Destiny Ever-Changing (20 page)

"Uh huh. He even bought a shirt that I said would look good on him. Why?"

Interesting. "Oh, just not like him to do that, but he never ceases to amaze me."

She grins so big that her nose crinkles into dozens of wrinkles. "Well, he amazes me all the time, too. You're lucky to have him for a friend. He's been worried about you, and so have I. You don't have to do this, you know."

I pull some onions and tomatoes out of the fridge. "You slice, and I'll get the marinade mixed up."

"Brooks," she says sternly, "I hope you don't think we're not going to talk about this. What Dad is doing to you is wrong, and everyone agrees. Who cares if he disowns you? Heck, I'll give you money."

"It's not that simple. If I don't go through with it, I won't be the only one to suffer. He'll find a way to make you and Stephen miserable, too. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Jacqueline set her sights on Stephen; she only wants to get her hands on our money, so she'll take whatever action is necessary in order to make that happen. It's just easier for everyone if I make the sacrifice. I can handle it."

She places her warm hand on my arm. "But, you're not handling it very well. I haven't ever seen you look so stressed and exhausted. You may be able to fool some people, but you can't fool me. And I know how you feel about marriage. You have always preached that, if you ever get married, it will be forever. I am positive that Jacqueline isn't a forever kind of girl."

"No, you're right about that, nor do I want her to be. Maybe I'll find someone worth spending the rest of my life with after this is all over. But, until then, this is my life."

Ashton begins peeling away the outside layers of an onion. "Well, Brooks, you've always looked out for us, so I guess I shouldn't be too shocked about what you're doing now. Our parents have always been . . . less than nurturing, but you've always tried to fill that void. You're a sweet, caring person, so I know that, someday, you'll find someone that will show you that same kind of love. You deserve nothing less than that."

I drop some garlic cloves onto the counter and wrap my arms around her. "That means a lot to me, Ash, and I know that you'll help me keep my sanity through all of this mess."

"If you ever need me, I'll be on the first flight," she manages to choke out after a sniffle.

I pull back from her and see her eyes filled with tears. "If anybody needs to cry, it's me," I joke.

"Oh, hush," she says, wiping her eyes. "You're the one that made me deal with the onions."

"I would believe that if you had actually started cutting into them." I chuckle and give her one last squeeze. "Love you, Sis." Still fighting back the tears, she only nods and pats me on the back. "Hey, where's Will?" I ask.

She straightens herself and wipes away the moist streaks traveling down her cheeks. "He's napping on the couch in the den. Why?"

"I invited a friend to our little party, and I told her that I would have him pick her up at six."

"Her?" she asks, reaching into the drawer for a different knife.

"Yes,
her.
She lives just up the road. Remember that old white house with the blue shutters?"

"Oh, the one that always had a gazillion flowers? That old lady would let me pick some whenever I rode my bike down that way."

I nod. "That's the one. That 'old lady' is her grandmother."

"What's the girl's name?"

"Laura Carey," I tell her, attempting to hide the obvious enjoyment I get from saying her name. "We've actually become fairly close friends. You'll like her."

Ashton's inquisitive eyes narrow to slits. "Call me crazy, but I think someone else likes her, too."

I rapidly shake my head. "She's my friend, so don't try to read too much into it. She knows all about Jacqueline and our engagement, and she's been dealing with some rough circumstances, too. I think we've both needed someone to talk to."

"So, why is Will picking your friend up? Why don't
you
go get her?" Ashton viciously slices through the last of the onion, obviously anxious.

"Well, he's single . . . she's single. Do the math. I think they'll hit it off."

"Oh," she says a bit too eagerly, "I bet you're right. If she has your stamp of approval, I know she's perfect."

As I pour the dark marinade over the steaks, I witness a brutal tomato attack across the counter from me. Ashton is slinging sticky juice and seeds everywhere and has yet to produce one full slice. "A little jealous, perhaps?"

Ashton's nervous laughter echoes throughout the kitchen. "Me?" she awkwardly shrieks. "I like Will a lot, but he
is
your best friend. I could never . . ."

