“Sure! It’s all yours!” Just the thought of her wearing it home made me feel like I’d won the lottery. “…and call me this afternoon. Let’s go to the beach. See if Mills wants to go, too.”
She smiled sweetly. “That sounds perfect. I’ll tell her, and it sounds like a date.”
“Later, sexy Dolphin Girl.”
“Later!” She walked out, and I got up and headed for the shower. Damn! I was crazy about this girl and it was too late to talk myself out of it. She had a warm personality, was interesting, kind and funny. A truly wonderful woman if you took the time to get past the pretty face and the designer clothes. I thought about our lovemaking, about how curious she was—uninhibited and always honest. I really liked that, but it was more than physical. Wasn’t it?
I got out, dried off and reached for my clothes. It was a shorts and t-shirt day—my kind of day. The fundraiser had gone well and it looked like we’d reached our goal, but I wouldn’t know for sure until Monday when the accountants had crunched all the numbers. There was no doubt—the success of the event had been largely due to the fantastic display Pepper had put on with Singh. She had no idea how much people had loved her performance. She was Pepper Anderson, she rode dolphins, and she did it well. I was so proud of her.
My phone rang and I was surprised to see Sophie’s name pop up—not this early, anyway. “Hey, Gabe! How are you?”
“Good, just getting dressed. What are you doing up so early, Sophie? I thought you’d still be in the bed.”
“No, I’ve got a lot to do before I head back home. I’m going to the Gulf Coast. How about breakfast?”
“Let’s see…what time is it? Only nine? Yes, I can do that. I don’t have anything planned for this morning, sounds great. Where do you want to meet?”
“Destiny Beach is your town, Gabe. You tell me.”
“Okay, I’ll see you at Seashells. That’s right down the street from Sea Lab, about half a mile on the left. They serve a great breakfast.”
“Sounds like a date.” She hung up and I stared at the phone. I’d heard that phrase twice today already and I hoped she knew this definitely was not a date. I shrugged and slid the phone into my pocket. She doesn’t really think this is a date, does she?
I skipped down the stairs and stopped by the kitchen to talk to the housekeeper. “Could you make a picnic lunch for me, please? It’s for three. Well, make that four people. I’ll be back to pick it up at noon.”
“Okay, Mr. Gregory. No problem. Are you skipping breakfast?”
“No, I’m going out for breakfast with a friend. Thanks so much.” I walked out the door, whistling and feeling great about life.
Sophie met me Seashells. She appeared to be a little overdressed for a Sunday morning, but she looked wonderful, as usual. “Hey, handsome, going to the beach today?”
“Yeah, later on. I’m taking Pepper.”
“Boy, she just can’t stay out of the water, can she?”
I laughed nervously. “What do you mean by that?”
“Let’s go eat.” As we walked in, the food smelled delicious and we were seated immediately at a window that overlooked the deep green water of the Gulf. I loved the ocean, though I didn’t get to play in it too much nowadays. I was looking forward to that today with Pepper. We ordered orange juice, coffee, croissants, bacon and eggs. Simple—but delicious.
“I think I need to tell you something, and you may not like it,” Sophie said.
“Okay, tell me.”
“Last night, when I went up to the locker room to get Pepper for her performance, there was a man in the locker room. He seemed very familiar with her. In fact, I got the impression that he really knew her, if you know what I mean.” She raised an eyebrow as she said it, which furrowed her smooth, pale skin. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“What do you mean? You caught them doing something?”
“No, I mean, he was trying to touch her hair, but she stepped away from him, maybe when she saw me.”
“What did he look like?”
“Dark hair, handsome, of course, and wearing a tuxedo. I didn’t catch his name, but it looked to me like Pepper may already have a boyfriend and I don’t want you to get hurt. You know I love you, Gabe.” She reached across the table and squeezed my hand.
Immediately, I realized who she was talking about and I smiled at her. I wasn’t worried a bit. “That’s her ex-boyfriend, Jonathan Church. He can’t handle the fact that she’s not with him anymore. There’s no way she’s fooling around with him.”
