by Delia Latham
As if on cue, the pocket of her denim skirt set up an insistent vibration, and the tinny notes of Jeremy Camp’s “I Know You’re Calling” filled the air. She dropped a vivid pink tulip into the nearest vase and fished the cell phone out of her pocket, sighing when C.J.’s name showed up on the screen.
“Hey, C.J.”
“Hi there, Destiny May! Are you taking full advantage of your weekend?”
“I’m playing slave to my over-zealous, socialite sister. Jeremy and Mary Lynn are in town for baby Trace’s shower here at Jen’s place tonight. The doctor’s wife is turning what should be a fun little get-together into a gargantuan gala event.”
She couldn’t help smiling in response to C.J.’s answering chuckle—deep and rumbling. It might have been Clay on the line. “Quite the society gal, is she?”
“You have no idea.”
“Well, I planned to kidnap you for an impromptu evening at the County Fair, but it sounds like you have your own excitement going on.”
“Unfortunately, yes. I’m sorry, C.J.”
“Don’t be! A new baby takes precedence over the County Fair every time. But how about tomorrow afternoon? You up for cotton candy and a rollercoaster ride?”
Destiny grinned. She hadn’t been on a rollercoaster ride since her mother’s illness. To her surprise, she agreed to go. Maybe it was his casual approach, or the innocence of the occasion. A trip to the fair didn’t really qualify as a date, did it? Either way, it sounded like fun, and C.J. would be good company. Besides, it wasn’t as if his brother had deigned to give her a call in the last thirteen days and—she checked her watch—twelve hours, fifteen minutes. More than that, if she wanted to include that pre-apology week.
She slipped the phone back into her pocket and picked up a yellow rose. With a lighthearted flourish, she stuck it into the colorful arrangement on the table.
“Well, well, well! I take it that phone call tickled your fancy.” Jenna plucked the rose from the vase and planted it firmly in the middle of the bouquet on the neighboring table. Her saucy grin dared Destiny to do something about it.
“Hey! Don’t mess with my masterpieces.” Destiny reached for the displaced petals, but a playful shove from behind sent her tripping past the table. “Jenna!”
Green eyes sparkling, hands on her slim hips, her sister made a pesky face. “Tell me who called.”
She slanted a mildly irritated glance. “None ‘ya.”
“Is that so?” Jenna ripped another flower from one of Destiny’s finished arrangements. “I’m waiting….”
“Jen, you’re messing them up!”
“Who, me?” A white carnation slid out of the next bouquet.
Destiny groaned. For all she cared, the tables could be bare of flowers tonight. But Jenna would never consider it, and it would be Destiny who would redo everything after her sister pulled them apart, one pretty petal at a time.
“You’re a bozo! It was C.J. Gallagher, Your Nosiness.”
Jenna cocked a spiky eyebrow and set about replacing the flowers where she’d found them, eyeing Destiny from across the table. “C.J. again? Are you ever going to tell me what happened with Clay?”
“No, and you can destroy as many centerpieces as you want to. It ain’t happenin’.”
Jenna sniffed and stuck her nose in the air. “Like I care, anyway. But after he went to all the trouble to help you get that loan and everything, I really thought the two of you had a chance. I mean, he obviously liked you a lot.”
Destiny froze, and a sprig of eucalyptus fell from her cold fingers onto the ground. She felt as though she were moving through sludge as she turned to face her sister. “What did you say?”
Jenna’s eyes grew to the size of green saucers. She covered her face with both hands, then peeked out, speaking through her fingers. Destiny had no trouble making out the muffled voice. “You still didn’t know that, did you? Bob’s going to kill me.”
“I’m going to kill you if you don’t start talking. Now.” She forced the words through gritted teeth.
“Well, I don’t know why it’s such a big secret, anyway.” Jenna plopped onto a folding chair and motioned Destiny into the one beside her. “Clay called Bob right out of the blue a few days after Mom’s funeral. They knew each other casually—from the golf course or something. He said he wanted to see that you had the means to start your business.”
