“Sure we are, Aven.” She didn’t ask me about my work, and just talked about herself and what was going on in her life for the next fifteen minutes. She’d gotten a new car, some kind of Audi, but decided she looked fat in it so she’d replaced it with a Mazda instead. It was petite, but not so petite that she looked puffy or fat in it. I sighed, thankful when the nurse came in to check my vitals.
“So, what’s the deal with you and Church? He says he doesn’t want to talk about it, but I can tell he did something stupid again. Want to share the deets?” I couldn’t believe her. Here I was in the hospital with a concussion, and the only thing my friend wanted to do was to get the latest gossip. I wasn’t in the mood for it at all, but I tried to be as polite as I could.
“Well, if he doesn’t want to talk about it, then I don’t think it’s my place to, either. Do you mind, Aven? I’m really tired and I just want to get some sleep.”
“Alrighty, then.” She got out of her chair, walked toward the door and left the room without even saying goodbye. What a brat! I guessed she wasn’t really my friend, either. Amazing—I’d lost two friends in one day. That had to be a record.
My sister came back with my coffee and, to my surprise, it was delicious and I enjoyed the aroma as I sipped at it. Mills didn’t seem fazed when I told her what had just happened with Aven. She just reinforced my own belief that maybe she wasn’t the friend I’d thought she was and told me I’d be better off without her.
Dad and Charlotte stayed for a while longer—long enough for the staff to get Mills a cot and everything else we needed for a comfortable night’s stay together. I had my own private nurse and just had to call her if I felt sick. I kissed Dad and Charlotte goodbye then drifted off to sleep for a while, and when I woke up, I saw my sister reading a book on her tablet. Probably 50 Shades of Grey, I thought. God, I hoped not!
“When did you start reading books, Mills?” I turned on my side, carefully guiding my IV cord so I didn’t pull it out.
“You haven’t been paying attention, sister. I’ve always loved to read. When you’re at boarding school, there isn’t much else to do—unless you want to get drunk all the time. I’m not much of a drinker, as you well know.” She grinned.
“This is true,” I chuckled.
Mills sprawled out on her cot and at some point, she’d pulled her hair up into a ponytail on the top of her head. She looked so young—just a kid in so many ways.
“Just think, my sister was assaulted by a dolphin. I wonder if that will be in the papers tomorrow.”
“Well, if you want to keep it out of the papers, don’t tell Evangeline, whatever you do.”
“Come on, Pepper. Will you stop picking on her? She already knows, and she knows you don’t want her here, which is why she’s staying away. Isn’t that enough?” Mills scolded me and her socked feet swung back and forth as she lay on her stomach clutching her tablet.
“I guess it is, and I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. Not sorry about hers, though. What she did was so wrong, Mills. You can’t say that it wasn’t.”
Mills tossed the book to the side and sat up. “Pepper, you’re too sick to worry about this right now.”
My many naps had helped and I felt much better than I had earlier, but I still couldn’t move very quickly or else I might be sick. “I’m not at death’s door, if that’s what you think. I’m just wondering how you can defend her.”
“I’m not defending what she did. It was totally wrong—wrong in every way. There’s no excuse for what happened, but she is your mother. The only one you’ve got. Even if Dad marries Charlotte, she will never be your mom. You might as well make the most of what you’ve got, right?”
“That might be enough for you, and I respect that, but it’s not enough for me. I don’t know why, Mills, but she and I—we’re like oil and water. We’ve never gotten along like the two of you have. It’s always been a fight,” I sighed. I really didn’t want to talk about this now, but I knew Mills did. “Evangeline brought this on herself.”
“Yes, but you like punishing her, Pepper. You enjoy it. Of all the things I love about you, that is the one thing I hate. I just wish you’d try.”
Another tear slid down my face. “I can’t believe this, Mills. You want me to just forgive and forget that she slept with Church? My guy friend?”
“No, I didn’t say that. You aren’t listening. I’m saying don’t enjoy her failures so much. You can’t do anything about her character, but you can do something about yours.”
