Destiny Unleashed

by Sherryl Woods

  Destiny gave William a sour look. “No, that’s still up for grabs, apparently.”

  “What other exceptions might come along?” Chester demanded, scowling at William with suspicion. “Do you actually trust him to stick to this so-called agreement?”

  “I do,” Destiny said firmly.

  “Is it in writing?” Chester asked.

  “William’s word is enough for me,” she replied.

  Chester looked resigned. “You are far too naive, my dear.”

  William waited for an explosion. Destiny surprised him by going the icy-disdain route, rather than fiery fury. He watched as she regarded Chester like a queen about to order a subject’s head to be chopped off.

  “I would advise you against declaring something like that again,” she told him coldly.

  “We can only work together if I’m permitted to be honest,” Chester said, undaunted.

  Destiny seemed surprised by his refusal to back down. She nodded slowly. “A valid point. Next time, try to inject a diplomatic note into the criticism, though, will you? It will make things go much more smoothly. I get enough of the other from Richard.”

  Chester laughed and the tension was broken. “I suppose I can do that much at least. I’ll speak to you later about the rest of this. I think we’re making excellent progress, Destiny. You’ve done a fine job of streamlining things throughout the division.”

  William waited until he had gone, then turned to Destiny. “You two seem to have formed some sort of mutual-admiration pact all of a sudden.”

  She regarded him with curiosity, then laughed. “My goodness, William, don’t tell me you’re jealous?”

  “Of Chester? Hardly.”

  “Really? It sounded that way to me.”

  He tried to contain his amusement at her interpretation of his reaction. “Perhaps I might be, if I thought you were his type.”

  A touch of purely female indignation flared in her eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “You’re a woman.”

  She stared at him blankly, then gasped. “Oh, my. Chester’s gay?”

  William nodded. “Well-known around town. He’s been with the same man for some years now.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know how I missed that one. Why on earth didn’t Chester bring his partner to my party?”

  “Perhaps he didn’t want to offend you, in case you objected.”

  “I’m far more broadminded than that,” she said. “Unorthodox relationships are nothing new to me.”

  William barely contained a smile, knowing that she was lumping their relationship in with Chester’s in an odd sort of way. “I’m aware of that,” he said agreeably. “But he didn’t know that, did he? That could also explain his panic when you turned up in Devon. I’m sure they were on holiday there together.”

  Destiny frowned. “I’m not sure I like the fact that you seem to know more about my personnel than I do.”

  “Have lunch with me and you can pick my brain for any other tidbits I know. You might find it illuminating.”

  “You didn’t come over here to ask me to lunch,” she reminded him. “You came to accuse me of going back on our deal.”

  “True enough, but we’ve taken care of that, and now that I’m here, I find I haven’t seen quite enough of you yet. Are you free?”

  She regarded him thoughtfully, then finally nodded. “I can be. Give me a couple of moments to rearrange a few things.”

  After she’d spoken to Miriam, she grabbed her coat and allowed William to help her into it. He let his hands rest on her shoulders when he was done.

  “I’ve missed being able to do this,” he told her quietly.

  She turned and faced him, her expression quizzical. “What? Helping me on with my coat?”

  “No, being able to touch you, smelling that wonderful, sexy scent you wear.”

  “You remember my perfume?” she asked incredulously.

  He laughed. “Wasn’t it Proust who wrote an entire book based on the memories that are stirred by aromas that once meant something to us? Nothing is more evocative than scent.” He winked at her. “Besides, I must have bought you gallons of the stuff. How could I possibly forget it? At the time it was the most expensive perfume on the market, I’m sure.”

  “But surely you’ve bought perfume for many women since then,” she said.

  He shook his head. “Never.”

  Again, surprise lit her eyes. “Please don’t try to convince me that you’ve lived a celibate life since we parted, William. You’re far too attractive and virile to have gotten away with that. I suspect women were falling all over you from the moment you returned to London.”

  “Well, of course,” he teased, knowing it would bring a flash of annoyance to her eyes. He wasn’t disappointed. Satisfied, he changed his tack. “But there have been far fewer women than you might imagine, and none of them ever touched my heart or lingered in my memory.”

  She blinked back the sudden dampness he could see in her eyes.

  “Oh, William, you mustn’t say things like that.”

  “Even if they’re true?”

  “Even then,” she said fiercely.

  “Why? Because they might soften your heart toward me?”

  “Yes, that’s precisely the reason.”

  He searched her face, wanting her to admit the truth, that she still cared for him, as well. “Would that be so awful, Destiny?”

  “Not awful,” she said. “Dangerous.”

  “I won’t hurt you,” he promised.

  She regarded him sadly. “You can’t be sure of that. You did once. And if me being with you threatens to cause a rift for me with my family, I’m afraid we’ll face the same fate a second time, only this time with me to blame.”

  “We both had our hearts broken, Destiny. I’d say we’re even and it’s time to think of starting over with the slate clean. I’m going to keep telling you that till I’ve convinced you. In the end, this will be your decision, not Richard’s.”

  She looked torn. “If only that were true,” she began, then shook her head. “But it’s not. Let’s not discuss this again, William. It’s pointless.”

