Garrett’s Destiny by Anna Blakely

Chapter 2

“What about him?”

Hearing her sister’s low question, Avery Webb looked up from the drink she was stirring to follow the other woman’s gaze. When she realized what—or rather who—her sister was referring to, she couldn’t keep her face from betraying her thoughts.

“Ronald?”Avery blurted loudly. With a quick glance to make sure the man standing at the bar a few yards away hadn’t heard her, she leaned toward her sister and lowered her voice. “Are you crazy or just drunk?”

Layers of Alex’s long, dark locks bounced atop her shoulders as she laughed. “Neither. Well, I’m not crazy. I might be a tad tipsy, but that’s not the point.”

“Oh, you have a point?” Sarcasm oozed from Avery’s tone as she straightened herself back up. “I know I’m going to regret this, but I’ll bite. What’s your point, dear sister?” She put her straw between her lips, sucking in more of the delicious Amaretto-based drink.

“That you need to get laid.”

The cool liquid Avery had yet to swallow flew out of her mouth, spraying their small, round table…and Alex.

“Alex!” She reached for the napkin dispenser, pulling several of the absorbent paper squares loose.

Unaffected by the sudden alcohol shower, Alex casually wiped down the front of her Black strapless dress. “What?”

“What do you mean, what?” Avery hissed. Scowling, she moved her glass and blotted at the mess she’d made. “I can’t believe you said that.”

“Why?” Alex shrugged. “It’s the truth.”

“It is not!” Okay, so maybe it had been a really, really long time since she’d been with a man. Almost two years, but who was counting, anyway? Not Avery.

Liar, Liar.

“You should try one of those online dating apps. If you aren’t looking for anything serious, you could even sign up with the ones designed for casual hookups.”

“I’ll pass.” Avery cringed just thinking about it. The thought of having sex with someone she barely knew didn’t appeal to her in the least.

“Come on, Aves.” Alex signaled their waitress to bring another round. “You’ve got to learn to loosen up a little. You’re an adult; you’re single…and as long as you’re smart about it and take precautions, there’s nothing wrong with having a casual sexual relationship.”

“Says the woman who has nothing but casual relationships.” More like a running list of one-offs. “You’re lecturing me about my lack of a social life when you’re the one too scared to settle down.”

Avery regretted the sharp words as soon as they flew from her mouth.

“I’m sorry.” She attempted to smooth things over. “I didn’t mean to—”

“No, you’re right.” Alex cut her off. “After what I went through with Evan, I can’t seem to let myself get close to anyone. Not yet anyway.”

The vulnerability shimmering behind her tough-as-nails sister broke Avery’s heart. It also made her want to hunt down that lying, cheating bastard, Evan, and beat his skanky side pieces’ asses.

“You will.” She tried to sound reassuring.

“I know.” Alex smiled with a confidence Avery wasn’t sure her sister possessed. “And so will you. If you ever let yourself have a little fun, that is.”

She knew what the other woman was doing. Alex hadn’t really talked about what went down with her ex, other than the fact that she’d caught him in a pack of lies.

It was clear she still didn’t want to talk about it. Instead, tonight’s conversation was apparently going to revolve around Avery’s non-existent personal life.

“Look, Aves.” Alex’s expression softened. “I don’t mean to get all up in your business. I’m just saying you could use a little excitement in your life. That’s all.”

Avery snorted. “And you think Ronald the accountant is the man to give it to me?”

Not only no, but hell no.

She’d spotted Ronald Schwimmer the second he’d walked through the door. He worked for one of the local loan companies she was contracted with just down the street from where they were, and the guy was not her type. At. All.

He’d asked her out a few times over the past two months, but thankfully the persistent fellow finally took the hint after she continued turning him down.

Ronald was nice enough, she supposed. But despite his tall stature and fit runner’s build, he wasn’t attractive in the least. Not that Avery judged a man solely on his outward appearance, but there had to be some semblance of attraction there.

When she looked at Ronald, she felt…nothing.

No electricity. No lightning bolt. Nada.

I want lightning. Or at the very least, a small spark.

Giving the man in question a second glance, Alex scrunched her face and shook her head. “Okay, you’re right. Good call on the accountant.”

Avery chuckled. “Thank you.”

“But still…” Her relentless sister continued pushing. “You spend all day, every day staring at a computer. And your nights aren’t any better.”

This made Avery frown. “How do you know what I do at night?”

“Please.” Alex rolled her pretty brown eyes. “You go home, feed your cat, eat some takeout, and spend the rest of the night with your nose stuck in those romance novels you’re so obsessed with.” When Avery opened her mouth to deny her sister’s claim, Alex arched one of her perfectly plucked brows. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

“That’s not fair, and you know it.”

