“Oh, wow,” she followed me into the office and I invited her to take a seat. We went through the formalities of an interview, but halfway through I’d already decided to hire her as my new receptionist. Paul had been great but he’d moved out of the area and I needed someone who could step into the job without a whole lot of training.
I was making some notes on the interview sheet when she blurted out, “I know where I know her from—that’s Pepper Anderson! Oh, my goodness—I can’t believe that’s her. She’s been on every magazine. Why isn’t she modeling like her mother? She could be a supermodel!”
Rats, I couldn’t hire someone who has a thing for celebrities.
“Do you think I could get her autograph?” Nope. Couldn’t do it. I closed her folder and smiled politely at her.
“She’s probably not in the building now. Sorry about that.” I got up and extended my hand to her, subtly signaling that the meeting was over. “I’m sure we’ll be making a decision soon. Someone will call you and let you know one way or another.”
“Great! Thanks, Mr. Gregory.” She got up smiling and I walked her to the door. She was a nice girl but I didn’t think she’d be right for me, after all. I picked up the phone and called HR to let them know I wanted to interview more candidates the coming week. They agreed and I walked to the big, glass window to watch Pepper and Singh. She was in the big tank swimming around with him. He was spinning and splashing, not letting her ride yet. He was obviously excited about seeing her and I couldn’t blame him. I shut down my computer and walked down to see her in action.
Bobbie Jo and some other workers were sitting in the bleachers, watching Pepper work with Singh. He remembered most of the moves but he still refused to let her ride. She smacked the water and he responded, pulling up beside her, but then sped off. She laughed at him. He was playing and he probably had a little grudge because he hadn’t seen her in a while. Dolphins were smart animals and some experts argue they’re smarter than dogs. Even as an adult, Singh was just as playful as any puppy.
“He’s having some fun with her,” Bobbie Jo commented with a laugh as I approached. “Is she coming back? He’s been missing her.”
I sat down next to her. “She’s been talking about it.”
Pepper tried again and again but Singh refused to give her a ride. Thirty minutes later, she climbed out of the pool and tossed him some fish as a thank you.
I called down to her, “Hey, dolphin girl. Are you getting hungry?”
“Yes, I am! It’s a lot of work trying to apologize to Singh! Did you see him acting up?” She was smiling so I knew she wasn’t too fazed by it. I laughed, and launched off my place on the bleachers and went to her.
“Ah, he’s just a little mad at you. You’re his girl and he hasn’t seen you in a while. I can’t blame him.” I lowered my voice and stared down at her as we met halfway between the bleachers and the path to the locker room. “I wouldn’t give you a ride, either, if you came around after not seeing me for a few weeks.”
Pepper laughed then popped up on her tiptoes to kiss me. “That’ll never happen, and even if it did, I’m pretty sure I could change your mind,” she winked, and I had to admit, she was right.
“Go get changed. Can we eat here, at the park? I’d like to do a walkthrough the facility. The boss needs to be seen occasionally during the lunch hour.” I handed her a towel.
“Sure, Gabe. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Bobbie Jo joined us as Pepper strolled towards the locker room. “Looking good, Pepper! I’d love for you to come back on a regular basis. Singh is getting fat and you can see he’s stubborn. He won’t play with anyone but you.”
“That’s kind of you, Bobbie Jo. Thank you. That would be awesome to come back a few times a week.” Pepper beamed at the compliment. Bobbie Jo didn’t offer those too often, especially when it came to Pepper and I couldn’t help but smile.
“I’ll be back in a minute.” She squeezed water from her hair with her towel and left us alone to talk. We chatted about new employees, an upcoming event for the kids’ camp and the animals. It was an easy conversation, which Bobbie Jo and I didn’t have too often. It was nice not to be bumping heads, for once.
“For the record, I hope she does come back. I was wrong about her. She’s a good kid.”
I laughed. “She’s hardly a kid, Bobbie Jo.”
“You just don’t want me to say that because you two are getting it on and don’t bother denying it. It’s obvious you’re crazy about her. I feel sorry for Sophie but I like Pepper. I approve, if that matters.”
