college?”
“Vanderbilt for two years, then I transferred to the University of Texas.”
“Why?”
“It was hard being in Nashville. There was too much of the industry around.” She knew she didn’t have to say which industry. In her family, there was only the one.
“You got your degree in music?” Starr asked.
“Computer science.”
“What?” Starr stared at her. “Why? That’s like math, only harder.”
“Computers rule, young lady. We have to respect them.”
“Sure, but we don’t have to, like, study them. Oh, wait.” Starr nodded slowly. “You wanted to get away from your parents and what they did for a living. You wanted to be different.”
Or safe, although Destiny didn’t say that. “It seemed like a good plan. Once I figured out my major, transferring made the most sense. I ended up getting an internship at the company where I work now, so everything turned out.”
“What did Grandma Nell think of your major?”
An interesting question. The older woman had in fact reminded Destiny that running
from
something wasn’t the same as running
to
something.
“She always supported me,” Destiny said, bending the truth. “I could count on her, no matter what.”
“That’s nice. I wish I had someone like her in my family. Where is she now?”
“She passed a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. Me, too.”
Destiny pushed away the inevitable sadness and pointed to the sign up ahead. “We’re here.” She followed the other cars into a large parking lot.
Registration was quick. Starr was given a color-coded wristband, and then it was time for Destiny to leave.
Starr drew in a breath. “Okay, I’ll see you later. You remember that lady, Felicia, is driving me home, right?”
“I do.” Destiny touched her sister’s arm. “You’re going to do great.”
“I hope so. It sucks being the new girl. I know how to do it, but I never like it. I can’t imagine doing what you do. Not just, like, working with computers and stuff, but always going from place to place. Don’t you ever want to settle somewhere?”
“Eventually, sure.”
Starr looked like she was going to say something else but changed her mind. She shifted her backpack to her other shoulder. “See you later.”
“Have fun.”
Destiny thought about giving her a hug, but before she could reach out, Starr had turned and walked away.
She let her go and returned to her car. Progress had been made, she thought. She would enjoy that and continue to take baby steps.
She drove back to town and parked at home before walking to Brew-haha. She was meeting Kipling for an update before heading out in the helicopter to oversee more tracking. Miles was making good progress. It wasn’t that he needed her along, but she preferred to make random flights to confirm it was all going well.
She crossed the street and walked toward Brew-haha. When she realized she was moving faster and faster, she deliberately slowed. She was
not
excited about seeing Kipling again. She wasn’t anything. She was going to have a meeting with a colleague. Nothing more.
As she forced herself to keep to a slower pace, she thought about all the women who gave in so easily to sex. She supposed a case could be made that their way was better. If you simply reacted to attraction, then maybe, over time, it had no power. Maybe it was like an itch that once scratched, didn’t return.
Only that hadn’t been her experience with her parents. They went from itch to itch, creating havoc in their respective wakes. Maybe the actual problem was she hadn’t been looking hard enough for her sensible, reliable mate. There were plenty of single men right here in town. Why not check them out?
There were the Mitchell brothers. Aidan and Nick were both attractive. Although from what she’d heard, Nick was an artist at heart. If he really was denying his gift, then there was a disaster looming, and she didn’t want that. Aidan ran an adventure tour company.
“Vanderbilt for two years, then I transferred to the University of Texas.”
“Why?”
“It was hard being in Nashville. There was too much of the industry around.” She knew she didn’t have to say which industry. In her family, there was only the one.
“You got your degree in music?” Starr asked.
“Computer science.”
“What?” Starr stared at her. “Why? That’s like math, only harder.”
“Computers rule, young lady. We have to respect them.”
“Sure, but we don’t have to, like, study them. Oh, wait.” Starr nodded slowly. “You wanted to get away from your parents and what they did for a living. You wanted to be different.”
Or safe, although Destiny didn’t say that. “It seemed like a good plan. Once I figured out my major, transferring made the most sense. I ended up getting an internship at the company where I work now, so everything turned out.”
“What did Grandma Nell think of your major?”
An interesting question. The older woman had in fact reminded Destiny that running
from
something wasn’t the same as running
to
something.
“She always supported me,” Destiny said, bending the truth. “I could count on her, no matter what.”
“That’s nice. I wish I had someone like her in my family. Where is she now?”
“She passed a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. Me, too.”
Destiny pushed away the inevitable sadness and pointed to the sign up ahead. “We’re here.” She followed the other cars into a large parking lot.
Registration was quick. Starr was given a color-coded wristband, and then it was time for Destiny to leave.
Starr drew in a breath. “Okay, I’ll see you later. You remember that lady, Felicia, is driving me home, right?”
“I do.” Destiny touched her sister’s arm. “You’re going to do great.”
“I hope so. It sucks being the new girl. I know how to do it, but I never like it. I can’t imagine doing what you do. Not just, like, working with computers and stuff, but always going from place to place. Don’t you ever want to settle somewhere?”
“Eventually, sure.”
Starr looked like she was going to say something else but changed her mind. She shifted her backpack to her other shoulder. “See you later.”
“Have fun.”
Destiny thought about giving her a hug, but before she could reach out, Starr had turned and walked away.
She let her go and returned to her car. Progress had been made, she thought. She would enjoy that and continue to take baby steps.
She drove back to town and parked at home before walking to Brew-haha. She was meeting Kipling for an update before heading out in the helicopter to oversee more tracking. Miles was making good progress. It wasn’t that he needed her along, but she preferred to make random flights to confirm it was all going well.
She crossed the street and walked toward Brew-haha. When she realized she was moving faster and faster, she deliberately slowed. She was
not
excited about seeing Kipling again. She wasn’t anything. She was going to have a meeting with a colleague. Nothing more.
As she forced herself to keep to a slower pace, she thought about all the women who gave in so easily to sex. She supposed a case could be made that their way was better. If you simply reacted to attraction, then maybe, over time, it had no power. Maybe it was like an itch that once scratched, didn’t return.
Only that hadn’t been her experience with her parents. They went from itch to itch, creating havoc in their respective wakes. Maybe the actual problem was she hadn’t been looking hard enough for her sensible, reliable mate. There were plenty of single men right here in town. Why not check them out?
There were the Mitchell brothers. Aidan and Nick were both attractive. Although from what she’d heard, Nick was an artist at heart. If he really was denying his gift, then there was a disaster looming, and she didn’t want that. Aidan ran an adventure tour company.
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