  “Love is never pointless,” he said. “Didn’t you once tell me it’s the most important thing of all? I imagine that’s what you taught your nephews, too.”

  She laughed, her eyes suddenly alight with some memory. “Indeed, I did. Come, let’s go to lunch and I’ll explain.”

  The moment was broken now, so William relented. “What are you in the mood for?”

  “Italian, I think. Something robust.”

  “Then I know the perfect place,” he said, tucking her arm through his. “I hope you cleared the entire afternoon, because once we’re there, you won’t want to leave.”

  She frowned at him. “I do have work to do, you know. I’m not idle, as I once was.”

  “But you’re the boss now. You can indulge yourself from time to time.”

  “Why, so I am.” Her expression brightened. “The boss,” she echoed with a shake of her head. “Amazing. Who would have thought it?”

  “I would,” William said at once. “I always knew you could do anything you set your mind to.”

  “But to take on such a challenge at such a late date,” she said. “It’s really rather astonishing.”

  “Late date? Oh, my dear, don’t you know that the best years are yet to come?”

  Excitement sparkled in her eyes when she met his gaze. “You know, William, I do believe you’re right.”

  A bottle of excellent red wine and a huge plate of a spicy vodka penne left Destiny feeling pleasantly full and quite mellow.

  “That was delicious,” she told William. “But now I think I need a brisk walk in the cold air if I’m to get any work at all done this afternoon. I’ve some hard decisions to make about staffing in one of our departments. I can’t put off meeting with the people involved.”

  “No dessert? No coffee?” he asked.

  “We have an outst
anding crême brûlée, ma’am,” the waiter said. “And excellent espresso.”

  Destiny laughed. “I don’t know,” she protested.

  “Just a taste,” William taunted. “I know crême brûlée is your favorite.”

  “Next to chocolate mousse,” she said.

  The waiter’s expression brightened. “We have that, as well.”

  “We’ll have one of each and two espressos,” William said, taking the decision out of her hands. “Let me indulge you just this once.”

  “Just this once,” she agreed. “Otherwise, I won’t be able to fit into that new wardrobe of suits I bought for work.”

  She met William’s gaze and thought she spotted a shadow in his eyes. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

  “There’s something I’ve been debating telling you,” he admitted eventually.

  “Just say it.”

  “I think I will. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us, but I worry that it will upset you.”

  “William!”

  “I spoke to Richard earlier today.”

  She frowned at him. “You spoke to my nephew? Why?”

  “Actually, he called me to warn me away from Carlton Industries.”

  Destiny felt her heart begin to pound. She was going to wring Richard’s neck the first chance she got. “How dare he!” she muttered. “What did you tell him?”

  “That the game was over and that he should be talking to you. I said you’d handled the situation.”

  She regarded him with surprise. “You said that?”

  “Of course. It’s the truth. The situation is in hand, at least as far as Harcourt & Sons is concerned. The only competition between us now is the travel company. I don’t expect you to give in on that and I think I’ve made it clear to you why I cannot.”

  She was surprised that he’d given her the credit for settling most of the differences between the two companies, though she doubted that Richard had been convinced. “Thank you. Did he believe you?”

  “Hard to say. Since he obviously didn’t call you straight away, I’d say he’s probably still miffed at my suggestion that I understand you and respect you far more than he does.”

  Destiny bit back a chuckle. “Yes, that would annoy him. Since he hasn’t called, I wonder what he’s plotting over there.”

  “You don’t think he’ll just take my word that there’s no longer anything for him to worry about and let it drop?”

  “Now who’s being naive?” she said. “No, Richard won’t let this drop. He doesn’t trust you, and to be perfectly honest, he’s not too sure about me.”

  “Don’t you find that vaguely insulting?”

  “Vaguely insulting? I find it infuriating,” she said tightly. “But I’m prepared for anything now. Thank you for telling me he’s now going behind my back to take care of things. I believe dealing with Richard will be my next challenge, and frankly, I’m looking forward to it.”

  “A little too eagerly, if that glint in your eyes is any indication.”

  She grinned. “You read me so well.”

  “Perhaps we should change the subject,” William said. “I didn’t want to upset you and yet that’s precisely what I’ve done.”

  “No, you’ve forewarned me. That’s something else entirely,” she said as the waiter set their desserts on the table.

  Destiny absentmindedly picked up her spoon and took a bite of the chocolate mousse. Light and rich, it was almost delicious enough to distract her from the problem of her nephew’s interference. She tasted the crême brûlée next with its crisp, sugary topping and delicate orange-flavored custard, and sighed with pleasure.

  “Your mood seems to be improving,” William noted with amusement.

  “For the moment,” she agreed, focused on the desserts. It was hard to say which was better. She couldn’t possibly eat both of them. It would be too decadent. “Don’t you want one, or some of each?”

  “I’ll eat whatever you don’t finish,” William said.

  “Now, there’s a risky approach,” she teased. “You might wind up with nothing at all.”

  “I’ll take my chances,” he said, sipping his espresso and looking thoroughly content.

  “How do you do it?” she asked.

