The Moonglow Sisters Read online

  Inside, sweat pearled between her breasts and her heart raced and she thought, I’m taking too long coming back with the ginger ale. Maddie, in bridezilla mode, as she’d been the last few weeks, would certainly send someone after her.

  That’s what she was counting on. That was her on-the-fly plan.

  Shelley’s brain whirled. If she let Raoul kiss her, and they got caught, Maddie would have no choice but to call off the wedding and Shelley would never have to reveal the dark secret she carried.

  Shelley would save her sister from making a terrible mistake. She’d be the hero for once. How appealing.

  Raoul was the one who pulled her closer and lowered his head. He was the one who licked his lips and murmured her name.

  But it was Shelley who went up on tiptoes and kissed him.

  And she couldn’t have planned it any better.

  Just as Raoul grabbed her by the hair, pulled her head back, and shoved his tongue down Shelley’s throat, Maddie threw open the pantry door, muttering, “If you want something done right, you’ve got to—”

  Maddie let out a sharp cry.

  Raoul jumped back, smoothing down his hair, and stammered, “Y-you-your sister kissed me.”

  At the same time Shelley crowed triumphantly as if she’d done a good thing, as if she was expecting heaps of praise. “I told you Raoul was a lecherous asshole, now you have proof!”

  But the only thing her impulsivity had done was break her sister’s heart.

  Madison collapsed, sobbing her heart out. That’s when Shelley realized what a truly horrible thing she’d done, despite her best intentions. She’d never seen Maddie so defeated.

  And she’d been running from herself ever since.

  No more running. It was time to make full amends and put her family back together, no matter how much she had to grovel.

  Chapter Twelve

  Gia

  BLOCK: A quilt design unit generally composed of multiple squares that are repeated and formed together to make a quilt top.

  BY FIVE, THEY’D completed the kitchen floor demolition and just as they finished, Darynda showed up with soft tacos, queso, tortilla chips, and salsa from El Mercado at the far end of Moonglow Boulevard.

  Mike stayed for dinner and they devoured the food, while Pyewacket, whom they’d managed to coax back downstairs, snacked on kibble at their feet underneath the sturdy picnic table.

  Gia and Mike sat next to each other, giving each other surreptitious glances and coy smiles, playing at being the happily engaged couple.

  It was fun.

  After the meal, Shelley cleaned up the dishes and insisted everyone else chill while she handled the chore. Darynda lowered the quilting frame from the porch ceiling with the pulley system and unfurled the quilt. While Madison went inside for the sewing box, Gia took Mike’s hand and walked him home.

  “Thanks so much for helping with the demo,” she said.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow to lay tile.”

  “I’m sitting with Grammy from seven until noon, according to Madison’s schedule.” Gia angled just a little closer to him.

  “Madison says ‘jump’ and you guys still say ‘how high.’ It’s nice to see some things never change.”

  Playfully, Gia nudged him in the ribs. “Downside to living right next door? You know too much about us.”

  They stopped at the short stone wall that divided the two properties.

  “Gia.” His stare was a bit disconcerting.

  “Yes?”

  “How come it is that we’ve never considered taking our friendship to another level before?”

  She’d asked herself that question a time or two over the years. Usually when they were hanging out on his couch watching football with pizza and beer and everyone else had left. Once, they’d even almost kissed. It was during a New Year’s Eve party at the Moonglow Inn as the clock had struck midnight.

  Mike was standing right next to her as everyone was shouting “Happy New Year!” and kissing people for good luck.

  Mike had been twenty-five to Gia’s eighteen, and for the first time she’d seen him as something more than their handsome neighbor.

  He’d looked down at her, grinned, and lowered his head . . . and . . .

  She’d panicked, grabbed a champagne flute from the tray Grammy was passing out to the guests, shoved the glass into his hand, took one for herself, clinked her glass to his, and hollered, “Cheers!”

  Mike had the same look on his face now that he’d had back then, hungry, and hopeful.

