Hold Me (Fool's Gold #16)(40)

Kind words that made Destiny feel guilty. Because she hadn’t exactly been excited to have Starr show up in her life.

She waited for someone to trash her dad. God knew the man deserved the censure, but it would leave her in the uncomfortable position of having to defend him. Surprisingly, no one said anything, and conversation shifted to the upcoming X-treme waterski festival.

Destiny let all the words wash over her. She felt as if she’d run miles. But the exhaustion was more emotional than physical. Belonging was hard. Staying on the outside, never getting involved was so much easier. Yet she didn’t regret making friends. The connections, however brief, felt good. Real. Or maybe, more important, normal.

* * *

KIPLING HAD BEEN looking forward to his meeting with Destiny. He hadn’t seen her since The Man Cave opening a couple of days before. And while he’d thought about seeking her out, his gut told him she needed some time.

Not because of the kiss, although he hoped she’d been as intrigued as him by the chemistry that had flared between them. Instead he thought she would need to figure out how to deal with the truth now that her secret was out. Everywhere he went, people were talking about her and her performance. About who she was and how come she wasn’t out making million-dollar records instead of working as a software facilitator in Fool’s Gold. Or living off what must be a hell of a trust fund.

He didn’t know how much of the talk was getting back to her. He thought maybe people were trying to be discreet. But eventually, she would figure out everyone knew, and he had a feeling that would bother her.

She arrived right on time, looking as good as ever. The makeup from the other night was gone, and she was back in cargo pants and a T-shirt. Which, in his opinion, was just as sexy and appealing. He liked her fresh face and sensible fashion. There was less for him to muss, and she would be ready for anything. Although what he had in mind didn’t exactly require a special wardrobe. Or any.

“How’s it going?” he asked as she walked into his office.

“Good.” She glanced past him, and her mouth dropped open. “No way.”

“Way.” He walked over to the giant maps on the wall. Accurate maps that showed elevation and more detail than anything they currently had. “Mayor Marsha came through.”

“I must remember to never doubt her,” Destiny said, walking over and tracing a nearby river. “These are fantastic. And expensive. You don’t just order them from an online retailer. They’re custom.”

“She said she got a grant from somewhere and put the money to work for us.” He handed her a thumb drive. “Here are the same maps in digital form for you.”

She laughed as she took the drive. “Thank you. An unexpected bonus.”

She pulled her laptop out of her backpack and set it on one of the desks. Once it had booted up, she shoved in the thumb drive and began to download the information.

“I have software to compare these maps with the flyovers I’ve been doing with Miles. Once we combine the information, we’ll be able to figure out what areas will require mapping on foot. The more detail we have, the better, and with your very fluffy budget, we can afford the time.”

She typed on a few keys then stood up. “Okay, it’s doing its thing. It’ll take a while, so we can move on to other topics while we wait.”

They talked about the schedule and the beta testing that would take place later in the summer. The tracking equipment had been shipped. Destiny seemed relaxed as they spoke, which pleased him. It meant she’d been okay with them kissing.

He briefly wondered about doing that now. Kissing. He wanted to. He’d liked the feel of her mouth on his. He knew some guys were interested in moving things along quickly, but he liked to take his time. Sure, the destination was great, but getting there could be a lot of fun.

He enjoyed a second or two of fantasy then reminded himself that they were both working. This wasn’t the time or place.

“I didn’t know you and Shelby were only half brother and sister,” she said suddenly. “She mentioned it yesterday at lunch.”

“Same father, different mothers.”

“But you grew up together.”

“Mostly. She’s a few years younger, but we’ve always been close. When I left to work with my ski coach, I made sure we stayed in touch. I got home when I could, and Shelby came to see me.”

He didn’t mention anything about their father. That was Shelby’s secret to tell, and unlike Miles, he knew how to keep his mouth shut.

“Families are complicated,” Destiny said. She sat on one of the empty desks. “I had lunch at Jo’s yesterday with a group of women, including Shelby. Do you know that more than half of the women there were married, and most of them had kids?”

“No,” he said slowly. “And I’m missing the point. Is that unusual?”

“I guess not. In a town like this, it makes sense that families are a big thing. Most people have a biological or social need to procreate.”

He sat across from her and grinned. “Now you’re scaring me. A social need to procreate?”

“I don’t know what else to call it. You’re expected to grow up, get married and have kids. Nearly everyone does.” She tilted her head. “Why haven’t you?”

“Grown up?”