Okay, so maybe she did spend her days in front of a computer, but only because it was her job. At twenty-eight, Avery was the youngest leading financial software designer in the country. So yeah, computers were kind of her thing.

As for the other…

“Lots of women enjoy getting lost in an enthralling story.”

With an unladylike scoff, Alex lifted her glass to her smug lips and muttered, “You mean you enjoy reading smut.”

“It is not smut!” Alex blurted loud enough to draw attention from some of the nearby tables. Damn it, she really needed to stop doing that.

“Is there sex in those books of yours?” her sister challenged.

“Yes, but—”

“There ya have it.” Alex grinned. “Smut.”

Her sister had a point. Though the books Avery read weren’t filled with cover-to-cover hot monkey sex, there was a certain level of steam mixed into her beloved stories.

Some leaving her so hot and bothered, she was thankful her batteries were the rechargeable kind.

“There’s also plenty of action and adventure in them,” Avery defended her choice of reading. “And suspense…and romance.” Stories of happily ever after that left her toes curling and her heart hopeful.

Hopeful because she’d read way too many amazing books for that sort of thing to not be real. Sure, the stories themselves were fictional. And of course, the drama and suspense weren’t true to life. But boy when Avery found herself caught up in a good story…

What I wouldn’t give to feel that same sort of passion for real.

And the men…God. Just the idea of an alpha hero risking it all for the woman he loves made Avery’s heart believe those stories could happen. That they had to have stemmed from someplace real.

Her logical brain couldn’t accept anything else. Because to her, it made perfect sense.

If her favorite authors could create such visceral, physical reactions from words alone, then surely that meant those emotions and experiences existed outside the pages.

Apparently just not in Avery’sworld.

“I like my books.” She turned to Alex once more. “And I don’t judge you for how you spend your nights.”

If anything, Avery was envious of her older sister’s outgoing personality. Alex was a social butterfly. Her, not so much.

Even as a kid, Avery preferred the solace of her bedroom. She spent most of her time solving puzzles or playing intellectually challenging video games. Placing that last piece with the others or reaching the next level in a game filled her with a sense of accomplishment and pride.

Those same traits had followed her into adulthood. Only now, instead of jigsaw puzzles or brain teasers, Avery created accounting programs and financial software used by several Fortune 500 companies.

Alex, on the other hand, was beyond horrible with math and computers, but great with people.

Growing up, she was always the popular one. The cheerleader who dated the quarterback. The prom queen who stole the hearts of all the boys in school. Star of the school play.

Avery didn’t begrudge her sister any of those things. She was truly happy for each and every award and prize Alex had ever earned.

Even now, as they spent the evening celebrating her sister’s upcoming show at the most prestigious art gallery in town, she was filled with nothing but excitement and pride for the woman sitting across from her.

Which reminded her…

“Enough about me. Tonight is supposed to be about you.” Avery lifted her almost-empty glass in the air. “So, here’s to you, your amazing talent, and to what I know will be the best damn art show this city has ever seen.”

Smiling wide, her gorgeous sister lifted her own glass. Clinking the rim with hers, Alex downed what was left of her mixed drink. “Thanks, Aves. Your support means a lot.” Alex’s smile wavered, a touch of bittersweet sadness filling the woman’s dark eyes. “I wish Mom and Dad could be here to see it.”

Reaching across the table, Avery covered one of her sister’s hands with hers. “They are, Alex.” Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them away. “They’re always here.”

With a gentle squeeze, the two sisters let the moment linger before Alex sniffled and straightened her shoulders. “So.” She cleared the thick emotion from her voice. “Back to your boring, predictable life.”

“Really?” Avery’s gaze narrowed. “I may not be the most sought-after artist in town, but that doesn’t mean my life is boring and predictable”

“You go to work; you go home to an empty apartment.”

“It’s not empty. I have Gus.”

“A cat doesn’t count.”

Avery’s jaw dropped. “Gus does to count. He’s a sweetheart.”

“He’s a cat, Avery. Sweetie, I love you to bits. You know this. But I swear one of these days, you’re going to wake up and realize you’ve become the quintessential crazy cat lady. And it would be one thing if you spent your weekend cuddled up to him, but even those are filled with extra programming jobs on the side. Which I don’t understand at all. It’s not like you need the money.”

It was true. Software design was an extremely lucrative career. Especially for a single woman living alone.

Avery managed her money wisely and never went overboard with any expenditures. In fact, she had everything she needed.

