They were on schedule, and her training would end in another four or five weeks. Normally, she would already be discussing her next assignment. But not this time. She and Starr were staying in Fool’s Gold, and Destiny honestly had no idea what she was going to do with herself.

She had a computer science degree, but wasn’t excited about pursuing another job in the field. She wasn’t a tech kind of person. What she’d liked about her facilitating work was helping people. But it wasn’t like she had a bunch of transferable skills.

She knew she was very lucky. Money wasn’t an issue. Thanks to her trust fund, she could live frugally without working. Mostly because, except for paying for her college education, she’d never touched a dime of it.

But she wasn’t going to be comfortable just sitting around. And living frugally while raising a teenager didn’t seem possible. She wanted to get a house with Starr, and a mortgage required a job.

Still, she had time on her side. There was a local employment agency in town. She could go there and take those tests that tell you what you’re good at. She doubted dabbling at songwriting and singing karaoke would offer much in the way of job opportunities.

She returned her attention to the screen and continued to study the results of their first practice search. She wanted to get through the report before heading home. She’d nearly finished when Cassidy walked into her office and sat in her visitor’s chair.

“This is the weirdest place ever,” the blonde announced.

“Good weird or bad weird?”

“Mostly good. I just took an exercise class at CDS.”

Destiny frowned. “Where’s that?”

“The bodyguard school.”

“Oh, right. I’ve heard about it. How was the class? One of my friends swears by what they do there.”

“It was a killer. The instructor is Consuelo Hendrix. She’s tiny but tough. This is only my second class, but after the last one, I hurt in places that I didn’t know had muscles.”

“Which you loved,” Destiny said.

Cassidy grinned. “You know it. Anyway, I signed up for twice-a-week classes. When I went today, her husband, Kent, was participating, but there was something about the way he was watching her. It was very strange.”

“He’s not a serial killer,” Destiny told her. “He’s in the middle of a bet with his brother.”

“What? That he can survive one of her classes?”

“Nothing that simple. The guys have a competition about who can get his wife pregnant first. I don’t think Consuelo and Isabel know about it. My guess is Kent was keeping an eye on her. In case she is pregnant.”

Cassidy blinked. “What did he think he could do? She’s teaching a class. Someone in as good a shape as her should be fine continuing with her regular routine. Unless there’s a problem. And he doesn’t even know if she’s pregnant yet.”

“I know. I’m simply sharing what I’ve been told.”

Cassidy leaned back in her chair and groaned. “Weirdest little town ever.”

Before Destiny could respond, her cell phone rang. She looked at the screen and saw the caller ID.

“Hey, Starr,” she said by way of greeting. “You beat me home.”

“I didn’t stay to practice. Um, I know you usually work until five, but, uh, someone stopped by the house.”

Destiny’s first thought was that the person in question was Kipling. Or maybe that was wishful thinking. Because she would very much like to spend the evening with him. Only her sister’s tone was more cautious than Kipling warranted, and she would have just said his name. “Who?”

Starr cleared her throat. “Your mom.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

LACEY MILLS HAD to be in her late forties, but she looked thirty-five and dressed like what Kipling imagined would be appropriate for a beauty queen from the 1960s. With her big hair, tight dresses and high heels, she made Dolly Parton look prim. Lacey’s hair was red instead of platinum, but it was still big. All poufy, with lots of curls. What was that saying? The bigger the hair, the closer to God? Kipling figured Lacey and the Almighty were on a chummy basis.

He’d stopped by Destiny’s office on the pretense of asking about the program, but really to see her and to gauge her reaction to their date. Or rather how the date had ended. Because he’d been pretty sure she’d expected a little action. Which was exactly what he wanted. Better that she be anticipating than he be pushing. That way, when he made his move, she would be receptive.

But instead of leaping to greet him, she’d been wide-eyed and pale as she’d hung up her cell phone. Her announcement that her mother had arrived unexpectedly had stirred both his curiosity and his protective instinct. He’d offered to be the fourth person at the table for dinner, and she’d instantly accepted.

Now he found himself mixing drinks in Destiny’s small kitchen while Starr hovered next to him, obviously not sure if she should join the other women in the living room or not.

“She’s really famous,” Starr whispered. “And pretty. I mean, like, she’s pretty on TV and stuff, but I wasn’t sure what she’d look like in person. She’s just as pretty. But small. I thought she’d be taller. And it’s interesting that she and my dad both have red hair. That’s unusual.”

Lacey was a few inches shorter than her daughter. They shared their beautiful green eyes and red hair, although he suspected that Lacey’s golden highlights were store-bought.