"I tell you what . . . be honest with me about Will, and I'll share some truths of my own."

She stops slaughtering the tomato and sighs loudly. "Am I that obvious?"

"Just a tad. Does Will know?"

She shrugs. "I don't think so. I certainly haven't told him. But, a while back, he told me that his sister was dating his old roommate, and he hated it. He told me that he didn't think it was right because, if they split up, he'll be expected to choose sides. He actually told me that he would never date a friend's sister. So, I guess I've accepted the fact that it won't ever happen. Are you mad at me?"

"Not even the slightest bit. Will is one of the few guys that I would be okay with you dating, but I guess if he is that adamant about not dating a friend's sister, then we don't have anything to worry about."

Her cheeks glow a vibrant shade of red. "I can't believe I admitted that to you."

"Well, let me make you feel better," I offer, seating myself on a stool. "I . . . I am in love with Laura."

"What? You? In love?"

"You heard me. I can't believe I said that out loud. I haven't even admitted that to myself."

The gossip fiend inside of Ashton comes out, and she swoops around the counter to sit next to me. "Does Will know that?" she whispers.

"Well, don't you dare tell him. He knows that I like her, but I've also reassured him that I am totally fine with him dating her. To be honest, I'm not at all okay with it, but it's not like I can be with her."

"I knew you liked her," she exclaimed, triumphantly pounding her fist on the polished granite. "I could tell by the look on your face when you talked about her. Your face lit up, and, let me tell you, it rarely does that, especially lately." She scoots in closer to me. "Does
she
know that you're in love with her?"

"If she doesn't, she's completely oblivious, but I haven't exactly
told
her that I love her. Hell, until just now, I hadn't even told myself. Throughout this week, I have been brutally honest with her about my situation, and that, if I wasn't engaged, things between us would be different."

"What do you mean by 'this week' exactly? How long have you known her? This is only your second week here." She seems ecstatic that the focus of the conversation is now on me, instead of her attraction to Will.

She's going to flip when she hears this. "This is the fourth day."

"Four days! You can't be serious. You didn't sleep with her, did you?"

"No," I moan. Why does everyone think that I have to sleep with her in order to like her? "Absolutely nothing has happened. Though, I did almost kiss her yesterday."

"Wow. It's even worse than I thought, then. You haven't even had any kind of physical relationship with her, and you already love her. What are you going to do?"

I throw my hands up in the air. "Nothing. There isn't anything that I can do about it."

Ashton jumps up, fills two tall glasses with fresh lemonade, and slides a glass over to me. She raises her glass to me and waits for me to do the same. "To wanting what we can't have," she says as she clinks her glass against mine.

"And to having what we don't want," I interject before we drink.

"What are we wanting and not wanting?" Will sleepily groans as he walks into the room stretching his arms up high over his head.

"For starters," I say, "I
want
you to get ready and go pick Laura up for me. I
don't
want you to be late. I told her that I would send you over at six, so you have forty-five minutes to shower and get dressed."

Will shoots me a puzzled look. "Why isn't she driving herself?"

"Just pick the girl up!" Ashton playfully scolds, smacking the unsuspecting Will on the back of the head. "He's trying to, at least, make you
look
like a gentleman."

"Yes, ma'am, Miss Bossy." He stands to attention and salutes before marching animatedly out of the kitchen. Ashton smiles at him and rolls her eyes.

After Will leaves to pick up Laura, I step out onto the deck to put the meat on the grill, and Ashton cranks up the radio, filling the yard with echoes of bluesy rock. When I was a kid, my family had weekly cookouts, and at times, there would be at least fifty people in attendance. The yard was filled with laughter, music, and dancing, and all of the kids would run around and play in the ocean. Those were some of the best memories of my life—of course, that was before greed completely sucked the life out of my parents.

"Ashton," Jacqueline sneers once she strides over the door's threshold. "I had no idea you would be here."

"Hello, Jacqueline," she says with equal disgust. "And I was hoping that you wouldn't be."

"Well, then, I guess we're both out of luck," she says, storming back into the house.

Ashton walks over to stand at my side. "Sorry, Brooks. I couldn't help it."