I wiped my face with the sheet. “Have you been talking to Gabe? Because you sound a lot like him.”
“Then I like him even more. Where is he, by the way?”
“He came by, but didn’t stay. He said he’d come back later. I think he said tonight, but I’m not sure. He brought some girl with him. Some brunette. I just hope if he does come back, he’ll leave her where he found her.”
“Oooh….jealous! I guess we now know who you love. Tell me the details. How many times have you kissed?”
The rest of the evening, we shared girl talk. Of course, she was only eighteen so I didn’t give her all the sordid details, but I didn’t hold back on the kissing parts. She told me all about her and Fallon, how they’d been hanging out, and how she thought they could get serious. It was nice to hear her so excited about a guy. Mills had much more reserve than I normally did. If my sister ever fell in love, it would be the real thing—and it would be forever.
At least there were no Jonathan Churches sniffing around, or Davids for that matter. All they would do is take advantage of her…or worse, break her heart.
Chapter Eight — Gabe
I walked by the hospital gift shop on my way to see Pepper and spotted a huge stuffed dolphin in the window. I hoped it would be the perfect present to cheer up my beautiful dolphin girl, so I went in and bought it along with a get well card. I sat down on a bench in the corridor for a minute and wrote a note inside it before I went upstairs to see Pepper. Last night had been awkward—I hadn’t planned on bringing Sophie with me, but she’d insisted on coming to ‘check out the competition.’ I knew she was only joking—we were just friends—but the hand-holding had made me wonder if she’d been trying to stake her claim on me and I’d felt uncomfortable about it. Pepper was a friend as well, but I had fucked her on the boat and she hadn’t brought that up yet, so I wasn’t sure if we were still just friends. Friends. Who was I kidding? I was completely nuts about her—more than I’d ever admit out loud—and now I regretted bringing Sophie with me. I should have said no.
I peeked around the door and Mills lifted her head sleepily off her cot. “Oh, hey. Come on in.” She sat up and stretched. “She’ll be right back. They took her to check her head again. Make sure her brain didn’t swell. She had a good night, though.”
“I don’t like the sound of that. Is she all right?”
“That’s all I’ve heard. I think she’ll be fine. She should be back in a minute. Come on in and have a seat. I’m glad you’re here. I didn’t get a chance to thank you for what you did for me on my birthday, so thanks. I have sworn to never drink again.” She raised her hand to demonstrate her oath which made me laugh. When I looked at Mills, it was like looking at a smaller version of Pepper. Minus the tan, of course.
“It was my pleasure to come to your rescue and I hope you stick to your guns. How was your head the next day? I was drunk for two days on my eighteenth birthday.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief and now I could see the difference between them. Pepper’s eyes were a lighter blue, more like her mother’s. “No way? You? Mr. Responsible?”
I laughed again and ran my hands through my hair. “Really? Is that what you heard about me? Who from? Your sister?”
“Nah, she doesn’t talk about you much. Just stares at your picture all day.”
“What?”
“Just kidding. She doesn’t have any pictures, but I can tell you she wished she did. No, really. She doesn’t tell me anything about
you, except that you’re a good kisser. Tell me some deep, dark secret. Something that would shock me.”
I grabbed the dolphin nervously and grinned at her. “Deep, dark secret? Okay, let’s see…I got one. When I was fifteen, my parents wanted me to learn how to drive a standard. I don’t know why. Anyway, I drove into the wall of a convenience store and nearly killed myself.”
“Oh, my God, that is shocking. What did you do?”
“I got out of the car and wrote a check to pay for the store. What else?”
She laughed. “How is my sister really doing at Sea Lab? Is she as good with the dolphins as I hear?”
“She’s a natural. Are you coming to the fundraiser? If so, you’ll get to see her in action.”
“I plan on it. My dad told her she needed to wear a helmet next time, though. Hey, here she is!” A nurse rolled Pepper into the room in a wheelchair and her eyes grew wide when she saw me. I was so happy to see that pretty smile on her beautiful face.
“I’m really feeling better today. Can you ask the doctor when I can go home, please? I’ve got things to do.”
