Because he is so in love with you, only a blind person would miss it.
Could he be? Had all those glances she couldn’t decipher truly be love? She prided herself on solving puzzles. Loving the thrill of unlocking mysteries. Destiny looked at him, really looked at him. His eyes were warm and caring. But could that also mean love? Time to test that theory.
“You aren’t like Ron or any of the hundreds of men she’s brought home. You are so much more,” she told him honestly.
Mike’s eyes widened as his cheeks turned pink. He was blushing. “You don’t have to say that,” he muttered, staring down at his feet.
“I know I don’t have to, but I meant it.” He wasn’t looking at her with love in his eyes. He wasn’t looking at her period. So much for that theory. He was just a shy guy.
Mike finally looked up at her and opened his mouth as his phone started ringing. She was getting really tired of them getting interrupted when he was about to tell her something. Mike answered his phone only saying a few brisk words before hanging up. Whatever the conversation he didn’t look happy about it. “I have to go. I’m needed on base.”
“Okay.” Destiny felt her spirits deflate. She wasn’t ready for him to leave yet, but she knew it was the nature of his job that he could be called in at any time. “I’ll just talk to you later.” She said giving him a wan smile.
“This shouldn’t take long. I’ll be back in plenty of time for dinner.”
“Mike—” she started to say, but he covered her mouth with his index finger. If he had used his hand it probably would have covered her whole face.
“Do I want to see your mother again? Not any time soon, but I care for your grandmother and I care for you. I’ll be there for you.”
“But my mother assumes we’re together. I don’t want to make it anymore awkward.”
“It’s not like she’s going to ask personal questions about our relationship.” Or lack thereof.
He didn’t know her mother well enough for that. There were no boundaries when it came to her mother. She thought she was entitled to everything. Including information on who Destiny was dating, which there hadn’t been many. She wasn’t a virgin by any means, but she didn’t have a lot of experience either.
A few men Destiny had tried dating over the years were only after her family wealth. It had turned her off of dating for a long time. That’s why she loved this small town community. No one cared about her family name. She could just be Destiny Sheppard, decoder.
Mike didn’t know anything about her family money. Her mother was about to bust that can of worms wide open. She loved flaunting it to everyone. He had only gotten a small taste of it, this night could go so bad so fast.
“Nothing is sacred to her. You won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t come.”
“I’m not scared of your mother and her questions. If anything, she seems scared of me.”
Destiny hadn’t liked that. Mike didn’t have a mean bone in his body, at least not to anyone who wasn’t considered his enemy.
“Well, if I can’t change your mind…” She was quickly realizing this was a losing battle. If Mike wanted to face-off with her mom, so be it. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Everything is going to be okay, Destiny.” His words were meant to reassure her. How she wished they were true.
Chapter 7
“Stop fidgeting, dear. I told you, you look beautiful. Mike is going to trip over his tongue when he sees you.”
“This dress is too short,” Destiny complained, trying in vain to pull the dress down over her knees, but it kept riding back up a few inches shorter. Destiny had brought a dress over at Grandma’s insistence, but it had since disappeared. Grandma magically had another one for her to wear in her size.
“It’s just right,” Grandma beamed, pulling her away from the mirror.
“What happened to my dress?” Destiny narrowed her eyes on her. Grandma was up to something.
“I don’t know what you’re implying,” she said, guiding her out to the living room where her mother and Ron were already waiting. Destiny tried to turn around, but Grandma had a grip on her shoulders.
“I’m implying you spirited my dress away to wear this one.” She wouldn’t put it past her grandma.
“You have beautiful legs. You should show them off,” she said, not bothering to deny Destiny’s accusation.
“Grandma,” Destiny chided, though it was a wasted effort. Grandma was being sneaky again, but it wouldn’t work. Destiny had already proven Grandma’s theory wrong. Mike wasn’t affected by her. A short dress wasn’t going to change anything.
“Hush now,” she said in a low whisper.