"Hey, I don't mind at all. She doesn't like you, Will, or Laura, so maybe she won't show her face too much tonight."

"They're here," she whispers, nodding toward the garage. "I heard your truck". She giggles as I immediately straighten my shirt, run my fingers through my hair, and wipe my fingers off on a towel. "You look fine. Geez, she really does get to you, doesn't she?"

Before I can reply, I hear the door open, and Will allows Laura to exit the house in front of him. I just saw her two hours ago, but I feel like it has been days. And she looks amazing. Her shimmering hair drapes over her shoulder in soft waves, and she dons a simple turquoise sundress with shiny black beads attached in a random order around the collar. Strappy black sandals allow her cherry-red toenails to peep through at the ends, and the only adornments she wears are a pair of small diamond studs in her ears and her silver locket around her neck.

She smiles at me shyly after coming to the realization that I am entranced with her. "You can call off the search party," she says. "I'm here."

"Lucky for you," I joke. "Laura, I want you to meet my sister, Ashton."

Ashton steps forward and offers her hand to her. "I'm so happy to meet the woman who has been keeping my boys in check. These two are a lot of work, aren't they?"

"You couldn't be more right about that. Hey, uh, can I help with anything?"

Ashton turns to me instead of answering. "Now, I get it. Even
I
like this girl already." She beams at Laura, gestures for her to follow, and they disappear into the kitchen.

Will giggles. "I think Ash is in love."

"I know she is . . ." I accidentally reply. "Oh, you mean with Laura! That's just because Jacqueline hasn't ever offered to help with anything."

"What did you think I meant?"

"Nothing. I just misunderstood you."

"Mmm-hmm," he replies, peeking into the kitchen window. "So, you're still sure about setting me up with Laura, right. It's not too late to back out now."

"Why do you keep asking if I'm sure?" I am desperately attempting to play stupid.

"Oh, I don't know. It could be because you've flipped that same piece of steak over fourteen times since I brought it up five seconds ago."

"Will, we've been through this . . . I'm positively sure. Quit kicking the dead horse, okay?"

"Suit yourself," he says, puffing out his chest. "Be prepared to see game that you've never seen before. I have a few moves up my sleeve that would put you to shame."

I shake my head and laugh. "I can't wait to see you use your moves on her. She'll chew you up and spit you out if you're not careful."

"Just watch and learn, my friend," Will dares as he steps back into the kitchen. "Hey, ladies, ya'll don't need to go and get your hands dirty. Let me help."

As soon as the meal is ready, we all sit down at the deck's dining table, which Ashton and Laura have decorated beautifully with a centerpiece of fragrant gladiolus from the garden and vibrant yellow linen napkins. And, if I do say so myself, the ceramic platter filled with juicy, steaming steaks looks the most appealing.

Jacqueline finally emerges from her nest upstairs, clearly wanting to upstage the other women in the house—wearing a slinky black cocktail dress, sky-high heels, and jewelry dripping off of every possible location. She slowly saunters outside and quietly takes her place next to me at the end of the table, holding her head high and cutting her eyes at Laura and Ashton. I'm sure she only wants to be sure that they are taking notice of her, and when they pretend not to notice, she reaches across the table to take my hand. But, of course, I don't want to give her the satisfaction either, so I pull my hand away. Ashton immediately snickers and doesn't try to hide it.

"So," Will pipes up through the uncomfortable silence, "I think I'll have one of those steaks, Brooksey. Pass 'em on down."

"Ooh, Laura and I will take one of those," Ashton says as Laura nods wide-eyed in agreement.

All of the bowls and platters make their way around the table—Jacqueline passes on everything except the salad, of course—and the casual chatter ensues. Laura, who is sitting right between Will and Ashton, seems to be having a good time, and I notice Will nonchalantly touching her arm as they speak. After offering several times to serve her more food or drink, he finally convinces her that her ice has nearly melted away, so he jumps up to refill it. He's really laying it on thick, and Ashton is noticing, too. She looks over at me and shrugs as if to say, "Nothing we can do about it." And she's right.