“Fair enough.”
Destiny nodded then headed out before she did something stupid like demand why he didn’t want to kiss her. Mike followed carrying the pie she forgot about in her haste to get away.
“Destiny, dear this looks wonderful.”
Destiny beamed under her Grandma’s praise though she watched her make it. Destiny gained her love of cooking from Edna, Grandma’s old cook. No one in her family cooked. Grandma had staff for that and her mother ordered out or went to restaurants. But she’d always loved it. After school, she would help Edna with the baking and cooking and loved it. She had recently started teaching Mike, he was getting better, but he still wasn’t great.
“Are you finally going to tell us how you two met, Mark?”
“It’s Mike,” he corrected. “I came into the hospital with an old injury flare up, and as I was leaving I heard Destiny talking to her grandma. I peaked into the room and saw her sitting there. With the light from the window behind her she looked like an angel.”
Destiny glanced over at him, unable to breathe. He thought she looked like an angel? He had never told her that before. He thought she was an angel and she had thought he was a saving grace.
“You just walked into a stranger’s room?” Patty said in disbelief.
“He stood in the doorway,” Destiny defended, still not taking her eyes off of him. “Mike has been a great source of comfort to me since that day.”
“Comfort? That’s an interesting way to describe an almost fiancé.”
She could have corrected her mother and explain he wasn’t her fiancé. She had told Mike if asked she’d set her mother straight, but she was tired of her berating him. She loved Mike, whether he felt the same or not, and she wouldn’t stand for her mother mistreating him. Destiny turned to glare at her mother then she felt Mike’s hand on top of hers on her leg. She jolted at first. Shocked that he would touch her so intimately. Mike must have felt it because he started to pull away. Destiny placed her free hand over Mike’s keeping it trapped there. Not for comfort, but just the fact she liked it there. “I’m not going to defend ourselves to you. There are many ways to describe what we share. His companionship means more to be than any man’s bank account ever could.”
Her mother snorted. “Companionship doesn’t compare to money. That’s real comfort.”
“Money won’t keep you warm at night. A person could lose their fortune overnight, Mother, then what?”
Mother and daughter had another stare down. She would never share her mother’s views on money. Destiny had it but never spent more than needed. She didn’t like flaunting it like her mother. One day it would be gone, but her mother wouldn’t see reason. Let her keep believing money solved all the world’s problems.
“Well, I for one am stuffed. Thank you, dear, for a wonderful meal,” Carol said cheerfully before standing. Destiny’s attention immediately turned to her and she rose helping her Grandma up. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m not a feeble old lady?” Grandma patted her arm in affection even as she took it and allowed Destiny to help her back to the living room.
“Grandma, you just got out of the hospital.” The woman apparently needed constant reminders.
“Oh poo, doctors can’t find anything wrong, so it can’t be all that serious.”
Destiny rolled her eyes. Her grandma would think a heart attack was nothing more than heart burn. She thought she was impervious to everything. “I’m still worried about you.” There was something behind these recent hospital visits she just didn’t know what. Yet.
“I’m more concerned about you and Mike,” she said keeping her voice low.
“There’s nothing to be concerned about.”
“Have you told him you love him?”
“Grandma,” she hissed, looking over her shoulder, but no one was close to them.
“What? Mike seems to be the only one that doesn’t seem to realize it. Just the same you don’t realize he loves you.”
“Mike doesn’t love me,” she said, unable to deny she loved him. There was no point lying to her grandma. It would be a wasted effort.
“Still blind I see,” she tsked sadly. Destiny wasn’t going to raise to the bait this time. Mike had made it more than clear he wasn’t interested in more.
Chapter 10
Destiny sighed heavily on the park bench on base attempting to enjoy her lunch break. Instead, she was replaying the disaster of dinner last night. After an hour of her mother grilling Mike he finally made his excuse to leave. She couldn’t blame him. If he asked, she would have gone with him. He must hate her now because he hadn’t even texted her that he made it home. She texted him this morning to apologize for her mother’s rude behavior, again, but he hadn’t gotten back to her yet. Maybe he wouldn’t ever.
If that hadn’t been bad enough, Mom spent the rest of the night going on about Cabo again. Destiny gave her grandmother a death glare telling her without words to just give Mom the money so she’d shut up about Cabo already. It was that or leave, and she would never abandon her grandmother like that. She might be Grandma’s daughter, but even her patience wasn’t infinite with her.
Grandma finally gave into Mom’s request, which resulted in squealing and laughter. Destiny finally had enough and kicked her and Ron out claiming Grandma needed rest. Since Mom got what she wanted, she didn’t protest. Destiny left soon after, not wanting to hear the “Mike was in love with her” speech. Grandma was wrong. It was rare, but it happened.
“Destiny?”