“But…” Destiny frowned. “I got a loan from the bank, Jen. Granted, I used Bob as a reference, but I don’t see how Clay could have been involved at all.”
Jenna shook her head. “Destiny, how you manage to run a business I’ll never know. You’re such an innocent.” She sighed and launched into a brief explanation. “Castle Creek isn’t exactly a metropolis, you know. It’s a mid-size town with only a few really major businesses. Gallagher Investments and the bank happen to be a couple of the most influential, and…well, it turns out Clay and the board chairman at the bank go back a long ways.”
“But Clay didn’t even know I was applying for financing there.” Destiny resisted accepting his involvement. In spite of her surprise at getting the loan, she hated the thought of Clay having made it happen, especially in light of their current non-existent relationship.
“He knew you would have to borrow money from somewhere. So he called here. If you remember, you’d discussed your options once or twice with Bob, and he advised you to go to Castle Bank and to use him as a reference. All Clay had to do was call his friend and ask him to make sure the loan went through when you came in.” She hesitated, and Destiny watched her perfect little teeth bite delicately at her bottom lip.
“OK, there’s more. Spill it.”
“Now, Teeni, don’t go all ballistic on me.”
“Talk!” Destiny growled.
“OK, OK. You’re so snippy! If you must know, Clay made some kind of special arrangement with the bank. In the event they were unable to approve your loan, they were to make it look as if they had. He actually provided the money himself and the bank simply—I don’t know, ran interference or something. They’re like a middle man.”
Destiny felt the color drain from her face. She jumped up, paced back and forth a few times, then dropped back down next to Jenna. “Is that even legal? I mean, wouldn’t there be some kind of disclosure laws or something?”
Jenna shrugged. “I doubt they would have risked doing anything that could cost them a lawsuit.” She hesitated, before adding. “Did you actually read the contract, or just sign it, like most of us do?”
Her mouth dropped open. She vividly recalled signing the documents without so much as glancing at their contents. She’d been breathless with excitement and disbelief. Groaning aloud, she remembered what she’d thought as she scrawled her name on the dotted line. Hurry, Miss Matchmaker! Do it quick, before someone discovers their mistake.
Watching her, Jenna nodded. “That’s what I figured.” She rose and picked up the eucalyptus sprig off the grass. “Take a look at your loan papers tonight. I have a strong suspicion you’ll find Clay’s name on there somewhere.”
Could it be true? If so, she had even more reason to be upset with Clay Gallagher. And yet, somehow the thought of him backing up her new business wrapped itself around her heart and filled her with a tentative hope. Had he really liked her enough to take that risk?
She reined in her imagination and mentally quashed the seed trying to take root. That was then. This is now.
Destiny's Dream
11
Noises from the gathering outside faded into a meaningless buzz.
Destiny sat inside Jenna’s home, moving the glider back and forth in gentle motions as she crooned softly to the baby cuddled close to her heart. She ran a finger over his tiny face, in awe of the softness of his skin, then placed that same finger in his hand. Baby Trace’s wee fingers curled around her larger one, and she giggled at the surprising strength in his grip.
“Gonna be another tough guy, like your daddy, aren’t you, sweetheart?”
She dropped a kiss on his cheek, then leaned her head against the back of the chair.
With her little brother’s infant in her arms, she suddenly heard the loud ticking of her own time clock. Thirty-one years old…how long before it was too late for her?
Would she ever cuddle her own child like this? A tiny smile curved her lips. A little boy with gray eyes and dimpled cheeks. Or maybe a sweet girl with her mommy’s auburn hair and a cleft in her chin like Clay’s. With that thought, Destiny jerked upright, and Trace squirmed in her arms before settling back into his baby dreams. What on earth was she doing? Why should a child of hers look anything like Clay Gallagher?
“He’s out of the picture, Tracer!” She nuzzled the baby’s downy head and whispered into the darkness. “I don’t need Clay Gallagher, do I, baby boy? I’ve got you. I have Cassie and Carrie. That’s enough.” She set the rocker into motion again and hummed a quiet lullaby. The infant breathed a soft, contented sigh, and continued to snooze.
