Hold Me (6 page)

“I already wasn’t.” Starr snuggled close for a second then stepped away. “I’m hungry.”

“Me, too. Looks like we have plans for lunch now, but that’s hours away. Want to go by the bakery and get a doughnut?”

“Sure.”

They circled the park then headed up Second Street, maneuvering around families with strollers. Tourists or locals? Destiny wondered, thinking about her plan to sensibly marry and then have a quiet, calm marriage of her own one day.

In college, when she’d come up with the plan, she’d assumed she would have found a husband by now. But it turned out that calm, sensible men were more difficult to find than she would have thought.

Two men stepped out of the bakery. She recognized Miles and Kipling, each holding a silver-and-white-striped box.

She stumbled to a stop as her chest suddenly tightened. How strange. What on earth was—

Everything went still. She focused on her breathing then cautiously let her attention drift to the rest of her body. There was the aforementioned tension in her chest, plus a distinct quiver in her stomach and something almost like tingling in her thighs. If she hadn’t felt totally fine a second before, she would swear she was getting the flu. So if it wasn’t that, then what?

She looked at Miles. He saw her and grinned. He appeared self-satisfied, which meant he’d been successfully flirting with someone. As she studied him, she felt only pity for whatever woman had endured his attentions. Not that most of them seemed to mind. Many conquests had lamented losing Miles, but few of them regretted the short-term thrill of being with him.

Something she’d never been tempted to experience herself, so Miles wasn’t the cause of her reaction.

She turned to Kipling and instantly got lost in his dark blue gaze. He looked less happy than his new friend. Irritation tugged at the corner of his mouth and when he glared at Miles, she had a clear view of his chiseled profile.

Your words were like a beacon, I was looking for a home.

Destiny sucked in air. No, she told herself firmly. She would not create song lyrics around Kipling. She knew where that led, and it was to a dark, bad place. It led to attraction, which led to sex, which led to jealousy and late-night fits of anger. Love was only a few shades less bad. No way, no how. She was not, under any circumstances, attracted to Kipling Gilmore. Ski gods did not make for sensible relationships.

“What part of ‘my sister’ don’t you understand?” Kipling demanded as he and Miles reached her. “Hey, Destiny.”

“Hi. What’s going on?”

Miles shrugged. “I don’t know. I saw a beautiful woman and complimented her. This one nearly took my head off.”

Destiny winced. “Not Shelby. I like her. Stay away from her.”

“Thank you,” Kipling said, then smiled at Starr. “Hi. I’m Kipling.”

“Starr.”

“The sister. I see pretty runs in the family.”

Starr blushed and ducked her head.

“Hello,” Miles said. “We were talking about me. Shelby’s an adult. She can date who she wants.”

Kipling took a step toward the other man. “No, she can’t. You hurt her, and I will break every bone in your body. Is that clear?”

Miles opened the bakery box and pulled out a cookie. He took a bite. “Attitude, man,” he said as he chewed. “You have to work on your attitude.” He looked into Kipling’s unyielding expression and sighed. “Fine. She’s off-limits.” He offered a cookie to Starr. “So what am I going to do for fun in this town? No Shelby.” He winked at Starr. “You’re too young for me.” He looked at Destiny. “You’re not interested in me.”

“You’re right. I’m not.”

Miles groaned. “You don’t have to be so blunt. You could pretend you think I’m hot.” He turned to Kipling. “We’ve had this problem from the start. It’s the princess thing.”

Destiny had been enjoying the exchange right up until that second. Now she stiffened, hoping she was wrong. That he wasn’t going there.

It always happened, she thought frantically, searching for a distraction. Someone found out, then word spread and then everything changed.

“Princess?” Starr asked. “Destiny?”

“You, too, your highness.”

“What?” Starr studied her cookie. “I’m not anybody special.”

Kipling turned to Starr. “Sure you are.”

A kindness, considering he had no idea what Miles was talking about.

Miles wiggled his eyebrows. “He doesn’t know, does he?”

“No, and he doesn’t have to.”

“Sure he does.” Miles grinned at Kipling. “Destiny is the oldest daughter of Jimmy Don and Lacey Mills. You know who they are, right?”

