Destiny Read Online Free

circumstance dictated.
    Nash waved to Macy Donovan, the hostess whom he’d gone to school with before the Rossmans took him in, adopted him, and sent him to private school. She waved back, gesturing to where Dare sat at a booth in the back.
    Nash would have found him in a heartbeat, his blue police uniform making him stand out. He joined his brother, easing into the worn, cracked vinyl seat.
    “Hope you don’t mind, but I ordered for you. I don’t have much time today,” Dare said. “I’m on a quick lunch break.”
    As an attorney, Nash could pretty much make his own hours. “Good by me, thanks.” He gestured to the waitress, a Donovan cousin by marriage.
    “What can I get for you?” Gina, a middle-aged woman with red hair and a bright smile, asked.
    “Coke for me,” Nash said.
    Gina eyed Dare’s empty glass. “Want a refill, Officer?”
    Dare nodded.
    “Be right back with your drinks and your food,” Gina promised.
    “Thanks,” Nash and Dare said in unison.
    Nash leaned back in his seat. “So, have you recovered from the wedding?” He’d watched his brother enjoy his day off.
    Nash wasn’t sure if Dare’s drink had been water or vodka, but he could tell his brother had had a good time.
    Dare laughed. “Yeah. I’m just glad I was off duty on Sunday. It could’ve been ugly if I didn’t get a day to rest.”
    “Who says it wasn’t ugly?” Nash asked, having not had nearly the fun his brother had.
    Until the end, when he’d been blindsided by a sexy woman and a mind-blowing kiss.
    “All things considered, I’d say the day was okay,” Dare said.
    “How do you figure?” Nash asked, always shocked that somehow, despite the fact that Dare had gone to a foster home with too many kids and too little money except what the state provided, he’d ended up with a better attitude than Nash.
    “Tess behaved, you and Ethan didn’t come to blows, and Faith’s mother didn’t insult us Barron boys too much.” He slung his arm over the back of his booth and grinned.
    “That’s only because the great Lanie Harrington couldn’t take her focus off the wineglass in her hand.” Everyone in Serendipity knew Faith’s mother thought she was better than the rest of the world, even after her husband had disgraced their family name.
    Dare shrugged, his expression showing compassion not disgust. “Well, if I’d lost my house and all my money be-cause my husband turned into a self-styled Bernie Madoff, I might spend most of my days drunk and not save it for special occasions. Just saying.”
    When the Harrington fraud scandal had broken, few were spared. Even Nash’s adoptive/foster parents had taken a hit, and Nash currently represented many Harrington clients in a civil class action suit, but the likelihood of ever seeing any money grew dimmer by the day. Only Ethan prospered from the scandal, returning to town wealthy, thanks to his software abilities and army training. Apparently he’d sold some aircraft development system to the military, resulting in his ability to buy the Harrington mansion at auction after Faith’s father’s fall from grace.
    Nash leaned back in his seat while Gina placed their food on the table. “Thanks, Gina.”
    “I love serving you boys. My husband, Tony, speaks very highly of you both. A lawyer and a policeman. He says your parents would be proud,” she said quietly.
    Nash met his brother’s gaze, a silent knowing look in his eyes that spoke of the past and shared pain. “Thank him for us,” he said.
    “Will do. Can I get you anything else?” she asked, changing the subject.
    “I’m good for now,” Nash said.
    “Same,” Dare added. He waited until Gina walked away before leaning forward. “Now, where were we?”
    “Talking about the Harringtons.” Nobody in Serendipity ever tired of the subject.
    “Right.” Nash loaded his burger with ketchup before passing the bottle to Dare, who did the same.
    “I might feel sorry for Lanie Harrington if I thought she