Destiny Undone: The Complete Series Box Set (62 page)

Imagine my surprise—and horror!—the next morning when my bedroom door swung open and in walked Evangeline carrying a tray with breakfast! I thought I was dreaming, but the scent of Chanel as she bent over me proved it wasn’t my imagination.

“Good morning, darling,” she purred as she placed a kiss on my forehead. “Look, I brought you some breakfast. You take your coffee black, right?”

I tried to make sense of the scene. I looked down to see if both my feet were still there. Had I lost a leg or awakened from a coma? What else would account for her hospitality—not to mention her performing a task as menial as bringing a family member food? I stiffened as she sat on the bed.

“Since when did you start serving breakfast in bed, Evangeline? Were you considering opening a bed and breakfast? Are you practicing your customer service skills?”

“Oh, God, no,” she replied, her disdain thick, but then she did a Jekyll/Hyde, smiled and said, “I came by to see my grandbaby and heard you were in the neighborhood, so here I am.”

With the tray over my lap, I couldn’t throw off the covers and bolt from the bed, so I waited for her next move. I decided to prompt her.

“Well, thank you so much for bringing me breakfast and, yes, I do take my coffee black. I’m surprised you even remembered that about me, or did Riana tell you that?”

She stared into my face and I saw the transformation in her expression. Her cocky smile had disappeared and the lines in her face had grown more prominent. She looked older—almost as old as she actually was, and her eyes were sad, glistening with moisture.

“Pepper, I’m so glad you’re here because I have something to say to you. Just hear me out. I’ll be brief and then I’ll be gone. I want you to know that I’ve thought a lot about what we’ve been through together. I mean your entire lifetime, of course—a lifetime of mistakes on my part—but especially over the past few weeks—months. You know what I mean.”

“Years, Evangeline, it’s been years.” I replied.

She patted my hand and smiled. “I know, Pepper, but there is something I have to say.” Evangeline looked down, and took a deep breath, when she lifted her face again, she continued.

“You’ve said some things to me—and your father, I understand—that hurt me. My natural reaction is to get defensive and deny your accusations, but then I realized, there is no excuse, or defense, for that matter, for the things I’ve done and the way you’ve been treated. When someone is younger and tougher, one’s shortcomings don’t matter as much. You focus on your strengths, and if someone gets hurt, that’s their problem. You just move on.

But when you get older and think about the life you’ve lived, how people think of you—or treat you—matters more. You take stock and wonder, ‘Where are all my old friends now? Where’s my family?’ And that’s when you wish you could do it all over—that you could change everything.”

Evangeline’s confession made me uncomfortable, and listening to her and seeing her so vulnerable was something new to me. I’d never seen or heard her like this before, and I wasn’t sure how to react, so I didn’t do or say anything. I wondered if her shrink had adjusted her happy pills—or if she’d forgotten to take them. This was scary—in a way that was different from Evangeline’s usual scariness.

“I’m sorry, Pepper. Your breakfast is getting cold. You probably don’t want to hear my blabbering first thing in the morning.” She rose and touched the back of my hand with hers. “I’m just trying to say I’m sorry… about everything. And if it’s not too late, I hope you can forgive me.”

I sat there silently, in a daze as she walked out of the room and closed the door. I didn’t know what to say—or think for that matter. I didn’t doubt her sincerity, I mean, she did try to kill herself—that might have changed the way she sees the world. And she
was
in Dad’s house to see the baby, which she’d have never done before. She couldn’t stand the sight of Doug Anderson!

But then again, I wondered how long the remorse would last. Was it fake? Was she trying to get something from Doug? Mills? Or even me? A leopard can’t change its spots, they say, and I expected Evangeline to be her prissy, bitchy self once her moment of regret had passed or the medication wore off.

