Destiny Unknown Page 18

  Immediately, Bernadette moved, grabbing up the receiver. "I'm here," she said, holding the phone close to her ear. "I just—"

  Effie didn't give her a chance to finish. As usual, she began talking a mile a minute. "I know I said I wasn't going to call, but remember how I told you I was taking Parker to 'destinations unknown?' Well, you won't believe where we've ended up."

  "Let's see . . . " Bernadette tried to guess approximately where they might be from the rough itinerary Effie had left. "Japan?"

  "Nope. Egypt." Effie's voice became muffled, and Bernadette heard her sister call out, "Come here, I've got her." Then Effie was back with her. "We're at the dig, Bern. We're with Dad. Here." Again, Effie's voice became muffled.

  And then a familiar male voice spoke to her. "How goes it, Princess."

  Princess. Her father had always called her that. Cody always caller her that. "It goes," she said, tears filling her eyes.

  "Miss you."

  "Right. I miss you, too, Dad." She always had.

  "Your sister and Parker sure surprised me, popping up out of nowhere. Even got me out of bed."

  "You know Effie. She gets an idea and time doesn't matter."

  "That's her all right." He laughed. "She's always been a bit like me, whereas you've always reminded me of your mother. Even when you were little, you looked like her." His sigh crossed land and sea, flowing through Bernadette. "I hope, Princess, that someday you find someone you can love as much as I loved her."

  "I hope I do too, Dad."

  There was silence, and she heard him clear his throat. "Well, got to get off. Here's your sister again."

  He was the one now calling Effie to the phone, scolding her for going off. Bernadette didn't mind the delay. It gave her a chance to wipe the tears from her eyes.

  "So how's Mopsy?" Effie asked once she was back on.

  "Mopsy's fine. Misses you." Bern realized once she'd sat down, Mopsy had jumped up on her lap. They were back to the same routine of ear scratching. She was going to miss the dog when her sister got back.

  "Less than two weeks, and we'll be back. Parker wants to talk to you, but don't you dare talk shop."

  "I promise." They'd be talking all night if she told Parker everything that had happened at the store, and she wasn't about to break the news about Anne over the telephone.

  * * *

  Long after she went to bed, Bernadette stared into the darkness, thinking. She remembered her mother. Not clearly, she'd been only seven when her mother died. She remembered a voice, soft and sweet, flowing blonde hair, gentle touches, and an air of serenity. Her grandparents had often told her she was like her mother. She'd been pleased. She'd never thought that might be a detriment.

  Closing her eyes, Bernadette remembered something Cody had said. "I can't tell you why your father doesn't stick around."

  Well, maybe she could. Maybe after twenty-four years of blaming herself, she understood. He left because of her all right, but it wasn't something she could change . . . or wanted to change.

  You've always reminded me of your mother. Those were her father's words. What was good was bad.

  Mopsy curled closer to her side, and Bernadette absently stroked the dog's head. What she'd missed after her mother died was her father's presence. The queen was dead, and the king went into mourning. The spell had been cast.

  * * *

  Cody heard Thor bark before he heard the doorbell. Lids heavy with sleep refused to open, and he willed the intruder to go away. He hadn't been sleeping well lately, not since last seeing Bernadette. If he'd been a drinking man, he would have turned to the bottle. She was driving him crazy.

  Again, the doorbell rang, Thor's barking becoming incessant.

  "Dumb John, wake up."

  The voice came from the computerized answering machine attached to his door. A sweet voice. Compelling.

  "I'm an enchanted princes, and I need your help."

  Cody opened his eyes, darkness surrounding him. When he was young, and his sister was telling him the story of the golden chain, Karen had played each of the parts. For the mocking brothers, she'd dropped her voice low. For the enchanted princess, it was sweet and melodic. Oh, how many times she'd repeated the story, trying to take away the sting of that day's insults. When he graduated from high school, she gave him the gold chain.

  "Cody—" The voice came again, and he knew it wasn't his sister.

