A Map To Destiny

by Ellis, Nicole

  “The shipwreck was my discovery,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “And now you’ve taken all the credit for it.”

  He stared at her, a bewildered expression on his face. “Laney, no. What are you talking about? I wouldn’t do that. Let’s talk about this.” He sat down on the bench and motioned for her to sit next to him.

  She shook her head. “I’d prefer to stand.”

  He sighed. “Alright, but please let me explain.”

  “Fine.” She stared at him. “Why was my name not on the speakers list for the conference? Did you decide against my participation?”

  “Oh that.” He smiled. “I’d already arranged to speak about the Livingston at the conference, so that’s why my name was on the flyer. People are excited to hear about my find and what it will contribute to our knowledge of the history of this area.” His grin stretched from ear to ear.

  “Your find?” she echoed.

  He looked confused again. “Yes, well, our find.”

  “So that’s why you omitted me from the speakers list. You wanted the discovery for yourself.” She should have known.

  “No, of course not. That’s not what I meant. All I meant was that this is important to me and my future. I want you to be a part of it too.”

  “It was important enough for you to take all the credit apparently. Well, that should serve you well for getting the job in California.”

  “No, I want you to get credit for it. Wait…” His eyes widened and he stiffened. “How did you know about the job in California?”

  “Lisa,” she said flatly. “At least she told me about it. It didn’t seem like you were going to.”

  “I was going to tell you.” His face clouded over. “But it never seemed like the right moment to tell you. Besides, I don’t even know if I’ll accept the job offer.”

  “Well, when was it the right moment? On moving day?” She glanced over her shoulder. A group of school children were walking up the steps to the library. “I’ve got to get back to work. Don’t bother contacting me again.” She pivoted and strode back into the library before she could change her mind. She didn’t want to end things with Jack, but between him not telling her about the job in California and him not publicly giving her credit for helping to find the Livingston, she didn’t have much of a choice.

  She returned to the information desk, her mind and body operating on autopilot.

  “Are you okay?” Andrea asked.

  “I’m fine.” Laney turned to the side for privacy, pulled out a well-used Kleenex from her pockets, and dabbed at the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. This wasn’t like her to have crying fits at work, but she’d really thought there was something between her and Jack.

  But, even after she’d confronted him about him taking full credit for discovering the Livingston, he’d denied having done so. His receptionist had shown her the flyer for the conference. Laney’s name had been nowhere on it. There was no denying that he’d betrayed her, and not taking responsibility for his actions was the final nail in his coffin. When she saw him in the library, she’d hoped that there had been some mistake, but she should have known better.

  11

  Jack woke up early the next morning, staring at his living-room ceiling and swearing at the vicious light that shot in through the window. A glance at the coffee table reminded him of the reason why he was lying on the uncomfortable couch cushions and not in his bed. A half-empty bottle of vodka sat on the table, and his head throbbed as though he’d been run over by a Mack truck. He sat up slowly, rubbing his temples.

  His visit to Fortune’s Bay hadn’t turned out as well as he’d hoped. However, at least now he’d confirmed that Laney didn’t intend to see him again, but he still didn’t understand why. She’d said something about him taking all the credit for locating the Livingston, but he hadn’t. He’d even managed to get them both lecture spots at the upcoming conference.

  He’d thought she’d be excited about it, but he hadn’t had the chance to tell her. He groaned. He wished Lisa had never told her about the job offer in California. When Laney had mentioned it, he’d frozen. After meeting Laney, he’d planned to decline being considered for the job there. He didn’t want to be that far away from her. But, he hadn’t wanted her to feel guilty for being the reason he didn’t take the job. Instead, his silence may have killed their relationship.

  In the short time they’d known each other, Laney had become a huge part of his life. He finally understood what Dane had meant about finding the right woman to share his life with. He eyed the vodka, then thought better of it, taking the bottle to the kitchen and shoving it to the back of a top shelf.

  Had he been wrong to let her walk away from him? When he was in Fortune’s Bay he should have fought to make her understand. Now he was home and couldn’t do anything about it. Would she ever forgive him?

  * * *

  Laney and Becki grabbed their iced coffees from the café and walked down the street toward the beach. An iced vanilla latte was normally her favorite drink, but today the coffee drink tasted overly bitter instead of sweet. Or maybe it was just her outlook on life. She sighed. A little over a week ago, she’d made the discovery of a lifetime and had been involved in the first good romantic relationship she’d had in way too long. Now, after going back to her regular life, she was keenly aware of the difference in her mood.

  “Are you sure you’re not overreacting?” Becki regarded Laney with skepticism. “He asked you to come visit him in Ambright. He obviously cares about you. Maybe you misunderstood about the conference. And maybe the California thing is nothing to worry about.”

  “I saw the program for the conference. It can’t get more definite than that. Also, his secretary confirmed he’d be presenting ‘his find’ at the conference. There was no mention of me,” Laney said flatly. She stared out the window. She’d really thought Jack was different.