  Did he have feelings for her? Feelings that went beyond friendship? Or was it just the craziness of pretending to be engaged?

  Her heart thumped at the notion. When she was fourteen, she’d had a terminal crush on him, but he’d been twenty-one, and much too old for her back then. Now, however, seven years did not seem like that big of an age gap.

  What was going on here?

  This was a man she’d known most of her life. Their families had spent holidays together. He’d taught her how to fly kites, and he’d given Gia her first taste of the pastime she’d turned into a career. He’d even carved the headboard of the bed she slept in at home with his own two hands.

  That was some pretty intimate stuff right there. Was he feeling something shift between them as well? Or was she imagining things?

  She stared at Mike’s lips and he stared at hers, and a hard shiver shot straight down her spine. “I didn’t want to mess up our friendship.”

  “Me either.”

  “Are we messing it up now?” She searched his face for answers.

  “Not from where I’m standing.”

  Her knees quivered. “If this—”

  “Gia,” he whispered.

  “How come you were never interested in Madison or Shelley?” she asked. “I mean, it would make sense if you were. They’re closer to your age.”

  “I dunno. Madison was always so ambitious and focused. Shelley so carefree and unfocused. You, on the other hand . . .” He reached to brush a stray strand of hair from her face. “Are the perfect balance.”

  “Like the wobble boards you made for us when we were kids?”

  “Exactly like that.” He smiled. “Madison would stand on hers so rigid, afraid to move in case she got thrown off. Shelley rode the thing like it was a bronco, wildly overcorrecting and ending up getting pitched off every time. But you, Short Stack, you could gently wobble back and forth for hours without falling off.”

  “It’s my low center of gravity,” she said. “Madison and Shelley were just too tall.”

  “You don’t give yourself enough credit. I say what kept you balanced was your flexibility. Neither too stiff, nor too loose.”

  “I better get back,” she said. “We’ve got to get that quilt finished.”

  “Should we kiss?” he asked.

  Kiss Mike? “What?”

  “In case they’re watching, I mean. We need to make this engagement look like the real deal.”

  “Oh, for sure.” She nodded, eager for any chance to kiss him. “Let’s put on a convincing show.”

  With a throaty groan, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close against him.

  She raised her chin and he covered her mouth with his.

  A soft little moan escaped her lips and he chuckled, the sound vibrating through her mouth. Gia wound her arms around his neck and wriggled nearer, letting him know he could certainly deepen the kiss if he wanted.

  Oof, but he tasted so good. Hot and spicy with just the right amount of moisture.

  The man knew his way around a kiss!

  His lips were sweet, sweeter than she’d ever believed possible, and her giddy thoughts bounced all over the place. I am kissing my friend. Oh gosh, oh gee, what have I done?

  Then, all at once, he stopped. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “No . . . no . . . it’s fine.” Oh, so much more than fine!

  “Just part of the show?” His grin turned wry.
>
  “Just part of the show,” she echoed.

  “Okay.”

  “All right. I’m just gonna . . .” She stood there staring into his gorgeous eyes.

  “Go?” He arched his left eyebrow and the right side of his mouth.

  “Yeah,” she said. “That.”

  “Night.”

  “Good night.”

  As if in a dream, she turned, fingering her lips, and practically floated back across the lawn.

  The breeze was soft and steady, bringing festive sounds and provocative smells from the restaurants farther down the beach. Music drifted from somewhere nearby. A solo guitar strumming “Sisters of the Moon.”

  The sun was still quite bright as spring barreled toward summer, and the longest day of the year. Dusk was still two hours away.

  Drawing closer, she heard Madison mutter, “The girl’s got it bad.”

  Was her sister talking about her?

  “Jealous?” Shelley murmured.

  “I can hear you,” Gia said.

  Madison was unpacking the sewing kit, putting the supplies within reach. Needles, thread, thimbles, a new pair of scissors sharp enough to slice through layers of material. She set the scissors on the small table situated between two of the chairs. The blades caught the sunlight, glinted.

