Revealing Destiny

by C. J. Corbin

  “During my separation and divorce from Margaret, Christina was still in trouble and the business needed more money. Dad's mom passed away right when all of this was happening and she left most of her money to Chris and me. She was willing to open her home by letting the girls and I live with her. I knew how much she needed the money, so I just gave her all of it. We kept it quiet. I didn't want Margaret getting wind of it, because she would have wanted the money even though she had no claim to it. At the time, she was using the girls as hostages for more money. The girls didn't even know." He paused to take another drink of juice.

  I didn't say a word; I couldn't imagine what this had to do with helping Brigitte.

  "I didn't think I was investing in her business too, but she had issued shares of stock to me."

  The light came on in my brain, and suddenly everything was clear. "When she sold the business and made oodles of money, you did too," I concluded and he nodded.

  "Yep. Oodles of money. I never have to take another photo if I don't want to. The girls can go to any school they want. It changed our world. The girls don't know about it, but I guess it's time to tell them."

  "You drive a fifteen year old Jeep!"

  "I like my ride. So, do you still want that prenup?" He teased, winking at me, forcing a giggle from my chest.

  "I guess I don't need to worry about supporting you."

  "Were you really worried about that? You know I'd never use any of your money."

  "I wasn't worried and that - what I have is yours. I have to admit though; I was worried about giving such a large amount to Brigitte, because I think Simone is right. It's your money, and you can do with it what you want, but I think it’s a bad idea."

  He smiled and leaned over to kiss the top of my head. "Babe, what I have is yours, too. I think she will be a good investment."

  "I think you're feeling guilty and that's why you're doing it," I told him, kissing him on the lips and he frowned.

  "You may be right, but it will make me feel better. Now let's get going, okay?"

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Marie met us at the front of their plantation house when we drove up the long, tree-lined driveway. I was looking forward to a much slower pace at their house the rest of the week.

  "You painted the house!" I exclaimed as she helped me from the limo, Nancy following close behind. Now only the columns remained white while the rest of the house was a light peach color. Recently added to the national registry of historic places, the house made both of them proud, especially after it survived Hurricane Katrina with only minimal damage.

  "Yeah, this is more in the style of the area. Come on in - Great Me-maw is anxious to see you again."

  Nancy and I left Michael to carry in the bags and we didn't hear any complaints from him. He had made some comments in the car about it being a gaggle of hens this afternoon. Marie had invited her book club for afternoon tea and I was the star attraction. I promised the women some spoilers from my newest and last book of the series.

  At tea, after I finished describing the new male lead character in the book, Great Me-maw spoke in Cajun-French to the group and they all tittered. I caught some of the words, but since it contained mixed French, all I understood was Michael and book.

  Marie quickly translated, "Cher, Great Me-maw seems to think that your lead character sounds a lot like Michael."

  I blushed and the women tittered again.

  My fiancé chose that moment to walk into the room and all the women erupted into a fit of giggles, including Great Me-maw.

  "Here dat sexy man!" Great Me-maw said, still giggling.

  "Something tells me that I shouldn't have walked in just now," he said with a grin.

  I giggled with all the women, "Oh, Great Me-maw seems to think that the character in my new book is modeled after you."

  Michael struck a pose before stating, "I'm too sexy for my shoes!"

  Great Me-maw laughed so hard she had to dab her eyes with her napkin. "Que vous soyez! Dat you are!"

  After our tea party, Nancy and I sat in the large bright kitchen watching Marie and Great Me-maw prepare dinner. Our offers of help were quickly discouraged and it was evident why. Although they were cooking relatively simple Cajun food, the preparations were complicated and the two of them worked well together. Marie worked on a roux, which she was combining with crawfish for gumbo, while Great Me-maw handled the steamed rice. For Michael, they were working up a vegetarian red beans and rice combo with big mushrooms to take the pork's place.

