Destiny Undone: The Complete Series Box Set (24 page)

“Why would she need the money? She has money, right?” Mills nervously clutched at a throw pillow.

“I imagine she does, but it’s not about the money, really. It’s about control. We all know your mother is a very domineering woman.”

“Dad!” Mills shouted.

“Hush, Mills! Let him finish. What’s the secret, Dad?”

“Pepper, this is so difficult for me...” Daddy paused, and wiped his hand across his jaw. I’d never seen him like this before. “Pepper, I love you. I’ve loved you since the day I saw you and I never dreamed I would ever have to tell you this.”

“What, Daddy. What is it? Tell me.” Tears welled up in my daddy’s eyes and I knew whatever he was about to say was killing him inside. I leapt off the couch and ran over to where he sat and put my arms around him. “I love you, too, Dad, and whatever it is, it’s okay. You know you can tell me anything. Just tell us...please!”

“Pepper, I—uhm—I’m not your biological father...and Evangeline is not your biological mother. I don’t know who your parents were and I’m not sure she knows who they are, either. We adopted you when you were born.”

I heard Mills catch her breath and I simply stared at him. “What? That can’t be true! You’re my dad.”

My throat closed up and I started gasping—I had to get outside! I needed air!

“Pepper, wait! Where are you going? Oh, my God! Catch her, Mills!”

Amanda Heartley

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

© 2015 Amanda Heartley

Published by Heartley Publishing

“Surprise!” I didn’t even try to be surprised—I mean, how could I? The car sat in the driveway and their suitcases cluttered the entryway, so it was hard not to notice they’d arrived back home.

“Hey, guys! I didn’t expect to see you back so soon. Everything okay?” I tossed my keys on the table in the hall and hugged my mother, then she held my arms and pulled back a little to look at me with a big, beaming smile on her face. I smiled back at her and hugged her again, then we walked into the kitchen and I waved at Dad who had his cell phone up against his ear. He put his hand up in acknowledgment and rolled his eyes as he continued his conversation.

“Gee, son. Does something have to be wrong for your parents to come home ahead of schedule?” She wrapped her curly, brown hair into a messy bun and clipped it up at the back of her head.

“No, of course not, Mom. But seriously, though, is everything okay?”

“Not really. They just declared the village we were headed to a ‘no-go zone’. We arrived in Zambia and stayed in Lusaka for a couple of days, but the officials wouldn’t let us into Chapata. They said it’s a hot zone for rebels—so hot, they pulled out all the volunteers for their own safety. Only really essential medical teams are allowed in right now, and we didn’t make the list.”

“I’m glad about that. Sounds pretty dangerous.”

“Well, your father isn’t having it. He’s on the phone with Cooper right now.” I didn’t waste my time lecturing her on how dangerous their volunteer work was, and Dad wouldn’t have listened, either.

“Did you guys eat? I’ve got a pack of steaks in the refrigerator.” She crinkled her nose up at that. Adrian Gregory wasn’t much of a meat eater, but she did indulge from time to time.

“I’ll pass, but you know your father—he’s not one to pass up a steak. I’ll toss a salad, though, and then we can catch up. I’ve missed you, Gabriel. Is there anything new I need to know about?” She gave me a questioning look as she washed her hands in the sink.

“Of course there is.” I smiled at her playfully and kissed her cheek. “I’ve missed you, too, Mom. Are you going to be home long? I noticed your bags are still in the front hall.”

She frowned as she pulled lettuce and various vegetables out of the refrigerator. “That’s kind of up in the air right now. James is determined to go, but I don’t think he’s going to get his way this time. It’s pretty bad.”

I gathered some seasonings from the cabinet and sprinkled the meat with some pepper and a little sea salt—just how Dad and I liked it.

“Okay, if
you
are concerned, then that’s a huge warning sign. What’s Dad’s hang up?”

“He’s put a lot of work into getting the HXC vaccine in there and now all of the vials are just waiting on a dock. They are protected, but for how long? The coolers they’re stored in aren’t a substitute for proper refrigeration, but it’s not the money, it’s all the man hours involved.” She rinsed and chopped vegetables, a concerned tone in her voice. “There are a lot of people in Zambia who need those vaccines, but what can we do? I mean, we can’t break their laws.”

“Or put yourselves in real danger—don’t forget that. You should be concerned, but I’m glad they sent you two back, safe and sound. I’d like to keep you guys around for a while, if you don’t mind.”

I switched on the grill and the fan above it, then Dad walked across the kitchen to the island, put his phone down on it and gave me a brief hug. “Hi, son. Good to see you again. How’s everything?”

“Very cool, Dad. Sounds like you’re stressed out, though. Mom’s been filling me in on the story as to why you’re back so soon.”

“Yeah, could be better,” he said, then he turned to Mom, “…and Coop just told me there’s no way we’re getting back in there, at least not this week. However, he does have a guy on the ground who can move those vaccines quickly so they don’t get ruined, but I’m not sure where to. I was just wondering who has the refrigeration space we need, outside of the facility in Chapata? What a damn mess. I hope we don’t lose it all.”

“What about flying the containers to Kitwe? Surely, Cooper can handle that? Isn’t Ursula’s connection based in Kitwe?”

“Great idea, honey! Yes, that’s it. I guess I’d better call her. Mmm…those steaks look amazing, son. Perfect! I’ll be right back—I hope.”

I tossed the steaks on the grill and poured myself a beer. “You want one, Mom?”