Kipling looked at Destiny. Confusion darkened his eyes, then it cleared. “No way.”

“Way,” Miles told him. “I’ve met Lacey a couple of times. She usually comes to visit Destiny on her jobs. Wow, is she still hot. And that voice. I heard her live once. They really are country music royalty. All those hits, all that passion.”

And drama,
Destiny thought grimly. The pictures in the tabloids, the arrests, the divorces, the broken promises. Yeah, it had all been so incredibly wonderful. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

She made a point of glancing at her watch. “Look at the time. We need to be going.”

She turned away, hoping Starr would follow. The teen fell into step with her.

“Why didn’t you want Kipling to know about your parents?” Starr asked when they were out of earshot.

“It changes things. People act differently when they know.”

“They respect you more?”

If only,
Destiny thought. “Not exactly. They think they know me, because of them. And they don’t.”

“Is that bad?”

“Sometimes.”

CHAPTER FOUR

D
ESTINY
AND
S
TARR
arrived at Jo’s Bar for lunch. Destiny wasn’t sure what to expect. As a rule, she avoided bars. She didn’t drink all that much and certainly wasn’t looking to be picked up by a man. But Felicia’s lunch invitation offered a chance to get to know some of the women in town and fill part of the day—at least until it was time for the bands to start playing. A twofer in the win department.

She was surprised to find the place was the antithesis of a traditional bar. There was lots of light, a high ceiling and soft, pastel-colored walls. The place was clean, the TVs tuned to what looked like shopping shows, and the background music was barely audible.

A few tables were already taken, mostly with groups of women. Destiny saw Shelby sitting with several other women and walked toward her. Shelby looked up and waved vigorously.

“You made it,” Shelby called out as Destiny and Starr approached the table. “Great. Come meet everyone.” She motioned to the blonde at the end of the rectangular table. “This is Madeline. She works at Paper Moon.”

“I’m on the wedding gown side,” Madeline said with a grin. “So if you’re thinking of getting married, come see me.”

“Thanks,” Destiny murmured, thinking that while marriage was appealing, finding the right guy was especially difficult. At least for her.

“Bailey, you probably met at Mayor Marsha’s office,” Shelby continued.

“No, she didn’t,” the pretty redhead said. “I was out that day. Chloe was home sick.” Bailey smiled. “My daughter. She got what’s been going around. Isn’t that always the way?”

Destiny nodded and tried to pay attention to the rest of the names. There was a Larissa, a Consuelo and maybe a woman named Patience, but she wasn’t sure.

“I’m Destiny,” she said when everyone else had been introduced. “This is my half sister, Starr. We’re new, but then you probably already know that.”

Bailey pulled out the chair next to her. “Starr, honey, come sit by me. I think our hair’s the same color, and that almost never happens to me.”

Starr hesitated only a second before taking the offered seat. Destiny settled across from her, by Madeline.

“How long have you been in town?” Madeline asked.

“A week.”

“I can’t imagine what that must be like,” Madeline admitted. “I’ve been here forever. Patience, too.”

Patience nodded. “Born and raised. I never left. Madeline, didn’t you spend a year or so in San Francisco?”

“I did. I tried a lot of different jobs before finding the one I love. Helping a bride find the right dress is so satisfying.”

Shelby leaned forward. “Patience owns Brew-haha.”

“The coffee shop,” Starr said then shrugged. “I’ve been reading about the town. It’s an interesting place.”

“We have a history of powerful women.”

The last speaker was Consuelo, Destiny thought. She was petite but looked strong. With her dark hair and eyes, she was the most striking of the group. Destiny momentarily wished she looked more exotic. Or maybe she was simply hoping not to look so much like her parents. So far no one had said anything. Maybe Kipling hadn’t gone out and told everyone she was Jimmy Don and Lacey Mills’s daughter. And wouldn’t that be nice?

She supposed she shouldn’t spend so much time hiding who she was, but honestly, she just didn’t want to answer all the questions. What was it like growing up with famous parents? Could she sing? Was Lacey really that sexy in person? That was one of the worst. No child wanted to hear about how sexy people found their parents. With her dad, it was worse. She’d had groupies give her their phone number, their email address and one particularly pushy older lady in Dallas had offered a naked picture of herself for Jimmy Don. Destiny had refused to take it, let alone deliver the photograph.

