go.”

They started for the door. Sven paused and kissed her cheek. “Call me if you want me to come over and cook something.”

She managed a smile. “I will. Thank you.”

Griffith hugged her. “I didn’t tell Kelly. I didn’t know if you’d want me to, so I waited.”

“Thanks. I think it’s better if she doesn’t hear about this just yet.” Kelly was already conflicted about everything going on and if she knew, she might feel she had to defend her father. That would be more than Helen could handle.

They left and she went to work. At five thirty, one of her servers arrived and she was able to escape to the back.

“I’m going to text him and tell him I have food poisoning,” she told Delja. “If I say anything else, he’ll want to stop by.”

She thought her friend might tell her she was being a coward, but Delja only nodded. “Just make sure you’re clear it wasn’t my cooking.”

For the first time since hearing the news, Helen laughed. “I swear. I’ll blame that fast-food place by the freeway.”

Delja hugged her again. “You’re a good girl. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

She collected her bag and left, careful to circle around the parking lot. The last thing she wanted to do was to run into Jeff.

As soon as she got home, she texted him the lie, then went to her room and curled up on the bed. But no matter how tightly she pulled her knees to her chest, she couldn’t stop the bleeding. There was nothing to do but wait it out. Over time she would stop feeling stupid, hurt and betrayed. In time she would find her mad, then she would start to heal. But until then, there were only tears and the sense of having been the world’s biggest fool.

*

Kelly found her sister at the small desk in her bedroom. There was paperwork strewn across every possible surface—the desk, the bed, both nightstands and the window seat. Olivia was on the phone. As she spoke, she entered information on a spreadsheet. She smiled at Kelly, then indicated she would only be a minute.

“Let’s say between three and three thirty. Uh-huh. I’ll have a room set up for you. It’s not huge, but it opens to the outside for walks. Yes, of course you can use the bathroom for the cats. That’s perfect. I’ll see you then. Thank you so much.”

She pushed a button on her phone, then pulled off her headset and sighed. “A local animal rescue center has offered puppies and kittens for the grand finale fashion walk, which is fantastic. No one will be expecting it and hey, I’m all in favor of a surprise ending, but the fund-raiser is in less than a week and I wasn’t actually looking for one more thing.”

Guilt rippled through Kelly, making her uncomfortable. “I haven’t asked how it’s going. Do you need help? Is everything set?”

Olivia stood and stretched. “I’m good. A little frantic, but good. Sally and Hannah provided me with a list of volunteers. They’re mostly high school kids who need their volunteer hours. Sven’s been letting me store silent auction items in his barn and Griffith sent over a few guys to help me sort through them. The decorations are going to be pretty basic. With the tickets all sold out, I had a bigger budget than I’d first planned and I’ve given the caterers a bit more money, so what we lack in balloons and flowers, we’ll make up for in food.”

“This is going to be a big deal, isn’t it?” Kelly asked. “You’re going to raise a lot more than roof money.”

“I hope so.” Olivia grinned. “If that happens, I’m going to ask Sally for a raise.”

Kelly had been so caught up in dealing with having her mother around and having amazing sex with Griffith that she’d totally forgotten about Olivia’s fund-raiser.

“I should have been helping. I’m sorry.”

“I’m fine,” Olivia told her, then sighed. “Okay, fine might be a stretch, but I’m okay. Only until Friday, then it’s done.”

“What can I do to make things easier?”