Well, almost everything.

“I take those jobs because I enjoy what I do.” She didn’t add that she also took them because she had nothing better to do.

Alex’s expression softened. “It’s great that you love your work, Aves. It truly is. Not many people can say that and mean it. But don’t you want more out of life?”

No. Yes. Maybe.“I’ll get more. Just not right now.”

“If not now, then when?”

“Well, I don’t have an exact date marked on my calendar.” Avery’s smart mouth flared to life.

“Maybe it should be.”

“Ha, ha.” She rolled her eyes. “Very funny.”

“No, I think you’re on to something.” Alex leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. A few seconds passed before her face lit up with a Cheshire grin. “Pick a date. Or better yet, a week.”

“A week?” Avery couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone an entire week without working. “To do what exactly?”

Confusion sent her sister’s brows inward. “Uh…have fun.”

“Alex—”

“No, this is perfect, actually. It’s so obvious; I don’t know why I didn’t think about this before.”

The excitement in the woman’s voice made Avery nervous.

“Think about what?” She stared at her sister, wondering just how strong their drinks had been.

Playful arrogance lit Alex’s face as she declared, “I dare you to take an entire week off from work and do something adventurous.”

Avery started to laugh but stopped short when she caught her sister’s expression. “You’re serious.”

“You said you read those books for the adventure, so…I want you to go have one of your own.”

“You’re daring me to have fun? What are we, twelve?”

“Nope. You’re almost thirty, and I’m already there plus a couple of years. Which proves my point even more. It’s high time you crawled out of your shell and started living. And to make sure you know just how serious I am…” Alex leaned in closer. “I’m not just daring you to do this. I double-stuff dare you.”

Flashes of childhood memories entered Avery’s mind. She and Alex used to do what they coined as double-stuff dares; whoever lost the bet had to use their allowance money to buy the other a package of double-stuffed Oreos.

And no matter what the task was, neither sister had ever backed down from a double-stuff dare. Ever.

There’s a first time for everything.

“This is ridiculous.” Avery shook her head. “We’re adults, Al. Not a couple of kids vying for a package of cookies.”

Disappointment filtered through Alex’s dark eyes. “You’re right.” She settled back into her chair. “I should’ve known better. Forget I ever brought it up.”

A nagging feeling tugged at Avery’s gut. Though it was beyond silly, she couldn’t help but feel as though she was letting her sister down in a big way.

Crap.“Let’s say, for argument’s sake, I accept the dare. What happens if I don’t follow through?”

Back in the day, in addition to the purchase of cookies, they’d come up with all sorts of additional punishments for failing. Cleaning the other’s room for a month. Backrubs every night for a week. That sort of thing.

But now that they were grown, Avery couldn’t help but wonder what sort of payment her sister would come up with.

“If you accept the challenge and fail…” Alex’s voice trailed as she mulled it over. With a quick glance at the man they’d discussed earlier, she looked back at Avery with a sly grin. “You have to go on a date with Ronald.”

Ronald. Had anyone ever screamed that name during a mind-blowing orgasm? She bet not.

Her eyes shot to the man still standing at the bar. A man she had absolutely no desire to spend any time with—work related or otherwise.

“Fine.” She agreed to her sister’s terms. “I’ll go home right now and look at my calendar. But if I do this, then you have to…” It took her a moment to formulate her own brilliant punishment. Avery grinned. “You have to stop dating…and having sex. For six months.”

Alex’s jaw dropped. “Six months?”

That should be enough time for the commitment-phobe woman to finally deal with the heartache she’d suffered, rather than hiding from it by becoming a serial dater.

“Six. Months.” Avery held her hand out across the table, pinky raised. “That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”

You’re totally in the clear. There’s no way Alex will agree to this.

The thought had barely entered Avery’s mind when her sister reached over and curled their pinkies together.

“Fine.” Alex initiated the same finger shake they used to do as kids. “If you actually go through with this, I’ll stop dating for six months.”

Son of a…

“And no sex!” Avery blurted.

Her sister sighed and mumbled, “And no sex.”

Well, crap. That plan sure backfired. But, if her taking a few days off work meant forcing Alex to realize all wasn’t lost in the world of love and happiness, then it would be worth it.

Releasing her sister’s hand, Avery smiled at the waitress who’d finally gotten around to bringing them more drinks.

An hour later, as her ride was pulling to a stop near her apartment building, the confidence she’d felt earlier had begun to fade.

Why had she agreed to such a stupid, childish bet? She read about adventures. She didn’t participate in them.

Flashing lights up ahead caught her eye, pulling her from her sea of regret. A slew of emergency vehicles was parked directly in front of the building.

