Sisters in Bloom (Love in Bloom: Snow Sisters #2), Contemporary Romance (6 page)

Chaz paced the living room, staring at the door. He was trying to be patient with Kaylie’s mood swings, and he
got
it. That’s the hardest part. He understood what she was going through. She was the type of girl who turned heads anywhere she went, and now she was pregnant. Very pregnant. What Kaylie didn’t realize was that she still turned heads. She didn’t notice the leers and second glances. Chaz did, and as much as they singed every jealous nerve in his body, he was proud that she was his. Hell, he was proud of her for everything, not just her looks. She
had
worked hard to make a name for herself in the music world, but Chaz was a realist. He knew that Kaylie was capable of so much more than singing. He wouldn’t care if she never sang another day in her life, or if she was disfigured in a fiery car crash, or for that matter, if she wanted to be a full-on pop star. He’d support whatever she wanted. Kaylie had a heart as big as the moon, and he’d never felt for anyone the undeniable, inexplicable, all-consuming adoration that he felt for her. And when she touched him—Jesus—there were times he thought his body might explode. But damn it, with the trip to LA coming up and the mess with Lea, he was trying to keep his own messes in a tidy little pile. He hoped he was strong enough for both of them.

He thought about stopping her from leaving, trying to make some sense of their argument, but he didn’t have the energy. Besides, he rationalized, some time with Danica might do her well. Danica could probably help her through this better than he could. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Kaylie’s number, then hung up before it rang. Should he call her and tell her to come back, or let her blow off steam first? He didn’t have time to make a decision before his office phone rang.

Chaz stomped across the wide planks of the cherry hardwood floor and into the office. “Chaz Crew.”

“Hey, Chaz it’s Max again. I called your cell, but it went to voicemail.”

Chaz looked down at his phone. No bars. No service. “That’s why we installed the office phone, remember? Crappy service up here on the mountain.”

“I know, but I forget. You’ve only had it a week or whatever. Anyway, you’re leaving Tuesday. I’m booking the flights after we hang up. Lea demanded the change.”

“Tuesday, as in one day from now?” Chaz took a deep breath. How the hell was he going to pull that off with what was going on with Kaylie? “Why? I’m in LA next week. I’m not going twice.” What on earth was Lea trying to pull?

“She’s in Hawaii meeting with the Hawaiian Film Festival guys. I tried to postpone until she was back in LA. I even said you’d Skype her, but she was insistent that you meet in person and that it be tomorrow.”

Adrenaline sent his mind spinning as he looked out the bay window over the mountains below. He wiped at a bead of sweat on his forehead. He’d just planned a night out with Blake while Kaylie was with her girlfriends, and he really needed to explain the whole Lea situation to Kaylie.

“Are you there?” Max urged. “Listen, you don’t have to go. We have plenty of time. I can woo some smaller sponsors.”

“No way. We’re ten weeks away from the event.” He paced. “That’s why she’s doing this now, and she’s taking me out of familiar territory, too. Hawaii? Jesus. She knows she’s got us by the—”

“Balls?”

“Yeah, Max, by the balls. I was trying to spare you the language.”

Max’s hearty laugh was infectious, and Chaz found himself smiling despite his frustration.

“I see, so saying balls is different than fuck or shit or damn? Because those are the words that fly from the setup crew’s mouths on a daily basis.”

He pictured the smirk he knew was on Max’s face. “Okay, I get it. Max, it’ll cost as much to fly there as it would for the sponsorship on this short notice.” He’d tell Kaylie tonight. No way would he let that one little omission come between them, and knowing Lea, if what she wanted was Chaz, she’d find a way to ensure Kaylie knew about their tryst. Damn it. He couldn’t think that way. He was the man here, not Lea. He’d end this charade before it went any further.

“Nope. If it was going to cost as much, maybe I’d be able to convince you to forget about her sponsorship and if we fall short, we fall short; but it’s not. You have enough frequent flyer miles for two of you to go. You can bring Kaylie.”

