Chapter 8

8

F aith handed Destiny her phone. A video was pulled up on the screen. She watched as Destiny viewed the video. Faith could see confusion on Destiny's face, but not guilt.

"What is this?" Destiny asked, standing up and sitting back down next to Faith.

"Here," Faith said, reaching for her phone. She started the video again. "That's my end of the doctor's office. You are digging up the flowering plants then taking them out of the frame to your part of the project. You'll notice you go back several times until you've taken them all." She let the video continue. "I can't believe you didn't even rake the bed or smooth it out. You just left the gaping holes where the plants had been. But then again, the uglier you make it the better. Right?"

Destiny stared at the phone and shook her head. "I recognize the doctor's office." She looked up into Faith's eyes. "That's not me."

Faith scoffed and smiled sarcastically. "I knew you'd say that. Take a closer look. Do you recognize that hoodie?"

Destiny took the phone from her and replayed the video, staring at the screen.

"That's the hoodie you took from me," Faith explained. "Don't you remember? You said you liked to wear it at work because it felt like?—"

"You were hugging me," Destiny said softly.

"Could you feel me hugging you that night?" Faith asked with a bite to her voice.

Destiny sighed. "Faith," she said and paused. "That is not me."

Faith could see the truth in Destiny's eyes, even in the dark. "But that's my hoodie."

"I know it is, but you took that hoodie back from me before you left," Destiny said.

"No, I didn't."

Destiny let out a frustrated breath. She closed her eyes and Faith knew she was trying to recall memories from that time in their lives.

"I didn't have your hoodie for days before this video," Destiny said. "I thought you got tired of me wearing it and took it back."

"No," Faith said. "I liked that you wore it, especially when you told me why."

Destiny gasped. "I kept it in my truck, until one day it wasn't there. Anyone could have taken it."

Faith furrowed her brow as a sinking feeling settled in her stomach. She played the video once again. Faith couldn't count the number of times she'd seen it. This had to be Destiny. This person moved like her, was the same size as her. Surely Faith could tell the difference between her partner and someone else.

"I know it looks like me," Destiny said. "But it's not. I would not do this."

Faith felt like Destiny was hearing her thoughts. "Then who could it be?"

"Where did you get this?" Destiny asked. "Did you go back to the site?"

Faith shook her head as the sick feeling in her stomach intensified. She quickly got up and stepped to the window for a big breath of fresh air. "I'm going to be sick," she said, bending over and resting her hands on her knees.

She could hear Destiny rise to her feet and suddenly she felt wafts of air passing over her face. She closed her eyes and let the feeling of nausea pass. When she stood up she saw that Destiny had closed her notebook and was fanning the air around her.

"It's so hot in here," Destiny said. "I'm taking my shirt off. You should do the same."

They were both dressed in their usual summer uniform of shorts and moisture wicking T-shirts with their companies' logos. Faith followed Destiny's lead and pulled her shirt over her head. The feel of air over her sweat-soaked skin helped somewhat, but the heat had nothing to do with Faith's upset stomach.

If Destiny hadn't sabotaged Faith's landscape project that night then Faith had thrown away everything she loved because of some kind of deception.

"Are you feeling better?" Destiny asked softly.

Faith nodded, but realized Destiny probably couldn't see her in the mostly darkened room. "Yeah, I think so," she said quietly.

"Let's sit down and figure out who in the fuck ruined our lives," Destiny said with anger in her voice.

Faith couldn't yet summon the anger she knew Destiny was feeling. Her heart was full of anguish, regret, and grief. What had she done?

"Can I see your phone?" Destiny asked from where she sat on the floor.

Faith handed it to her then sat down beside her.

"Someone must have wanted to win that job desperately," Destiny said. "But who and why?"

"Were they trying to break us up?"

"Why? We didn't bother anyone. I thought everyone liked us," Destiny said. "Who was on the third crew?"

"Mark," Faith immediately said, "but he wasn't really the boss. Kyle had just quit a week before."

"Oh, that's right," Destiny said. "Someone on that team who was about my size and knew about the hoodie must have done it."

At the same time, they looked at each other and gasped. "Gloria!"

"But why would Gloria do that?" Faith asked.

Destiny leaned back against the wall and sighed. "Because she wanted her own team." She handed the phone back to Faith. "It all makes sense now."

"How?" Faith asked.

"Do you remember that Mr. Galloway sent me an hour away that day?"

"Oh, yeah," Faith replied. "You went to Bastrop to Lost Pines Resort."

"That's right," Destiny said. "I had to do maintenance on the butterfly garden we planted." In the dim light she looked at Faith. "That sanctuary is one of the best places we ever created together."

Faith nodded.

"Anyway," Destiny said, focusing back on the mystery at hand, "I was gone until late that evening."

"I know," Faith said quietly.

Destiny looked back at Faith in surprise. "That gave you plenty of time to pack your stuff and move out."

Faith didn't say anything.

"Gloria knew I went to Bastrop. She came into the office when Mr. Galloway told me the butterfly garden needed a quick weeding because the resort had a big weekend planned. When did you get this video, Faith?"

"My crew was mowing and trimming over at Camden Place," Faith said. "I got the video not long after we got there."