  “But he said he wanted to give you credit for finding the shipwreck, right? Maybe you didn’t give him a chance to explain.” Becki slurped her iced mocha up through a straw, swirling the chocolate around at the bottom of the cup.

  Laney squirmed. “I know what I saw on that flyer. We’d talked about going to that conference together. And now he’ll be presenting our find by himself—no, my find at the conference.” She frowned, then stared defiantly at Becki. “He came here, took advantage of my trusting nature, and grabbed all the credit for himself. I wish I’d never called him about the shipwreck in the first place. Then I could have avoided all of this.”

  “You were so happy when you went up there. Now you’re miserable.” Becki put her hand on Laney’s arm and turned her around to make eye contact.

  Laney’s eyes filled with tears. Her sister was right. Her stomach was queasy, her eyes burned from crying, and nothing seemed right. How had Jack gotten under her skin so quickly? They’d only known each other for a couple of weeks. Surely that wasn’t long enough for him to have become such a big part of her life.

  “Even when he came to Fortune’s Bay after I didn’t meet him at the college, he didn’t deny it.” She shook her head, the tears dripping down her face. “I don’t know why he bothered to show up here. Maybe he thought he’d be able to sweet talk me into staying with him.”

  “What did he say?”

  Laney shrugged. “Not much. I told him we were too different and things wouldn’t work out between us. Then I walked away. He didn’t try to follow me.” She winced, remembering the pain she’d seen in Jack’s eyes.

  Becki’s eyes widened. “I don’t know. From everything you’ve said about him in the past, he seems like a pretty nice guy.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe he is, but that’s not what I’m seeing.” Laney finished her drink and threw the cup in the garbage. “Thanks for taking a walk with me. I’ve got to get back to work now though.”

  Becki hugged her. “Sure. No problem. Let me know if you want to get together after work sometime this week.” She looked her up and down. “
I want to make sure you’re okay.”

  “Thanks.” Laney hugged her back. “I’ll see you later.” She walked away toward the library, her mind spinning. Had she been too tough on Jack? What if he had wanted to explain and she’d kept him from doing so?

  She entered the library’s office and put her purse back in her desk drawer. Andrea stuck her head into the office.

  “You look like you’re recovering from the flu,” she observed.

  “Thanks.” Laney mock-glared at her friend.

  “I just meant you’ve seemed pretty down in the last few days.”

  “Yeah.” Laney stared at the paperwork piling up on her desk, then flashed her coworker a high-wattage smile. “I’m fine now though.”

  “Okay,” Andrea said dubiously. “But let me know if you need anything.”

  “Will do.” Laney sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. The screen flashed on, but she couldn’t focus on anything. Being a part of exploring the shipwreck had brought out a side of her that she hadn’t seen in a long time. While she loved her job at the library, checking out books to patrons didn’t always excite her.

  On the dive boat, she’d felt more alive than she had in a long time. No matter how things turned out with Jack, she was going to consider taking classes to pursue her passion for underwater archaeology. It was something she needed to do for herself.

  But what about Jack? What if Becki was right and he’d been trying to apologize—or what if she’d misunderstood the situation? Their whirlwind romance had given her hope for the future. Had she thrown their relationship away without giving him a chance to explain himself?

  The only way to find out was to ask. The conference was the next day and she intended to be there. She’d get closure on their relationship, or things would work out. Either way, she’d have given it a chance to succeed.

  12

  Laney pulled into the auditorium’s parking lot and turned the engine off. She’d registered yesterday, before she could change her mind. For a moment, she just sat there, alone in her car. Last time she’d been at Ambright College to see Jack, things hadn’t turned out so well. Was she asking for more heartbreak now?

  No. This was something she needed to do. She wanted to see Jack again. Never had she missed anyone so much. The fierceness of the feelings for him rushed over her. To her, this wasn’t a fling.

  When Jack had been in Fortune’s Bay, right before she’d broken up with him, he’d seemed genuinely confused by her accusations that he’d taken all the credit for discovering the Livingston. She owed it to both of them to find out if she’d misread the situation.

  Inside, she approached the sign-in table and received her name tag from an overly enthusiastic conference attendant. The attendees were flowing toward the main auditorium, which was where the next lecture would take place—Jack’s discussion about the Livingston.

  With a deep breath, she followed everyone inside and took a seat near the back. The room was already half-full, a good sign for Jack. This type of academic event could make or break his career.

  She busied herself in reviewing the catalog of summer courses at the university. Five minutes later, Jack cleared his throat at the podium, signaling that he was about to begin.

  He flashed a smile at the audience. His voice was sure and strong as he said, “Welcome everyone.” He proceeded to give them an explanation of what type of ship the Livingston was and how it came to be in the waters off the Florida coast.

  “And none of this would have been possible if not for a librarian in Fortune’s Bay, Laney Lindstrom. In a historic text that the library received, Laney discovered a possible undiscovered shipwreck and knew it could be significant. After calling me, she and I traveled to the site the text had mentioned and discovered the shipwreck together.” He looked out at the audience, smiling as he caught Laney’s eye.