“I’ll ask him, Miss Anderson, but in the meantime, please rest and don’t get in the shower yet. I’ll have to come help you. We don’t want you to fall.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll help her. She’s my sister,” Mills volunteered, and Pepper thanked her. Soon, the three of us were alone.
“You look so much better today. No more blackout spells?” I said.
“No, I feel as good as new.”
“Hardly, Pepper. Look at your head. You’ve got a big lump and a few stitches. If you can’t ride at the gala, that’s fine.” I handed her the dolphin and the card. “Here, I brought you something.”
“Oh, my goodness! That’s so sweet. Thank you!” She opened the card, read it and laughed. “Tell Singh I said apology accepted, and I didn’t know he could write. I haven’t trained him to do that yet. You must have taught him.”
“No, but I wouldn’t put it past Bobbie Jo.”
“Well, thank you and yes, I’m riding my dolphin at the gala. Lump or no lump, I’ll be there”
“Pepper, seriously, I don’t want to risk you getting hurt again over a fundraiser. You’re much more important to me than that. It’s not worth it.”
“Thanks, Gabe. That is so sweet of you to worry about me, but I’m going to be fine, and I am riding my dolphin next weekend. There’s no way I’m not, even if I do have to wear a helmet.” I believed she’d try, but I quietly resolved to pull the plug on her performance if the news she was expecting from the doctor later today wasn’t good.
“Um, I think I’m going to go down to the cafeteria and get some breakfast. Do you want anything, Pepper, or would you rather have what they bring you here?”
“Yuck, no way. Can you bring me some fruit and a yogurt and a…”
“Coffee?”
“You know me so well, sis.”
She laughed. “Yep, I do! Gabe, you want some coffee?”
“No thanks, I’m good.”
When Mills had left the room, I walked over to Pepper’s bed and kissed her. I couldn’t help myself. She looked so beautiful, even with the bandages on her head, and I needed to be sure she was okay. “I was so worried about you. You hit your head pretty hard, you know. I heard it from the other side of the pool.”
“What about Singh? Is he okay, too? Has anyone checked on him, spent time with him?”
“Yes, he’s fine. The vet’s checking him out for us, but I think he got testy because Abu was in his pool. Dolphins can get territorial sometimes. He’s a sweet animal, but you don’t always know what they’re thinking or how they’ll react to new situations. But you, Dolphin Girl, I’m really glad you’re okay.”
“Me, too. I couldn’t believe that happened, but he surged under me and I couldn’t control him. It was so unexpected and out of character for him.” I held her hand, and she turned onto her side and looked into my face. I pulled my chair closer to her.
“What am I going to do about you, Pepper Anderson?”
“I don’t know. Are you confused about what to do with me?”
“You do confuse me. You and your beautiful, blue eyes.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I like you being confused.” She beamed at me. I moved a silky strand of hair from her face, but before I could say anything else, the door opened and another visitor entered the room. Jonathan fucking Church.
He came in with a big bouquet of red and white roses in his hand, all neatly arranged in a large, white vase. We glared at each other for a few seconds, like a couple of boxers before a fight, but he didn’t speak to me. Smart guy.
“Hey, Pepper. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay, but I see you are. I brought these for you. Where would you like them?”
“Anywhere is fine. Please tell me you didn’t bring Evangeline with you.”
“Of course not. Why would I do that? I don’t know what you think, but your mother and I are not an item. I’m sorry about what happened. It was a terrible mistake.” He stared at me harder and said, “Would you excuse us a minute?”
I looked at Pepper while she struggled to sit up. “No, he’s not leaving, and I don’t want to hear it, Church. You do what you want, okay? I’ll be your friend—but that’s it.” Ouch, I didn’t know how I felt about that. Friends?
He nodded and asked her, “When are they letting you out?”
“Hopefully, today. I’m feeling pretty good now.” She didn’t say anything else to him. She just squeezed my hand and stared at her visitor.
“That’s good. I’m glad you have someone around to wait on you. Every good diva needs a lap dog, right? If he runs off, don’t hesitate to call me. I’m only a phone call away.”
