Hold Me (15 page)

“You think he’s dating someone in town?”

“I know he went out with Madeline a few days ago. Drinks, I think.”

Shelby’s happy expression faded. “Oh, I didn’t know that. She’s so fun and pretty.”

“You’re both adorable,” Destiny said firmly. “And neither of you is the problem. Look, I like Miles. He’s not a bad person. But when it comes to women, he’s also not going to give you more than a quick good time. So if that’s what you want, go for it. If you’re looking for more, he’s not the one.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

“You’re welcome.”

Destiny waved and left. As she walked home, she wondered if Shelby would listen. Or if she would think she could change Miles. That somehow with her, things would be different.

Destiny had seen that happen again and again. With her father, especially. Women knew his track record, but they always thought that things would be different with them, that he would change. And he never did.

She, on the other hand, saw things clearly. Rationally. She might be missing a few highs, but if the price of that was avoiding the lows, then she was all-in.

CHAPTER NINE

“I
DON
’
T
KNOW
,”
Starr said as they left the bleachers by the lake. “They were good and all...”

Destiny linked arms with her sister. “Oh, I so understand what you’re trying not to say. It was a great performance, but just a little strange.”

Starr laughed. “Right. Because they’re, like, you know, old.”

Destiny would guess that to a fifteen-year-old, a group of women over the age of sixty would be more ancient than just old.

X-treme Waterski Fest had started the previous day and would continue through tomorrow. There were various demonstrations, competitions and even a place on the lake where you could take lessons. She and Starr had just watched the famous Don’t-Call-Me-Grannies, a group of synchronized skiing women all over sixty.

“They were in great shape,” Destiny said. “We should be so lucky to look that good at their age.”

“I guess.”

Destiny grinned. “Can’t imagine ever being that old?”

“Not really. But I suppose it will happen.”

“The alternative isn’t a pleasant one,” Destiny told her.

Starr grinned. “You’re right. It’s going to be weird not to look forward to birthdays. Now I want to be sixteen so I can get my driver’s license.”

“I suppose part of the reason people don’t look forward to birthdays as they get older is that there aren’t as many milestones.”

“You’re not excited about being twenty-eight and a half?” Starr asked with a laugh.

“Not as much as you’d think.”

They walked into the main part of town. There were booths set up everywhere. Crafts, food and demonstration booths had their own sections. The flow really worked, Destiny thought. Whoever planned all this had done a good job of managing the crowds.

“I should invite my mom to visit during a festival,” she said.

“Lacey is coming here?” Starr sounded both excited and nervous. “This summer?”

“She usually visits me at my various assignments. She says those trips help her stay connected to her fans, because they keep her real.”

Starr nodded. “That makes sense. She’s not on a bus or a plane. She’s just living with normal people.”

Destiny smiled. “You know it’s all a crock, right? My mom will never be like her fans. She’s Lacey Mills, superstar.”

“What about when it’s just you? Isn’t she like a regular mom?”

“She is,” Destiny admitted, realizing she’d never thought about her time with her mom that way. “When she’s out on her own, she always has an entourage. She gets dressed up and waits to be mobbed by her fans. They generally don’t disappoint her. But when she visits me, it’s just her. And while she’ll never be confused with your average suburban mom, when she’s with me, she tones it down.”

“Only one bodyguard?”

“Yes, and he keeps his distance.”

“Can I meet her?” Starr asked.

“Of course.” Destiny started to say she was surprised Starr hadn’t yet, only to remember the teen and Lacey had no biological connection. “She’s great. You’ll like her. She loves to talk music, so have your questions ready.”

Starr looked at her. “OMG. Really? You mean that?”

“Absolutely. She’ll stay up all night talking about music and the business. And she has energy to spare, so she’ll be awake way longer than you.”

Starr clutched her arm. “I have to start practicing more. I have to get better before she comes here. What if she asks me to play? I can’t embarrass myself.”

