Destiny Ever-Changing (10 page)

"No, baby, just calm down. I'm sure we'll be able to find it. You've only been around here today. I'll help you look."

We immediately search the house, looking in all the places that I had been and even some that I knew I hadn't. It is nowhere to be found, and I am really getting upset with myself.

"Laura, I know we'll find it. We're just overlooking it. Do you know the last time you remember having it? What about when you showered? Did you take it off then?"

"Oh, no!" I shriek.

"What is it?"

"I don't remember having it on when I showered last night, so if it's not around here, I must have lost it on the beach last night! Oh, Nana, it's probably buried out there in the sand by now. I'll never find it!" Tears roll down my cheeks, and I put my face in my hands.

Nana walks over and hugs me. "Why don't you just go for a walk like you did last night? You may come across it if you retrace your steps."

"I could still see my footprints this morning, so I may still be able to. I'll try that. I'll be back in a while!" I call out as I rush out the back door toward the beach.

There must have been a lot of people walking on the beach today, because I can't see where my footprints were at all. I take off walking, scanning the sand in all directions as I go. Luckily, I still have several hours of sunlight left.

After walking for quite some time, I see the same set of stairs from last night. I'm almost shocked to see that Brooks isn't still there. I hope that he won't come down here any time soon, either. I'm sure it would be another awkward conversationgoing from charming and cheerful to standoffish and aloof—although, it would be nice to have a second pair of eyes to help me look.

I turn around at the stairs and turn to head back, trying desperately to look even harder. I feel as if my eyes are bulging out of my head, because I am straining them so hard. I walk very hurriedly in a zigzag pattern in an attempt to cover every square inch of the sand. It takes much longer to make it back home, but I don't mind. I must find that locket. If I have to, I'll go buy a metal detector and come out here every day until I find it.

It is nearly five o'clock by the time I make it back to the house. I'm exhausted from practically running the entire distance and back again, but I dart back up to the house anyway.

I burst into the back door. "Nana! I didn't find it! Did you find it?"

"No, I didn't, but"

"What am I going to do?" I interrupt. "I
have
to find it. I just have to!" Tears start welling up in my eyes again.

Nana walks up to me and places her hands on my shoulders. "Would you let me finish? Calm down, Laura.
I
didn't find it, but someone else did."

"What do you mean? Who?"

"There's a package for you on the table by the front door," she says smiling. "It was in the mailbox when I went out to get the mail."

Without a word, I rush into the living room to the little wooden table by the door. On it is a little golden gift box with a folded slip of white paper on top. I pick up the note to read it.

Laura, I found a necklace after you left last night, and I am assuming it is yours. The clasp was broken, so I had it repaired before I returned it. If it isn't your necklace, I guess it is yours now. Best wishes.    -Brooks

I pick up the box and open it to examine the necklace. It is in perfect condition and looks even shinier than it did before. I can't believe he found it, and even more overwhelming, I can't believe he had it fixed. I'm not sure what to think about that fact. A flood of relief overcomes me, and I hold the note and the necklace to my chest as I let out a sigh. I hear Nana come through the door, so I turn to face her. She crosses her arms and leans against the doorway with a curious smirk on her face.

"What, Nana? What does that look mean?"

She shrugs. "Oh, nothing."

"It's not what it looks like. I can easily explain."

"Explain what, dear?" she asks, trying to look convincing. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Oh, yes you do! You think I met someone, but let me tell you, it was absolutely nothing. Actually, I honestly hope to never see the man again."

She looks quite disappointed and confused. "Explain away."

We both sit down on the sofa, and I start talking. "Yesterday, I had a flat tire on my way here, and he happened to be there and changed it for me. When I went for a walk last night, I ran into him again, and we chatted for a few minutes. He started acting as if he didn't want me there, so I left. I guess the locket fell off while I was talking to him. It's as simple as that."

"So you gave a man that you never want to see again your address?" she asks.

"Of course not!"

