Destiny Undone: The Complete Series Box Set (65 page)

I shook my head as we walked out of the building toward the patrol car. “Not this time. These vandals have already caused a lot of distress to the animals and they’re responsible for us having to pay higher insurance premiums, installing an upgraded security system and lots of man-hours cleaning up their mess, not to mention our security guard’s efforts. I don’t think Mr. Church will be getting a free pass this time around.”

The officer tipped his hat as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “No problem, that’s your call, sir. We’ll have a copy of the report available for you by midday tomorrow. You’ll probably need that for you insurance adjustor.”

“I know the drill, but thanks. Thanks for all your help, officers.” As their black-and-white turned around, the parking lot lights illuminated Justin’ face. His expression was defiant as he stared ahead, making no eye contact with me.

“He’s right about that,” Chuck said. “These pampered punks with their rich daddies are always getting away with murder around here.”

I guess it didn’t occur to Chuck that I could’ve been classified as one of those ‘pampered punks,’ but I let it go. I understood that Chuck had a horse in this race. He’d put a lot of effort into this, and if these vandals were to walk away scot-free, why would he ever bother to try again?

Soon after I got home, Pepper called and I sprawled on the sofa and told her she could sleep easier tonight—hopefully, the Destiny Beach crime wave had finally come to an end—then I told her the name of the perpetrator.

“Justin Church?” she gasped. “Little Justin? Oh, my God! He was like a little brother to me.”

“It must be something in the Church gene pool,” I mused. “Or maybe it’s the parents. I wonder if they get it from their father, but I’ll soon find out. The cops told me that I’d be hearing from him.”

“And the other kid ran off?”

“Yeah, so Justin will either bite the bullet and take the rap for both of them, or give up his buddy. I didn’t get the impression that he’d developed a code of honor yet. How about you? What’s going on with Aven?”

“Well, it turned out that Mills
did
invite her over for dinner tonight, but Aven was such a mess that she didn’t want to rain on Fallon’s parade. I swear, she ate a whole box of chocolate cupcakes and drank half a bottle of wine while I was there. God, I hope she doesn’t freak out again because of that jackass!”

“So what happened, exactly?” I asked her, more out of politeness than genuine interest and if the information was relayed in confidence, I’d be perfectly fine with that.

“Basically, he used her,” Pepper replied. “He and his baby’s mama split up, and Aven thought she had a shot at a long-term relationship. But they’ve gotten back together again and now Aven’s out in the cold. I think she’s more broken up about the bond she felt with his son than Dominic.”

“Well, I hope she gets over it, for her sake,” I offered. “And if you need to spend time with her, I understand.”

A long pause followed and I suddenly regretted saying that. I hoped she wasn’t thinking that I was shooing her away.

“So what did you think of Mills and Fallon’s announcement tonight?” she asked. The way she asked the question made me feel as if my reply would be subject to analysis, so I answered cautiously.

“I think it’s great. Every child should have a name.”

“Not
that
announcement, silly!” Pepper reprimanded. “The other one.”

“Oh that. I’m very happy for them. They seem good together and Fallon’s father looked relieved, too. And with a baby, they probably felt some pressure to make it legal, for the baby’s sake.”

“True,” she conceded, “but maybe they were anxious to start their lives together, too. You know, that living apart in two separate households drill gets kind of old pretty fast.”

“You’re still talking about Fallon and Mills?”

“Us, too,” Pepper said softly. “When we got engaged, I know we weren’t in a big hurry to set a wedding date or anything, but I’m just wondering how you feel about it now.”

“I understand that,” I said. “Well, I’m open to discussing it—for our sakes, as well as other ‘interested parties’,” I chuckled. “I was aware of the elephant in the room after Mills shared her date and it was like… everyone’s eyes turned toward us.”

“I know!” she laughed. “Do you really mean that? Can we talk about it?”

“Of course,” I answered. “Not now, though. That’s definitely something we should do face-to-face.”

“I know you, Gabe. You just want to lure me over to your place so I can finish what you started.” Pepper’s tone had a sexy, teasing quality that triggered an immediate reaction in my groin.

“With your persuasive skills, I’m sure you could talk me into just about anything.” There was another long pause. Was it Sexy Phone Time? My hand rubbed my crotch and I felt my cock stirring as I thought about her doing likewise.

“Are you touching yourself?” she asked.

“As a matter of fact, I am,” I admitted.

“Me, too.”

“Why don’t you come over?” I suggested. “Then you can touch me and I can touch you. That would be so much more fun.”

“You know I’d really like to,” Pepper said, “but Charlotte, Evangeline and Mills all have their laptops out checking out bridal sites and I’d hate to miss out on the bonding any more than I already have. And Yassir is still here. He and Dad have been hanging out in his study all night. I wonder if they’re scheming, too.” She paused, trying to imagine their conversation. “Nah, they’re more likely talking about the stock market or golf.”

“Okay,” I said. “If I should decide to rub one out, you know who I’ll be thinking of. I’ll dedicate my orgasm to you.”

“Like a toast!” she giggled. “How sweet. Personally, I’ve had enough manual stimulation for one night. Thank you for that, by the way.”

“No problem,” I replied. “Always glad to lend a helping hand.”

We said goodnight and I lay there a while longer, idly stroking myself. My erection was primed for release, but as my thoughts turned toward more serious matters, the promise in my pants soon faded.

I loved Pepper, and imagining being with her made my blood rush and my heart soar, but those giddy feelings hit a wall every time I thought of marriage.
Why is that?