“Deep breath. You won’t. Lacey doesn’t judge. And to be honest, she prefers to be the best musician in the room.”

“But Dad plays.”

Destiny sighed. “I know. It was a source of friction between them. They would have friends over and both play and then ask them to say who was better. That rarely ended well.” She pointed. “Let’s get elephant ears.”

“Sure.”

They headed to the booth and waited in line.

“It must have been so great, having all that music in the house,” Starr said. “Being able to listen to them and their music friends play.”

“I learned a lot,” Destiny admitted. “But it wasn’t one giant jam session. They traveled all the time. I’d go on tour sometimes, but often I was left behind. I missed school a lot. It was hard to make friends because I was gone and then back and then gone again.”

She wondered if that was where it had started—her not having friends. Back when she’d been younger than Starr. She remembered having a best friend when she was seven or eight—Mandy, a girl from down the street. Only something had happened, something with her parents. She’d never been sure if Jimmy Don had come on to Mandy’s mom or if Lacey had flirted with the husband. Either way, there had been a big fight, and she and Mandy had never been allowed to play together again.

There had been a couple more incidents like that, and then she’d simply stopped trying. It was too hard to get close, to confide in someone, to believe they would always be there, and then have it ripped away.

After she’d gone to live with Grandma Nell, there hadn’t been any girls her age close by. By the time she’d gotten to college, she’d forgotten the art of making friends. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was hanging out with other women and enjoying their company. She would miss them all when she left.

“Ladies.”

Destiny turned and saw Kipling walking toward them. As he approached, she felt an odd tightness in her chest, followed by a ridiculous urge to flip her hair and giggle.

“Hi, Kipling,” Starr said. “We’re getting elephant ears. You want one?”

“Yeah, that sounds great.”

No one was in line behind them, so he stepped next to them.

“How’s summer camp?” he asked Starr.

“Good. I like the different classes. A couple of us are talking about forming an a capella group. You know, just girls singing, but it could be fun.”

Destiny did her best not to stomp her foot as she listened to Starr’s easy conversation with Kipling. How did he do it? He asked one or two simple questions, and Starr wouldn’t stop talking. An a capella group? She shared all kinds of things she didn’t tell Destiny.

While they were making progress toward getting to know each other, there was always something in the way, and Destiny had no idea what it was. For reasons she couldn’t explain, her sister held back with her.

“No musical instruments?” Kipling asked. “That’s ambitious.”

“It’s harder than it sounds,” Starr admitted. “Just singing without music isn’t bad, but when you try to make the other sounds, like percussion, it can get silly pretty fast. But we’re going to try it.”

A couple of families got in line behind them. Kipling moved closer. Destiny found herself wanting to lean against him, to ask him to help her with her sister, because she was obviously not doing as good a job as she thought.

“Making friends?” Kipling asked.

“Oh, yeah. A lot. Some of my friends are from LA, but a few are from here in town.”

“That’s nice,” he said. “You can see them on the weekends.”

“Sure!” Destiny jumped in. “Anytime. Or if you wanted to invite some of them over for dinner or something, I’d be happy to cook or just order pizzas.”

Starr glanced from Kipling to her. “Seriously? You wouldn’t mind if I had friends over?”

“Of course not. I want you to have fun this summer.”

“Cool. Thanks.”

They moved up in line. Starr turned her attention to the menu. Destiny looked at Kipling and mouthed “thank you.” He grinned and shrugged, as if saying it was nothing. Which, to him, it probably was. He had an easy way with people. One she would like to share.

She told herself to be grateful for the improvement in her relationship with her sister and to take her small victories where she could. Having Starr enjoy the summer was one that would make both of them very happy.

* * *

D
ESTINY
FOLLOWED
THE
COURSE
laid out on the tablet screen which, she thought as she circled yet another downed tree, was easier said than done. She and Aidan Mitchell were about thirty miles northeast of Fool’s Gold in a rugged area just past the small valley where wind turbines spun in the constant canyon breeze.