I smiled, not willing to divulge any further details. Bobbie Jo and I had never really talked about anything so personal before. It was unnerving so I switched the topic while we waited for Pepper to return.
Fifteen minutes later, she emerged from the locker room, wearing her white coat and a rush of excitement ran through my body as I remembered our steamy office encounter—although, hopefully this time she was wearing something besides just her underwear underneath. Otherwise, our lunch options were going to be pretty limited.
“You ready? I’m starving!” She’d pulled her damp hair back in a ponytail and put her earrings back on. Tina was right, she did look like a supermodel. “Let’s go eat something unhealthy, like fries.”
“Anything you want,” she said. I took her hand and we strolled through the park together. I stopped occasionally to talk to workers and guests. Everything seemed to be moving smoothly and everyone seemed happy.
We decided on one of the food vendor sheds and ordered fries to share, hot dogs and drinks. We snacked in the shade of an umbrella at a table near the walkway. “How’s your sister doing?” I asked, once we settled into our meal.
“She’s okay. Dad took it well.” I noticed the subtle frown lines that appeared on her forehead.
“You don’t look happy.”
She munched away and took a sip of her drink before she answered. “I’m happy for her, but…” She tossed a piece of hot dog bun to a seagull that swooped down to snatch it up.
“But what?”
“I don’t know. I guess I got to thinking about it all and it seems like a double standard. A few photos of me land in a magazine and it’s the end of the world. My sister gets pregnant and he doesn’t say a negative word. I mean, I’m glad he’s being so good to her, and I know Evangeline’s impending meltdown will be more than enough punishment. I know I should just be supportive, but I can’t help wondering why she gets the kid gloves. It makes me think it’s because I’m not really his…” She dropped the thought, but I easily filled in the blanks.
I took her hands across the table. “I can see why it would be frustrating, but maybe you’re thinking too much. Doug’s not a bad guy and I don’t think he gives two figs about where you came from. I’ll never forget Doug Anderson standing in my office, begging me to give you a chance. He was desperate to help you. He was so sincere, I didn’t have the heart to send him away. Whether you’re his by blood or not, he loves you just the same—that I know for sure and so do you.”
“I know. I really do, but I can’t help that I feel this way. I know I’ll work through it eventually. And thanks, by the way. Being here at Sea Lab has changed my life. I’d never have known I had hidden skills like dolphin wrangling if not for you—and my dad, I guess.” She looked over her shoulder at a pack of kids wandering by.
I stayed silent and let her work out her thoughts. The situation was fragile at best, and I didn’t want to do anything that would hurt her or hinder her healing process.
“I wonder why he came here?” she said, more to herself.
“What do you mean?”
She turned back to face me, her face twisted with confusion. “Well, you said he came to you begging for help. Of all the places he could have sent me, I wonder why he came here to ask you to help him and not someone else. Maybe it was fate.”
“I’m not going to argue with that.” We smiled at each other and the charged emotions s
ettled between us. “Speaking of fate, don’t forget you’re having dinner with my parents tonight.”
“I haven’t. I’ll be there. I probably should wear something besides my coat, then, huh?” She wiggled her eyebrow playfully in my direction.
I laughed and kissed her. “Yeah, but you can bring it along for dessert.”
Chapter Four — Pepper
After I left Sea Lab, I drove up Destiny Beach to meet Aven at her house. Fallon was there, looking bleary-eyed and embarrassed. Apparently, his way of coping with the news about the baby was to go get drunk. You could tell he wasn’t feeling too hot anymore, but I didn’t feel sorry for him at all.
Aven started, and it became clear the whole thing was a bit of a set-up. “Thanks for stopping by, Pepper. Fallon has something to say to you.”
“Okay.” I crossed my arms and waited. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to end up with another hand mark on the other side of his face.
Fallon cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean what I said to you and I sure didn’t mean what I said to Mills. I really do love her. I just got off the phone with her. We decided to make it work. I know we can.”
