Love's Destiny (Love Trilogy #2) Read online

  I recognized the other girls from several of my classes, but I’d never seen this little mousy girl who was standing in front of me. She truly looked terrified. Some of the girls standing behind her had cruel smiles on their faces as if they’d intentionally set her up for embarrassment.

  “Hey” I said looking back at her

  “My name is Sara, we have American Government together.” She said looking at her feet.

  I heard the snickers from the girls behind her and decided they were definitely not her friends. I just wasn’t sure if she knew that.

  “Cool, I guess I’ll see you in class.” I said as the bell rang and the halls began emptying.

  She blushed and rushed away without another word and I heard the cluster of girls who’d been watching laugh loudly as she passed by them.

  I didn’t think much about her the rest of the day until the class we shared. When I entered the room I saw her sitting in the back row and I saw a couple of the girls who’d been in the hall earlier sitting one row away looking over at her as they whispered. The seat next to her was empty, so I took it.

  “Sara, right?” I asked as I took the seat.

  She looked up at me in surprise and I wasn’t sure if she was going to speak or jump up and run away. Finally she nodded.

  Just then the teacher entered and class began. I watched as the two other girls continued to peer over their shoulders at us and pass notes. Sara kept her eyes averted.

  When class ended she stood quickly and gathered her things, before she could make an escape I reached for her arm. She practically jumped out of her skin when I touched her.

  “Would you like to sit with me at lunch?” I offered releasing her arm.

  I heard one of the girls watching us gasp and I smiled. It served them right for setting up this poor shy girl to be humiliated like that.

  “Really?” Sara asked disbelief coloring her voice.

  “Unless you’d rather sit with someone else.” I said glaring over her shoulder and successfully scaring off the two girls who continued to linger and watch us.

  “No. I mean yes… I mean sure I’ll sit with you.” She stuttered obviously nervous.

  We walked to the cafeteria quietly and once inside I purposefully pulled out a chair for her that would seat her with her back to the table of girls who continued to examine us closely. I sat across from her so that I was privy to all their shocked expressions and whispers.

  It was difficult getting two words out of her, but I learned that she just moved to the area from a small desert community near Palm Springs and had yet to make any friends. The group of girls she’d been with that morning had basically cornered her and poked and prodded trying to convince her that I’d shown interest in her and that she should approach me.

  I had to admit that I’d never actually noticed her before and that those girls were definitely not trying to befriend her. But I assured her that I was glad that we’d had the chance to meet because I was new to the school also and I could use a friend. By the end of the lunch hour she’d finally relaxed enough to smile tentatively at me. She was plainly pretty with dull brown hair and eyes and soft features. She was sweet and shy, and I felt protective of her knowing that those girls she’d been bullied by that morning could eat her alive.

  I didn’t see her the rest of the school day and she drifted out of my mind as I picked up Chance and we headed to the gallery to help Uncle Mike. We worked for a couple hours unloading crates, and then left for the ball fields. I watched Chance with pride as he hit every ball that was pitched to him and easily made the team. We stopped for ice cream on the way home to celebrate, but I made him promise not to tell Aunt Katherine that I’d let him spoil his dinner.

  The next day at school I sat with Sara at lunch again. Partly to annoy the mean girls who enviously watched and whispered about us, but also because I enjoyed her company.

  Days flowed and time passed. When I wasn’t working at the hardware store or making deliveries for Aunt Katherine I was playing ball with Chance in the big backyard. I didn’t think about Destiny as much anymore, but still listened intently when Aunt Katherine spoke of her over dinner telling us about the latest phone call or letter she’d received.

  I knew Destiny was coming home for Thanksgiving and I grew more anxious as the date loomed closer. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous about seeing her again, but I couldn’t shake the feeling.

  Sara and I had gained a few extra friends at our lunch table over the semester. Chris was a tall gangly boy who was shunned for his lack of ability to be classified into any particular group. He was not athletic or overly smart, he was not artistic or musical, and he wasn’t into fast cars or hard partying. He just was. He had no strong interests and therefore had a hard time finding his place in school.

  Rebecca was a boisterous red head who was a little on the heavy side and always laughed a little too loudly. She wore bright clashing colors and was always buzzing with energy. She was the complete opposite of Sara, but had immediately gravitated to her and the two had become best friends. We were a mismatched group to say the least, but we were friends.

  “You need a girlfriend” Chance told me one afternoon as we tossed the ball out back.

  “Oh really? And I suppose at eight you’re an expert on women?” I laughed.

  “I’m almost nine.” He reminded me “And I have a girlfriend.” He said proudly.

  “I bet you do.”

  “Destiny will be home next week.” The sudden shift of conversation surprised me.

  “So I heard.”

  “You should bring a girl home for Thanksgiving.” He said and I realized that maybe the two topics of conversation were related.

  “Why is that?” I asked

  “Mom said Destiny is dating someone.” He said casually but eyeing me with a maturity beyond his years.

  “That’s… good.” Why did my chest hurt all of a sudden?

  “But she’s not bringing him home for Thanksgiving.” The pain eased a little

  “Oh.”

