Secrets of the Tulip Sisters

The concern returned. “Helen, what’s going on?”

Despite her best intentions, tears filled her eyes. “You have to ask?” She shook her head. “Of course you do. Because you think I don’t know. Well, I do. I know all of it.”

His gaze was steady. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She wanted to throw something at him. “You’re going to pretend ignorance? I would have expected better, only I shouldn’t, should I? Not anymore.” She circled around the counter so there was a physical barrier between them. “Fine. I’ll tell you. Griffith spent the night at your place Sunday. Or at least most of it. When he went into the kitchen around midnight, Marilee was there. They had a nice talk about how hungry you get after sex.”

She slapped her hands down on the counter and glared at him. “You’re sleeping with her, Jeff. You gave me this whole song and dance about how there was nothing going on and you were just being a nice guy, trying to get your daughters and their mother to be friends. And you know what? I bought it. I believed you. I should have trusted my instincts, but no. More fool me.”

Tears spilled down her cheeks. She brushed them away, but it didn’t matter. He knew he’d hurt her. There was no pride saving anymore.

“No,” he growled. “No! That’s not what happened. I never slept with her. I have no interest in her. You’re the one I want to be with. Dammit, Helen, she’s lying. This is her idea of a sick game. You have to believe me.”

“Actually, I don’t.” She pointed at the door. “You should go.”

“Don’t do this. Don’t throw us away. She’s not worth it. Everything she’s doing is a game to her. You’re the one I want to be with. Nothing happened.”

She desperately wanted to believe him, which made her beyond pathetic.

“I can’t trust you,” she whispered. “Not anymore. You’re living with her. She’s right down the hall and you used to be married to her. You had children with her.”

Jeff turned away and swore, then looked back at her. “I’m going to move into a hotel right now. I won’t sleep in that house again while she’s there. You have to believe me. I never touched her. I don’t even like her. Helen, you’re the one I want to be with. Only you. Can’t you entertain the possibility that she was lying?”

Oh, how she wanted to. She desperately needed to have him say all these things to her. She wanted to surrender to his pleading and have him tell her everything was fine. Only she knew better.

“You should go,” she told him.

“That’s it? You’re not going to even consider I might be telling the truth? Helen, of the two of us, who is more likely to lie?”

“You should go,” she repeated, pointing to the door.

“You know me,” he insisted. “Come on. This is ridiculous. I didn’t sleep with her.”

Helen turned her back on him. There weren’t any more words and she only had a few minutes to compose herself before her customers started arriving.

For a few seconds there was nothing, then she heard footsteps on the floor, followed by the door opening, then slamming shut. She sucked in a breath. Delja rushed out of the kitchen and hugged her so tightly she couldn’t breathe. Helen hung on to her friend and told herself that with time, she would figure out how on earth she was going to survive.

*

Olivia told herself that throwing up was not an option. Nerves were fine—nerves would give her an edge, but vomiting was just unpleasant for everyone. And if that funny little pep talk didn’t work, there was always reality. It was too late to do anything. They were at T minus thirty minutes until the event started.

Olivia walked the silent auction area for what she hoped was the last pre-guest time. Everything was in place. Yes some of the displays were amateur, but hey, this was her hometown. People would understand she’d been working on a very tiny promo budget. But everything was laid out in what she thought was an orderly fashion and there was even a section of extra fancy silent auction items right by the bar.

The caterer had banned her from the dining area after she’d started refolding napkins about an hour before. The puppies and kittens were safely in their quiet space, dozing before their moment of fame at the end of the auction, and the antiques that would also be part of the big finale were on rolling pallets.

The event was sold out, the bars were stocked, the tables set up, the food delivered. She was done. Okay, not done-done, but as ready as she could be, which made throwing up just silly. She should be celebrating, which she would...as soon as her stomach stopped flipping over and over.

Sven entered the auction area and glanced around. When he caught sight of her, he started toward her, his blue eyes bright with pleasure.

It turned out he was the perfect upset tummy antidote—or maybe it was the way he looked in a tailored navy suit, white shirt and tie.

As he approached, Olivia realized she’d only ever seen him in jeans, or shorts...or naked. Sven was a casual guy who didn’t care much for affectations. He grew things for a living, he took care of his body, he enjoyed making love. But the man who stopped in front of her before leaning in and lightly kissing her could have passed for a blond, Nordic James Bond.

His normally curly hair had been cut and tamed. He’d shaved and she’d already swooned over the suit.

“You look amazing,” she breathed.

“Thank you. Tonight’s important for you and I wanted to dress right.” He looked around. “The room is ready, Olivia. You’ve done all you can. The evening is going to be a success and it’s all because of you. Now go get changed.”

Because she was still wearing jeans and a T-shirt. She’d done her makeup and left her hair in hot curlers that had long since cooled, but there’d been no time to remove them. She’d stashed her dress and heels in a storage closet next to the women’s restroom by the back exit.

She handed him her tablet. “I’m trusting you with this. If there’s any problem, come get me. Or text me. I’m not that far away.”

“You’re going to do great. You’ll have money for the roof and even more left over. You’ll have to start a charity.”

That made her laugh. “It’s not my money, but it’s a nice thought.” She touched his arm. “You’ve been so supportive through all of this. I don’t think I’ve thanked you enough. Not just for the use of your barn, but for all of it.” She was horrified when she realized her eyes were filling. She couldn’t cry. Not only wasn’t it her, but she couldn’t risk her makeup. Still, he’d been there for her. He was a great guy and—

“We’ll talk about this later,” he told her, giving her a little push. “Go get changed.”

“You’re so bossy.”