I nodded and tried not to grit my teeth. I wanted him to suffer for making Mills feel so badly, but that desire warred with the part of me that wanted to put everything in the past.
I sighed. “Thanks, Fallon. I’m glad you’re sticking by Mills. She’s going to need you. Dad and I are there, too, for anything you need.” I reluctantly hugged him. Having been friends with Aven for most of our lives, Fallon had become something of a kid brother to me and now he really would be part of the family. Forever.
In other words, I needed to let it go.
“What did your Dad say?” I asked as I pulled away.
Aven and Fallon looked at one another, their eyes wide. Aven answered, “We don’t know yet. He hasn’t told him, but I think he’s going to talk to him tonight. Right?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan. Mills is telling Evangeline tonight. I don’t know who’s got the worst deal. At least Doug was supportive—or that’s what she told me,” Fallon added.
My mouth dropped open. “She’s going to tell Evangeline tonight? She didn’t mention that when I talked to her earlier.”
Aven said in a serious tone, “I think she wants to do this on her own. You know you and Evangeline don’t get along. It’s going to be hard enough facing down the dragon without you two trying to kill each other,” then she brightened and asked, “You want to stay for dinner? I’m trying to cook some shrimp.”
“You’re what?” I laughed at the idea of Aven cooking anything. “I totally support your culinary endeavors but I can’t stay. I’m having dinner with the Gregorys tonight. Say a little prayer. Gabe’s mom, Adrian, isn’t my biggest fan.”
“You’ll do fine. She won’t be able to resist your sweet personality. Just be yourself—you don’t have to impress anyone. If she can’t see you for who you are, then screw her!”
“Spoken like a best friend. I love you, Aven!” I hugged her neck and hugged Fallon once more before leaving.
I drove back to the boat to get ready for dinner. I had a limited wardrobe on the boat so I decided to stop by Pixie’s Boutique. They had conservative clothing and I figured that was a safest choice. I found the sweetest outfit—white pants with a fitted, navy blue top. It was a stylish take on the old sailor dress from like twenty years ago. I loved the thin, red belt and I picked up a matching pair of red and white shoes to pull it all together. I decided to wear my hair in a sleek ponytail with straight bangs. That would work!
I thought about Aven’s analogy of Evangeline as a dragon—it was laughable, but true! And a tough visual image to shake. I couldn’t believe Mills was going without me, but if she felt like she needed to, then I’d have to deal with that. I decided to push it out of my mind. If she wanted me to help her, she knew where to reach me.
Shopping bags in hand, I made my way down the dock. I smiled when I stepped aboard Gabe’s boat. I liked the feel of the ocean, the sparkling water and the blue skies. I had no idea I loved the Gulf so much until I began interacting with Singh and spending time with Gabe. I was hoping we could go fishing again soon. I toyed with the idea of a houseboat, but where would I start? I didn’t know a thing about houses or boats, but it seemed like a good idea.
I took a shower and put on a giant t-shirt while I let my hair air dry. It was a tad warm in the cabin so I closed the door and turned on the AC. I had time to kill before dinner, so I flipped open my laptop and sat cross-legged on the bed. It was the perfect time to take care of some important business I’d been putting off for too long.
It’s time to stop procrastinating and just do it! I chided myself as the computer came to life.
I logged onto the university website and returned to the form I’d begun to fill out over a week ago. With each keystroke, it was sinking in more and more that it was the right thing to do. The world might think I was a screw-up—just some pretty face or undeserving heiress, but I wasn’t doing this for the world or my family or the Gregory’s. I was doing this for me. I needed this. I could do this!
I completed my online enrollment, paid my tuition fees and closed my computer with a smile on my face. I was pleasantly surprised to find I wasn’t having a panic attack. It still felt right. I ran my hand over the computer and patted it. I wouldn’t tell anyone yet. I’d keep this to myself because I wanted this to be for me. My decision to go to college wasn’t some kind of publicity stunt. I didn’t want to deal with mobs of ‘fans’ or haters. I’d take some courses online to avoid that. Eventually, I knew there would be ones that required me to attend physical class…I wasn’t sure how I’d deal with that, but I had time to figure it out later.
