Destined for Disaster ✔️

Chapter 33

Ryleigh pushed the infirmary doors open, calling Ridge's name in a sing-song voice to announce her arrival. Ridge wasn't there, however, but Julie was. 

"Why! Good morning. If it isn't the woman of mystery," Ryleigh said.

Julie breathed a laugh. "Me? I am the woman of mystery?"

"O, yes. Is Ridge here? He told me to drop by today."

"Not right now. He's making the rounds. I expect him back in a little bit."

"Alright. To return to my remark: yes, you're very mysterious to me. I've only seen you once, you know, and I've been here sixteen days – not that I'm keeping track or anything."

Julie was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, one leg gracefully draped across the other. Ryleigh plopped down on another bed, dangling her feet.

"I've been away a lot, I'll admit that," Julie said.

"I thought I might see you at dinner yesterday, but you didn't show. The others told me you were arranging a festival."

"Yes. Ellis sent me on an errand."

"Shame. I know Austin and you were supposed to meet up yesterday. He was pretty bummed he didn't get to see you. Are you meeting up with him today?"

"No. Ellis needed him to run an extra patrol."

Ryleigh pushed a chuckle through her nose and shook her head.

"What?" Julie said, not sure there was anything to laugh about.

"Ellis. He has such strict ideas about what fated mates should be like. He won't accept Austin and I aren't what he pictured. I get it, though. He wants what's best for his brother and he thinks fate is it."

"You don't think it is?"

Ryleigh smiled. "A better question is: do you?"

Julie's eyes flitted away from her and strayed through the room. Ryleigh was the last person she wanted to be discussing this with.

"You've had a fated mate, haven't you?" Ryleigh asked.

She froze, features tightening in an attempt to keep her emotions in check. "Yes. Ridge's son. He passed four years ago."

"I heard. I'm not going to pretend I can fathom that kind of loss. It does help me understand you, though."

Julie pulled her brows down, wrinkling her forehead. "How so?"

"Well, you leaving, for instance. What woman would do that? No one, except perhaps someone who is not only naturally moralistic but who also knows what it's like to have a soulmate."

"Right."

"Then on the other hand, I don't entirely believe you would just willingly step aside. I mean, I can understand why you would ask Austin to get me here. If I'd died in prison there would always have been a part of him that would have wondered about me. But leaving? That I don't get. Why would you willingly do that? My guess is that maybe you didn't."

Her head snapped back to Ryleigh. "What?"

"Like I said, Ellis has very clear ideas about fated mates. So I'm thinking that maybe he asked you to step aside?"

"Who told you that?"

"You did, I guess. And he did. You were going to spend time with Austin but then Ellis sent you on an errand? And then you would spend time with Austin today but Ellis sent him on patrol instead? He's clearly trying to keep you two apart. At the same time, he keeps pushing Austin towards me, forcing him to spend time with me. I'd find it funny if it didn't annoy me so much."