#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...
Tulip was no stranger to the cold shoulder. She'd been on the dispensing end and never gave an ounce of remorse to the person writhing from the sting of avoidance and passive-aggressive comments. She didn't even know kids could pull off so much veiled hostility until Sidney appeared in her life. Now that she was acquainted with the harsh reality to knew one thing for certain, ten-year-olds were merciless, especially the ten-year-old skipping in front of her.
She didn't know if she should be satisfied that Sidney was smiling from ear to ear and gleefully skipping through the carnival grounds with a stuffed Llama under her arm or annoyed that Jasper was the one holding her hand and enjoying their daughter's attention and the reward of the outing she planned. Tulip hugged the enormous lion she won at the balloon and dart booth very much sure that she was a storm of both dueling emotions; appeased and irritated.
The raw relief that Sidney expressed in a tight hug the moment Sidney ran into the kitchen while she flipped a buttermilk pancake was the last pleasant gesture the child expressed towards her. Sidney picked at her breakfast in silence, not making a peep even though Tulip apologized for scaring her last night and vowed to keep her word completely no matter what turned up.
Tulip knew her little girl didn't give a shit about her words once she spun away from the table to retreat to her room and spend the bulk of the day with the book she showed up at her house with. Worried about their plans for the evening Tulip decided to invite Jasper to the carnival since he was the one person she heard Sidney speaking to; that she knew of since the youngster had reverted to old ways. Yep, she'd defaulted back to French.
Tulip's footfalls abruptly halted as Jasper spun Sidney around and addressed her, he was consistently speaking English even though the girl wasn't and she was thankful for that. She may not have been privy to engaging in a conversation with Sidney but at least she knew the subject matter being discussed.
"Isn't it about time we have the delicacy of carnival food? Funnel cake." Jasper said as Sidney beamed up at him with stars in her eyes that were only magnified by the moon's glow and the neon lights of the rides brightening the night. Tulip wondered if that's how she looked when first meeting him all those years ago. She knew it was easy to fall in love with him. He was charming and she couldn't help but adore the way he gave Sidney all his affection and attention.
Shit! Get a damn grip, Tulip. She reprimanded herself and tried to hide the shiver that crawled down her back remembering the confession she made to him last night. Thankfully, he didn't bring it up when he arrived at her house early.
"Fried dough and powdered sugar." Tulip almost bounced off the ground purely elated to be involved in a bit of dialogue ending the fifteen-minute drought that occurred after the last attempt he made. "I'm in. What about you?" She lowered her sight to Sidney, whose tresses were pulled back in a ponytail. The only style she could pull off without much help. Her edges were frizzy from the humid Texas night since she didn't enlist the assistance of Tulip with her handy toothbrush and Eco Style gel.
The happiness that flooded Sidney's face drained the instant Tulip opened her mouth. Tulip's mouth went dry and she clenched her molars from the plain face children peering at him but it was what she did next that slumped her shoulders.
Sidney snatched her eyes off her and turned to Jasper, "Maman a dit que je ne devrais pas prendre de sucre la nuit."
Tulip rolled her eyes to the side. She chose to let aggravation reign in her because it was better to feel it than the pain of the first word that the child spoke. She wasn't skilled enough to hop off a plane in Paris and get into a full conversation with a local but she knew some words from the lessons Sidney gave her during car rides, during that glorious time she talked to her. It was the 'maman' that pierced her heart like the sharp edge of a dagger. She longed for the day it was 'MeMe this and MeMe that. Even though it was yesterday afternoon when she last heard it, it was still too long ago.
Jasper's eyebrows knitted as he looked from Tulip and then to Sidney, "Okay, it's enough now." He knelt, becoming eye level with the ten-year-old. "You're still upset with Tulip because she scared you last night. I know. But she would never do anything to hurt you on purpose but you, you're hurting her on purpose and that's not cool."
Tulip didn't know just how much it hurt until she felt a tear slide down her face obstructing her view of the stream of people that walked past them.
"It's not fair," Sidney growled with the stomp of her foot. Tulip didn't know those words were addressed to her until the child spoke again. "You lied. You lied to me just like her."
"Just like—" The who died on Tulip's tongue quickly realized the person Sidney was referring to. "It was a lie. I made a mistake and I wasn't paying attention to the time and I..." She stopped knowing that she had to be completely honest with her. "I let the old me resurface. The one before you and me being your MeMe and I got a little selfish, and stayed a little longer but I'm sorry and I'll never do it again because I love the new me better. The person I am with you is..." She leaned over so she could level with her daughter. "...the best version of me and it's my favorite because I love you most of all."
Sidney's face twisted and Tulip stilled herself for what was about to come her way.
"I..." Sidney began as she gripped the llama a little tighter with a mist forming in her eyes then she did something that made Tulip flinch. She flung her arms around Tulip's neck and whispered so only she could hear. "Please, don't leave me."
Tulip hugged her tight and replied. "Never. Never, ever. You're stuck with me."
"Good." Sidney snuggled against Tulip's shoulder as tears spilled on her skin. "Can we ride the wheel, now?"
Tulip lowered the girl back to the ground and whipped the moisture from the child's face. "You still want to do that?"
Sidney nodded and Tulip no longer carried about her little fear of heights for she was already high enough to play leapfrog with the clouds.
What do you like Sidney's referring to when she said her mom lied to her?
Tulip says she likes the new version of her, the version she is with Sidney, how do you think that'll affect her relationship with Austin since he met Tulip before she changed?
Will the new version that Tulip is changing herself to change the things she wants in her life?
Why do you think Jasper decided to confront Sidney about her rudeness to Tulip?
The song that accompanies this chapter is titled 'High Hopes', what do you think is Tulip's high hope?
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
