At today’s meeting, the comic relief was supplied by Eddie and Gladys, who wanted to host a cable access show—the same two old ladies who had wanted to sign up to be volunteers at his recent HERO meeting. Mayor Marsha was doing her best to discourage them, and while Kipling would normally put his money on the mayor, she didn’t seem to be making much headway against a very determined Eddie and Gladys. The ongoing conversation made him wish he’d brought popcorn. Talk about entertainment.

“You can’t stop us,” Eddie said, leaning in as she spoke. “This is a free country. I know my rights. The community access channel is just that. For the community. Gladys and I will include everyone on our show.”

“Especially the men.” Gladys cackled.

“That’s what has me concerned.” Mayor Marsha studied them both. “There are strict laws about nudity.”

Eddie’s eyebrows rose nearly to her hairline. “Are you implying I’d have naked people on my show?”

“We should be so lucky,” Gladys muttered.

“Yes,” the mayor said firmly. “Or pictures. I’ve been in touch with my friends at the FCC, and they’re going to be watching you two.”

Patience Garrett, the owner of Brew-haha, sat next to him. Now she leaned close. “It’s always dangerous when Mayor Marsha starts talking about her friends anywhere. If I were Eddie and Gladys, I’d be shaking in my shoes.”

“They wouldn’t really have nudity, would they?”

“In a heartbeat. A couple of years ago there was a calendar done as a fund-raiser. A bunch of male models flew in and did a photo shoot. Naked. Eddie and Gladys were front and center, watching the show.”

“They look so innocent.”

Patience grinned. “Don’t confuse old with innocent. They could so take you.”

“Those two?”

“Sure. You’re a nice guy. You’d never fight back.”

“Point taken.”

He returned his attention to the ongoing discussion, then allowed it to slide to his left. Destiny sat a few rows in front of him. She’d come in late and had found a seat off to the side.

At first he’d wondered if she was avoiding him. While he’d found their last conversation intriguing, he thought maybe she’d been embarrassed. Maybe she didn’t want him to know she was attracted to him. She was a little tightly wound. But as he watched her now, he wondered if something else was going on. She seemed tense in a way that had nothing to do with him. She’d barely glanced in his direction.

If he had to guess, he would say she was upset about something. Not work related. He received an email update every morning, and they were right on track. So it had to be something else. Family, maybe?

He looked back at Mayor Marsha and did his best to pay attention to what she was talking about, all the while keeping tabs on Destiny. He wanted to speak to her before she left. If there was a problem, maybe he could help.

The meeting wrapped up after about an hour. Kipling had thought Destiny might bolt, but she stayed to speak to a few people. He made his way over to her. Everyone else left the meeting, and by the time he was standing in front of her, they were alone.

“How’s it going?” he asked.

Destiny shook her head. “Badly. Starr and I had a huge fight last night. It’s my fault. I totally screwed up. She talked about a boy she liked, and I overreacted.”

“She’s dating?” Wasn’t Starr too young?

“I hope not. I told her that love was just chemicals and words, and she misunderstood. I was talking about romantic love. She thought I was saying no one loved her.” She turned away. “I want to say she’s wrong, but I don’t know. Our father hasn’t seen her in months. Her mother’s dead, I’m her temporary guardian and I barely know her. She’s lost, and I’m the last person to know what to do.”

He put his arm around her and pulled her close. “That’s not true.”

“We have the same father. Believe me when I say I don’t come from an emotionally stable family situation.”

“You had Grandma Nell. She was stable. She loved you and made you feel safe. So do the same for Starr.”

She felt good tucked against him. Feminine and warm. He wanted to step between her and whatever was going wrong so he could make it right.

She relaxed against him for a second before stepping away. “You’re right. I need to think like Grandma Nell would. This morning Starr wouldn’t even speak to me. She’s too young to be dealing with all this. I have to find a way to help her.”

“What about your dad?”

Destiny sighed. “I talked to him after I heard from his lawyer about Starr. Jimmy Don is touring in Europe this summer. He has no plans to come back before October. As for Starr, he’s sure she’ll be fine.”

Kipling felt a familiar anger stirring. Not all abuse came from a fist. “In other words, he doesn’t give a shit.”

“Not exactly how I would have phrased it, but yes. Famous people don’t have to clean up their own messes. There’s always someone ready to step in and do it for them. Not that I’m calling my sister a mess. You know what I mean.”

“I do. What are you going to say to her?”

She looked up at him, her green eyes wide with emotion. “I have no idea. The truth, I guess. That I made a mistake. That I care about her and want her to know that.”

“She needs to know she’ll always have a place with you.”