“Oh, that’ll go over well.” He imagined Kaylie, who didn’t even know Lea existed, being swallowed alive by her. “We can’t fall short, Max. It’s not like her funding doesn’t matter. Right now it’s the difference between the festival taking place and being canceled. Fine. I’ll go.”

“Want me to come with you as backup?”

Max was the most efficient sponsorship coordinator Chaz had ever worked with, and after five years, she was like a younger sister to him. He considered the offer. “It might piss her off even more, bringing you along to ensure she behaves.”

“The real question is can you behave yourself?”

“What do you think?” Chaz asked with more bravado than he felt.

“Honestly?”

“Have I ever asked for anything else?” Chaz sat down in the leather chair behind his desk.

“Well, in all the years I’ve known you, I’ve seen you date some of the most glamorous actresses, the richest debutants, and some of the most annoying bimbos who exist. You’ve slept with, I don’t know how many women in that time,” Max said.

“I dated them, but I didn’t sleep with them. Not many of them, anyway. I’m not like that, Max.”

“Whatever. The point is, I’ve never seen you fawn over a woman like you do with Kaylie, and I’ve never seen you so driven by your penis as you were with Lea. So, when you ask if I think you can handle it, I can’t honestly give you a clear answer.”

“Gee, thanks for your vote of confidence.” Chaz leaned his elbows on the desk and lowered his forehead into his palms.

“I know how you are with Kaylie, and I know you love her. I
want
to believe that you can behave, but then again, I knew you before her, too.”

The truth hurt. And what made it sting even more was that Chaz and Kaylie had laid their pasts on the table with each other, and she’d accepted his without question. He remembered the feeling of relief when she said she loved him for all he was and anything that had made him into the man he had become, and the guilt of omitting his affair with Lea strangled him. He knew then that if he told her about Lea, she’d worry at every festival thereafter, and since he had about as much interest in Lea as a fish would have in a desert, he didn’t see the point in thrusting that particular bad decision upon her.

He trusted himself, but he definitely didn’t trust Lea. He thought again about using his trust fund money. He weighed it in his mind—giving in to using the family money versus facing Lea head-on. As much as he hated it, using his family money still left an acidic taste in his mouth, but shutting down Lea once and for all, now, that was appealing. Maybe she’d changed. Maybe he was underestimating her and she had serious negotiation in mind. Chaz was always game for a negotiation. He’d come out on top with stronger people than Lea Carmichael. The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that this would be okay—and if he found that she really did want him, then if nothing else, he’d squelch that fantasy and move forward without a guilty conscience. Max would only further empower him, no matter which direction the meeting took.

“Yeah, why don’t you come along?”

By the time Danica arrived at Blake’s, she was exhausted. The last thing she wanted to do was spend an evening at Bar None. She fantasized about throwing on her sweatpants and cuddling up next to him on the couch.

“Is Kaylie doing any better?” Blake asked when Danica came into the living room.

“Who knows. She called from her cell and said she was going home to get ready for tonight. She plans on eating ice cream and watching television in my fuzzy slippers after we all go out. It’s Chaz I’m worried about. I mean, I know Kaylie, and she doesn’t mean anything when she does this. She runs away from things. It’s who she is. But Chaz doesn’t know that.” Danica set her purse down on the table and joined Blake on the couch, snuggling up under the warmth of his arm, even if only for a few minutes.

“So, tell him.”

Danica shook her head. “It’s not my place. She’s a big girl. She has to figure things out for herself.”

“Wanna talk about it some more?” He kissed her cheek.

“Not really.”

“Wanna tell me how your mom’s doing?”

She smiled to herself. Blake was the perfect boyfriend. What man remembered what his girlfriend did during the day? She’d counseled so many broken people about their damaged relationships that she’d expected so much less from him. And there he was, Prince Charming written all over everything he did. So why couldn’t she bring herself to move in with him?

“She’s great, actually.” Danica went to the refrigerator and took a bite out of an apple. “She’s dating and texting. Oh, and she joined a gym, and she dyed her hair red.”

“Sounds like a midlife crisis to me,” Blake joked.

