Destiny Undone: The Complete Series Box Set (47 page)

“Sure, she can come help me at the house. I’m packing goodie bags for the Stuart House fundraiser. I hear you have a knack for that sort of thing.” Adrian smiled assuredly. I felt relieved to see them getting along. Mom had truly stepped up to the plate for me and I’d definitely have to thank her later. “Why don’t you walk up to the house when you’re ready, Pepper? I’ll be in the dining room, probably covered in tissue paper and ribbon,” she laughed.

Pepper smiled. “That sounds great. I need to change my clothes and wash my face first, though. Be up in a few minutes. How many bags are we filling?”

Mom said playfully, “A hundred and fifty, but I have five done so really a hundred and forty-five.” She gave Pepper a hug and waved goodbye to me as she left the guesthouse.

“I promise I’ll call you as soon as I know something, babe.”

“I know you will. Thanks , Gabe. You’ve been a great friend to me and my family.”

I grinned at her, “Just a friend, huh?”

My grin turned to a laugh at the eye roll she gave me. “You know what I mean,” then she slapped my ass, hard! “Now, get out of here so you can hurry back to me.”

There she was. That was the Pepper I knew and loved. I kissed her sweet lips and walked out the door.

Gabe left and I felt lonely before I even heard the clicking of the lock on the front door. It wasn’t like me to be so clingy, but considering the circumstances, I guessed it was normal. Even if it wasn’t, I didn’t have the head space to figure it all out at the moment. I let out a long sigh and finished the cup of coffee Gabe had made for me earlier. It tasted perfect. Just like Gabe.

It struck me again how amazing he was and the chaos and drama didn’t even seem to faze him at all. He just pressed through and did what he needed to do to make sure I was taken care of. And Mills—God, he was so sweet to Mills too. He hadn’t judged her or made any comments, even with the media hurling accusations and not-so-kind words at her.

I had no idea what life would throw at me next. It always seemed to ramp the crazy meter up, never down. Regardless, I knew Gabe was definitely the type of guy I wanted—and needed—by my side.

I set the mug in the sink and went back to Gabe’s room to get ready for the day. Memories of the night before sparked in my mind as I ran my hand along the top of the duvet. Making love with Gabe in his bed seemed so much more intimate than anything I’d ever experienced before.

I stepped into the en suite bathroom and turned on the water to let it heat up. I stripped down and stood under the shower, letting the warmth wash over my zombie-like body while I washed my hair and conditioned it. The smell of sandalwood filled the room—oddly, the smell comforted me, then I realized it was because it smelled like Gabe. As I lathered and rinsed, I tried to keep my thoughts on him, but couldn’t seem to stop my mind drifting back to my encounter with Evangeline at her yoga session and I cringed at the memory.

I’d been a complete and total bitch—just like her—and I wasn’t proud of that. I wondered what part had been the final straw? Had it been my threat to expose her in my own tell-all interview? Had she really gone through with a suicide attempt to stop me from following through with it? God, would anyone really go that far? I shook my head. I didn’t know, but I didn’t want to think about it anymore.

I turned off the faucet and squeezed the water out of my hair. My tired mind scanned through my past, hoping to find some shred of happiness I’d shared with her that I could treasure. Maybe there was a long-lost memory buried beneath the tension and bitterness, something that would prove to me that in some weird, screwed up way, Evangeline really did love me. Eventually, I landed on a single moment, now frozen in time.

I’d been around six years old at the time, and I’d gone with Evangeline to a beach wedding for one of her many assistants. I couldn’t remember the assistant’s name, but she’d been young, pretty and completely devoted to my mother. The ride to the event had been the last time Evangeline and I had taken a drive together, just the two of us. I remembered her long, blonde hair blowing in the wind as we drove the convertible down the Destiny Beach highway. We sang a song together and she smiled at me with a real warmth in her eyes and I remembered feeling loved. She’d been so beautiful, and I wondered if I’d look just like her when I grew up. I had hoped so.

