Secrets Of The Tulip Sisters. Susan Mallery

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СКАЧАТЬ think there’s an element of magic. I mean, come on. Eggplants. Who saw that coming?”

      * * *

      A burger and more fries than Weight Watchers would approve of later, Helen pushed her plate away. The chef had tossed a little avocado on their burger, taking it from delicious to heavenly. She would, she swore, start her diet tomorrow. Again.

      Jeff moved his glass of iced tea in a circle on the table. He looked at her, down at his drink, then back at her.

      “Before you were asking me about the women I sleep with.”

      Had Helen been drinking, she would have choked. As it was, she tried not to flinch and still had to clear her throat before speaking.

      “That’s one way of putting it,” she murmured. “I was just wondering about, you know...”

      “Not really.”

      She tried desperately to think up something to say. If she wasn’t desperately in love with him, what would she want to know?

      “How do you do it?” she asked, then held up a hand. “The logistics of finding someone. I know how to have sex.”

      He smiled. “I would hope so.”

      “It’s the other stuff.”

      “Why are you asking?”

      Because I want you desperately and I’m hoping you’ll make the jump from friends to more than friends, pull me close and ravish me with a fiery passion. She glanced around the diner. Okay, maybe you’ll just suggest we go back to my place.

      “Helen? Why are you asking?”

      “I’ve been divorced for years and I need to do something.”

      “You don’t want to date anyone in town?”

      “Um, well, that’s hard to say. There aren’t a lot of single guys. Sven is Kelly’s ex, so that would never work. Griffith is into Kelly, so again, a problem. Now that I think about it, your daughter is creating trouble in my personal life.”

      “You want to date Sven and Griffith?”

      “No, but blaming Kelly means it’s not my fault.”

      “I respect that. There’s Ryan.”

      Helen wrinkled her nose. “Thanks, but no. He’s flaky and not my type.”

      “Plus he’s too young for you.”

      She glared at him. “Excuse me? He’s what, five years younger than me? That’s a perfectly acceptable age gap.” Jeez, if Jeff didn’t think five years was okay, what was he going to say about their sixteen-year difference?

      “You’re an old soul. Ryan isn’t.”

      “That’s amazingly similar to calling me old.”

      “You know I didn’t mean that. You’re on a tear tonight.”

      “Not really. Just sassing you.”

      “You said it was the tulips.”

      She grinned. “I lied.”

      “You don’t have to sound so cheerful about it.”

      “Why not? I’m a cheerful person. Now about your women... How does it happen? Do you go to bars? Is there a website? And why haven’t you ever brought someone home? Don’t you want to get married again? I know things with Marilee weren’t great, but it’s been forever. You’re still a relatively young man. Don’t you ever want more? Someone to care about you and be a part of your life?”

      His steady gaze warned her that she might have gone too far with that last bit, but she figured Jeff would chalk it up to enthusiasm rather than a plea for attention.

      “Helen,” he began, then stopped. His tense expression relaxed.

      She turned and saw Isaak walking toward them.

      “Timing bites,” she muttered.

      “Depends on how you look at it.”

      “You would say that.”

      Isaak slid in next to her and reached for a fry. “We have made our musical selections.”

      “Great.” Jeff was already standing. “Can’t wait to hear what they are.”

      “Someone’s enthused.”

      Isaak grabbed two more fries, then rose. Helen followed, then moved close to Jeff.

      “Chick, chick, chicken,” she chanted softly.

      “You know it.”

      * * *

      Kelly spun back and forth on the stool at the counter. Helen stood at the cash register, making change for her last customer of the day. It was a little after two and the diner was quiet. The kitchen staff had cleaned up and gone for the day.

      Helen walked Mrs. Pritchard to the door and held it open, then closed and locked it. She turned to Kelly.

      “You could have texted me or something. I can’t believe you confronted Griffith and waited all this time to tell me.”

      “It’s been less than two days.”

      Helen put her hands on her hips. “That’s like eight years in best-friend time. Are you mad at me or something?”

      The question was more teasing than serious. Helen always had a dramatic flair. She was so alive and present in her life. Not in a scary way, like Kelly’s mother or sister, but from a place of positive energy. Being around Helen always made Kelly feel better about everything.

      “I’m not mad and you know it. I just needed to process.”

      “Let me grab us drinks, then you’re going to tell me everything. You’ll start with you said hi and he said hi and go from there. Remember, no detail is too small.”

      “I promise you will hear them all.”

      Kelly moved to a booth. Helen got herself a diet soda at the dispenser, then made Kelly an Arnold Palmer and carried both to the booth.

      Her dark blue Parrot Café shirt brought out the deep blue of her eyes while her black jeans emphasized her curvy hips. Her long black hair was pulled back in a French braid. She was sexy and voluptuous and by comparison, Kelly felt practically two dimensional.

      Helen rested her elbows on the table. “Start talking.”

      Kelly drew in a breath before exhaling slowly. “I went to see Griffith, which was, by the way, your suggestion.”

      “Yes, I’m the brilliant friend. Go on.”

      “He said...” She still had trouble СКАЧАТЬ