I finished drying my hair with my travel blow-dryer, straightened it and finished getting dressed. My wardrobe decision had been the right one. I looked fantastic!
I left a few minutes early. I couldn’t show up empty-handed so I decided to stop by my favorite local winery and purchase an exclusive bottle of something to share with the Gregory’s. At seven o’clock, I stood on the porch of their home feeling nervous about the dinner, but happy at the chance to see Gabe again.
Gabe opened the door, flashed me his killer smile, and my heart skipped a beat. It struck me again how crazy I was about him.
“Hey, you timed it just right. Dinner is almost ready. Come on in.”
“Thanks. This is for you.”
He took the bottle and hugged me. “This looks great.” He kissed my cheek chastely. “But you look even better,” he purred into my ear, low enough that I was the only one who could hear him.
I smiled at the compliment and tried not to think about his muscular body and our last, frenzied get-together. In his office. In the middle of the day. What can I say? What a girl wants…
Gabe grabbed for my hand and led me into the other room. “Mom, Dad this is Pepper Anderson. This is Adrian and James Gregory.”
“Nice to meet you, Pepper. You’re lovelier in person than any of those photographs,” his father said with a cordial nod.
“Nice to meet you, too, sir.”
“Oh, please. No sirs. I’m just James.” The older man winked at me. He was a flirt but his wife elbowed him playfully. I could see she’d keep him in check and for that, I was thankful.
“Stop that. Don’t scare the girl away on her first official introduction,” Adrian commented, before turning her attention to me. “Although, I’m surprised I didn’t do that when we last met.”
I started to brush her off, and a wash of hot embarrassment flushed my skin.
“No, really, I must apologize for that, Pepper. I didn’t realize my son was so crazy about you. That was my mistake.”
I felt a sudden rush of relief. Maybe we could be friends. That would be nice. “It’s okay. You have a lovely home, Mrs. Gregory.”
“Please, call me Adrian. Come on in. I think the chef has our meals ready. Are you hungry?” She slid h
er arm in mine and whisked me away from Gabe with a swift pull.
“Okay, and yes, I am hungry.” She guided me inside to the dining room. The table was round with padded, overstuffed chairs. The cozy atmosphere instantly helped soothe my nerves and relieved the remaining tension I’d been holding onto.
It was so different from how my family dinners had been spent—we’d have all been spread around the giant table in the formal dining room. This was more personal, relaxed and made me feel like they really wanted to get to know me. I silently prayed they liked me as Gabe uncorked the bottle I’d brought and I quietly reminded myself to have only one glass.
Gabe opened the conversation, “Singh was so happy to see you today. Did I hear you tell Bobbie Jo you were coming back a few times a week?”
“Yes, I’ll be happy to train with him. He’s a sweet animal, but he’s definitely stubborn.”
“Have you always liked animals?” Adrian asked while she picked at the salad the chef had placed in front of her.
I smiled over my shoulder as the chef placed mine on the table in front of me. “Actually, I never knew animals liked me until my internship at Sea Lab. It was kind of a happy accident to find out I had this secret power. Singh is like a friend more than a pet, though.”
“We saw you riding him at the fundraiser. You looked like such an expert. It’s hard to believe you just picked it up like that. I hear dolphins can be particular about who they work with.” Adrian smiled and sipped her wine.
“Oh, you were there? That was a fun night. I was glad to help out. I think that’s true about dolphins being picky. We had another intern that he just couldn’t stand. Wouldn’t play with her at all. Is that true, Gabe? Are they always so selective?”
“Singh sure is.” He smiled at me before digging into the salad on his plate.
“What about the whales? Will anyone be interacting with them?” I asked him curiously.
“No, at least not right away. The animals we’re getting are wild and haven’t had much interaction with people. One of the pair was injured when they found it trapped in one of the inlets in the bay where he came from. The other wouldn’t leave him and the rescuers didn’t want to separate the two. They haven’t even officially named them yet.”
Destiny Undone: The Complete Series Box Set Page 28