“Maybe, but I’m happy for her. I see it as a midlife finding herself, not a crisis. Their divorce was the crisis. I just wish Kaylie would be nicer to her. She’s stuck in some weird, angry stage, and I feel bad for Mom. Mom wants nothing more than to be part of her life.”

Blake came into the kitchen and pulled out a pan. “She’ll come around. Just give her time. Chicken?”

Danica glanced at the clock. She had an hour and a half before she was supposed to meet the girls. “Are you cooking?”

“Yup.”

“In that case, yes, please.” Danica loved that their relationship hadn’t taken on the usual gender-defined roles. They’d fallen naturally into a give-and-take with everything from taking out the trash and cooking, to laundry, and even lovemaking. “Isn’t that the chicken that’s been in the fridge forever?”

“Not forever. It’s fine.” He kissed her on the cheek. “I love how easy to please you are.” Blake cut the chicken breasts into thin slices, eyeing Danica. “So, do you want to hear what Chaz thinks?”

Danica spun around. “You talked to him?”

“You told me to call him and invite him out, remember?”

She was so wrapped up in Kaylie’s dramatics that she’d almost forgotten. “Oh, God, what did he say? He probably thinks she’s a nut and wants nothing to do with her. I hope she didn’t screw this up.”

Blake poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Danica. “She’s not a nut.”

Danica took a swig of the wine. “No, she’s just a little damaged.”

“That’s not nice.”

“No, but it’s true. We’re all a little damaged, aren’t we?”

Blake mulled that over while he drank his wine. “Is that why you can’t move in with me? Because you’re damaged?”

Yes, but right now I’m dealing with my damaged sister
. Danica shook her head. “How about you tell me what Chaz said? I can only handle one crisis at a time.”

“He said he doesn’t care if she works or not. He only wants her to be happy. He suggested that maybe she write songs instead of singing while she’s pregnant, and she stormed out of the room.”

“Well, that’s not what she said.”

“Right. She thinks he wants her barefoot and pregnant. I don’t know about women and their hormones, but he said her emotions are all over the place. He seems used to it.”

“That can’t be good,” Danica said. “Even if he’s used to her hormone-induced mood swings, he’ll get sick of her really quickly if that’s the case.”

“Not all men run from problems, Danica. Look how many times you pushed me away, and I stuck around.” Blake threw the chicken in the pan and stirred it, then moved closer to Danica, until she could smell the sweet wine on his breath. “You’re still pushing me away, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Danica put her hand on his chest. She loved the feel of him, and rested her fingers on his pectoral muscles while she debated giving in to the desire that stirred within her.
Damn you
. It took only one touch, and she lost track of all thoughts. What happened to the reserved, professional Danica who could keep her desires under control? All it took was one quick look in his hungry eyes to know she didn’t give one hoot about the reserved person she used to be. She was about to kiss him when she realized what he’d said. “I’m not pushing you away. I’m just not ready to move in yet.” Thinking of Kaylie, she said, “Maybe I should go over there and talk some sense into her.”

“Can’t you do that tonight? You’ll see her in an hour.” He pulled him into her arms. “Maybe I can talk some sense into you,” he teased.

“I hope tonight isn’t all about damage control,” she said as he moved his hands to her ass. “I don’t have time for dinner and…this.”
God, I want you
. “I swear, we’re like two dogs in heat,” she said as he kissed her neck.

“Ruff.”            

After an afternoon of dealing with the demands of actors and actresses, the impending trip to Hawaii that he was trying desperately not to think about, and Kaylie’s silent treatment burning a hole right through his heart, Chaz was looking forward to a night out with Blake. He could sure use some guy time. His house had become estrogen hell in the last few hours—even worse than usual. He’d just make it an early night.

Kaylie came out of the bedroom wearing a snug little outfit he’d never seen before. The combination of her short, snug, emerald-green dress, her hair cascading over her shoulders, and her tone, tanned legs, caused an instant, heated reaction within him.
Damn, she is sexy
. He wanted to forget Blake, forget Kaylie’s career trouble and their earlier argument, and take her in his arms, but he’d practiced telling Kaylie about Lea at least fifty different ways, and he knew he had to do it. He realized that he hadn’t even told her about his leaving for Hawaii.