They’d left all signs of civilization behind several miles ago, and the noise of the turbines had long faded. Out here there was only the hum of nature.

“I was thinking up here,” Aidan said, pointing.

She looked up from her screen and studied the relatively flat ledge where he had indicated. The area looked big enough, and the location was good.

“I like it,” she said, then eyed the steep terrain between where they were and the ledge. “Can we get there from here?”

“I’m game if you are.”

She handed him her tablet and turned so he could tuck it into her backpack. When the flap was secured, she gave him a thumbs-up. “Lead on.”

Aidan set a brisk pace, but she was able to keep up. These woods were not all that different from those in the Smoky Mountains. Trees, underbrush and scurrying animals. She smiled, thinking Grandma Nell would be appalled to know Destiny had reduced her beloved Smoky Mountains to generalities.

She started up toward the ledge, following Aidan. He climbed over a downed tree, then turned back to help her scramble over the huge trunk.

When she put her foot down on the other side, she started to slip on damp leaves. Aidan immediately grabbed her around her waist. When she was steady, he released her.

In that moment of contact, Destiny found herself wondering if she would have any reaction. A tingle or a desire to lean closer. There was nothing. Not the slightest whisper of interest.

They climbed the last twenty or thirty feet up to the ledge. Once there, Aidan pulled two water bottles from his backpack and handed her one.

“What do you think?” he asked, barely winded from their climb.

She looked around at the large, flat area. “I’ll have to measure it, and we’ll need to have a geological survey done, but I think we have a winner.”

Part of the system the town had ordered included adding several cell towers in remote areas. Not only would that help those who were lost call for help, but it would also aid the volunteers by giving them access to the HERO command center and each other.

Cell towers cost about a hundred and fifty thousand dollars each. But because of the difficult location and the extra surveys required, the price of these would be closer to two hundred thousand. But money had been put aside, so Destiny was determined to get the towers in the best locations possible.

She shrugged out of her backpack and pulled out a tape measure. Aidan helped her figure out the length and width of the ledge. She recorded the information on her tablet, then took plenty of pictures and recorded their exact location. Only then did she sit down next to him and take in the view.

They were at about forty-five hundred feet. The air was cooler up here, but still warm. She could see where an old avalanche had taken out the side of a mountain a couple hundred years ago.

She could see trees and sky and mountain, but nothing civilized.

“I feel guilty about sticking a cell tower in the middle of all this beauty,” she said.

“It’s for the greater good.”

“I know, but it’s still too bad.”

“I don’t think the deer or bears will mind.”

Aidan stretched out on the ground. He tucked his hands behind his head and stared up at the sky.

He was a good-looking guy, she thought. Fit, intelligent and a successful businessman. Shouldn’t she be considering him for her sensible plan? Except she wouldn’t. For two reasons. First, there was something about him that reminded her of the guys she’d known who traveled with her parents. Roadies and band members who were there in part because they loved the music but also to get women. Lots of women. And second, she couldn’t seem to summon any enthusiasm on the “Aidan as the one” front. When she tried, she only saw Kipling.

She shifted until she was sitting cross-legged and facing him.

“Any news on the candidates for Kipling’s second-in-command?” Aidan asked.

“I know there have been interviews. I haven’t heard any specifics.”

“I gave him some names. Not that Kipling wants anyone else to solve the problem.”

She smiled. “You’ve figured that out about him?”

“That he likes to fix things? Hard to miss it. It’s a good quality in someone you work with, as long as you agree with how he wants things done.”

“Meaning you’d never work for him?”

“No way. I like being the boss.”

“Speaking of the boss,” she said teasingly. “Isn’t he going to be annoyed that you’re goofing off?”

“Nah. He’s a laid-back kind of guy. What about you? Anyone going to wonder why you’re not working?”

“I need my guide to get back to the car.”