“Centuries ago, a group of Mayan women migrated north to this part of the country,” Patience said with a grin. “They set up a matriarchal society. I’m not saying it’s mystical or anything, but I think their power, or whatever you want to call it, lingers.”

“I’m sure it does,” Larissa said. “Haven’t you ever walked into a place and just known it had a happy vibe? Or an evil one?”

Several of them nodded. A waitress walked up to the table, a notepad in her hands. “Hi, everyone,” she said, then looked at Destiny and Starr. “You two are new. Sisters?”

“Half,” Destiny said and introduced them.

“I’m Jo. Welcome. First drink is on me. What would you like?”

Consuelo sighed. “It’s been a long week. I vote for margaritas.” She glanced at Starr. “Make one of those virgin.”

Everyone nodded eagerly.

“My only appointment of the day was this morning,” Madeline said. “I’m in.”

“I’m not working, either,” Patience said. “Bring ’em by the pitcher, Jo.”

Destiny was both shocked and amused. Grandma Nell would have loved this group, she thought, even as she wondered at the wisdom of day drinking. Still, it was Saturday, and it wasn’t like she had to drive.

“Will do,” Jo told them. “Nachos to go with that?”

“You know it,” Larissa said.

Jo nodded and left. When she was gone, Patience leaned in and lowered her voice. “Has anyone seen the inside of The Man Cave yet?”

“You have got to let that go,” Consuelo told her. “Businesses are allowed to open.”

“But this one is different.”

Madeline nodded. “There’s going to be trouble.”

“What are you talking about?” Destiny asked.

Madeline glanced over her shoulder, then returned her attention to the group. “There’s a new bar opening in town.”

Destiny waited for the rest of the announcement, but there didn’t seem to be anything else.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “And that’s bad why?”

“Because Jo’s Bar is
the
bar in town. Now there will be two. That’s not how things work here.”

“But that’s not true. I’ve seen more than one restaurant. More than one dry cleaners.”

“Sure,” Bailey said. “And several of the hotels have bars. But this is more like direct competition. I don’t know what’s going to happen. Mayor Marsha hasn’t said anything yet, but I’m sure she will.”

Patience pointed at Madeline. “Have you heard? Nick’s the manager.”

Madeline shook her head and sagged back in her chair. “Don’t go there, I beg you.”

“Nick, huh?” Larissa teased. “You have a thing?”

Consuelo rolled her eyes. “Do you even know who he is?”

“He’s the manager of The Man Cave.”

Consuelo groaned. “Have you ever
met
him?”

Larissa laughed. “No, and why does that matter? What if they have a romantic thing going on? Don’t you want to hear their story? How they met, and how they fell in love?”

Destiny waited for a snappy comeback. Consuelo surprised her by sighing. “You know what? I would like to hear it. Which is horrifying. I used to be so tough.”

“You still scare me,” Bailey told her.

“Really? You’re not just saying that?”

“I promise.”

“Can we get back to Madeline and Nick, please?” Patience asked. “So how long have you two been going out?”

Madeline stretched out her arms on the table and rested her head on them. “I give,” she mumbled. “Someone shoot me. Or her. I don’t care which.”

“You do care,” Larissa told her. “So what’s Nick like?”

Everyone laughed. Madeline straightened.

“Nick is one of the Mitchell brothers,” she said. “Their father is a glass-blowing artist.”

“Ceallach Mitchell,” Bailey told everyone. “He’s world famous. His pieces are exhibited everywhere.” She turned to Starr. “I work for the mayor. I have to know these things.”

“Does he live here?” the teen asked.

“He does. With his wife. Two of his sons are still in town.” Bailey frowned. “Is that right?”

“Yes,” Patience said firmly. “Del left years ago. He was in college, and there was this girl, Maya. They were totally in love and then she left and he left, but not together. I’m between them in age, so it was all very exciting. She wasn’t from around here. Then there’s Aidan. He’s in Fool’s Gold. He runs the family tour business. Nick is in the middle. He’s the one with the artistic talent, like his dad, only he doesn’t work with glass anymore. I have no idea why. Then the twins.”