  “You should, though” he continued and I stopped tossing the ball to look him in the eye. He was smiling his wicked smile and I realized that he was definitely more mature than most almost-nine year olds.

  “I’ll take it into consideration.” I told him tossing the ball again

  I tried to dismiss our conversation but found that I couldn’t. Aunt Katherine hadn’t mentioned in front of me that Destiny was seeing someone, I wondered if that was intentional. But why would she keep that from me? Probably the same reason Chance suggested I bring a girl home for Thanksgiving. They all saw how I felt about Destiny, and how she didn’t feel about me. Well I wouldn’t let Destiny see it, not again.

  “Do you have plans for Thanksgiving?” I asked Sara at lunch. It was the last day of school before the break and I realized I’d waited until the last minute. I hadn’t even been sure if I was going to ask her until the moment I did.

  “Not really.” She said shrugging. “Mom has to work.”

  “Want to come to my place?” I asked noticing how big Rebecca’s eyes bulged.

  “Of course she does!” Rebecca exclaimed before Sara could answer. I felt Chris shift uncomfortably next to me, and thought I saw him and Sara exchange a brief look.

  “Um, that would be nice.” Sara answered for herself and Rebecca immediately took over the conversation with a detailed account of how she’d be spending her Thanksgiving.

  I had considered inviting Rebecca but I knew Sara’s parents were divorced and her mom worked two jobs, so she was the one least likely to have any family plans.

  I was on edge as I drove home from school that day. Chance was equally quiet beside me, which was not like him. I wondered if he understood the reason for my silence. I was beginning to realize he was much more perceptive than people gave most children credit for. Destiny would be home when we got there. Her flight got in that morning.

  I walked into the front entry and heard the sounds of laughter
coming from the kitchen. I hesitated considering running to my room to hide. But as soon as Chance was through the door he was running through the dining room toward the kitchen to see his sister, and I decided that I would not be a coward. I followed him to the kitchen.

  By the time I’d entered he’d already thrown himself into his sister’s arms and she was hugging him tightly exclaiming about how much he’d grown in such a short time.

  I was amazed with how much she’d changed. I stood in the doorway quietly watching her. Her dark hair had been cut short and sleek and framed her porcelain face perfectly. She wore a tailored suit that fit her long slender body in a way that made you think it’d been made just for her. She looked sophisticated, mature, different. I was immediately intimidated and wondered if I could still make a retreat unnoticed. Just then she looked up and met my eyes.

  “Tyler!” she exclaimed as she came forward and wrapped her arms around me.

  My heart stuttered at the feeling of her in my arms and I cursed myself for the response. I tried to remind myself that she’d hugged her brother in the same way.

  “It’s good to see you.” I said grateful that my voice hadn’t cracked

  “I’ve missed you.” She said quietly only to me and then turned toward her family in the kitchen. “I’ve missed all of you!”

  “It’s so good to have you home!” Aunt Katherine said. “Did you get the packages I sent you?”

  “Yes, Mom.” Destiny laughed. “I have the most coveted dorm room in the whole building.”

  “Good.” Her mom said pleased.

  “Did you get the pictures I emailed you?” Destiny asked her dad “I knew you’d love that view of the Hudson.”

  “Already painted it, but I’d sure love to see it in person.” Uncle Mike said.

  Quietly I slipped out of the room and left her to her family and their reunion. I went up to my room and called Sara to make sure she could still come for dinner tomorrow night. She sounded a little reluctant but I figured that had to do with her nervous shy nature and the fact that she’d never been to my house before.

  I got directions to her apartment and promised to pick her up the next day. Suddenly I was very grateful that Chance had given me the idea to invite her. It felt like a shield I could hide behind, a way to show Destiny that my life could go on without her. A way to show her that I hadn’t spent the last several months pining over her while she enjoyed her new life in New York. I knew it was a lie, but hoped that Destiny wouldn’t.

  Chapter 15: Thanksgiving

  I loved New York. I loved Juilliard. I loved performing. All of my dreams were coming true. I had made it into the Juilliard Orchestra and we performed regularly at Lincoln Center. I’d always dreamed of performing in Carnegie Hall, and now I was. It all seemed like a dream. A wonderful dream that I hoped would never end.

  As I had suspected from the first night I’d met her Carrie had become my best friend. Our majors were different so we only shared a few of our basic liberal arts courses, but our schedules were similar enough that we had plenty of free time together. We shopped in Manhattan and saw shows on Broadway.

  Mom had shipped me several of Dad’s paintings, which now hung on the walls of our room and a cappuccino maker that was the envy of everyone on our floor.

  Sharing our suite were two juniors that each had their own room. Jason was a theater major and carried himself with the elegance of someone born to grace the stage. He often accompanied us on our trips to see Broadway shows and then talked all night about how one day we would be watching him perform on those very stages.

  Sandra was also a violinist, but she kept to herself. She was not on the orchestra with me and often avoided me. I noticed she would get up and leave the room any time I entered and refused to discuss music with me the few times I’d broached the subject. Carrie insisted that she was just jealous because she wasn’t as good as I was. I had never heard her play so I wasn’t sure. All I knew was she definitely didn’t like me. I was glad that she was a junior and hopefully would be moving off campus and out of our suite soon.