  The conversation worked its way around to my wedding. "We've discussed getting married in the fall after the baby comes so I can enjoy the wedding and not be as huge as a boat. We would have done it sooner, but with Michael working on the polar bear project and me having the movie commitment we couldn't find a good time before the pregnancy really started showing. I don't want something big, but with Michael's Greek family, it is hard. Do you remember the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Imagine that, but ten times worse."

  "Oh Cher," Marie laughed, "It can't be that bad."

  "Yes it is. Michael has family crawling out of the woodwork, and everyone wants input. I told him that we would have a small wedding, and his response was, 'Good luck with that.'"

  Nancy smiled, "Nothing like having a cooperative groom. I'm going head-to-head with Simone all the time and Marcus has a way of disappearing into the background."

  Great Me-Maw said something in Cajun French, which included the words "wedding" and "here."

  Marie clapped her hands. "Oh! That's a great idea, Me-maw! You should have the wedding here. The garden will be in full bloom and it would be lovely."

  "It would be lovely Marie, but I couldn't put you through that. Thank you for the offer though."

  "You just keep it in mind, Cher. The invitation is always open."

  With that, the skies opened up outside and it began to pour. The rain had threatened all day, but it started in earnest and was soon followed by thunder and lightning. It quickly brought the boys who were playing one-on-one basketball outside into the house.

  "Dinner almost ready?" Tommy asked while he stood at the sink, washing his hands.

  "Yes it is. You two can set the table inside - looks like we won't be eating out on the balcony tonight," Marie answered. "And, go find Evelyne," she said referring to their daughter. "I think she may be out in the barn feeding the horses."

  "It smells really good, Marie," Michael said as he took his turn at the sink. He lifted the lid off the pot of beans, "Mmmm... you make the best red beans Me-Maw."

  We played cards the rest of the evening while it rained. Marie distributed candles and flashlights as we went off to bed because the power failed several times during the evening. Michael and I stayed in the yellow room, so named due to the cheery yellow theme. It was Michael's favorite room, and I had stayed in it during my previous visit.

  The last time I slept in there, I had dreams of Civil War soldiers climbing the steps to the attic. Marie confirmed the history of the house included use as a Civil War field hospital and she told me I had the gift. At the time, I told her I didn't want the gift, to which she said it wasn't something I could give back.

  Normally rain lulled me to sleep, but it took a long time to fall asleep, Michael's soft snores and the creaking in the house made my mind alert to any noise. Sure enough, once again Civil War soldiers filled my dreams.

  We awoke to the delicious smells of breakfast. "I love staying here. It always smells so great in the morning. Bread is baking!" Michael exclaimed as he rolled over to kiss me.

  "You and your stomach. Sometimes I think I should rub a little baking powder on myself and call myself a biscuit."

  He nuzzled into my neck, leaving a trail of kisses. "Mmmm... I would definitely eat you up for sure!"

  We joined everyone in the kitchen. Tommy and Marie were both going to work while we were taking the airboat out and Michael would show us some of the bayou.

  "Michael, you want me to put
the canopy up on the boat? I don't think it will rain but the trees will be wet." Tommy's Cajun accent was becoming thicker since he was home. He had pronounced canopy as three words: can-oh-pea.

  "I'd rather not. It spoils the view."

  I raised my eyebrows. "If I remember correctly, the last time a snake dropped into my lap!"

  After everyone stopped laughing, Tommy said, "Now Cher, don't you worry. That usually only happens once. I believe it's Nancy's turn."

  Nancy looked up from her coffee. "What?" She exclaimed.

  "Don't listen to them," Marie said, patting her shoulder and handing me a bag of marshmallows.

  "What are these for?" I asked.

  "The gators and the other wildlife love them. You might see some raccoons at the end of the turn when you leave the dock. They'll come right up to you and take them. Tommy has them trained - when they hear the boat they usually come out."

  “Great.” I said taking the bag from Marie. Exactly what I needed, encountering more wildlife.