"How do you explain his knowing where you live, then?"

I'm flabbergasted. "I can't explain that. I have absolutely no idea!"

We sit and stare at each other for a few seconds, and then it occurs to me that there is only one explanation.

"Oh my goodness!" I jump up and start running out the front door toward my room.

Nana yells out the door. "Laura! What are you doing?"

"I'm not exactly sure yet, but I'll give you all the details later. I have to get to the bottom of this."

As Nana shakes her head and goes back inside, I bound up to my room to grab my car keys. I have to go back to that house and find him. It had to have been him that I saw from my door last night, and I want to know why. Just before I start to run back downstairs, I have a sudden urge to clean myself up before seeing him. After quickly changing my clothes and shoes, brushing my hair, and dabbing on a little perfume, I race down to my car and pull out of the drive.

On my way there, I have a strange mix of emotions. I am very interested to figure out why he followed me home last night, and I'm not sure whether I am angry or just freaked out about it. I'm so nervous about seeing him again, and I feel like I have butterflies the size of bald eagles in my stomach. In a way, though, I'm glad I have a reason to see him. My first instinct will be to interrogate him, but I must remember to thank him for having the necklace fixed and for returning it.

I promptly arrive at the grandiose beachside mansion. I hope he is working here today, although I don't see him anywhere out front. I pull into the driveway and come to a stop before I reach the garage. As I get out of my car, I realize that there is a truck turning into the drive right behind me. The sun is glaring off of the windshield, so I can't tell who is inside the vehicle. The white truck has four doors and is covered in shiny chrome. I assume it is the owner, so I can just ask him if he knows where Brooks is.

The truck halts abruptly just behind my car, and an unfamiliar man jumps out of the passenger side with a big smirk on his face.

"I'm sorry to intrude," I say nervously. "Can you tell me if Brooks is here?"

The man walks toward me and laughs as I hear the truck's other door opening. "Now, just what do you want Brooks for? I'm sure I can do more for you than he can."

"Will," a stern voice interjects. "Can you give us a minute?"

"Fine," he says and sulks into the house as I turn around.

I am surprised to see Brooks emerge from the driver's side of the truck. He looks very different, too. He's dressed in a nice pair of khaki cargo shorts and a baby blue polo shirt. He certainly doesn't look like a gardener, and his friend didn't either. I guess even gardeners have to clean up some time, but something doesn't seem quite right.

"Hi, Laura," Brooks says apprehensively, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

"Hello."

He looks at the locket around my neck. "I see you found the necklace in your mailbox."

"Actually, my grandmother did," I nod. "That's one of the reasons I'm here. I wanted to thank you."

"Oh, you don't have to thank me for anything." He doesn't make eye contact with me. "It's not a big deal, really."

"To me it is. You have no idea what this necklace means to me. It was my mother's."

He nods and glances up at me. "Like I said, no big deal. If I ever find something that has been lost, I always make an attempt to return it."

"Which brings me to the main reason I'm here. How you know where I live?"

His eyes widen, and he looks me directly in the eyes. "I . . . you see . . ."

"Yes?" I say impatiently.

"Okay, I'm just going to be totally straightforward with you," he says as he takes a few steps toward me. "I felt terrible for acting the way I did last night. I should have walked you home to make sure you got there safely. It was so dark. I was so wrapped up in my own problems that I didn't think of it until you were almost out of sight. I followed far enough behind you that you couldn't see me, so I didn't scare you. Once I made it to your house, I recognized it immediately. I'm so sorry if I alarmed you."

"You definitely did. I thought I saw something out there last night, and I saw an extra set of footprints this morning. Once I read your note, I knew that it was you, and I had to find out why you followed me. I suppose it makes sense now."

His cheeks are blushing. "I apologize. I know it looks bad. Once I made it back, I saw the necklace, and I was convinced it was yours. I noticed this morning that it was broken, so I wanted to get it repaired for you before I returned it."

"That was very thoughtful of you, and I do thank you," I say appreciatively. "Most people wouldn't have done that."