  Craig and Josh occupied one of the other double rooms. They were both dance majors who had immediately begun fighting for the affection of Carrie although they still remained good friends. She teased them with her southern charm, obviously enjoying their attention but refusing to show a preference between them.

  Melody and Carmen shared the other double room. Melody was an opera singer and Carmen a theater major. Carmen didn’t hesitate to show her interest in Jason although he’d yet to return any affection her way. She hung on his every word like a lovesick teenager and he ignored her just the same.

  All in all we had a diverse group that despite the differences lived well together. About mid-semester Jason asked me out to the theater and when Carmen tried to include herself he made it very clear that he wanted it to be just the two of us. That didn’t endear me to Carmen and she immediately joined with Sandra in

  avoiding me and glaring my way when I entered the communal living room.

  Carrie insisted that I ignore them and pushed me to accept anytime Jason asked me out. She was so busy judiciously juggling her time and affection between Craig and Josh that I found myself spending a lot of time with Jason. We went to the theater and dinner. I realized very quickly that Jason loved to talk about himself and that his interest in me didn’t go any deeper than how nice I looked on his arm.

  I spoke with my mom at least once a week and tried to write her often. I told her all about my friends, and classes and performances. I told her how Carrie tactfully managed to string along both Craig and Josh showing just enough interest in each to keep them both competing but not enough to make either feel alienated. I told her about Jason and the time I’d spent with him and my growing suspicion that he’d never love anything more than he loved himself. I told her about Sandra and Carmen and how they definitely did not fall into the category of friend.

  She kept me updated on Dad’s progress with his art gallery and Chance’s growing bond with Tyler. I was relieved to know that they’d found friendship with each other. I had worried about Tyler often, wondering how he was doing. It was silly of me to think he couldn’t survive without me. I was glad to hear that he was doing well in school. It also made me happy to know that Chance had found someone to look up to.

  I was excited when Thanksgiving came and it was time for me to come home. I missed everyone. I hadn’t even realized how homesick I was until I began thinking about my family on the flight home. I couldn’t wait to be home again; to see my dad’s new gallery, to sit with my mom over coffee and hear about her bakery, to get to hear all about baseball and girls from Chance, and to see Tyler. I’d missed him too, but was also nervous about seeing him again. We hadn’t left things on the best terms.

  The first thing I did when I finally made it home was sit with my mom at the kitchen counter, drinking coffee just as I’d imagined, catching up on every little detail that hadn’t already been shared over the phone or through our letters.

  I heard the front door open and felt my pulse quicken in response. Chance came barreling through the kitchen door first and ran straight into my arms. I hugged my little brother closely and then held him at arm’s length to get a good look at him. It had only been a few months, but he seemed to have aged so much.

  His midnight hair tumbled carelessly into his chameleon eyes. We never could decide what color his eyes were, sometimes green other times blue usually both. His hair always had that carefree tussled look, despite my mother’s repeated attempts to brush it. It seemed to have a mind of its own not willing to be contained.

  He had Dad’s dark brooding brows and strong features; even at eight years old I could tell he was going to be a heartbreaker someday. Then he smiled his devilish crooked smile that was his most dominant feature and I knew women everywhere were in trouble. After another hug I pulled my eyes away from my little brother to the figure I sensed in the doorway.

  Tyler stood leaning ag
ainst the doorjamb looking back at me, and my breath caught in my throat. His dark eyes were strong and penetrating despite his casual stance. I forced myself to smile casually and move forward to hug him just as I had done everyone else in my family. Why should I act differently towards him? Why should my heart race and my skin flush at the feeling of his hard body and strong arms holding me? Regardless of the reason, it did.

  I turned away from him trying to regain my composure and when I turned back I noticed that he’d gone. He didn’t come back down for dinner and I wondered if he was still avoiding me. This is exactly how he’d acted before I’d left for New York. I understood then that he was hurt over the awkward situation with Blake, but he still couldn’t possibly be harboring any resentment. Could he? I decided I would give him tonight to himself, but tomorrow he would face me.

  Thanksgiving morning was full of bustling bodies and crowded rooms. Aunt Amy and Uncle Dan had come with Jaime and Kenzie. The girls were 10 now and both were as beautiful as their mother although it was finally possible to tell them apart. Jaime wore her long blonde hair in soft natural curls, but Kenzie had bobbed hers off at her shoulders and kept it straight and sleek.

  Aunt Amy cornered me in the living room and peppered me with questions about my life in New York, the girls listened with rapt attention and I knew it wouldn’t be long before they’d be coming to visit, if for no other reason than the shopping alone. Their looks were not the only thing they had inherited from their mother.

  I hadn’t seen Tyler all morning although I’d been watching for him closely. Mom was barricaded into her kitchen where I knew she would remain until the meal was served, and I also knew from experience that it was best to let her be. Dad, Uncle Dan and Chance were all outside playing ball, but Tyler wasn’t with them either. I was about to make my way upstairs to his room when I heard his voice coming from the kitchen.

  “I’ll pick it up for you Aunt Katherine, I have to run out anyway.”