As it turned out, she wasn’t really my mother, was she?

I stepped out of the shower, scolding myself under my breath for dwelling on the past. I had enough going on as it was and I didn’t need to pile on any more trauma. I toweled off then checked my phone but the only notifications on there were messages from my pack of rich so-called friends. I didn’t answer any of them. It made me sad to think it, but there was no telling who could be trusted at a time like this and some of them wouldn’t even bat an eyelid before selling my family out to the media in exchange for a bump in their own bank account.

“Ugh.” I tossed the phone down on the bed again, disgusted by the thought. Realistically, I knew it was too soon to expect Gabe to call or text me. He probably hadn’t even arrived at the hospital yet. I reached for a pair of worn blue jeans and one of Gabe’s white t-shirts and got dressed in a hurry. I half-heartedly dried my hair and pulled it up into a messy bun on the top of my head. No need to worry about my makeup as I’d just be hanging out with Adrian, and I hoped things wouldn’t get weird between us in Gabe’s absence. She’d been kind and helpful earlier in the day, but I still wasn’t sure what she really thought of me and the thought of spending time alone with her made me anxious. I didn’t mind helping her, even though I knew her invitation to join her in the dining room was simply a ploy to entertain me while Gabe was gone but I appreciated her gesture as I got ready to go over to the main house.

I slid on some sandals, picked up my phone again and just for a moment, I stared down at the blank screen. I was tempted to pull up the news to see if there were any developments, but Gabe’s warning to stay away from all that rang in my head And I knew he was right. It would only make me want to hide in bed and obsess over everything, which wouldn’t be good for me, and it wouldn’t help my family either. I needed to keep my mind as clear as possible.

I crossed the grounds to the main house and knocked on the French doors that led into the dining room. Adrian waved at me from the floor where she sat amongst a pile of boxes. “Hey, Pepper! Feeling better?” she asked as I stepped inside and latched the door behind me.

“A little. Thank you.” I kneeled down across from her and surveyed the piles of crafting items scattered on the floor. “Wow, this looks a huge project. When do you need to have all this ready?”

“Tomorrow night by five-ish. The girl from the Stuart House is coming to pick them up.”

I couldn’t help but laugh in surprise. “Really? It seems a lot to do in a short amount of time. Is anyone else helping us?”

“No. Originally I’d planned on doing it all myself. That is, until I saw what a big job it was going to be, so thanks for helping me. I’d be here all night—literally, trying to get this done on my own.”

“To tell you the truth, I just thought when you invited me, you were trying to do something nice for Gabe while he’s gone, but it looks like you actually do need some help!”

“I have a bad habit of biting off more than I can chew, although I’m sure Gabe’s already told you that,” she laughed softly.

“No, actually, he hasn’t. I’ll be honest, I really don’t know much about you. He can be kinda quiet sometimes.”

“Mmm. Yes, that’s true. So, I guess he didn’t tell you about my mother either?”

I folded my legs underneath me and pulled some shiny blue bags out of a box and popped them open. “No, what about her?”

She hesitated for a moment while she fidgeted with a ruffled piece of ribbon. “Well, she was a well-known anthropologist, but after years of struggling with mental illness, she took her own life.”

“Oh, no, Adrian. I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” All I could do was stare at her with my mouth open. “When did that happen?”

“I was twenty-four when she died but she shot herself when I was twenty-three. She remained in a coma for about four months before she passed away, so, I know what you must be feeling.”

I grabbed another bag and opened it. “How did you…you know, deal with all that?”

“Well, for a long time I blamed myself. I thought it was because I wasn’t around as much, or because of things I’d said when I was a teenager.”

“Really? Wow. I’ve been thinking the same thing. What Evangeline did was right after I’d made some serious threats.”

Adrian grabbed my hand, stilling my progress on the box I’d been working on. “It’s not unusual, Pepper. A lot of suicide survivors feel the same way.”