  We enjoyed our day out on the bayou and, fortunately, we did not have any mishaps like the last time. Michael was an excellent pilot and guide too. He knew where all the animals were located and we even managed to see a pair of nesting eagles. When he wasn’t busy piloting the boat, he was shooting pictures. The marshmallows proved to be a big hit and the raccoons definitely recognized the boat. They came scurrying out, sat at the edge of the nearby pylons, and waited patiently for the treats.

  The rain from the previous evening didn’t spoil our trip. Everything was even more fresh and crisp because of it. Tommy had been correct about the water collecting in the cypress trees with the low hanging moss because more than once a spray of water doused us. As the sun rose in the sky and the day became warmer, I was glad Marie insisted Nancy and I borrow large floppy hats from her.

  Our evening turned out to be as relaxing as the day. We played Monopoly and Michael was ruthless, as usual, and beat us all. I was competitive with the game but came nowhere close to Michael - he always won. His daughters had placed a moratorium on the game at our house because they were tired of losing. Luckily, there was a completely new audience for Michael to challenge here.

  Our last day began slow and lazy. Michael took breakfast duty and after he whipped up amazing omelets, Nancy and I cleaned the kitchen. Marie and Tommy went off to their teaching jobs, and Michael went out on the bayou with his cameras for some serious photography work. That left Nancy and I to laze around the house. It had been a full week and we had not been able to spend much time talking together.

  In the early afternoon, we sat upstairs on the balcony overlooking the bayou. It was turning out to be a sunny day with a gentle breeze blowing over the water. It was quiet, the only sounds being those of the creatures that lived on the bayou. From our vantage point, we could see alligators sunning themselves on the banks and a beaver busily building his dam. Occasionally the breeze would rustle the trees and they would sway gently.

  "This is the life," I said, sipping on a tall glass of lemonade.

  Nancy looked over at me. "It sure is. I thought the humidity would really get to me, but it hasn't."

  "That's because you haven't felt the real humidity yet. Wait for the summer," I told her, grinning.

  She turned back into her chair. "Marcus said we could spend part of the summer in L.A. if I wanted to."

  I was surprised to hear that. "What about his job? He seems to be really dedicated."

  "Oh, I know he enjoys practicing law, but he's been talking about going into his own practice."

  "Really? Leave the D.A.'s office?"

  "We've been talking about it. The office is terribly political. He said he spends more time on politics than he does in the courtroom."

  I raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what Ma Mére is going to say? It appears to me the politics are very important to her."

  "Puh," Nancy replied. "If it is so darned important, then she should be the district attorney. Quite frankly, I'd like some alone time with Marcus."

  "Where are you going on your honeymoon?"

  "Marcus is keeping it a secret, a surprise, but I think to Europe. Do you know where you and Michael are going?"

  I sighed, "We will probably stay home," I pointed to my stomach, "Muffin on board. I won't want to travel with the baby. I don't really mind though because I enjoy being home with Michael. He pampers me all the time, although I know he has the travel bug and he gets itchy to get out."

  "I can't wait for this wedding to be over. At first it was fun, but now..." Her sentence drifted off.

  We both heard the truck pull up the driveway with the radio blasting head-banger rock music. We rose from our chairs and walked around the outside balcony to the front of the house. Marcus jumped out of the F250 silver colored truck. He had a cigar hanging from his mouth, his tie was untied, and his dress shirt was unbuttoned, showing his chest underneath.

  I'd never seen Nancy move so fast. She flew into the house and ran down the stairs. The screened door banged open and she leapt into his arms. He lifted her off her feet and swung her around.

  "Oh Ma Petite, I have missed you," he said in between kisses. "I need to get you upstairs and get deep inside of you."

  Nancy laughed and pointed to me standing up on the balcony.

  Marcus looked up and colored slightly. I grinned and waved.

  "Hi Miss Elizabeth," he called as he regained his composure. He set Nancy back down on her feet. "Where's Michael?"

  "He should be back any minute now," I answered. "Tommy told me to tell you to get the barbecue going."