  Sitting up, he commanded the lights on. He found his jeans lying on the floor by the end of his bed and grabbed them, pulling them on and zipping them up as he went down the stairs. Thor was still barking, facing the closed door, his hackles raised. "It's okay," Cody said, afraid it wasn't okay. For Bernadette to have come at this hour, something had to be wrong.

  Quickly, he pulled open the door.

  She stood in front of him. His enchanted princess. Her hair flowed past her shoulders like a silken cloud of gold and fell across the sleeves of a moss green designer's suit. Eyes as blue as sapphires and a smile as warm as a lover's kiss, greeted him. He would have called her beautiful except for one thing.

  Her skin had turned green.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Cody took Bernadette's hand, drawing her inside. "What happened to you?"

  She smiled, the green on her face cracking a little. "I've been put under a spell. You can save me, break the spell, but only if you're willing to risk your life."

  He began to understand. "And what, fair princess with the green face, must I do to break this spell?"

  "Ahh. It is very dangerous." She gave Thor a welcoming pat on his head, and he wagged his tail, sniffing her legs. "You must sleep with me and ignore the words of sarcasm and snobbery that may occasionally escape from my mouth."

  "This is indeed very dangerous." He led her toward the stairs, certain the reward would be well worth the peril. "And for how many nights must I endure this sacrifice?"

  "Hmm." She pondered his question as she took each step with him. Just outside his bedroom, she gave her answer. "I'd say three hundred and sixty-five nights times fifty."

  "Three hundred and sixty-five times fifty." Instead of the bedroom, he took her into his bathroom. More than anything, he wanted to hold her close and kiss her, but the green goop she had on her face wasn't all that appealing. "I do believe, Princess, that would make me eighty-seven by the time this spell is broken."

  She grinned. "For all I know, it might take even longer than that."

  "Some spells are very difficult to break."

  "Very difficult indeed."

  He pulled out a wash cloth and turned on the water in the wash basin. He hoped whatever she had on her face was water soluble. "What is that stuff, anyway?"

  "It's that facial masque," Bernadette said, looking into the mirror and wrinkling her nose. "The same thing I'd started to put on that first night you stopped by my apartment. Remember the green on my forehead?"

  He remembered.

  "I'm sure glad I wasn't pulled over for a ticket on the way here." She scratched a spot on the tip of her nose, and the dried compound flaked off in a green dust.

  Turning toward him, she frowned. "Are you saying you don't find me attractive? Are looks more important to you than what's inside a person?"

  She was mocking him with his own words, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was she was here, green-faced and teasing him. Here, by his side. He lifted the cloth and began rubbing the dried masque from her face.

  A splash behind them stopped his cleansing job. Bernadette turned with him to look toward the whirlpool. Thor was floundering about in the water, looking wet and foolish.

  The dog couldn't swim. All dogs should be able to do the dog paddle. After all, why name a swim stroke the dog paddle if dogs couldn't do it? But Thor didn't know how to do it. Time after time, Cody had tried to teach him. In water, Thor was like a sinker.

  Cody dropped the wash cloth and went to the edge of the sunken tub. Knelling, he grabbed the ruff of hair around Thor's neck and pulled the d
og to the steps. Thor was scrambling out, when Cody felt Bernadette's hands on his back. Half-turning, he tried to look up at her, only to find himself tumbling into the water.

  Bernadette squealed as Thor shook, water spraying out from his head to the tip of his tail, wetting her and everything around. Laughing, she looked down at Cody, then began to undress. Her shoes went first, then the green jacket and skirt. A Liz Claiborne suit shouldn't be dropped on a wet tile floor, but that's where hers went. She didn't bother removing her underwear, simply jumped in, dunking her face in the water and scrubbing her cheeks with her hands, turning the water around her green. Only when most of the green masque was gone did she move toward Cody.

  He reached for her, drawing her closer. Over her mouth, he whispered his greeting. "Welcome home, Princess."

  * * *

  The end of March brought the hope of spring and thoughts of summer. Swimming suit sales had been picking up and their supply of shorts was already showing a decline, especially in the popular sizes. The renovations were beginning, a section of the store blocked off and "Sorry for the inconvenience" signs posted all around, along with diagrams showing the changes that would occur.