  She sucked in her breath. He knew she was there? And most of all, he’d given her full credit for her role in the find. Her mind was spinning. Had she been wrong about him all along? Some people would have happily buried her role in the find and taken all the credit to further their academic careers. Jack hadn’t.

  She barely heard the rest of his presentation. When it was over, the attendees swarmed Jack, asking question after question about the Livingston. Laney wanted to speak to him, but there was no way she could even get close to him, much less have a private moment alone with him.

  She made her way out of the room and positioned herself at a bench near the entrance to the conference room. The flow of people exiting the room lessened as people rushed off to the next seminar on their agenda. Twenty minutes after the presentation had ended, Jack finally came out.

  Laney stood and waved to him. “Jack.”

  He turned, looking at her in surprise. “I thought you’d left.”

  She gave him a small smile. “I wanted to stay and talk to you after the lecture.”

  “Well, I’m glad you did.” A huge grin spread across his face. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again after how you reacted to me in Fortune’s Bay.”

  She hung her head. “I was wrong to treat you like that. I should have given you a chance to explain yourself.” She tipped her chin toward the exterior doors. “Can we go outside and talk about this somewhere more private?”

  “I’d like that.” He reached forward and grabbed her hand, encircling it with his fingers. His touch sent tingles up and down her spine, and a heady sense of rightness came over her.

  Becki had been correct. She should have given Jack an opportunity to explain himself. At least he was giving her a second chance.

  * * *

  When they were outside of the auditorium, Laney led him over to a bench in the lush gardens. Jack followed. She was giving him an opportunity to explain himself. Don’t mess this up buddy, he told himself.

  “Why didn’t you tell me that you were going to mention me in your speech?” she asked, searching his face.

  He closed his eyes. “I tried to tell you that I’d arranged for you to speak at the conference, but you were so mad at me. Then, when I attempted to get in contact with you afterward, you wouldn’t respond, but I wanted to make sure you got credit for your role.”

  She sat back on the bench and hugged her knees to her chest. “I thought you hadn’t given me any credit for the find on purpose. Your receptionist showed me the list of speakers and my name wasn’t on it.”

  “I know. That was an earlier copy. After I saw it, I called them and had you added. And I should have tried harder to get you to understand that I’d arranged for you to speak at the conference. I guess I got tired of trying when you didn’t seem to care about me one bit.”

  Well, he’d laid it out there for her. He held his breath, unsure of how she’d respond.

  Laney bit her lip and tears sprung from her eyes. “I’ve been miserable without you.” She set her feet on the ground and scooted closer to him on the bench. “I thought what we had was special and then I found out you were going to California and you hadn’t said anything to me.…” She peered at him and took a deep breath. “I didn’t know what to do, so I shut you out completely.”

  He reached for her hand, covering it with his own. Looking deep into her eyes, he said, “We did have something special—do have something special. I’m not taking that job in California. There’s too much waiting for me right here in Florida.” He gazed at her with an expression full of love. “Can you forgive me?”

  She smiled softly. “Of course.”

  He grinned like a maniac and leaned in to kiss her on the lips. She turned her body toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck as they kissed. Thoughts swirled around his mind. They’d come so close to ruining this. He brushed back a strand of hair from her face and delicately stroked her cheek. She was so beautiful. He’d thought he’d never have a chance to see her ever again, much less have the opportunity to kiss her.

  Their eyes met and he stared into them, allowing himself to get lost in their d
epth. He ran his fingers over her upper back and she melted into him, hanging onto him even tighter. Jack kissed her hungrily, never wanting this moment to end.

  Too soon, she broke apart from him, her face flushed and her hair mussed. Her eyes darted around the gardens. “We’d probably better stop. People must think we’re crazy.”

  A few people had walked past, but as far as he knew, none had given them a second glance. Then again, he’d been a little wrapped up in what he was doing. A silly smile slid across his face. He couldn’t help it. This had been the most amazing day. He’d given a lecture on finding the Livingston, the ship that he’d been chasing his whole career. And now, he was given another chance at a future with the woman he loved.

  Still facing her on the bench, he traced her bare shoulders with his thumbs as his fingers caressed her upper arms. “Let them think we’re crazy.” He leaned in and kissed her again. A man in his eighties walked past, shaking his head at them.

  Jack laughed and stood, reaching for her hand to help her up. “But maybe we can continue this later. Are you interested in lunch?”

  “I’d love that.” She smiled at him and gripped his hand tightly as though never wanting to let him go. He didn’t blame her. He felt the same. He’d never thought he’d find the woman of his dreams, much less finding her at the same time as discovering the shipwreck he’d been chasing for years. This was more than he’d ever hoped for.

  13

  “So, I finally get to meet the famous Jack.” Becki reached out to shake his hand and smiled widely at him.

  Laney couldn’t help but grin. Her sister seemed to like Jack. She’d told her all about the mix-up regarding the conference and had received an “I told you so” from her younger sister.