“You look incredible.” He bent down to kiss her ruby-red lips.

She ducked away. “Lipstick.”

 He was torn between making sure she was okay—that
they
were okay—before he took off for Hawaii, and revealing his secret. Springing Lea on anyone was unfair, and springing Lea on her after a fight and just hours before he would be meeting her halfway across the world would be cruel. Seeing her eyes tinged with sadness, he knew there was no easy way to handle the fact that he’d lied. His chest tightened, and he steeled himself to receive anything she thought he deserved.

“Kaylie, I have to go to Hawaii to meet with a sponsor. Max called and they changed the flight. I leave tomorrow.” Her mouth dropped open. He couldn’t do it. He felt like he was abandoning her, and it made no sense. It had to be the lie that was eating away at his gut. He had to tell her, damn it. Tonight. He’d tell her tonight after she came back from her girls’ night out, when she’d be in a more relaxed mood and the news of Hawaii settled in.

 “Tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

“Tomorrow? Really?” Kaylie frowned.

“I’m sorry. If there was any other way…”

She shrugged. “Well, it’s not like we haven’t been apart before. How long will you be gone?”

“Maybe two nights. It’s gonna be crazy. Between flights, and the meeting, I’ll have no time to sleep.”

“What time do you leave?”

“I’m not sure. Max is making the arrangements, but you know it’ll be some god-awful early flight.”

She glanced at the time on her phone. “I’m late.” She grabbed her purse and keys. “Chaz, the fight earlier—that was all me, and I know it was. We can talk tomorrow or after your trip.” She cocked her head, and the way the light hit her blue eyes gave them a soft, worried look. “We’re okay, aren’t we?”

Tell her. Get it out in the open.
“Yeah, we’re fine.” They were finally on stable footing again. He couldn’t ruin that by telling her now.
Jesus, I’m a coward
. “Kaylie, I can cancel the trip. I’d rather be with you anyway.”

“Are you kidding? I know how important the sponsors are. It’s no big deal. One or two nights, even three nights. Oh, I almost forgot. All the girls are staying at Danica’s tonight, so I’ll be home tomorrow, and if I’m home early enough, we can talk then.” She picked up her purse and keys and headed for the door.

Staying at Danica’s? Chaz had to make a decision fast, and the first thing that came to mind was to clear up what she’d initially been mad about, so that when he revealed what he’d been holding back, at least there would be one less thing to deal with. “Look, I didn’t mean whatever you thought I meant about you staying home and having babies.”

“I know,” she said with a smile.

“So, maybe we should talk.”
And I should tell you about my lie so my conscience is clear and so that we can move forward together without anything standing in our way.
Chaz played with the words in his mind.
I need to tell you something. Remember when I said I’d never dated anyone from the festival…No, that’s not right…Kaylie, I lied and I need to clear it up…
He could just see the night ending with a screaming match starting with
You lied to me?
and ending with
I never want to see you again
.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and shrugged. “I’ve got a lot to figure out with my career, and I need a little time to do that. I really am sorry for overreacting before.”

Damn it. Her work. How could he pile his shit on her own pile of worry? He had to try to tell her. “We can figure it out together,” he offered

She didn’t answer, but when she reached for the doorknob, she spun around and blew him a kiss. It was now or never.

“Kaylie, we really do need to talk,” he said. “I…have something that I want to discuss.”

Kaylie smiled. “Can it wait until tomorrow?” 

No!
Chaz’s gut twisted. His nerves were on fire and every muscle in his body was tense. He couldn’t let the Lea issue rest. “Can you call me tonight, after you get to Danica’s?” He sounded so desperate; surely she’d hear his urgency.

“Sure, but it might be late,” she answered. She was out the door before he could gather the courage to spit out the truth.