“Get out, Church!” I wanted to bust this jerk right in his big mouth. I wasn’t going to let him bring his mind games in here while Pepper lay in a hospital bed. He sneered at me, then turned around and left. I hoped it was the last I’d see of him, but somehow, I doubted it.
“Gabe, I’m really sorry about that. I don’t know why I ever hooked up with him. He’s always been trouble, ever since we were kids. One day, he’s going to kill someone.”
“Don’t worry about it. He thinks he’s got enough money to avoid going to jail if he does something stupid. Little does he know. And I can tell he wants you in a big way. I know all about jerks like him.”
“Yeah, well, he’s not getting me. I don’t care what he wants,” she sighed. “From what I hear, you’re just as rich as Church is. How come he’s not like you? What made the difference? I mean, you can afford to be an ass if you wanted to be, but you’re not. What’s the difference?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know him so I can’t say much about it, but the differences are obvious. He doesn’t have a passion—or a purpose in life. He’s not interested in anything but himself. That kind of guy just wants to exploit everyone around him. To him, you’re just a toy, someone he thought he had complete control over, but now he’s realized he doesn’t. He’s lost. And sad to say, I feel sorry for him.”
Pepper looked at me quizzically. “You do? Why? I mean, he’s richer than God.”
“The money doesn’t matter. It’s what he’s got inside, and as a man, I can see he’s just a scared little boy with no direction, no future. It’s sad.”
Pepper squeezed my hand. “What did I do to deserve you? I mean, you’re so…together. So knowledgeable...” She looked into my eyes and paused for a second, “…and so freakin’ sexy.”
“No, babe. You’re sexy…and sweet…and smart. What did I do to deserve you?” I leaned in to kiss her, and I felt butterflies in my stomach and stiffening in my pants. She was so amazing.
“Gabe…”
“Yeah?” I stared into her eyes.
“I’m yucky, I haven’t—” I silenced her with my lips on hers. My hand moved around her waist and I scooted in closer. I wanted to devour her—to kiss her, love her and make all the bad go way.
&nbs
p; “Ahem.” Mills had returned with her food delivery. “Uhm…should I leave? Maybe hang a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door? Rent you guys a real room?”
“No, we’re good.” Pepper laughed as Mills delivered her breakfast on a tray. “This looks great. Push that button, please, to raise the bed up. I hope I get to go home soon. I’m so ready to get out of here.”
She started eating then Mills asked me, all nonchalant, “Hey, Gabe, who was that girl you brought with you yesterday? She’s was so tall! Like my mother! Is she a model?”
“Who? Sophie? No—well, yes, she was, but she’s in marketing now. She’s heading up the gala for me at Sea Lab.”
“Oh, only I was just wondering about her. I mean, you two were holding hands like you were Hansel and Gretel—or something.”
“Mills, don’t be nosy!” Pepper scolded her.
“I have every right to ask. He’s sucking face with my sister and I want to know if he’s stepping out on her. I mean, you were kind of out of it, so it’s likely that you don’t remember.”
“We’re just friends, Mills. I assure you. We’ve been good friends for years. As a matter of fact, she’s one of my closest friends.”
“Okay, well, she’s awful pretty to be just a friend.”
“Mills, please. That’s enough!”
“Sorry, but if my sister’s man is in here holding hands with some floozy, I—”
“Mills!” Pepper yelled.
“It’s okay, really. I don’t mind the questions, but I do have to get to work now. Call me, please, and let me know when you leave? One of you?”
“Will do, boss.” Mills gave me a salute and I rubbed her messy hair. I kissed Pepper one more time on the cheek and left the hospital. I surveyed the parking lot and didn’t see Jonathan Church anywhere. I’d half hoped the guy would stick around so we could conclude our unfinished business.
Maybe it was best he’d gone.
Chapter Nine — Pepper
Mills’ smile said it all. “You look fantastic, sis, but are you sure you want to wear your hair down? Maybe put it in a ponytail?”
Destiny Undone: The Complete Series Box Set Page 15