“I don’t know. The timing is pretty much spot on. I don’t know why else she would have done this.” My voice quivered. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Pepper. You’re allowed to feel anything you want right now, but you can’t blame yourself forever. That kind of guilt will eat you alive. Suicide is a complex issue. It’s not usually brought on by one incident or event. You have to know that this wasn’t your fault.”

I nodded and bit my lip to keep myself from bursting into tears. I didn’t know what to say. Time to change the subject.

I grabbed a handful of bags and lined them up on the table. “Maybe we should line them up here, fill them and then stack them up against the wall before we box them.”

She smiled and didn’t mention anything else about her mother or mine. “Yes, a change of position is a good idea. My back is killing me already. Sitting on the floor is great for a while so I don’t have to stoop at the table too long but this darn gymnastics injury plays up after an hour or so.” She reached around to massage her lower back.

I stopped what I was doing and smiled uncertainly. “You were a gymnast?”

She flashed a naughty smile. “No—James was the gymnast.” It took me a minute but I understood what she meant. Adrian chuckled at my expression and pulled her hair back with a ponytail holder she retrieved from her pocket.

“Wow, Adrian. I did not need to know that.” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, though, probably for the first time in the last twenty-four hours.

“Just a little joke, besides, we’re practically family from what I hear. Gabriel is crazy about you, you know.”

My heart skipped a beat and I shifted the bags around on the table. “He’s pretty amazing. You must be so proud of him with everything that he’s done with his life already. The people at the Sea Lab love him.”

She nodded, and a soft smile crept across her sometimes stern-looking face. “His father and I are both very proud of him. Gabe’s always been his own person—my little old man, I used to call him.”

I smiled as I opened more bags. “I can see that. He’s always the grown-up, isn’t he?”

“He can be, but he has you now. You lighten him up, and he needs that. I think you two are good for each other.”

I tried to hide my surprise and simply said, “Thank you. That really means a lot to hear that.”

My expression must have given me away, because Adrian laughed. “I’ll admit I was suspicious at first but I was basing my opinion off Sophie’s, before she had her breakdown. She’s been around so much over the years, and I guess there was a part of me that always kind of hoped that Gabe would come around to her, but, I was wrong. About her and Gabe… and about you too. I never should have judged you without giving you a chance and I’m truly sorry for that, Pepper.”

“It’s okay, Adrian. I understand.”

We worked in silence for a while then I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I hurried to fish it out and a smile burst across my face at the sight of Gabe’s name, quickly followed by a ripple of panic. What if something had happened? I answered, suddenly breathless. “Hey, Gabe, what’s happening?”

“Hey babe. It’s good news! Evangeline is going to be okay. She’s really sick now, but the doctors expect a full recovery within the next couple of days. They pumped her stomach before she got too much of the drug in her system, but they don’t know how much of it she actually ingested.”

My hand flew to my mouth and I smothered a sob. “Oh, thank God. Have you seen Dad? Is he there? Did you catch Charlotte?”

“Charlotte and Doug are together right now in the waiting room. I think they’re about to leave. Your dad wasn’t interested in hanging out with Evangeline. I think he was here more to keep the media at bay. His attorney is here as well and he’ll be speaking with Evangeline as soon as she’s lucid. She’ll be warned to keep her mouth shut about the entire situation. As sick as she is, I can’t imagine she wants to talk to anyone right now, anyway.”

My heart could barely contain the flood of relief. “So Dad isn’t interested in getting back with her?”

“Not at all. As a matter of fact, I think Charlotte can put that suspicion to rest now. I didn’t want to pry too much, but it’s pretty obvious that Doug’s crazy about her and has no interest at all in anything other than stopping Evangeline’s circus.”

“Okay, that’s good. Are you coming home?”

“Well, I thought we could take the boat out later. Maybe spend the night on the water? Would you like that?”