Two police cars, a firetruck, and an ambulance.

What the…

Avery spun her head toward the brick structure, expecting to see smoke rolling from the windows or flames shooting out from the roof. But there was neither.

“Must be some sort of medical emergency,” her driver stated the obvious. “Hope whoever it is, is okay.”

“Yeah.” Avery nodded as she opened the door. “Me, too. Thanks for the ride.”

“No problem. And if you would, I’d really appreciate a good review. Helps with business.”

“Of course.” She shot the man a smile. “Have a good night.”

“You, too.”

Shutting the door, Avery began walking toward the entrance. Like the kind driver, she hoped whoever had called for help was okay. Mostly keeping to herself, she didn’t really know many of the people in the building. Only two, really.

Stephen, a guy around her age, and Ms. Wilson. In her eighties, she was a tried-and-true crazy cat lady.

They both lived on her floor, but each in a different hallway than hers. And since the building was enormous—it was an old paper factory that had been converted into apartments—Avery only saw Stephen and Joan occasionally, as they came and went.

The other tenants she encountered throughout her days pretty much kept to themselves, which was perfectly fine with her. In fact, Stephen and Ms. Wilson were the only ones who’d ever gone out of their way to speak to her.

Holding her key fob up to the electronic pad, Avery waited for the green light before reaching for one of the glass double doors. As she made her way into the entrance and over to her assigned mailbox, she was surprised to find it quiet.

No emergency personnel or out-of-the-ordinary activity. Just her and her junk mail. But then…

“Avery!”

Closing the small metal door to her mailbox, she turned to see Stephen exiting the elevator and walking toward her. In his late twenties, the guy was tall, somewhat fit, and had dark brown hair and eyes.

He’d asked her out once, right after she’d first moved in. But even if he didn’t give off the whole player vibe—which he totally did—Avery had never pictured the two of them dating.

Like Ronald, Stephen wasn’t unattractive. Just not the breath-stealing wow she hoped to someday find.

“Hey, Stephen.” She greeted him with a polite smile.

“Did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“Joan’s dead.”

Avery sucked in a shocked breath. “What?”

“I know.” The man’s dark brows rose as he blinked. “Crazy, right?”

That explained the police and other first responders.

“Yeah. Apparently, she’s been dead a while,” Stephen filled her in. “The people in the apartment across the hall from her noticed a rancid smell and called maintenance. That’s who found her.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s awful.” Avery frowned. She didn’t know Ms. Wilson—Joan—well, and while the woman was a bit on the quirky side, she’d always been kind to Avery. “What happened?”

“So, get this. I overheard two of the cops who are up there talking in the hall. They’re assuming it was natural causes, but that’s not all. Since she’d been gone a while, her cats ran out of food.”

“Nooo…” Avery shook her head, praying he wasn’t about to tell her what she was already imagining to be true.

“Yep.” Stephen nodded. “They ate her face clean off.”

Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, god.”

“I know.” He pretended to gag. “Disgusting, right? But I mean, you can’t really blame ’em. With no one around to feed them, they did what any animal would do and found their own food.”

Avery closed her eyes, the alcohol present in her stomach churning. Poor Joan.

A loud ding signaled the opening of the elevator doors. On reflex, she opened her eyes to find two paramedics pushing a gurney into the lobby.

Though the form beneath the white sheet was hidden—thank God—Avery was fully aware of the horror it covered.

Both nauseated and sad, she waited for Joan’s remains to exit the building before bidding Stephen a quiet ‘goodnight’ and heading for the stairs. Her apartment was on the fourth floor, but she occasionally chose to walk up, rather than taking the elevator.

When she did, it was for exercise. Tonight, it was to avoid being in the same place where her dead neighbor had just been.

She opened the door to her floor; her shocked and scattered mind having forgotten it was located just a few feet from Joan’s apartment. Avery caught a very distinct whiff of what she could only describe as death.

Not that she was experienced in that area, but there was no mistaking the smell of decomposing flesh.

Picking up the pace, she covered her mouth and nose as she rushed down the hallway and into her own apartment. Once inside, Avery slammed the door shut, fell back against it, and sucked in a long, cleansing breath.

After a few extra inhales, she went straight to her bathroom and splashed some cool water over her face. Patting her skin dry, she clutched the small towel in one fist as she rested her hands on the porcelain countertop.

Against her will, the image of Ms. Wilson’s body on that gurney resurfaced. Seconds later, Alex’s words from the bar rang through her head.

One of these days, you’re going to wake up and realize you’ve become the quintessential crazy cat lady.

