Читать книгу Secrets Of The Tulip Sisters - Сьюзен Мэллери, Susan Mallery - Страница 11

6

Kelly lowered the seared pot roast into the pressure cooker, then added broth and the vegetables. While most people were Crock-Pot fans, she’d never taken to it. The thought of having to get up first thing in the morning and dice or chop or even assemble was too daunting. A pressure cooker gave her the same kind of flavor in a significantly shorter period of time.

She put on the lid and set the timer. In ninety minutes they would have pot roast—one of her dad’s favorites.

She supposed a psychologist would have a field day with the fact that she was still living at home at the ripe old age of twenty-eight. Every now and then she thought about moving out. She just wasn’t sure when that was going to happen. Or if there actually was a reason to. In some societies, multigenerational families were the norm. She and her dad could start a trend.

She smiled at the thought, then rinsed off the cutting board. A quick glance at the clock on the wall told her that dinner would be ready at six. She was halfway to her dad’s study to tell him when the front door opened and a semi-familiar voice called, “Hi, Dad. It’s me. I’m home.”

Had Kelly been holding more than a dish towel, she would have dropped it for sure, because standing right there in the living room was her sister, Olivia. The same Olivia who had left at fifteen and never returned.

Okay—that wasn’t fair—Olivia had been sent away. As for not coming home, at first she’d refused to come back for holidays and summer vacation. Kelly remembered that. What she couldn’t recall was if or when she and her father had stopped asking her to come home.

Kelly took in the stylish, beachy, wavy hair, the perfect makeup, the casual-yet-elegant tunic over leggings and the brightly colored athletic shoes that were obviously all about style rather than sports. She was acutely aware of her own battered cargo pants and faded University of Washington sweatshirt.

On the surface, she and Olivia looked a lot alike. They were the same height, with brown hair and eyes. At least they’d started out that way. Today Olivia’s hair was more golden than brown and her eyes had a distinct hazel cast to them. Kelly realized she wasn’t the before picture so much as the cautionary tale.

Her sister stared at her. “Kelly? What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

“I came to see Dad.”

Just like that? As if she hadn’t been gone over a decade? Because although Jeff made regular pilgrimages to see his daughter and Kelly had tagged along more than once, Olivia had, to the best of Kelly’s knowledge, not been back to Tulpen Crossing in over a decade.

“I’m making dinner,” Kelly said.

Olivia frowned as she glanced around the kitchen. Her expression cleared and she laughed. “Oh, that’s right. Dad told me you were still living at home.”

Jeff walked into the kitchen. “I heard someone...” He stared at his youngest daughter. His eyes widened and his mouth formed a happy grin. “Olivia! When did you get here?”

“Just now. Hi, Dad.”

Jeff held open his arms. Olivia rushed into his embrace. Kelly fought against a sense of resentment and foreboding.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Jeff said as he held her tight. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“I’ve missed you, too.”

They stepped back and smiled at each other. Jeff pulled out a chair and they both sat at the kitchen table. Kelly stood awkwardly by the island, not sure what she was supposed to do. Join them? Bolt? She settled on hovering.

“Tell me,” her dad said. “Why are you here?”

“I thought it was time for me to visit,” Olivia said with a brilliantly white smile. “Phoenix gets so hot in the summer and the real estate market pretty much dies. I had some vacation time, so here I am. I hope it’s okay.”

“Of course it is. Better than okay.”

Kelly reminded herself to smile when Olivia glanced at her. She was trying to remember the last time she’d seen her sister. Five years ago? Six? They rarely had any contact at all. The occasional birthday text or an awkward phone call, but that was it. Jeff and Olivia visited more regularly, but still not that often. Jeff had gone to Olivia’s college graduation. Kelly had been sick and stayed home.

“You’re selling real estate?” she asked.

“No, I work in marketing. I design the brochures and handle the advertising for the individual houses and the company. I’ve also recently started a staging business. I help people set up their homes so they’re more appealing to buyers. It’s fun.”

“That sounds great,” Jeff told her.

“I like it. It’s amazing what you can do when you rearrange furniture and add some accessories.” The bright smile returned. “I’ve been working a lot so I’m looking forward to taking a couple of months off.”

A couple of months? Kelly held in a groan, then reminded herself that Olivia was her sister. It would be nice for them to get to know each other again. They weren’t teenagers anymore. They were adults and would get along fine just like they had when they were little. Although the entire situation made no sense at all. Olivia had never liked being a small-town girl.

“This will be fun,” Jeff said. “My two girls under the same roof.”

“I know.” Olivia smiled again. “I can’t wait to get together with my friends. Everyone’s going to be so excited. I was texting with Ryan and—”

Kelly groaned. “You have got to be kidding me,” she said before she could stop herself. “You came back for your high school boyfriend?”