Eventually, I realized that the whole concept of marriage—of committing to someone
forever
—was what scared me, but I knew it shouldn’t. I wanted to focus on the positive aspects of having Pepper in my life even though the thought of eternity with one person was a heavy burden to carry. But if things ever changed between us, I supposed there were legal remedies to reclaim the freedom a part of me still wanted.
Who knows? One of us could die, right?

I surprised myself that I’d even thought about these scenarios and I felt a sharp pang of regret that I’d even imagined a death or divorce. I knew darn well that either of them would be absolutely heartbreaking, and that’s when I realized just how much I loved Pepper and how much she meant to me. Imagining the sense of loss I’d feel without her made it clear just how much I needed her to be a part of my life. So the toast to Pepper was not to be, but that was okay. The warm feelings of love that carried me off to sleep were way better than that.

Saturday arrived—the big day—and the turnout was massive, far beyond anything I’d ever imagined. Pepper, Doug and Charlotte were there, along with other distinguished visitors and our board members and we’d arranged seating for them on a small stage the crew had set up in the center of the atrium.

My parents were there, too. They’d had to postpone a flight to Macedonia, where they’d volunteered to help medical teams with the masses of Syrian immigrants in a refugee camp. That was important work, and I was humbled by their efforts to be there for me. I guessed we we’re never too old to appreciate the love of our parents.

Brenda Lowe, our board chairperson, began the presentation by thanking everyone for coming, for their enthusiastic support, and then acknowledged the people behind the scenes who’d made our vision a reality. I squeezed Pepper’s hand in anticipation of a specific recognition I knew was yet to come.

“Even though Sea Lab is a non-profit organization,” Brenda continued, “funding for our projects is critical, especially in this era of government cutbacks. We rely heavily on the generosity of individual and corporate sponsorships. In particular, we’d like to express our heartfelt appreciation for one such sponsor, and for whom we’ve dedicated the naming our new wing, The Douglas Anderson Wing. Please put your hands together for Mr. Doug Anderson.”

Doug was caught completely off-guard, and looked my way for some sort of explanation, but I just smiled and joined everyone else applaud him in a standing ovation. Pepper squealed in delight and hugged her father, and Charlotte kissed him before nudging him to rise and take a bow.

Brenda stepped back and held out her arm to make way at the microphone should Doug have chosen to address the crowd, but Doug stood where he was and simply offered a smile and a wave before sitting down again. He leaned over to me and said, “Boy, you really got me good, didn’t you?”

I laughed and shook his hand, then Brenda introduced me to the audience. Unfortunately, my turn at the podium wasn’t optional but, much as I dread public speaking, I was eager to introduce everyone to their new neighbors.

The lights dimmed and the giant screen on one wall filled with the breathtaking sight of our whales swimming gracefully through the water. I was thankful that hardly anyone was looking at me as I explained how the Northern Right whales were native to our waters and how their numbers had drastically dwindled since the seventies due to vessel strikes and getting tangled in fixed fishing gear.

The children always expressed their shock when they learned about man’s relationship with certain species, and today was no exception. The globally endangered status of the species, I felt, helped mitigate any negative perceptions regarding keeping our pair of whales in captivity, unlike some other species in more commercial facilities. I gave the audience just enough information to whet their appetite for more, and then segued into the tour portion of our opening ceremony.

After the lights came up, I said, “Martin, will you wave your hand, please?” All heads turned Martin’s way, who was positioned to escort everyone into the new wing and two other staff members stood by to help organize the throng as well. For our grand opening, we’d mostly booked schools and advertised in the region. Admission was free, but the press releases had been clear that reservations were required for our inaugural showings.

“Our friendly staff is ready to check your reservations. Please don’t rush them—we want this to be an enjoyable experience for everyone. I hope you enjoy it.”

I turned the mic back over to Brenda, who had the unenviable task of completing her remarks as the crowd buzzed with excitement and pretty much abandoned her. All of the board members swarmed on Doug, eager to shake his hand and offer their thanks. Eventually, he and Charlotte made it over to where Pepper and I were standing.

“You rascal,” he scolded, reaching out to shake my hand again. “You know, if you’d asked me about naming the wing in my honor—”

“You’d have refused,” I finished, “but that’s hardly fair. Your generosity and modesty should definitely qualify you from some long-term recognition.”

“And was it your idea, then?”

“I seem to recall some conversations with various board members,” I replied—as if that recollection were now hazy—“but I do remember everyone thought it was a brilliant idea. I apologize for ambushing you like that, though.”

“Wow,” Pepper exclaimed, “you really know how to keep a secret, don’t you? Honest, Dad, he didn’t even tell
me! Bastard!
” She nudged me with her elbow.

“Now, you can’t call him that. We’ve got all the necessary documentation to prove he’s ours,” I heard my mom say. “We’re so proud,” she gushed, and gave me a hug while Dad patted my shoulder. “And that was so generous of you, Doug,” she added, giving Pepper’s father a hug too.

“I’m glad we postponed our trip,” Dad said. “So… when can we see the whales?” He sounded like a kid who’d been standing in line for the matinee.

“I think we can arrange a showing right now, if you’d like,” I responded, and off we went, taking a detour through the staff area to bypass those standing in line.

The banquet was also a huge success, and I was glad that Doug had loosened up enough to say a few words to the audience about the importance of Sea Lab, both as a member of the community and personally. He said that Sea Lab was almost like part of his extended family, and that made me feel extremely proud.