Sophie seemed disappointed that I didn’t lose it over her news, and that surprised me since I’d never known Sophie to be a gossip. “I don’t know, Gabriel. They really did seem overly familiar.”
“You said yourself that she stepped back, stepped away from him. That they weren’t doing anything together, right?”
“No, they weren’t, but…” Before she could finish, my phone rang and I slid it out of my pocket and answered it.
“This is Gabe.”
“Hey, dolphin lady here,” she chuckled. “I meant to tell you earlier, I had a visitor last night.”
“Let me guess…Church?”
She laughed, “Yes, how did you know?”
“Let’s just say a little birdie told me. Are you okay? What happened?”
“Nothing, really. Thankfully, you’re friend Sophie came in so nothing could happen. If you see her, tell her thank you. By the way, I talked to Mills. She wants to go beaching with us, but can Fallon come, too?”
“Sure, I planned a picnic for four anyway. Can you guys be at my house at noon?”
“Yes! Thanks for the invite, Gabe. I’m so looking forward to it.”
She hung up and I smiled at Sophie. “Pepper wanted me to thank you for showing up last night. She says that you saved her.” The server brought our tray of food to the table and I began loading up my plate with bacon and croissants.
“That’s great. I’m glad I was wrong.”
“I know you don’t know her, Sophie, but Pepper is a nice girl. She’s made some mistakes in her life, but I really like her and I hope you’ll come to like her, too.”
“Aw, Gabe, you know what? If you like her, any friend of yours is a friend of mine. I’m sorry I was so judgmental. I guess I just have a soft spot where you’re concerned. Now I’m going to say this because I promised myself I would.” Then she took a deep breath. “I love you Gabe, and not just like a friend. I realize I’ve made a mistake by playing hard to get. I was hoping this wasn’t serious, your relationship with Pepper, but I can see that’s not the case and I’m sorry for that.”
I had no idea Sophie felt that way about me. “Why didn’t you tell me this before? It seems kind of unfair to tell me now.”
“It is. I should have kept my mouth shut, but then again, I promised myself that I’d tell you, and now I have.” Then she just sat there with a smug look on her face.
What do I say? I’d fantasized about being with Sophie many times before. We’d even sort of hooked up once, but that was a long time ago and I definitely wanted to pursue what I had with Pepper, not chase the ghosts of my past.
“I will like her...for your sake, but you can’t blame me for loving you. I’ve known you such a long time and you’re a great guy.”
I looked out the window. This was hard...and kind of awkward. I hated the fact that my friend was hurting and that I was to blame. I didn’t want that, but I didn’t love her, that much I knew. After a few minutes of clumsy silence as we ate our breakfast, we talked about the success of the gala and then transitioned into other topics of conversation. The whole thing was incredibly uncomfortable, and when we got ready to leave, I hugged her and thanked her for coming.
“Be safe going home, Sophie. Call me when you get there, okay? You leaving tonight?”
“No, I’m taking a red-eye in the morning. I’d like to get home soon—I’ve got a big project over there. Thanks for the chance to work with Sea Lab. I believe in what you’r
e doing and I fully support you. I hope you know that.”
“Yes, I do. Thanks again.”
“Okay, bye now.” Then Sophie drove away and I wondered if I’d lost her as a friend.
I drove back to the beach house and asked Luis to wash the car while I gathered everything I thought we might need. I planned on taking Pepper and her friends to a private beach at the west end of Destiny Beach. It was privately owned, but I had permission to access it and there’d be no worries about paparazzi bothering us there unless they had a telephoto lens. Nothing I could do about that if they did.
At twelve o’clock, Pepper, Mills and Fallon were on my doorstep, ready to head to the beach. Pepper wore her white sunglasses, a flimsy white cover-up and what looked like a white bikini. Her sister wore the exact same thing, but in pink. Fallon waved then shook my hand. “Thanks for the invite, dude.”
“You’re welcome. Come in and I’ll see if our picnic basket is ready yet. Let’s take my convertible. Luis should be finished with it by now. It’s in the driveway if you want to stash your things in there.”
Pepper put her arms around me and hugged me tight. She smelled incredible. “Long time no see,” I whispered to her.
