Destiny was still up when Ben got back to her place after dropping Kathleen off. He found her in the den with the lights low, a seemingly untouched glass of brandy beside her.
“You okay?” he asked, taking a seat on the sofa opposite her.
She blinked as if she’d been very far away and hadn’t even heard him come in. “What are you doing back here?” she asked irritably. “If you came to pester me for more information, you’re wasting your time.”
“Actually I came looking for a place to spend the night. Kathleen and I are going to finish up the nursery for Richard and Melanie in the morning. We want to get an early start, so it made more sense to stay in town, if you don’t mind.”
Destiny’s expression brightened, then, as if she feared that too much enthusiasm on her part might spook him, she said cautiously, “You two seem to be getting closer.”
“She’s a nice woman,” he said just as cautiously. “Very thoughtful.”
“Yes, I like that about her, too.”
He gave his aunt a wry look. “She’s also damned discreet, in case you were wondering. She didn’t breathe a word of whatever you said to her.”
“And I imagine that’s driving you crazy,” Destiny said grumpily. “Well, too bad.”
“I’m not trying to pry. I’m really not,” he told her. “It’s just that if there could be a connection to what’s happening at Carlton Industries, I think maybe Richard has a right to know. Not even me,” he emphasized. “Richard.”
“I’m giving that some consideration,” she admitted. “And that’s all I intend to say on the subject for now. You might as well drop it.”
“Suits me,” he said agreeably. “So, can I stay here tonight?”
She regarded him with an impatient look. “Since when do you have to ask? This is the home you grew up in. You’ll always have a place here. You know that.”
“I thought you might prefer to be alone.”
“If I did, it’s a big house. I could go to my room. As long as you keep all those pesky questions to yourself, I’ll be glad of the company.” Her expression brightened. “Tell me about the nursery. I haven’t been by to see it yet.”
Ben described the mess he and Kathleen had found on their arrival and their plans to finish it. When he described the mural he had in mind for the ceiling, Destiny’s face lit up with the kind of animation he was used to seeing in her, the kind of animation that had been sadly missing earlier.
“That’s absolutely perfect, but there’s so little time,” she fretted, then beamed at him. “I could help.”
He stared at her in surprise. “You would do that?”
“Well, of course I would. It’ll be fun. What time are we going over in the morning?”
“I’m picking Kathleen up at eight. Will that work for you?”
She hesitated as if mentally going over her schedule. “I had a seven-thirty breakfast meeting with a committee chairman, but I’ll call her and cancel first thing in the morning. I’ll make it work,” she assured him. “This is far more important.”
“Richard’s not going to be one bit happier about you being up on a ladder than he was about Melanie trying it,” Ben said.
Destiny waved off his concern. “What your brother doesn’t know won’t hurt him. He’ll be at work by the time we get there, and we’ll be finished long before he comes home.”
“Apparently he came home in the middle of the day today,” Ben told her.
Destiny stared at him in shock. “Richard left the office early?”
“It’s like some sort of cataclysmic event, isn’t it?” Ben said.
“Definitely,” Destiny agreed, then grinned. “But I can take care of that with a couple of calls first thing tomorrow, too. He won’t get out of the office till we want him to.”
“Have I told you how delightfully devious you are?” Ben asked.
“Yes, but usually it’s not with that note of approval in your voice,” she told him wryly.
“Well, I think you’re wonderful. Now we both need to get some sleep.”
“You run along, darling. I’ll be up shortly.”
“Destiny—” he began worriedly.
“It’s okay, really. I’m feeling much better. I just want to jot down a few ideas before I lose them.”
“Ideas for the nursery?”
“No, nosy. Ideas that are none of your business.”
Ben sighed, but gave up. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and noted that her color was much better now, her eyes livelier than when he’d first come in. Whatever was troubling her, she was getting a grasp on it. He didn’t doubt for an instant that whatever she was sorting through, she would triumph in the end.