#PartyBoss isn't a term Tulip Carpenter coined herself but she wears it with pride. Her life is a party, she's doing what she loves, creating mindblowing celebrations for the happiest moments in people's lives. But when the baby she put up for adopt...
Pourquoi was swiftly becoming Tulip's least favorite word in the French language. Granted, she didn't know many but the frequency of which Sydney spit it out after she told her to do something plucking a nerve. Presently, the word made its umpteenth appearance after she benched the pint-sized cutie after dashing down the emerald grass in her orange bike shorts and white tank top like an elite soccer player.
Sweat slithered down Sydney's face like the San Jacinto after a tropical depression. The red undertones on her cheek ignited from the sun's brilliance as she clutched her forearms behind her back peering up at Tulip waiting for a valid answer to her question.
Tulip fought the urge to regurgitate the quick-witted reply her Granny always shot out. Because I said so. Although the phrase catapulted to the forefront of her mind like a cheetah on speed she pushed it down with a deep breath and a glance at the treeline blocking out the busy city street. She knew Sydney wasn't trying to be slick or rude. She was just curious and ultra hyped to keep playing.
She hadn't known someone so hyped to play flag football. But competitiveness and athleticism were a trait of hers and Jasper's so it wasn't a surprise that Sydney was eager to play and determined to win.
"It's hot as hell out here." She grabbed an icy bottle of water from the cooler Lachlan wheeled from his Denali. "And you just flew down here from New York. You're not accumulated to this devil breath weather, yet." She twisted to top off the bottle then gave it to her. "Drink this and cool down."
"Je vais bien,"Sydney's chest rose and fell with each passing second as she gasped in oxygen, "Je n'ai pas chaud."
Tulip's phone was already out and primed on the translation app she downloaded before pulling out the driveway that morning. The computerized voice interpreted the words Sydney spoke with ease.
"Thank you for that information but you're still out." She pointed to the blanket draped over the grass. "Have a seat and sip your water."
Tulip missed Sydney's foot stomp against the manicured lawn as she eyed one of the players on the green team fumbled the ball. "Get it!" She yelled at Neisha who was wiping sweat from her face. "We can't lose our lead?"
Lachlan raced ahead of Niesha and scooped up the ball and trotted down the field with the rest of the players galloping behind him. All of the players except for Neisha that was. She flicked her wrist at their prowess and marched to the sidelines.
"What are you doing?" Tulip asked her friend bounding towards her.
"Ahhh," Neisha groaned out as she collapsed back on the blanket Sydney was standing by. "Hot." She breathed out the one word with more air than was in her lungs. She slung her arms over her face shielding out the sun rays. "Need air." She gulped in a deep breath then continued. "Condition."
"It's just." Tulip turned over her wrist and read her watch. "Ninety-nine degrees." She glanced back at the field the green team was on their way to scoring a touchdown which wasn't a surprise since the blue team, her team was a woman and a kid down. But then again Lachlan, Hendrick, and Q were all fit men then should be able to hold off a couple of gangly teenagers. Fine. They weren't gangly. They were varsity ranked high schoolers from Bellaire but still, they were seventeen and something.
"Ninety-nine, please." Neisha finally sat up as her breathing was now even. "The heat index is 102 and I stop having fun when skin tingles."
"Huh," Tulip smirked, catching Lachlyn flung the ball to Q. "So, you haven't been tingling lately. Duly noted."
"Don't start. You know—"
"J'ai terminé." Sydney interrupted showing the empty water bottle to Tulip. "Puis-je sortir maintenant?"
Tulip didn't have the app ready for the first part but it was primed for the second and she nonchalantly uttered, "no" then shifted her attention back to her friend.
"Oui."
She didn't need the app for that. She knew that word well. It was the word Pepé Le Pew never received from Penelope Pussycat. Her head abruptly jolted to the child that was eyeing her was a fierceness that she'd never give to anyone over the age of fifty.
This is the moment. Tulip nodded her head with a calmness that caused Neisha's eyebrows to shoot up. The Challenge. She'd read about it on one of the pins she found on Pinterest regarding the adoption of older children. Sydney was challenging her authority and feeling out her space in their dynamics. Tulip was certain the girl didn't know since she'd just been in her care for almost one day but they weren't going to duel over how with the commander in chief.
"No." Tulip's register lowered as she narrowed her eyes. "You're done. Sit down." She pointed sharply at the space next to Neisha.
"Yeah, come chill down here with me." Neisha chirped in trying to level out tensions that were rising at the two glared at each other. "And let me tell you about the Last of Us."
Sydney looked over at the friendly woman on the blanket then turned back to Tulip with a huff. "Je veux jouer. Tu ne peux pas m'arrêter."
She darted towards the field but Tulip was swifter. She grabbed Sydney's arm before she even got three feet away from the blanket.
"You're not going anywhere."
Sydney yanked her arm out of her grasp, "Maintenant tu me veux."
"What?" Tulip didn't have her app primed nor could she decipher any of the words that were tossed at her. "Can you please speak English now?"
"Non." Sydney fumed balling up her hands by her side. She panted her eyes watered. "Je te déteste. Je veux ma maman. Je ne veux pas être ici."
The automated voice began orating the words Sydney spewed but before it could finish she was a tearful mess repeating the one statement over and over. Je veux ma maman. The word broke them both but Sydney was the only one that lost stability in legs. Tulip caught her before she collided with the hard earth and settled on the grass with her.
There were no words that came to her mind to say. She was experienced enough with the pain of losing a parent so she knew there were done that could be spoken. So, she did the only thing she knew, she rocked the quaking child as she wailed for the one person she could never get back and cried with her.
How do you think the emotional meltdown will affect Tulip and Sydney's relationship?
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