“I know, it’s been like two hours and I’ve missed you,” she whispered back.
I held her hand then we walked into the kitchen and stashed a few water bottles into the basket. “How did the meeting go? I’ve always wondered what a family meeting was like. What did he say? Are they getting married?”
“No. It’s kind of weird, though. Dad left us a note saying he had to postpone, and on the marriage thing, don’t mention that to Mills, please. She’s not a Charlotte fan, although I can’t figure out why. I guess he’ll talk to us later, when he gets time.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he will. Okay, looks like we’re ready. Wow, that’s heavy.”
“Here, let me help you. Which beach are we going to, by the way?” I could see the anxiety in her eyes—Pepper had to be careful wherever she went to avoid the media.
“Private beach, the one at the west end of Destiny. No one allowed there without the owner’s permission. There’s a nice cove. It’s a perfect spot and they have a cabana we can use. I’ve asked them to set it up for us.”
“Sounds perfect.” We loaded up the car, tuned the radio to a classic rock station and sang along as we headed down the highway. It was amazing to be spending time on such a beautiful day with someone like Pepper. She had such a zeal for life and I loved that about her. The sun beamed down on us and azalea blooms scattered the sidewalks. It wasn’t long before some attentive eyes spotted us and I heard Pepper sigh as she lowered her head and dug in her bag. She emerged, holding a white baseball cap with a Dolce & Gabanna emblem in gold thread, then she pulled her hair into a ponytail and gathered it through the back of the hat. Between the hat and the sunglasses, no one would recognize her.
Mills copied her sister and put on a hat, too. I wondered how complicated life really was for them, constantly having to avoid the spotlight. Pepper smiled at me and I thought about having sex with her on the beach—though not today, of course. My dick started to get hard, so I turned my attention back to the radio and we sang off-key to some classic rock tunes that played. Dick control, mission—accomplished.
We drove slowly down the road that led to the private beach and fortunately, there were only four cars and no paparazzi in sight. I greeted the man at the gate, showed him my identification, then he loaded us into his dune buggy. “Don’t worry. I’ll carry all that stuff, Mr. Gregory. I’ll take you good folks down to the cabana first, and then I’ll come back for it.”
“Great! Thanks.” Our cabana came complete with a personal bartender, televisions, towels, beach toys and everything we’d need for a fun day at the beach.
“Oh, yum, I’ll have a pina colada,” Mills said as she plunked her butt down on a bar stool.
“A virgin pina colada, right?” Pepper scolded her.
“I think I liked you better when you were an irresponsible sister.” Mills put on a fake frown, half-joking with Pepper. “Okay, make it virgin. Honestly, what’s the point?” The bartender began whirring up cocktails while Mills and Fallon sat on their stools and people-watched. “Oh, my God! That’s Aven. She’s waving at us. Yuck.”
“Mills, be nice. That’s Fallon’s sister you’re talking about. Wave back or ignore her, but don’t flip her off.”
“Oh, I’m waving. I just hope she can see my finger.”
“Stop that.” Pepper laughed at her and Fallon joined in too. He seemed to appreciate Mills’ feisty nature.
“Oh, no, look who she’s with. Eww, Jonathan Church. Double yuck.”
“As long as he stays over there, I don’t care who he’s with—or her, for that matter.” The guy on the dune buggy returned with our things and I helped him unload them while I stared at the other cabana. I silently hoped that douche bag would walk over here just once.
“Come on, babe. It’s a beautiful day and the water is calling. Let’s go swim.” Pepper had shed her hat, glasses and cover up and she looked friggin’ hot in her bikini.
“That was fast. When did you undress?”
“While you were staring at the crazy people. Now, come on. We’ll stay on our side of the cove and there won’t be any problem. Will you oil me up first, please?” Fallon had found the radio and tuned in to a pop station. Pepper sat between my legs on a lounger and I helped her apply tanning lotion. She returned the favor and we smiled awkwardly at one another, fully aware that two young people were watching us like hawks. I didn’t care. I couldn’t help myself and I kissed her. I loved kissing her. I could tell she felt a little embarrassed so she grabbed my hand, pulled me to my feet, then we walked to the water’s edge and strolled into the ocean.