As he drove down the mountain, his anger mounted. He was a goddamned idiot. He should have told Kaylie about Lea ages ago. Maybe he should drive straight to Bar None and tell Kaylie about Lea. Clear the air. Who was he kidding? The tension between them had nothing to do with Lea. Telling her now would be adding fuel to her angst. Damn it. He should have told her about Lea ages ago. Chaz swore he’d never keep another thing from Kaylie.

He passed the only other house on the rural road, the one with the broken For Sale sign. Chaz pushed away his thoughts of Lea and replaced them with thoughts about how much he loved living outside of town. It was as if he and Kaylie had their own little piece of paradise.
Kaylie
. Her emotions had been so up and down lately. He wished he knew what to do to help her through whatever was spinning around in that pretty little head of hers.
Adding his admission about Lea to the mix would only add to her troubles.
This was definitely not what he’d planned for the day before leaving town.

Thinking of Kaylie brought his thoughts to Danica and how different she and Kaylie were. Danica was always picking up the pieces of Kaylie’s life. It figured he’d choose the impetuous sister. Then again, he’d never be attracted to someone like Danica. Danica was great, and pretty, but she wasn’t Kaylie. Hell, no one was. Kaylie touched him in ways that only she could. She calmed him when he was angry and soothed him when he was tired. She didn’t hold grudges, and she never got jealous or possessive. God, he missed the way things were before all this craziness began, before she started losing gigs, and before he realized his mistake about keeping secrets.

His cell phone rang, pulling his attention back to the present.
Blake
.

“I’m on my way,” Chaz said.

“I’m really sorry, but I’ve gotta cancel.”

“Oh.”
Shit. I need the distraction
. “We could hang at your place if you don’t want to go into town.”

“No, it’s not that.” Blake paused. “I think I’ve got food poisoning. My stomach has been going crazy since I ate. Bad chicken or something. My stomach is on fire. Thank God Danica didn’t eat it.”

“Ugh, sorry. That sucks. Okay, we’ll do it another time. Do you need me to pick up anything for you at the drugstore?”

“Nah, I talked to my doc. There’s not much I can do but wait it out at this point. He said it could just be a bug, too. Hydrate and all the usual crap. I’m really sorry to bail on you like this.”

“No biggie. Feel better.” Chaz decided to take a drive through the Village and blow off steam. Maybe he’d even grab a drink by himself, and he knew just the place.

The evening rolled in and the lights illuminated the trees lining the main road into the Village. Allure was known for two things: skiing and an aura of romance. During the off-season, the lights still shone bright, so even the summer tourists got a taste of Allure’s true calling. It was one of his favorite things about the town. Maybe he’d just walk a little before heading to the bar.

He parked his car and walked through the Village. Before he knew it, he was at the far end of the main strip, past the last row of stores. He turned down a familiar narrow alley, which separated two rows of town houses. Chaz descended the cement steps and opened the doors to Taylor’s Cove, breathing in the slightly dank air of the basement-level pub. Taylor’s Cove was one of the few bars within the Village limits that tourists shied away from. Joe Taylor’s grandfather had opened the pub in the late sixties, catering to mostly the blue-collar crowd from just outside the Village limits. As the Village grew, the senior Taylor continued to feed the rumors that Taylor’s Cove was a rough place. Even the locals shied away from the hole in the wall. Chaz had been warned about the pub from the minute he moved into Allure, and it was his curiosity that drove him in. He liked the quiet, the older clientele and the lack of fanfare. At Taylor’s Cove, Chaz could relax, thinking his own thoughts without the pressure of the townsfolk asking about the festival or sponsors breathing down his back to get more for their money.

He climbed atop a wooden stool, realizing that he hadn’t been in since he’d met Kaylie. He tapped his finger on the bar. “Kamikaze, Joe.”

Joe lifted his chin. “Chaz. What brings you ’round? Isn’t this your festival prep time? Sponsorships and all that?” Joe joked with Chaz because when Chaz had first taken over as the director of the festival, he’d made the mistake of approaching even the smallest of businesses in search of sponsors. Joe had laughed at him, a deep, hearty, what-kind-of-fool-am-I laugh and then proceeded to set Chaz straight about the ways of Allure;
Folks around here don’t ask for money from friends
. Chaz knew then that he’d be better off keeping his fundraising to bigger companies.