I finished my breakfast, still thinking about what Evangeline had said. I threw a t-shirt and jeans on and headed downstairs, not knowing what I’d find. I let out a long sigh when I found Doug and Charlotte seated on the sofa in the den, sipping coffee and reading the newspaper. As soon as he saw me, Daddy stood up and held out his arms. I melted into his embrace, feeling loved and safe. Charlotte stood up as well, and I reached over and pulled her into our hug. This amazing group bear-hug was the first time in a long time I’d felt the love and comfort of my family. With tears threatening to roll down my cheeks, I took my coffee from Maria, our cook, and I told Dad and Charlotte about my encounter with Evangeline.

“I believe this is one of those rare occasions where your mother was being sincere,” Daddy said. “She feels badly. We both do. You helped open our eyes, Pepper, and we didn’t like what we saw. We hope we can do better going forward.”

“But I don’t know what to do, Dad. I’m confused. I’m not sure I can trust her. I don’t know what she wants from me.”

Daddy looked over at Charlotte and then back at me.

“Forgiveness,” he said. “That’s all we want. Your forgiveness and your love, that’s all.”

I plopped down between them on the sofa and put my arms around my daddy. “I’ve always loved you, Dad, and I always will.”

“I know, sweetie. And I’ll bet you’ve got room in your heart for your mother, too. At least, I hope you can find room for her.”

“Oh Daddy, I’ll try. I just…I just keep thinking she’ll do something stupid again and hurt you—or Mills—or even Charlotte. She’s been so wicked for so long.” I sighed.

“We’ll be fine, Pepper, it’s you who needs to forgive her.”

“I know you’re right and I’m going to try! But now, I have to go. I’m going to drop by Sea Lab and check on Gabe. He’s having a rough week and I think he’ll need some moral support. But I’ll be back later, okay?”

“Of course, dear.” Charlotte replied. “You’re always welcome. This is your home. We’re you’re family.”

I turned the doorknob and looked back at them, sitting in the den I’d grown up in. Yes, this was my home. It was all I’d ever known. And to think I dreaded coming back last night. It appeared my wounds were healing quicker than I’d thought they would, and I owed it all to my family.

It was a new day and I hoped it would be a better one than yesterday but so far, it wasn’t shaping up to be that way. My leg was pulsing with a steady drumbeat of pain—not bad enough to keep me from going about my work, but insistent enough that I couldn’t ignore it for long.

Despite the pain, I resisted the urge to numb it with medication as I found it wasn’t helping my situation and was only causing more problems, including a bad attitude that I’d unleashed on those closest to me. I decided to forego the meds and deal with the pain on my own before my dependency became any worse.

I figured it would be tough reconciling with Pepper. I didn’t blame her for leaving. I’d acted like an asshole, and it probably would’ve escalated the longer she’d stayed anyway. The apology would be easy—it was restoring the trust between us that might prove difficult. I wasn’t myself last night and when you act like someone else, or make your partner feel they don’t know you anymore, that’s the part that might take time to heal.

Who knows? She might not even want me to get near her again. Maybe she’d had enough of my recent Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde routine. Maybe she’d run back into the arms of Jonathan Church, or someone like him. Somebody more predictable—even if they were predictably stupid and selfish. She might find comfort in the evil she knew, as opposed to my recent mood swings she didn’t.

So the last thing I expected was to see was Pepper outside my window, visiting Singh. She wore a white sweater and white shorts, and the autumn sunlight made her look even more radiant than usual. She shone like an angel as Singh bobbed and clapped and appeared to be excited to see her again.

I watched her walk to the locker room, presumably to change into her swimsuit. The water would be warm, of course, so even though the air was turning a bit cooler, she could still work with Singh and they could practice their routines.

My first impulse was to race to the locker room and talk to her. Maybe if she’d accepted my apology standing there half-naked, we might kiss and indulge in some awesome make-up sex, right then and there.

That was one possibility. On the other hand, she might just tell me to get the hell out of her face after what I’d said.

Fuck it! I couldn’t ignore the fact that she was there. I
had
to see her, to talk with her… to touch her. She was my fiancée. And I was going to get her back in my arms where she belonged.