Too bad her own tumultuous emotions couldn’t be put to rest so easily.
****
“Here ya go. Cotton candy for the lady.” C.J. bowed and passed her the cone-shaped candy with an exaggerated flourish.
With a groan, Destiny accepted the sticky confection and placed the other hand on her tummy. She’d been filling it with all kinds of off-limits goodies ever since they walked through the front gate. “I don’t need this.”
“Of course you do. You can’t come to the fair and not have cotton candy. Why come?”
“Good point.” She let the first bite melt in her mouth. “Mmm, I’d forgotten how much I loved this sugary mess as a little girl.”
C.J. dropped an arm across her shoulders and led her toward the exhibits. “Everyone needs an occasional reminder of how it feels to be a kid, Destiny. It’s good for the soul.” He took an amazing amount of the fluffy sweetness into his mouth and continued talking, if a little muddily. “And the taste buds, too.”
Destiny laughed at his ecstatic expression. They’d been giggling and joking and smiling all afternoon. If laughter was good medicine, she’d be in tip-top physical condition by the time she got home.
Despite her reservations about seeing C.J., she was glad she’d come. His easy company soothed like a balm. It was just what she’d needed. Took her mind off other things and gave her a much-needed break.
Her companion suggested the exhibits as a way to wind down at the end of an active afternoon. They’d ridden every ride at least once, and most of them twice or three times. They played the arcades like a couple of kids. C.J. tried hard to win her a big teddy bear, and pouted when she won one and gave it to him.
“Hey, this is tough on a guy’s pride. You just beat my pants off, shooting those silly ducks. I’d hate to be on the wrong end of your rifle!”
She giggled. “I’ve never shot a real gun in my life. These arcades are rigged, C.J. That guy just thought I was cuter than you.”
He laughed. “Well, about that he was absolutely right.”
A little girl wandered near, huge brown eyes fixed on the purple bear in C.J.’s arms. He grinned at Destiny. “Do you mind?”
“Of course not.”
C.J. turned toward the child, then stopped. “Maybe you should do the deed. It’ll look better to…” He glanced around at the milling crowd. “People, you know.”
“Right.” She took the stuffed toy and knelt beside the little one. “Hi, sweetie. Where’s your mommy? You’re not lost, are you?”
The child shook her head and pointed across the arcade. “Over there.”
“Where?” Destiny couldn’t decide which of several women the girl had pointed out.
“Right there!” The little girl giggled. “Don’tcha see her big green hat?”
The woman in the mint-colored flop hat looked like a child herself.
Destiny sighed. Children having children.
“Oh, yes. OK, I see her. You should probably stay a little closer to her, don’t you think? It would be pretty easy to get lost in this crowd.”
The child hung her head and dug at the grass with the toe of her tennis shoe. “Mommy said to stay close, but I forgotted. I wanted to see the bears.”
“What’s your name, sweetie?”
The child stood a little taller. “Gracie Suzanna Marguerita Romano.” A proud smile lit up her thin face. “I can write it, too. My mommy teached me.”
Behind Destiny, C.J. chuckled. “You must be very smart, Gracie. That’s a lot of names to spell.”
Gracie dropped her chin, but slanted a shy gaze toward C.J. “Mommy says I’m a smart cookie.”
Destiny laughed. “I’ll just bet you are.” She smoothed the little girl’s dark curls. “Let’s make a deal, okay? You like this bear?” She swung the stuffed toy around to face the child. “If you’ll go right back to your mother while I watch, you can have it. OK?”
The child’s eyes lit up, and her pink lips formed a perfect “oh.”
For Destiny, it was the best part of a wonderful day.
“Uh-huh. OK! I can have him?”
Destiny placed the stuffed animal in the little girl’s outstretched arms. “He’s yours. Go back to Mommy now, and have a fun day.”
Gracie nodded and hurried away, but turned around after a few steps. “Thank you, lady!”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
The child giggled. “Your friend is funny.”
Destiny glanced at C.J. and grinned. “He is, isn’t he?”