Destiny’s head was spinning, and she hadn’t had any of her margarita yet. “How do you keep this all straight?”

“I live here. It’s not hard.” Patience grinned at Madeline. “Are you the reason Nick lost his ability to create? Did you wound him?”

“We had one summer,” Madeline protested. “Years ago. We were seniors in high school, and it was hot and heavy and then it ended. Nick created this big glass piece, and I remember being terrified because I thought maybe it was going to be about us or sex or him taking my virginity, but it wasn’t. It was trees. So I was fine.”

Madeline pressed her lips together then cleared her throat. She turned to Starr. “Sorry. I probably shouldn’t talk about that in front of you. We were in love, but still. Not married. Bad me.”

Starr smiled. “I know people have sex and that it’s supposed to be romantic, but it still sounds kind of gross to me.”

“It is,” Madeline said quickly. “Very gross. Not something you want to be doing.”

Jo appeared with the margaritas. As they were passed around, Destiny thought that the group of women was very welcoming. A little out there, but when it came to friendship, that was okay.

She was grateful Starr didn’t seem to be in a hurry to fall in love. Or have sex. That was a complication neither of them needed.

Honestly, she’d never understood the appeal of getting so lost in another person that you totally went crazy. What was the point? Take Kipling. Sure he was a nice guy and good-looking. While she didn’t get the whole ski-at-the-speed-of-sound thing, she respected that he’d had a dream and had worked to achieve it. Hard work made sense to her.

But throwing herself in front of him and begging to be taken? Why? Yes, she liked thinking about him, and being around him was nice, too. And she wouldn’t go so far as to think touching him would be gross. But thinking about kissing wasn’t the same as sex at all. She was very clear on that. She could enjoy Kipling’s company and admire his body and not have sex with him. She wasn’t some wild animal.

“So you’re saying no sparks with Nick,” Larissa said.

“Not anymore.”

Shelby smiled at Destiny. “I’m totally lost. You?”

“Pretty much, but in a good way. Sounds like life here is interesting.”

“It is,” Shelby assured her. “I’ve enjoyed it.”

“You have a hot brother,” Patience announced. “Not that I’m the least bit interested. I’m married to the best guy in the world, and he’s fabulous. I’m simply noting that Kipling is hot from an intellectual place. I am allowed to observe things.”

Consuelo groaned. “Even you can’t be drunk that fast. You’ve had two sips.”

“I know, but I haven’t eaten today.”

“Lightweight,” Consuelo grumbled, but her tone was affectionate.

Destiny was more interested in her conversation with Shelby. If Kipling had told anyone about who she was, it would have been his sister. But Shelby didn’t give the slightest hint that she was the least bit intrigued by Destiny’s parents.

“Kipling might be hot,” Shelby said. “But sometimes he’s annoying—he has this burning need to fix things. Not every situation needs fixing. But aside from that, he’s basically a good guy.” She brightened. “And single. Anyone want to date him?”

Everyone looked at Destiny and Madeline, which made Destiny realize they were the only single adult women at the table.

Madeline held up both hands. “I’m not interested. He and I have met, and there’s no chemistry.”

Destiny thought about her sensible plan and knew she didn’t want to get into that with anyone else. She’d discovered that most people simply didn’t understand her reasoning. Of course most people hadn’t grown up with her parents.

“I’m only in town for a couple of months.”

Patience raised her eyebrows. “You notice Destiny didn’t say anything about a lack of chemistry.”

Shelby laughed. “You can say he’s hot. It’s okay. I won’t read anything into it.”

“Thank you. He’s hot.”

Patience sipped her margarita. “There are a lot of hot guys in town. It’s interesting. And nice for us.”

“My husband is totally dreamy,” Larissa said with a sigh. “That body.” She paused as everyone looked at her. “TMI?”

Patience pointed to Starr and raised her eyebrows.

Larissa nodded. “So, um, Starr, who’s hot in your world? You’re what? Seventeen?”

Starr blushed. “Fifteen.”

“Really? You look so sophisticated. It’s the hair.” Larissa sighed. “Everyone thinks the blond thing is so cool, but there are a million of us. Redheads are special.”

Starr smiled impishly. “Destiny and I just found out we won’t be going gray. Redheads don’t.”