I hobbled down the hall and headed for the interior door of the female locker room, making sure no one was around before I entered. Funny how—even with a messed up leg—I managed to get down there in less than two minutes.

And there she was—her sweater was gone and she stood by a bench in a tight t-shirt that exposed a few inches of tanned tummy above her white panties. She looked at me… and I looked at her. Neither of us reacted with a smile or a word of welcome but I knew it was up to me to break the ice.

“Hey, Baby. It’s nice to see you here again. Actually, it’s good to see you anywhere, but especially here.”

“Hi, Gabe,” she said. Her voice was quiet, her usual bright spirit muted, but her tone didn’t sound cold—more like a lack of energy or enthusiasm.

“Are you here to work with Singh?” I took a few steps closer, feeling her out. A trace of discomfort flashed across her face so I stopped and her composure returned.

“Yeah. Thought I’d put him through his paces… or vice versa,” she smiled. I felt her warmth returning, but she hadn’t completely thawed yet.

“Listen, baby, I’m really sorry about last night. I was such a dick to you and I’m not going to make any excuses about why it happened. It shouldn’t have happened at all and I apologize. I don’t want you to think that I don’t appreciate you, or I take you for granted. I love you and you’re still the most important thing in my life.”

She nodded and looked up at me. “Really? Because I sure as hell don’t feel like I’m that important to you after your little tirade…” she said, and I wanted to take her in my arms and make all the hurt go away. “…and as a matter of fact, you were a total jerk to me and I feel like I don’t even know you anymore, Gabe.” She looked at the ground then turned her back on me.

I reached out for her and she flinched, but I took her arm and pulled her to me. “I’m really sorry, babe. I…uhm…don’t want to make any excuses, but I think the meds I’m taking are giving me mood swings and I was wrong to take it out on you.”

“Yes, you were,” she replied and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Gabe, I know we’ve gone through hell with the boat, Evangeline, the baby... your leg. Honey, it’s been a rough start, but we’re on the same team here.” She leaned into my chest. Her warmth almost melted me. I needed her—and hopefully, she needed me too.

“I’m sorry, lover. I’ll let you get ready, and when you’re done, can you stop by my office so we can talk?”

She hesitated for a couple of seconds and looked up at me again. “Yeah, I’ll stop by. Singh seems a little frisky today, so I won’t be long. I’ll come up when I’m finished.”

“Okay, babe,” I nodded. “See you then.” The awkwardness between us returned as I turned to leave, but it wasn’t as bad as when I’d arrived. Thankfully, the hallway was still deserted as I exited the female locker room. We were closed to the public on Tuesdays, so it was always a good day to catch up on maintenance and cleaning. I heard laughter coming from the lunch room and it was a little early for the crew to be taking a break so I popped my head around the door and saw our three new interns—Ken, Paul and Samantha—seated at a table, yakking it up. Martin, the intern we hired from our last recruitment phase, stood leaning against the fridge.

The three of them stopped laughing and their demeanor changed as soon as they saw me. They all straightened up in their chairs, and Martin snapped to attention, as if he was waiting for me to reprimand him for something.

“Good morning, folks,” I said. They all cast nervous glances at each other and were about to stand up. I waved them back down, trying to put them at ease. “Relax. Have all the animals been fed?”

They nodded. “Good. Martin, can you stop by my office before you take lunch? I have a couple of things I need to discuss with you.”

“Sure, Gabe,” he said nervously. His face was slightly flushed, as if he was embarrassed. I had no idea why he’d be embarrassed, so I let it slide. Among other duties, part of his job was to oversee the newbies and he was effectively the first rung on the management ladder. I guessed he’d probably felt as if he’d done something wrong so I wanted to put him at ease.

I gave him a big smile and said, “Don’t worry, Martin. You’re not in trouble,” and he smiled back and seemed to relax. “Listen, guys,” I continued, “When you’re done with your break, I need someone to do the monthly inventory. Any volunteers?”