  Her oldest sister plunked down in a chair, reached for a needle, and threaded it with purple thread that matched the square she would be quilting.

  Yay! At last. They were finally getting somewhere thanks to Madison’s strict schedule. Her sister’s overly orderly ways could tax a less structured person, but Gia had to admit, Maddie’s organizational skills came in handy.

  As always, Maddie was dressed camera-ready. Full makeup. Hair flat-iron smooth, the ends of the lob gently curled below her jawline. Stylish clothes. Tailored white slacks and a chic, button-down, navy-blue sleeveless blouse. Flawless mani-pedi. Gold sandals. A large gold cuff bracelet, diamond stud earrings, the crystal necklace she seemed never to take off. A Margot Robbie look-alike.

  Shelley’s hair frizzed about her face and she wore a long prairie skirt that looked like it had come from a thrift store and an oversize T-shirt. No makeup and she was barefoot. But she moved with such self-assured grace her outward appearance hardly mattered. Once upon a time she’d been so into fashion. What had happened to her in Costa Rica?

  “Before we begin . . .” Gia touched the quilt as if it were a lifeline. “Should we explore some ground rules?”

  “Ground rules?” Madison’s eyebrows shot up.

  “Explore?” Shelley looked amused.

  They were making fun of her. Damn, sometimes it sucked being the youngest with two headstrong older sisters.

  “Ground rules,” Gia confirmed. “And yes, let’s explore the off-limit topics to keep things running smoothly. Raoul is off the table. Don’t mention his name.”

  “We get it,” Madison said. “No mention of Shelley’s transgression.”

  “Hey—”

  “Shelley, please,” Gia interrupted. “Let it go. And, Madison, I don’t want you to bring that up around me again. That was five years ago. You’re different. Shelley’s different. Everyone is different. Got it?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Madison saluted.

  “Woo, look at you.” Shelley batted her hair from her face. “All different and everything.”

  Gia blinked at them meaningfully. “May I continue?”

  Shelley swept an expansive hand. “Go on.”

  “No talk of politics, money, sex, or religion. No talking about your show, Madison. Or—”

  Shelley raised a hand. “Ahem, what can we talk about?”

  “Grammy, quilting, Moonglow pears, the beach, flowers, kittens, puppies, sunshine and rainbows.”

  “We get the drift,” Madison said. “Nothing incendiary. Let’s get this show on the road so we can finish the damn quilt and get on with our lives.”

  Gia’s nose itched the way it did when she got irritated. Madison was not being a good sport, but at least she was here. Take what you can get.

  With Gia’s off-limit-topics ground rules in place, things started off well enough. But Madison seemed antsy. She pressed her mouth into a straight line and didn’t glance up from her work. What was going on inside her oldest sister? There had to be a million emotions churning through Madison’s head. To her the quilt must represent everything that had gone wrong with her life.

  But Madison had survived. Not just survived but thrived.

  Shelley, on the other hand . . . Gia cast a sidelong glance at her other sister.

  What had happened to Shelley? She’d lost her spontaneous vibrancy. A hollowness lurked beneath her eyes that hadn’t been there five years ago. She had been living with the guilt and shame over what she’d done. It couldn’t have been easy.

  “Shelley,” Gia said, “would you like to tell us what you’ve been up to the past five years? We’ve been so busy with Grammy, we haven’t had a chance to—”

  “Off-limits,” Shelley said. “If you can set up topic parameters, so can I.”

  “Okeydokey.” Gia focused on her sewing, her curiosity about Shelley’s whereabouts for the past five years growing.

  They worked in silence for half an hour.

  Gia pulled her needle through the cotton batting, making sure her stitches were tight and even. The square she worked was pink-and-white-striped seersucker fabric, gleaned from the dress she’d worn as a volunteer candy striper when she was sixteen. She gave as much attention to the quilt as she would give her kites. This project was for Grammy. It meant something monumental, whether her sisters appreciated that or not.

  The evening weather was balmy, the sea light gray and calm. The sky was slightly overcast with puffy white clouds, the setting sun playing peekaboo.