Her sister’s mouth formed a prim, straight line. “Of course not. You’re being ridiculous. I want to see all my friends. Ryan is just one of them.”

“Sure.”

Kelly wondered whose idea the visit had been—Olivia’s or Ryan’s. Last she’d heard Griffith’s younger brother was going hot and heavy with someone else.

Olivia stood and moved to the counter. “I mean it, Kelly. I’ve moved on. Started a career.” She picked up her sister’s hand and shook her head as she studied Kelly’s short, ragged nails. “Gotten a manicure. You’re the one still living with Dad.”

Kelly told herself to ignore the dig, but that didn’t stop heat from flaring on her cheeks.

“Girls,” Jeff said mildly. “I know you haven’t lived together in a while, but come on. We’re family.”

Kelly snatched back her hand and nodded. “Of course. It’s so nice to have Olivia back.”

Her sister winked at her. “I know. It’s great, isn’t it?” She turned to Jeff. “Daddy, do you mind if I stay here?”

“Of course not.” The man couldn’t have looked happier. “Your old room is just as you left it. Kelly will show you where the clean sheets and towels are. Stay as long as you’d like. I’m sorry I won’t be able to visit with you after dinner, but I have a gig tonight.”

Olivia laughed. “What does that mean?”

“I’m in a band.” He chuckled. “Okay, not a real band. I work with a music school that helps people learn to play instruments and then perform.”

“He’s the ringer,” Kelly added. “Dad and my friend Helen are the professional musicians who help. They perform in showcases every few weeks.”

“That’s fun.” Olivia wrinkled her nose. “I think I remember you playing guitar when I was little. It was nice.”

“Come with me. We can talk between sets.”

“Thanks, but I’m meeting friends later.”

“Next time, then.” Jeff hugged Olivia and Kelly. “My two girls back at home. Who would have thought?”

Yes, who, Kelly thought to herself. Certainly not her.

* * *

For reasons not clear to Griffith, the sign at the craft mall/community center had been changed. When he’d shown up for the book club, it had been called Petal Pushers. Now there was a new sign: The Dutch Bunch. He figured it was an homage to the tulips they grew in the area, but still. Kind of strange for the Pacific Northwest where Native American names gave visitors tongue-twisting trouble.

He always enjoyed listening to tourists trying to pronounce places like Snohomish, Issaquah or Cle Elum, or his personal favorite, Stillaguamish. Not that he knew anything about naming a craft mall.

He’d shown up for a musical showcase where local bands performed for friends and family. It was the audible equivalent to a train wreck—you really didn’t want to look and see anything bad, but it was impossible to turn away. In this case, there was the faint possibility of hearing something passably good, with the more likely outcome of wincing through the butchering of a perfectly good song. Or twenty.

Griffith wouldn’t normally bother coming. He had plenty to fill his time. But Leo’s son was playing tonight and Leo had asked Griffith to attend. Leo rarely asked for anything, plus he’d sounded so proud when he’d told Griffith about the showcase.

Apparently the band was going to perform a Beatles retrospective. Griffith hoped the Beatles who had already left the earth had reached a state of grace and forgiveness. If they chose to exact punishment for what was about to be done to their songs, there was no telling what could happen.

The room would hold a couple hundred people. There were about sixty there already. Leo and his family had claimed the entire front row of tables. Griffith waved at him, then settled in for what he would guess was going to be a very long evening.

The event was BYOB. He’d grabbed a six-pack of beer. As he found a seat at one of the tables, he wondered if he should have brought something stronger. Or more of it.

He’d just opened his first bottle when he saw Kelly walk in and look around. At first he thought she was looking for friends to sit with, but then he noticed she seemed tense and on edge. When she glanced in his direction, he waved her over.

Her look of relief was gratifying.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as she approached. “I didn’t think anyone came without being obligated. You know the music is going to be awful, right?”

He stood and held out a chair. “I do. Leo, my floor supervisor, has a kid playing. He asked me to come. What’s your excuse?”

“I couldn’t stay home.” With that she pulled a bottle of vodka out of her large tote bag. “They still serve sodas and stuff here, right?”

He eyed the full bottle, then pointed to the concession stand by the wall. “Sure. What do you want?”

“A large glass with ice. Tonic water if they have it, otherwise club soda and a lime.”

“I’ll be right back.”

“Thanks.”

The room was filling up and the noise level rising. They were going to have a full house tonight. He walked over to the serve-yourself concession stand and filled a large Solo cup with ice and three inches of tonic and added a couple slices of lime. When he returned to their table, Kelly sat staring at the far wall. Her eyes were unfocused and her mouth trembled slightly.

He sat next to her and handed her the cup. “What’s wrong?”