  Bernadette stood with Ben and Loren near one of the signs. She'd stopped them to mention the customer focus group she wanted to try. In a way, it would be like Cody's gathering of his experts. In the case of Morgan's, the experts were the customers.

  Bernadette was surprised when Mopsy came running up, barking an excited greeting. For a second, she stared at the dog. That morning, she'd left Mopsy at her apartment. The last place she should be was at Morgan's.

  Then Ben lifted his hand in a wave, and Loren beamed a greeting, and Bernadette understood and turned to look behind her.

  Striding down the aisle was Parker, and beside him was Effie. "We stopped by your apartment and got her," Effie said. "I needed to see my baby."

  Bernadette understood. She would miss having Mopsy around. As for babies? The way she'd been feeling the last few mornings, she had a feeling she would have one around in about eight months. Losing control did have its drawbacks. In this case, she preferred to think of it as a plus. She was not only getting Prince Charming, she was getting a little prince—or princess.

  She hugged Effie. "Good to have you back."

  Bernadette hugged Parker, too, glad things had worked out as they had. For a first love, he'd been the greatest, but for a lifetime companion, he was better suited for her sister.

  "So, do you have everything running smoothly?" he asked, looking around the store. "I see you've started the renovations."

  "I've started lots of changes," she said, looking at Ben and Loren.

  The two men nodded, Ben speaking up. "It's been an interesting six weeks, Parker." He nodded toward Bernadette. "You made the right decision. And things are beginning to click between us, but I'm definitely going to have to practice up on throwing baskets before our next planning session."

  "Planning session? Throwing baskets?" Parker frowned his confusion.

  "Long story." Ben motioned toward the shipping and receiving area. "Come on down to my office, and I'll fill you in on all that's been happening. We can talk, man to man." He took a few steps toward his office, then stopped and looked back at Loren, grinning. "Oh, what the heck, you can come too."

  "Go ahead, make fun of me," Loren grumbled but followed Ben and Parker.

  "Those two," Bernadette said, laughing. "What a pair."

  "You look different," Effie said, stepping back to look at her sister. She beamed when she figured out why. "It's your hair. You're wearing it down."

  "I do, sometimes now."

  "And . . . ?" Effie cocked her head. "You look . . . happier."

  "I am." Happier than she ever been. "So tell me, how does it feel to be an old married woman? Did you have a good trip? Did Parker relax or worry about the store all the time?"

  Effie took over. "That first week was the most difficult for him. Every so often, he'd slip and wonder aloud if everything was going all right back here. I even caught him on the phone the night before we were to fly to New Zealand. That was the first Friday night we were gone. He tried calling you, but you weren't home. I blessed you."

  Bernadette remembered that night. She'd been at Frank and Marian's house . . . then later, at Cody's. "I was out until late that night."

  "Well, after that, Parker got better, seemed to almost forget the store. That was, until we stopped at that one B and B and were told we could send an e-mail. My thanks to you and Ben for keeping your replies upbeat. The one from Anne was a little strange, however. Something about hoping Parker knew you as well as he thought he did. Did you and Anne have a problem?"

  "You could say that. I'll explain later. I was glad you called from Dad's site. That call couldn't have come at a better time."

  "It was funny, but being over there with Dad, I felt I understood him a little better. I know we were there when we were younger, but this was different. Dad and I talked this time, about how things were before Mom died and how guilty he felt about leaving us with Grandma and Grandpa, yet how difficult it was for him to be around us, how we reminded him of Mom. I guess you have to be in love with someone to understand. If something happened to Parker . . ."

  She trailed off, but Bernadette understood. "It would be difficult to be around things—or people—who reminded you of him."

  "Yeah." Effie came back with a smile. "Enough of the past. You won't believe what Parker's started."

  "What?"

  "A book." Her green eyes sparkling, Effie nodded. "He's working on a mystery. He's using some of the locations we visited on our honeymoon. And you know what else?"

  "No, what else." Effie had always been vivacious. Marriage hadn't lessened her energy or enthusiasm for life.