  On the beach in front of the house, a young mother formed sandcastles with her three children, all girls in sunbonnets and heart-shaped sunglasses.

  In between stitches, Gia watched the laughing mom play with her children as they giggled and ran from the waves. Her heart gave a strange little bump. She barely remembered her own mother, and part of her still longed for the hugs and kisses she’d lost. Nothing could make up for that.

  Madison had tried her best to fill the hole left by their mother’s death. Gia had appreciated the attempt and took comfort where she could find it. But Shelley went in the opposite direction. Gia remembered frequent fights between her two sisters, with Shelley yelling at Madison, “You can’t tell me what to do! You are not my mother!”

  Tonight, no one was talking about anything. Not even Darynda, who could usually find something nice to say. Gia thought maybe she’d been too strict with her rules.

  Should she leave well enough alone and accept the silence? Or risk starting a conversation that could blow up? So many land mines lay between them. Resentment, hurt, guilt, shame. So much guilt.

  The four of them were gathered around the quilt, Darynda taking Grammy’s spot on the north end. It felt good, having the square balanced by a fourth person, but Gia still felt her grandmother’s absence.

  Hand sewing a quilt was a painstaking task, but Grammy advocated for the purity of hand quilting. Especially this wedding quilt, which was more of a piece of art than something intended for daily use. It was an heirloom, designed to be passed down.

  The design was a triple wedding ring quilt. Three overlapping concentric circles. The pattern chosen by Maddie at the time of her wedding to represent the three Moonglow sisters. It seemed sad now, the history of the past weighing heavily on the quilt. Would they ever be connected like those three circles again?

  “How was Grammy today?” Madison asked Shelley, her gaze on her sewing.

  “Same.” Shelley got her needle threaded and started quilting her section. “I painted her toenails.”

  “She would like that.” Darynda’s voice held a smile. “Helen did like to pamper herself when she had the time and money.”

  “No doctor visited?” Maddie�
�s voice was light, but her jaw clenched.

  “Not while I was there.” Shelley quilted the way she lived her life, loosey-goosey, with imprecise, relaxed stitches.

  Gia didn’t mind Shelley’s quilting style. Her personality showed on the palette. When you studied the quilt, you knew right away which section she’d sewn. Madison, however, was not a fan of her loping style. She watched Shelley’s bendy wrist motions with pursed lips.

  “So, nothing new at the hospital?” Madison asked. “No change at all? Nothing happened?”

  Why did Maddie have to be so pushy? Gia noticed that Shelley glanced over at her tote bag sitting near the back door where she’d dropped it when she’d come in. Darynda was watching all three of them.

  “Your number one fan was working today,” Shelley said. “That happened.”

  “May June? She’s quite nice.”

  “A little snoopy, don’t you think?”

  Maddie’s head came up and she met Shelley’s gaze. “What do you mean?”

  “I threw away some nail polish and she took it out of the trash.” Shelley watched Madison closely as if waiting for something.

  Please, no fireworks, you two.

  “Eww.” Gia crinkled her nose in distaste. “I wouldn’t fish anything out of the hospital trash.”

  “I know, right?” Shelley bobbed her head but didn’t take her eyes off Maddie.

  “She could disinfect it,” Darynda said sensibly.

  Madison stopped sewing, the needle clutched between her index finger and thumb, and sat still as a statue. “Was something wrong with the polish?”

  “No.”

  “Then why did you throw it away?”

  “It wasn’t a flattering color on Grammy.”

  “So you just threw it away instead of bringing it home?”

  Gia didn’t know what was going on between those two, but she had a feeling it had nothing to do with nail polish.

  “Yeah.” Shelley locked Maddie into a staredown. “I did.”

  “That’s wasteful.”

  “Yeah? Well, it was my polish to waste.”

  Anxious, Gia said, “Darynda, how was your day?”

  “Things went well.” Darynda’s eyes shifted from Shelley to Madison and back again. “I—”