“That’s what brings me here.” Chaz accepted the glass and held it up high. “To the festival,” he said, and guzzled it down. He nodded at Joe. “One more, Joe?”

“One-minute rule.” Joe looked down his wide nose at Chaz.

“Right.” Chaz turned and scanned the pub. He found Max sitting in the corner and laughed to himself. He’d introduced Max to the pub years earlier and she, like him, used it to hide from the world. He turned back to Joe and pointed at Max, lifting his eyebrows.

“She came in grumbling about having to go to Hawaii.”

“Bring my drink over there after my minute is up?” Chaz said and went to Max’s table. She held a glass between her palms and didn’t look up. “Mind if I sit?”

She waved at the chair.

“This is my haunt. Why are you here?” he asked. Max wasn’t the type to bitch about traveling, so he knew something else was bothering her.

“You showed me
your haunt
the second week I worked for you. Remember?” She raised her hazel eyes.

“When we lost Ross,” they said in unison, and then laughed a quiet, familiar laugh.

“The first sponsorship you ever blew,” he teased.

She scowled.

The thing Chaz respected most about Max was that she hadn’t tried to sleep her way to the top, like many of the other women Chaz had met during his career. She’d turned down Ross’s offer for sponsorship in exchange for a night of sheet wrestling, and she’d gone on to make a name for herself in the festival business by her hard work and efficient organizational skills. Chaz was lucky to have her on his staff. Seeing her now, he wondered if he’d taken advantage of her by dragging her to Hawaii.

“Look, if you don’t want to go to Hawaii, you don’t have to. I’m a big boy. I can handle it.”

She pressed her lips into a thin line and crossed her arms. Max wore her long dark hair in a low ponytail, as she had every day since Chaz had known her. Even during the festivals, she’d show up in her typical blue jeans and festival T-shirt, thin red frames perched on her slim, perky nose and not a speck of makeup on her porcelain-white skin.

“Okay, so maybe I can’t, but I can manage without you. I was fine before you came on board.”

“Oh, really? With Miss Mouse as your sponsorship coordinator? You were a babysitter and had to do all of her work plus your own. And don’t get me started about you and Lea.”

Lea
. Chaz leaned back in his chair. “What’re you really upset about?” he asked.

“Let’s just make sure you don’t end up with Lea, all right?”

“Max, really? You know me better than that.”

“Why are you even here?” she asked. “We’re leaving before dawn.”

“What?”

“You should really check your voicemail,” she said, sucking down the last of her drink.

Chaz pulled out his phone and saw the message light blinking. Goddamn service. He put the phone to his ear and Max pulled it back down.

“Red-eye, tonight.”

“The red-eye? Really, Max? Are you that angry with me?”

“I’m not mad at you.” She stood and gathered her purse in her arms and then smiled. “And I want to go to Hawaii. I just have other stuff going on.”

He watched her leave the pub.
Other stuff?
He’d never heard Max talk about a man, or anyone for that matter. She separated her work life from her personal life more expertly than anyone Chaz knew. In fact, based on her lack of discussing the topic, he’d swear she hadn’t gone on a single date in the past five years.

“Here you go, one Kamikaze. The next rule is—”

“Five-minute rule. I know your rules, Joe. I have to wait five minutes before my next drink. Got it.”

“Hey, keeps the mischief to a minimum.” Joe wiped his hands on a towel that hung over his shoulder and went back to the bar.

Chaz pulled out his phone to call Kaylie and let her know that he’d be leaving before dawn; then he realized that, between the music and her friends, there was no way she’d hear the phone.  He texted her instead.
Leaving on red-eye. Love you.

An hour and several drinks later, Chaz left the pub and headed for his car. Max was leaning against the driver’s side door with her arms crossed. She held her hand out as he approached.