Avery lifted her head, staring at her reflection. “No.” She shook her head. “I’m not.”

Leaving the towel in a ball on the sink, she flipped off her bathroom light and marched down the narrow hallway into her kitchen. Plopping down onto the barstool she typically used, she fired up her computer and began searching for the adventure her sister had dared her to find.

For the next forty-five minutes, Avery read about cave explorations, skydiving, and mountain climbing. But she was mildly claustrophobic and deathly afraid of heights, so all three of those options were out.

Fifteen minutes later, she was about to give up when she came across an ad for a last-minute cruise special.

Despite knowing she’d never go on a cruise by herself, Avery clicked on the link. Her screen was instantly filled with gorgeous pictures of clear, turquoise water and heart-stopping sunset views.

The site described it as a six-day, five-night seascape into paradise, and if the few images provided were to be believed, that was exactly what it appeared to be.

A tab labeled excursions in the top right corner caught her eye. With her sister’s voice echoing in her head, Avery clicked on the link to the cruise’s available offshore adventures.

Just as when she’d begun her initial search, Avery was inundated with choices. Everything from an all-inclusive day at the beach to dolphin swims and snorkeling adventures.

One activity allowed participants to swim with wild stingrays…and even hold them.

Hard pass, thank you very much!

Feeling as though this whole thing was a giant waste of time, Avery started to click out of the site when she saw another excursion that piqued her interest.

“Waterfalls of Damajagua and off-road buggy combo,” she read the bold heading to herself.

Promising herself that this was the last one she’d look at before taking a shower and calling it a night, she clicked on the link.

Avery wasn’t sure what she expected to see, but images of down and dirty dune buggy drivers and riders splashing through a creek bed wasn’t it. Even she had to admit, it looked like fun.

As she scrolled through the different pictures and read the excursion details, she became more and more interested.

Not only did those who registered for the six-hour adventure get to ride through the Dominican countryside and villages, they were then led on a forty-minute hike through the gorgeous landscape.

The day ended with a river walk and trips down several small, naturally formed waterfalls.

Avery couldn’t help but notice how happy everyone seemed. Even in the pictures uploaded by individuals who’d gone back to the site after their day of fun to leave reviews, each person was smiling from ear to ear.

But then she sighed, noticing how everyone in the pictures were with other people. Happy couples. Parents and kids. Friends.

She’d probably be the first person in history to sign up for something like that alone.

Baby steps, Aves. Baby steps.

Exiting out of the excursion tab, she went back to the cruise line’s main page.

The thought of being stuck on a giant ship in the middle of the ocean for an entire week…by herself…was mildly terrifying. On the other hand, it would force her to follow-through with the crazy idea.

After all, it wasn’t like she’d be able to change her mind after a day or two and Uber back home.

But the more she thought about it, having to spend even one night with Ronald made her cringe even more than being a loner on an exciting cruise vacation.

Realistically, Avery knew she could get out of the bet either way. She was an adult. No one could make her do anything she didn’t really want to do.

But—and though she’d never admit it to Alex—her sister was right. She did want more out of life. And if she didn’t take the first step and make it happen now, would she ever?

You know the answer to that.

With thoughts of crazy cat ladies and their meat-eating felines swirling around in her head, Avery grabbed her wallet, chose the type of room and location on the ship she wanted, and began entering the required information.

A few short minutes later, the only thing left to do was confirm the order.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Avery clicked her mouse one final time. Her email dinged with a confirmation from the Sunset Adventure Cruise Line, along with her vacation itinerary.

Holy shit. She was going on a cruise. By. Herself!

“Take that, Sis,” she whispered aloud.

Let’s see how predictable you think I am when I’m sending you pictures from the Eastern Caribbean.

Closing her laptop, Avery felt an unexpected pep in her step as she proceeded to shower and change into her favorite comfy PJs. Crawling into bed, she set her alarm before plugging her phone into its charger and placing it on the nightstand.

Settling into her pillow, Avery closed her eyes with the thought that she’d text her sister tomorrow with a screenshot of her trip confirmation and itinerary.

An unusual sense of excitement and confidence made her smile as she fell asleep.

A week later, as Avery stepped off the shuttle bus and onto the platform adjacent to the cruise ship’s boarding area, that confidence hadn’t merely wavered.

It had shriveled up into a tiny ball and thrown itself far, far away.

Still standing in front of the bus, she caught her first sight of the enormous vessel. With a crowd of fellow passengers and workers bustling all around her, her stomach tightened, and a giant ball of dread began to form at its center.

What the hell were you thinking?