"Why didn't you call me or text me or something?"

Faith sighed. "I tried to," she said. "I thought you didn't answer my text because you knew I'd found out. If you'll remember, Lost Pines doesn't have the greatest cell service. There are dead zones by the river, near the butterfly garden."

Destiny shook her head and released a deep breath. "Mr. Galloway never judged our projects," she said.

"What?" Faith asked, surprised.

"The next day, he said you had to leave unexpectedly and gave your crew to Gloria."

"That was fast," Faith said.

"He was going to put Mark in charge, but he quit and went to work with you," Destiny said. "I quit a week later."

"Why? You would've had the most senior crew and could've picked your jobs."

"No, I couldn't," Destiny said defensively. "He had those competitions, remember?"

"Yeah, but no one could come close to your creativity and knowledge," Faith said.

"It didn't matter." Destiny stared at her hands. "I couldn't stay there." She swallowed the lump in her throat remembering the debilitating sadness she felt when she realized Faith had gone and wouldn't talk to her.

"I saw Gloria today," Faith said. "She's working for one of the big firms now."

"I'm not surprised. She didn't want to do the hard stuff to own your own company. She wanted to run someone else's."

"She gave me the strangest look when I said hello to her," Faith said. "Now I know why."

"I'm not sure what I'll do the next time I see her." Destiny blew out an exasperated breath. She was angry with Gloria, but it wasn't entirely her fault that all this happened.

Faith reached over and grabbed Destiny's hand. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

Destiny looked over and could see tears swimming in Faith's eyes. Suddenly Destiny jumped up and went to the window. She closed her eyes and tried to make sense of this entire fucked up situation.

She was stuck in a small shack with dogs ready to attack if they opened the door and she'd just found out that the reason the woman she loved had left her was because of a case of mistaken identity. Are you fucking kidding me! Destiny wanted to scream, but instead she turned to Faith.

"Why couldn't you tell me!" Destiny exclaimed. "Hell, why couldn't you tell Mark, or tell anybody! If you would have just said something then we'd be together right now."

Faith dropped her head and closed her eyes. "I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Destiny asked. When Faith looked at her with desperation in her eyes Destiny knew it was about trust. "Oh no, Faith, I know how hard it is for you to trust people. That's why I showed you over and over you were safe with me. You fell in love with me and you knew you could trust me."

"Maybe we can fix this, Destiny," Faith implored her in a hopeful voice.

Destiny's eyes widened and her heart sank. "How?" she asked with tears in her eyes. "If this happens again, I won't survive it. I trusted you."

"I messed up," Faith said. "I've always trusted you and knew I could. I can't trust myself because I'm so fucked up, but I'll work on it, Des. Until I can trust myself, I know to trust you. Of course you would have never done anything like that to me, but the video was so real. Why didn't I come to you and ask? Because I was afraid it was true! If you had told me you did that to my face I don't think I'd have made it. That would've been it for me."

"Did you ever think I would've told you it wasn't me?"

"I knew that's what you'd say because that's what any guilty person says. See how fucked up my thinking is?" Faith paced around the small room. "Now I'm devastated again because of what's happened and all I can think about is making it right." She stopped in front of Destiny and took her hands in hers. "All I can think about is giving you all this love I have inside me before it blows me up."

"Faith…"

"I know, it's not on you to save me. You did once before. What if we have the beautiful life we were talking about before I destroyed us? Don't you think we can still get there? I know you still love me. Give me a chance to show you."

Tears were falling down Destiny's cheeks now. "How could you ever think I would do something like that to you? I know you were hurt in the past, Faith, but all I did was love you. My love obviously wasn't enough."

"It was! It is!" Faith yelled. "It's me, Destiny. I'm the fucked up one. Why you ever wanted to be with me is unimaginable."

"Because I love you!" Destiny screamed back.

The dogs began to bark outside the building and Destiny reached for the doorknob.

Faith grabbed her arm. "Stop! They'll hurt you!"

Destiny groaned and bent over putting her face in her hands. "I can't fucking believe this!" she screamed.

"I know," Faith said, gently placing her hand on Destiny's back.

It would be so easy to take Faith into her arms. She desperately wanted Faith to hold her, but what good would that do? Destiny couldn't believe Faith thought she could do something so terrible.

She remembered one evening as they watched the sunset, Faith talked about her parents. She told Destiny that when her parents would miss important events in her life she would convince herself that they had a good reason. When she got home and found out they simply didn't want to be there for her it would put another wound in her heart. Faith explained to Destiny that that's why her heart was nothing but scars.

"When I met you," Faith said, "the very first time you smiled at me, I felt my heart begin to soften.

Destiny smiled, holding Faith's hand. "The scars may always be there, but there's room in your heart for my love. I can feel it."

"Oh, your love is there, but what's even more amazing is that you made me able to love again. Just as we create beautiful landscapes together, we have made a love like nothing I've ever known."

"You can trust our love, babe," Destiny said.

As Destiny remembered that conversation she could just imagine the thoughts in Faith's head when she saw that video. She must have felt so betrayed.

Destiny stood up and looked into Faith's eyes. "You couldn't trust our love. What were you so afraid of, Faith?"