He smiles timidly. "You're welcome, Laura."

"Well, I guess the mystery is solved, so I'm going to head back home. Thanks again."

He nods at me, and I turn to walk back toward my car. He just stands there and watches me as if he wants to say something, tormenting over what to say but nothing quite reaching the surface. I open my car door and put my foot inside the door to get in, and he jogs over to the car.

"Laura, do you have a minute?" His hands are fidgeting.

I step back out of the car. "Yes, I suppose I do. Why?"

"There's something I've been meaning to explain to you, but I didn't think it was necessary before. I didn't think I'd ever see you again, but we keep running into each other."

"What is it?"

Brooks looks up at the house and back at me. "Let's take a walk."

Chapter Eight — Clearing the Air

Brooks:

Will keeps looking at me inquisitively as I pull my truck up behind Laura's car. I'm not sure how I'll explain the situation with Laura. He's been my best friend as long as I can remember, but I don't know if I can be entirely honest with him. Do I tell him the truth about my attraction to her, or do I just blow it off as if it's no big deal? I do know that it's time to be honest with her, though. If I'm going to keep running into her, it's time she knows that I'm
not
the gardener . . . and that I'm engaged.

I can't let Will be the one who lets the cat out of the bag, so I send him inside. Laura and I engage in some very awkward conversation; although, thankfully, she's much more interested in
how
I returned her necklace rather than
why
I did it. I confess that I followed her for her safety, and she seems satisfied with that. She thanks me and begins to leave, but I can't let her go without revealing the truth to her. If I don't tell her now, I may never do it, and that will only lead to more problems and wounded pride.

I'm relieved that she agrees to walk with me. "Are you okay with walking on the beach? You'll get sand in your shoes."

She stops dead in her tracks, yanks her white canvas tennis shoes off, and hurls them toward her car. "What shoes?"

I can only laugh, but deep down that coy smile she gives me is driving me insane. After I run inside to ask Will to pull my truck into the garage, we stroll through the backyard to the gate, and I lead her down the stairs to the sand. We walk for a few moments as I search for the right words to say, but I just can't seem to find a good way to start. I haven't been entirely honest with her, but I haven't exactly lied. To me, though, an omission is almost as deceitful.

"Was there a particular motive for asking me to walk with you, or did you just need an exercise partner?" she asks with a grin.

This is it. There is no turning back now. "Yeah, there's a reason."

"What is it?" she slows her stride and gazes at me.

"I have some things to explain to you, and I'm ashamed that I didn't clarify some of these things when we initially met. I didn't think that we would meet again, so I didn't really feel the necessity of going into all of the complicated details of my life."

Laura stops at the water's edge, letting the shallow waves wash over her feet. "I'm listening."

"First of all, I'm not a gardener," I admit as I join her by the water. "I
own
that house. I don't believe in having someone do the yard work for me when I'm entirely capable of doing it myself. In fact, I enjoy doing it."

She faces me with a rueful look on her face. "I'm so sorry, Brooks. That is completely my mistake for making that assumption. How embarrassing! I can't tell you how ashamed I am."

"No, please, don't be. I could have easily told you when I was changing your tire, but I was in a dreadful mood. I didn't feel like explaining myself, so I just overlooked it."

"So, you own that house," she confirms. "But, what about that 'Joshua' person?"

"You don't miss a thing, do you?" I laugh nervously. "That's another part of what I have to tell you."

I turn to her. "I
am
Joshua. My full name is Joshua Brooks Tucker, Jr."

Her eyes meet mine, and I see her cheeks flush. She remains silent.

"I should have told you that from the beginning, I know. I probably would have if I hadn't been so wrapped up in my own problems. I've been really self-absorbed lately, and I shouldn't have gotten you mixed up in all of it."

"Wait a minute. If you are Joshua, then that woman is your—"

"Fiancée," I finish her sentence as I nod.

"Wow," she appears surprised.