“No, thanks. I think I’ll stick with just water today. I’m feeling a little jet-lagged and dehydrated. I don’t think beer will help that at all. So tell me…what’s her name?”

I popped the top on the beer and slowly poured it into a glass to give me time to think about my answer. I decided to play it cool and act dumb.

“What? Who?”

She looked right at me with a knowing smile. “Oh, I don’t know…why don’t you tell me about her?”

“Why do you think there’s a
‘her’
in my life?”

“Because I know my son, and I know there wouldn’t be a ‘
him’
,” she laughed, then she popped a radish slice in her mouth and put her hand on her hip.

“Come on, Mom.” I chuckled and got the plates down from the cabinet.

“So….?” She set the knife in the sink and began to toss the veggies in a wooden bowl. It felt good to be here with her, even if she was being her usual nosy self. I knew she just wanted me to be happy and she wasn’t the only one that missed our talks together. I did, too, and I guessed I hadn’t noticed how much.

“Okay, I give up. Seems impossible to keep a secret around here.
She
is Pepper Anderson—Doug Anderson’s daughter.”

Mom stopped tossing the salad and shook her vinaigrette bottle without saying a word. I didn’t notice an expression, and that spoke volumes to me. This was Mom’s game face—the one she wore when she wasn’t happy. I could tell this was a complete surprise to her.

“Did you hear me?” I flipped my steak since I liked mine pretty rare and waited for her answer.

“Yeah, I heard you. Why? What happened to Sophie?”
Oh, I see. It was Sophie she was hoping to hear about.

“What do you mean,
why
? Because I like her. Does there have to be a reason
why
?”

“Well, no…but Pepper Anderson? Isn’t she kind of a diva? A celebrity? One of those girls in the news all the time? And for the wrong reasons?”

“Mom! When you’re as rich and prolific as the Andersons, everything you do makes the news. You know that. She’s not a diva—and as a matter of fact, she’s a great girl. She’s amazing with Singh, one of our dolphins, and…she’s a hard worker.”

She stared at me. “Pepper? A hard worker? I do find that hard to believe, Gabe.”

“Well, believe it or not, she is.” I couldn’t believe my darling mother was being so closed-minded and judgmental.

“All right, calm down. Don’t get offended. I got it wrong. So, tell me about her.”

“She’s got a great sense of humor, and she reminds me not to be so serious about life—I figured you’d like that. I mean, you think I act like a little old man—you’ve told me so since I was I kid.”

“I must say, she is a pretty girl, and maybe a bit…wild?”

“Mom, she’s not wild, and yes, she is beautiful. When did that become a crime?” I took my steak off the grill and flipped Dad’s—he preferred his charred—then thankfully, he walked back into the kitchen before this conversation went completely south. I rarely argued with my parents, but when I did it was always a doozy.

“That problem is solved. Good call, Adrian. Ursula and Coop have made arrangements to get those vaccines to Kitwe. It looks like we won’t be going back until next week, though. How’s your schedule looking?” He reached for a grape tomato and popped it into his mouth.

“It’s good, James. Looking forward to it.” Then without taking a breath, she smirked, “Guess who your son is dating?”

“Sophie, right? She’s a charmer, that one. I like her.”

“It’s not Sophie. I’m dating Pepper Anderson.” Dad looked a little shocked. How was it possible that my own parents didn’t approve of my choice in girlfriends? She was
my
girlfriend, right?

“She’s Doug’s daughter, right? The oldest one with the nice…um, body.”

“I know what you’re referring to, and it’s not like you think.”

My mom laughed a little and her silver earrings bounced off her ear lobes. “You mean she wasn’t really swimming naked in a fountain? That she hasn’t been dancing topless at some bar in Destiny Beach?”

“All right, enough you two. I guess I need to remind you that I’m not eighteen and if you really got to know her, I know you’d like her, too. You should know better than to believe everything you read in the newspaper. I can’t believe you guys.”

Dad grabbed a bottle of his favorite imported beer and took his steak off the grill. “Okay, you’re right. We shouldn’t treat you like a child, but what about Sophie? Your mother and I just assumed that you two would get together at some point. You’re both career-minded, good looking, and intelligent people. Don’t you think you two would be better together than you and a celebrity heiress? I mean, after the playtime is over, you have to have something to talk about.”

I drank a swig of my beer and tried to laugh it off. This wasn’t the way I thought this would go down at all, but I kept my cool. “You don’t get to pick who you fall for, do you? I mean—it just happens. Look at you two. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t feel that way about Sophie and I think if you asked her, she’d tell you the same thing.”

“Oh, I have talked to her. Just last week, in fact, and you couldn’t be more wrong. Sophie is crazy about you.”

“You talked to Sophie about me? Why would you do that?”

“There was nothing nefarious, Gabriel. She called me to ask for the phone number for Wintzell House. She wanted to use them for an event she’s planning and naturally, we talked about you. She likes you, and I like her.”

Thankfully, before I could say something I’d later regret, my phone rang and I stared at the screen. “Then maybe
you
should date her. I have to take this. Excuse me.” I walked outside and answered the call. “This is Gabe.”

“Hi, Gabe. This Patricia Clark from Sea Crest in Franklin. I’m calling to let you know that we’re ready to move. Do you think you could come see us? We’d like to work out the details on this. Got a lot to plan and, naturally, we’re on a time constraint here.”

“That’s great news, Patricia. I’m excited to hear that. My team will be excited as well when I give them your news. What kind of timeframe are you thinking?”