  "I am going to apply to the Clown College again. In fact, Parker said I should keep on applying until they get sick of seeing my name and pick me. And then, when I'm a Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus clown, he's going to travel with me and write a mystery about a circus family."

  "And what about a family?" Bernadette wondered if Effie had thought about that.

  "What about one? We've already decided we want to wait a couple years before trying, get to know each other better. Then we'd like two. If I do get into the circus, they could travel with us until they were old enough for school, then we could either move back here or wherever Parker wanted to go. I think he's going to succeed at his writing. I read what he did these last few weeks. It's good. So, big sister—" Effie grinned. "I think you're going to get your wish. I have a feeling in a couple years you're going to have full control of these stores. You'll have attained what you've always wanted . . . at least what you've wanted since Parker's father started filling your head full of idea about managing a store."

  What she'd always wanted and what she wanted now weren't quite the same. "Parker and I will have to talk."

  "Did it turn out to be more than you expected?" Effie's concern was immediate.

  "A lot of things turned out to be more than I expected." Bernadette glanced down the aisle behind Effie and grinned. Her primary surprise was striding toward her, all confident and cocky, and looking like a bum, as usual.

  Cody had on a pair of the new stone washed jeans she'd bought in Morgan's men's department. She knew they were the new ones because she'd tossed out all of his old jeans with the holes in the knees. Nevertheless, there was a hole in these, just above his knee. And stains on both legs. She shook her head.

  He held up his hands, as if to say he didn't know how the hole or the stains had gotten there. She could imagine. He was a man who got into his work. A klutz and a daydreamer.

  He also knew where he was going and didn't mind a bump or a scrap along the way. He was willing to take chances, yet would stay in for the duration. He believed in playing games, in fairy tales and happy endings. He saw beyond the surface.

  Effie turned, looking Cody's direction, and Bernadette wondered what h
er sister saw. Effie had never been a snob. Clowns knew the disguises used to cover hurts. She would understand Cody faster than Bernadette had. They would get along just fine.

  "Effie, I'd like you to meet your future brother-in-law," Bernadette said, and watched her sister's mouth drop open. "I hope you're not busy next weekend. I think there might be a wedding."

  The End

  Author's Note

  Destiny Unknown is actually the second in a pair of romances published by Bantam's Loveswept line. The first book in the duo was titled Destiny Strikes Twice and it told Effie and Parker's story. One of these days I'll get Destiny Strikes Twice out as an ebook, but I was lucky and found a 3" disk with the original manuscript for Destiny Unknown, so I decided to work on it first.

  I adore Cody with his unconventional ways and persistence. Bernadette, on the other hand, was more difficult for me to write. I admire tall, beautiful women who dress immaculately and are in complete control of their emotions, but it's simply not in my nature to look that perfect. When I was a child, my mother would French braid my hair, scrub my face, and send me off to school in a pretty dress. By the time I returned home, half of my hair was hanging down around my face, I had dirt on my knees, and a tear in my dress. (Yep, I'm more like Cody.)

  Maybe it's because I'm not like Bernadette that I decided to throw her into a situation where she would lose some of the control and have to look beyond the external to find true love.

  This book was originally published in 1997, back then cell phones were unwieldy boxes and the Internet was just starting to change our lives. I made several changes in this edition of the story, changes I felt were necessary to reflect the advances in technology that have occurred in the last eighteen years. Of course, I realize, technology is changing so rapidly, this edition will probably be outdated in another five years.

  So, if you're reading this in 2020 or later, this is how things were in 2015.

  About the Author

  Maris Soule had her first romance published in 1983 when her book, First Impressions, became the giveaway to introduce Harlequin's new Temptation line. Soule wrote seven more Temptations before writing nine romances and romantic suspense novels for Bantam's Loveswept line and eight romances for Silhouette. Many of her romances, such as this one, had a touch of mystery, and in 2007 Soule decided to try a mystery with a touch of romance. Her mysteries The Crows, As the Crow Flies, and Eat Crow and Die have all been published by FiveStar/Gale/Cengage, and her suspense, A Killer Past, was published by Robert Hale, Ltd. Many of her books are now available as e-books.