“Is it that obvious?” She poured a healthy serving of vodka, then swirled the ice in the cup. “Don’t ask. I know the answer. It’s just... I don’t know. Everything was fine, you know? Sure, my life isn’t that interesting, but I like it. I have a good job and good friends and then bam, something smacks you upside the head.”

For a second he wondered if she was talking about what he’d suggested. No, that had been several days ago and when he’d seen her at the farm, she’d been friendly enough. It was something else.

“Olivia’s back,” she said flatly.

It took him a second to figure out who Olivia was. “Your sister?”

“That’s her. She’s home for the summer.” She took another drink. “I’m being punished. I get that. It’s fair, but damn. I don’t know how I’m going to get through it. She’s so perfect. Her clothes, her hair. Plus the way she talks about everything in Phoenix. Only if it’s all so great, what is she doing here?”

He had no idea what she was talking about, so he kept his mouth shut. Kelly needed someone to listen—him knowing or not knowing the subject seemed unimportant.

“It’s been so long. She was fifteen when Dad sent her to boarding school and I was eighteen. Getting ready to start college. I was so excited and—”

She looked at him. Tears filled her eyes. “I’m lying. Dad didn’t send her away. Okay, he did, but it was my idea. I’m the one who said she was acting out in school. She and Ryan were dating and it was getting serious and I was so scared she was going to be like our mom. I was worried for her, but mostly for myself. I knew if she screwed up and got pregnant, I would be stuck dealing with it all and I just didn’t want to. I know that makes me a horrible person.”

He shifted his chair closer and put his arm around her. “No, it doesn’t.”

She blinked away the tears. “It does. I was selfish.”

“Because you didn’t want your sister to get pregnant at fifteen? Yeah, you were a real bitch.”

“But we sent her away.”

He thought about his brother and the women in his life. Griffith had been away at college when his brother was in high school, but he’d heard plenty of stories.

“You did the right thing for both of them.”

“You’re being nice. Thank you.” She leaned against him and took another drink. “Now she’s back and she’s already mentioned seeing him.”

“Ryan has a girlfriend.”

“That’s what I thought. I’m not sure Olivia knows, but that’s not my rock. I just don’t know how I’m going to deal with her for the summer. Biologically we’re sisters, but in reality, we’re strangers.”

“Want to move in with me?”

She looked at him. “Wow, there’s an invitation.”

He grinned. “I meant into your own room. The house is big enough.”

“I’m not sure jumping from the frying pan to the fire is a good idea, but thank you for the offer.” She sighed. “Dad is happy. She’s his baby girl and now he has both of us together under one roof. Maybe this is a sign that I should get my own place.”

“Maybe you should see how things are going to go first.”

“Logic. How like a man.”

She poured more vodka into her cup. Griffith rubbed her arm and wondered how this was all going to turn out. It did seem strange that Olivia would simply leave everything for the summer. As for Ryan, God knew what trouble he was in now, what with his current girlfriend and his former girlfriend all in the same town. Maybe he would try to escape the trouble by showing up to work on time. Unlikely, but a guy could dream.

* * *

The band played for nearly an hour, although it seemed much longer what with their lack of understanding about music and staying in tune. When they were done, Griffith’s ears were ringing. He hoped the condition wasn’t permanent. He congratulated Leo and his son, then went back to the table and collected Kelly.

“That was great,” she said brightly as she tucked what was left of her vodka into her bag. “I think by the end, they were getting the hang of it.”

“I think you’re drunk.”

“Maybe. But that’s okay. I’m an adult.”

“You’re an adult who’s not driving home.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Probably not. I’ll get a ride with my dad.” She looked around, took a step, stumbled, then started to laugh.

“Okay, then.” He drew her close and started for the stage. “Let’s go find him together.”

“That’s nice.” She smiled. “Are you going to kiss me?”

There was a non sequitur. “Nope.”

“Why not? You want me as your girlfriend. That means kissing, Griffith.”

“Yes, it does and while I look forward to kissing you, I’m a firm believer in the woman being sober. Or at least not as drunk as you. Call me old-fashioned.”

“I didn’t know there would be rules.”

“There are always rules, Kelly. The trick is knowing which ones it’s okay to break.”

“I don’t break rules. I should. Maybe I’d be more like Olivia. She’s so pretty. I want to be pretty, too.”

“You are.”

“You’re just saying that for the sex, but it’s still nice. Have you seen her clothes?”

“Not yet.”

“And her hair. It’s so shiny. She was wearing makeup and everything. Plus, she has boobs. I never got mine.”

His lips twitched. “You are so going to regret this conversation in the morning. When you get home, drink a lot of water.”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

“You say that now. Come on. Let’s go find your dad.”