  “Do what? Ignore dessert?”

  She made a face. “No, of course not. How do you run a company and make it look so easy?”

  “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “I know you’re more focused than you seem. Harcourt & Sons has grown since your father’s day. He would be proud of what you’ve accomplished. Yet you seem to take it in stride, as if you handled it all before ten in the morning and had all the time in the world left for other things.”

  “Maybe because I’ve surrounded myself with competent people I trust,” he said. “My assistant could probably run it quite nicely without me ever setting foot in the office, but he’s been there since my father’s day. He knows all the ropes. You’re basically starting fresh, even with Chester on board. It takes time, Destiny, but you’ll accomplish it, too. There’s a great deal of delegation and trust involved in running a company, unless you anticipate doing everything yourself. And that course will send you to an early grave.”

  “I hope you’re right,” she said plaintively. “Right now, it seems so daunting. I’m not sure I’ll ever get it all sorted out.”

  “You will. Chester himself said you’ve already made great inroads. And once things are running like a well-oiled machine, you’ll be able to prioritize and do the things outside of work that matter to you.” He gave her a rather lascivious look. “Have a relationship, perhaps.”

  She felt the heat climbing into her checks. “Let’s not go there.”

  “Once our relationship was your top priority,” he reminded her.

  “Yes, but times change. I came here to accomplish something, to prove something to myself. I think I rather like being hands-on at Carlton Industries,” she said. “I feel useful. It’s a challenge. I never expected to be excited by business, but I am. I was never prouder than I was when I saw the sales figures for Jameson’s during the holidays and could show Richard that our investment was going to pay off. You, of all people, must know how that feels.”

  William nodded. “I suppose I felt a bit of that excitement when I first came home and went to work for the company. After my initial reluctance, I found I was eager to prove myself and win back my father’s approval.” He gave her a look filled with sorrow. “And I was eager to forget, as well. I needed to keep my mind occupied twenty-four hours a day.”

  Destiny nodded, recognizing that he’d gone through much the same thing she had when she’d arrived back in the States all those years ago.

  She pushed that aside for the moment and concentrated on William. “Did you make peace with your father?”

  “Eventually,” he said.

  “I’m glad. That’s what I’d hoped for.”

  “It was at a terrible cost, though,” he said, his gaze on her. “I’d lost you.”

  Once again, Destiny compared their situations. Had the price of caring for her nephews and giving them a secure life been too high? How could she say that? Yes, she’d lost something precious, a love she had treasured with all her heart, but she’d gained so much. Putting the two on a ledger and trying to make them balance was an impossible task.

  “We both did what we had to do,” she told him, sure of that much at least. And though she didn’t want to say it, didn’t want him to realize the deliberate decision she’d made back then, part of what she’d had to do was give William back to his family.

  “I suppose,” William said, clearly skeptical.

  “Darling, it’s water under the bridge, anyway. It’s useless to live with regrets. All that counts is the here and now.”

  “Then I shall count myself lucky to be blessed with your company right here and right now,” he said, then grinned. “But I won’t stop looking toward the future, Destiny.”

  Destin
y felt a long-forgotten twinge of excitement. What a perfectly delightful warning!

  Richard was impatient to put his plan into motion, despite the warnings Mack and Ben had given him. Sitting at dinner with Melanie, he pushed his food around on his plate and kept a worried expression on his face. Eventually his wife took the bait.

  “Is something bothering you?” Melanie asked. “You’ve hardly touched your dinner. I thought you loved my pot roast.”

  Now, there was a minefield, Richard thought. He’d made the mistake once in the full heat of romance of praising her dried-out pot roast. Now she fixed it at least once a week and he was forced to go along with that original pretense.

  “Dinner’s fine,” he said. “I’m just thinking about Destiny.”

  “Oh?”

  “Have you spoken to her?” he asked.

  “Not for several days,” she said. “Why?”

  Relieved that she’d have no recent comparison with which to challenge his fibs, he said, “She sounds really down. I think the work’s getting to her. Or maybe she’s homesick.”

  Melanie’s expression turned thoughtful. “Isn’t that natural? She’s been so close to you, Mack and Ben for all these years and done very little on her own. It makes sense that she’d be missing you.”

  “And the babies,” Richard added. “Plus, I think she’s gotten used to being around you, Beth and Kathleen. After having nothing but boys around, it’s been great for her to have women friends. I know she says stuff to you that she’d never say to us. She probably misses having someone to confide in. With so many new things going on in her life, she must regret not having anyone she trusts to talk to.”

  “I suppose,” Melanie said, giving him an odd look, as if she didn’t entirely buy his sensitivity to Destiny’s moods. “If you’re really worried, I’ll give her a call in the morning. It’s too late now.”

  He nodded. “Good idea. Maybe you can get to the bottom of her mood. I don’t want this job to put too much pressure on her.”

  “Oh, I’m sure she’s up to the challenge,” Melanie said at once. “She’s probably thriving on it. If anything, she might be a little homesick.”

  “What do we do if she is? If I suggest she come home, she’ll think I’m calling her back here because I disapprove of the way she’s handling things.”