I loved the emerald green waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Today the water was clear, since no rain had fallen recently. I smiled at her, dove into a wave and I swam along at a good clip before I stopped to wait for her. I shouldn’t have bothered—my dolphin girl was right beside me. I hadn’t realized what a powerful swimmer she was. I held her close to me and we kissed as we bobbed in the warm waters of the gulf.
That was the way the rest of the afternoon went. We dipped in the water, retreated to the cabana for a drink, lay in the sun for a few, then back in the sea—again and again. Mills and Fallon mainly stayed on shore but they ventured out once to splash around. It was good to see them getting along so well.
We raided the picnic basket periodically and ate the chicken salad, sugared grapes and the cold, boiled shrimp. It was a wonderfully relaxing afternoon. Once the sun started going down, I flipped the switch on the fire pit and we all sat around it to chat and toast marshmallows. Pepper looked beautiful, of course. She’d rinsed off under the shower, wrapped herself in a giant towel and perched her gorgeous body between my legs. She leaned back against my chest while I tilted my beer and enjoyed the moment. Thankfully, our nasty neighbors had left, and Church hadn’t been brave enough to come and say anything to me. Smart man—maybe smarter than I thought.
I kissed the top of Pepper’s head and she snuggled closer. “Good day?”
“Very good day. Can we do it again soon?”
“I don’t see why not. I’d better get you back to your car, though. It’s getting late.” Fallon and Mills were definitely into each other and they kissed practically the whole time—but who was I to say anything?
The dune buggy guy carried us back to my car and we drove home with the stars overhead shining bright. I checked the rear view mirror and there were no cars behind us except the occasional driver. Stop being so damn paranoid. He’s not there. I kind of hoped he would be. I really wanted him to show his ass just one time and if he hurt a single hair on her head, he’d pay for it.
“Maybe I should drive you home?”
“No, it’s okay. Fallon will be with us. I’ll be okay.” She knew exactly what I meant.
“All right, but call me when you get there. Ok
ay?”
“Sure.”
I watched her walk away, her long, tanned legs, her wild blonde hair, and I knew in that instant that I loved her. I loved Pepper Anderson.
Chapter Eleven — Pepper
I walked through the door, tired—but happy. It had been like a dream—the most perfect day with a guy I was crazy about. Mills giggled when she saw the look on my face. I could tell she was happy as well, so that made everything even more perfect. I liked Fallon—he was a nice kid with a big, toothy smile. He seemed to really care about my sister, and I loved him for that. We talked excitedly about the day as we climbed the stairs to get showered. The cabana shower was nice, but I needed my own shampoo and body wash. It felt wonderful to be clean again. That was the one downside of the beach—the sand!
Just as I stepped out, my phone rang and Dad’s number glowed brightly on the screen. I quickly wrapped my body with a warm, fluffy bath towel and pulled my hair up into another one. “Hey, Daddy! You coming home soon?”
“Yes, I’m on my way now. Could you and Mills meet me downstairs in the living room in about fifteen minutes?” I didn’t like the tone of his voice and I suddenly felt anxious of what I was going to hear when he got here.
“What is it, Dad?”
“I want to tell you both at the same time. Can you let Mills know and I’ll see you downstairs in fifteen minutes, okay?”
“Sure, I’ll tell her now. She’s in the shower.”
“Thanks.” He hung up and I strolled across the hall. Mills’ music was blasting in her room so I knew she wouldn’t hear me, but I knocked anyway. No answer, so I put my head in the door and found her already dressed in shorts and loose t-shirt.
“Hey. Dad called. He wants to meet us downstairs in fifteen minutes.”
“Oh, no. I hope it’s not what I think it is. Do you think they’re getting married?”
“I don’t know. If that’s what it’s about, I don’t think he’d tell us like this. He seemed pretty serious on the phone. I’m sure I haven’t done anything wrong this time. Have you done something crazy?” Mills looked a little sheepish, but she shook her head furiously.
Destiny Undone: The Complete Series Box Set Page 17