“Not him.” Gracie’s little finger pointed out a place somewhere behind Destiny’s head. “The other one. He’s got funny feathers.” The girl grinned, revealing a couple of deep dimples, then whirled and ran to her mother while Destiny watched, puzzled and amused. Apparently all little girls were comediennes.
C.J. took her hand and helped her up. “Good job. Scares me to death to see children wandering around here by themselves.”
“Me too.”
They watched until Gracie reached her mother, then waved and turned away.
“Mission accomplished, Miss May.” C.J. gave her a quick, friendly hug. “You’re pretty special, you know.”
“Nothing special about that. Anyone would have done it.”
“I wish that were true, but it’s not. Most people would have looked at that child, all on her own at the fair, shook their heads, and walked away hoping for the best. Only a few actually stop to do something about those kinds of things. If more people behaved as you did, there’d be fewer missing children.”
Destiny’s cheeks warmed at the unexpected praise. “Well, thank you, but I insist it was nothing. And I’m sure she’ll enjoy the bear more than either of us would.”
“Now that’s a fact I cannot argue.”
“Let’s go.” She turned once more, watching as the young mother took her child’s hand and disappeared into the crowd. “Wonder what she meant about the guy with funny feathers?”
C.J. chuckled. “No telling. Kids have amazing imaginations.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Still, Destiny couldn’t resist one look over her shoulder. She saw nothing out of the ordinary, and silently berated herself. What did you expect—a bird man?
“Ready for the exhibits?” C.J. placed a casual arm around her shoulders and pointed her in the right direction.
“Let’s do it.” She put the child’s odd comment out of her mind and focused on enjoying the rest of the day.
They were almost to the door of Exhibit Building A when C.J. nudged her with an elbow. “Who’s that guy?”
“What guy?”
“Nine o’clock.” Loud, dramatic stage whisper. “Red plaid. Black baseball cap. Mean eyes.”
Destiny swung her gaze to the left and searched the milling crowd for someone who fit the description. When she found him, her eyes fixed on his, and she shuddered, rubbing at the goosebumps on her arms. Was he really glaring at her, or was she reacting to C.J.’s playful drama?
“I don’t think he likes you.” Her
companion shrugged, captured her hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm. “But it’s OK, don’t cry. I like you just fine.”
They laughed and entered the exhibit hall. Destiny tried to recapture her earlier lighthearted mood, but the hairs on the back of her neck remained prickly, and little shivers raced up and down her spine. Her skin crawled, and she felt watched. Just her imagination, of course, because she didn’t see the strange, cruel-looking guy again.
Destiny's Dream
12
The phone rang. Clay slammed the troublesome investment package onto his desktop. Annoyed, he reached for the receiver without looking up. During his secretary’s lunch hour, he had no one to field his calls. Maybe it was time to get serious about hiring an assistant.
“Gallagher Investments. Clay Gallagher.”
“Every time I start thinking you might be worth a second thought, I find out something worse about you.”
He shoved the uncooperative papers away and settled back in his chair with a sigh. He’d struggled for weeks to keep Destiny off his mind, especially after he knew she was seeing his brother. The acid in her voice said this call wouldn’t make the task any easier.
“Good morning, Miss May—and a good day to you, too.”
“Stop it, Clay!” Her anger sizzled over the line, and he searched his mind for what he might have done to cause it. He had neither seen nor spoken to the woman since she and his brother made a complete fool of him after his pathetic apology. He couldn’t imagine what had her all in a dither. “Fine.” He sighed in resignation. “What have I done this time?”
“My loan, Mr. Silent Partner. How dare you be so high-handed with my business—which you don’t even approve of, for pity sake?”
Confound it. Now who went and told her about that? I’ll be lucky to get out of this alive.
“Calm down, Destiny. Let me ex—”
“Don’t tell me to calm down! How could you do this to me?”
A spark of anger ignited in his mind. He attempted to shove it aside, but a touch of asperity colored his voice despite his best effort. “Look, I know you don’t believe me, but I only wanted to help!”