  "Yeah, he called my cell." He slipped his arm around Nancy and led her into the house.

  I walked back around to the back of the house to give them a little privacy and saw Michael maneuvering the boat along the side of the dock. The family of raccoons ambled around and he tossed the rest of the contents of the marshmallow bag he had with him. They scrambled to get the treats and it made me laugh.

  He noticed me and waved.

  "Marcus just arrived," I yelled from the balcony.

  He nodded and I watched him pull his equipment out of the boat. I always enjoyed watching him. His long legs in his jeans that rode low on his hips and the t-shirt that seemed barely to contain his muscular arms sent a thrill through me. I love it when his shirt rode up a little in the back as he bent over, and not only his butt was a treat for me but the small part of his back that I loved to kiss and tickle showed. He lifted his camera equipment over his shoulder and carried the heavy load with ease as his muscles flexed with the exertion. He was my yummy man.

  His smile was quick when he noticed me watching him. "I'll be right up!" He called as he walked into the back of the house.

  I knew that Marcus would waylay him, so I went downstairs to meet him. The three of them were in the living room with Great Me-maw. Marcus was handing Michael a cigar.

  Great Me-maw wrinkled her nose as he leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. "Dat cigar is nasty. You better take it outside before Marie comes home or there will be hell to pay!" She put her knitting aside and moved to stand up.

  "Don't you worry Me-maw - Michael and I are going to start the barbecue."

  Michael wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my neck. "Let me get my stuff up to my room and I'll enjoy this fine tobacco with you," he said to Marcus.

  It was my turn to wrinkle my nose. "Oh pew! You're not going to smoke that, are you?"

  Michael laughed, "Oh babe, I would never turn down one of his Cubans."

  Great Me-maw reached her hands out to Marcus. "Now come on, help this old woman up. I need to check the beans and get the rice started." She looked at Nancy and me, "You two can come help with the vegetables."

  He helped her up gingerly and she leaned on him as they walked into the kitchen. She sat down at the large table in the center of the kitchen and began to give us orders.

  Michael stood in the doorway smirking. He said something in French to Great Me-maw and they both
laughed. I only caught the words "not a chance" and "burned." Marcus laughed with them as I raised my eyebrows, shooting Michael a menacing look.

  "It seems, Miss Elizabeth, that your fiancé is besmirching your culinary skills," Marcus said with a grin.

  I responded as I pulled the merliton, or me-lay-taw in Cajun, okra, and tomatoes out of the refrigerator. "Yeah well, Mr. Michael is forgetting who he is sleeping with tonight. He may himself get burned."

  Marcus burst out laughing and slapped him on the back. "Oh man, I think she has you there!"

  Great Me-maw waved the two men away. "Go. I told you out with those cigars. Nasty things."

  The men left the kitchen, laughing as they departed. Nancy and I, with the instruction from Great Me-Maw, were able to get some of the vegetables started. Marie saved us when she arrived home about twenty minutes later. It was our going home dinner, so Marie and Great Me-maw were planning a big affair. Aunts and uncles, cousins, neighbors, and friends began to arrive and, because our assistance was no longer needed in the kitchen, Nancy and I were summarily dismissed.

  We joined the men out by the barbecue pit, which was now also surrounded by other family members. Everyone was giving Tommy and Marcus their two cents about the fire. A lot of Cajun was being spoken and although family members were trying to be polite and speak only English, it was natural for them to slip into their native tongue. I was surprised how much Michael could understand as he translated for me. It didn't surprise me, however, how much of a family member they all considered Michael. Watching Tommy, Marcus, and Michael interact with each other made me realize how deep their bond was.

  Nancy was fitting in with this side of the family just as well. She was well versed with all the drama and gossip and tried to fill me in the best she could. I was still having a hard time remembering everyone's name and back-story.

  A slow Cajun song started to play over the speakers outside of the house and Michael grabbed me around the waist. He pulled me close and whispered in my ear, "Com'on, and dance with me."