Chapter 30
Destiny
“Life has a way of pulling the rug out from under you just when you start to do a jig on it.”
~ Grandma Dixie
Taking a deep breath, I stood to the side of the podium. I couldn’t help the pitter-patter in my chest as JJ spoke to the press in front of City Hall. I had no idea how he appeared to be so composed. If cameras and microphones were being shoved in my face while people yelled questions at me, I’d probably have died. Literally. But he was the epitome of calm, cool, and collected. It was a serious turn on. Not that he really needed to add one more thing to his sex-appeal roster.
The past hour had been a hurricane of activity. When half of JJ’s family had shown up to find out why he wasn’t answering his phone, I’d hoped that he’d leave with them and give me a moment to collect myself, physically and emotionally.
One look in the mirror had revealed that I was a mess—a sexed-up mess. My hopes had been dashed when JJ, being his stubborn self, had declared that he would not leave without me, so I’d had to do a quick change and freshen-up that even Wonder Woman herself would’ve been impressed by.
I’d planned on wearing my hair down, and it was down when I’d shown up on JJ’s doorstep, but now, it was secured in a bun on top of my head. I hadn’t applied any makeup before my impulsive visit to JJ’s, so I luckily didn’t resemble a raccoon. After splashing some water on my face, I’d been able to apply a little mascara and some lip gloss I’d had in my purse. And the pièce de résistance was that I’d had the forethought to steam my dress by leaving the shower running on hot while I’d freshened up—and shock of all shocks, it had worked. My lilac sundress was wrinkle-free, with no signs of it having been crumpled on top of a damp towel on JJ’s bedroom floor.
I was glad that I looked at least somewhat presentable—the crowd that had gathered was massive. It looked like everyone from Clover County was there. Not to mention the news outlets, both local and national. Thankfully, since we’d arrived a little late, JJ had gone straight to the podium and all of the attention was firmly on him.
Jessie Sloan, who’d introduced herself as JJ’s publicist, was standing next to me. As much as I was loving seeing JJ in his element, I found myself continually sneaking glances at Jessie. She was just so…beautiful. And put together. She was wearing a black pencil skirt and a royal-blue button-up shirt that had to have been tailored because it fit her petite curves like a glove. It was hard not to feel a little…inadequate beside her.
Even though she had a diamond ring on her left hand, I still wondered if she and JJ had ever hooked up. Not that it mattered. That was his past, and hopefully, I was his future. I’d seen the women he’d dated—models and actresses. I couldn’t let that chip away at my self-esteem. He loved me. He’d chosen to move back home and be with me. That had to be enough.
Jessie motioned to the man next to JJ, whom I hadn’t had the chance to meet. He spoke into the microphone and said that they would only be taking a few more questions.
Seeing that things were wrapping up, I looked for Gram in the crowd. I was supposed to meet her there, but my morning had not gone exactly as planned. When I didn’t see her right away, I took my phone out to text her and let her know that I was beside the stage. I sucked in a small gasp of air when I saw I’d missed ten calls from her and there were no messages.
That was not like Gram. As discreetly as possible, I slipped away and headed across the small patch of grass which separated the library and City Hall to find a quiet place to call her back.
I’d just rounded the corner of the library and the phone had rang only once before a man’s voice came on the line. “Destiny.”
“Yes.” I was trying to remain calm, but inside, I was panicking.
“It’s Fred. Fred Rogers. Your grandmother has had a little fall, and I’m here at Valley Memorial with her.”
Okay, now, I was panicking. “Is she okay? What happened? Can I talk to her?”
“She’s fine. She passed out on our morning walk. Just got a little dizzy is all. She’s getting an MRI now, so she can’t talk, but as soon as she’s back, I’ll have her give you a call.”
“I’m coming right now.”
I tried to remain calm as I ended the call and made my way back to where I’d been to ask Jessie to tell JJ that I had to leave. As I got closer to the stage, I noticed that the crowd had dispersed. There was a few people milling around but when I didn’t see Jessie or JJ right away, I figured I would just text him on my way. I had to go, now. Heading back towards my car, I was walking as fast as I could on the wedges I was wearing.
On my way to the parking lot, my mind was going a mile a minute with questions.
She’d passed out?
Was that neurological?
Was it really a stroke and Mr. Rogers didn’t want to tell me over the phone?
He’d said “our morning walk.” Did they walk together?
Shaking my head, I told myself that it wasn’t important. Between myself and the parking lot there was a large crowd gathered around the wishing well, which was the most direct path to my car. Luckily, having grown up in town, I knew that if I cut behind Yum Yum Donuts a small back alley would drop me off at the same place.
Taking a short cut behind the building I rushed a few steps then stopped short when out of the corner of my eye, I spied Jessie and JJ huddled together in the alleyway. Their heads were down as they looked at the iPad she was holding.
Jessie spoke quietly. “She says she’s going to the press. Today. If we don’t set up a meeting. I tried to call you before the press conference.”
“What about the paternity test?” JJ asked.
Paternity test?! My chest constricted, and my stomach dropped.
“Whatever the results are won’t matter. If she doesn’t get a one-on-one with you or the money, she’s going to the press. If this gets out, it could hurt your image, which means endorsements could go away. Family-friendly brands that want the ‘all American’ guy could bow out. Ordinarily, something like this wouldn’t concern me, but look at that kid. The press is going to eat him up.”
She tilted her device, there was a toddler that looked exactly like all the photos I’d seen of the boys in the Briggs house illuminated on the screen.
My world felt like it was imploding; like the walls of the narrow alley were closing in on me. I backed out as fast as I could, and when I cleared the building, I took off in a sprint for my car and ran smack-dab into a solid wall of chest.
“Hey, where you goin’ in such a hurry?” Brady asked as his hands steadied me.
Tears were already pouring down my cheeks as I looked up at him. “Gram’s at Valley Memorial.”
“You’re not driving like this. I’ll take you.”
Within moments, he’d ushered me through the throng of people and we were headed out of the parking lot in his truck. Thankfully, he didn’t question why I was so quiet on the ride. He must have attributed my silence to Gram. Which was part of the reason I was so upset.
That…and JJ had an illegitimate son.
Yeah, there was that.