Page 57 of Gwen's Delta
“I know, princess. I have to go now. I’ll see you soon.”
“Bye.” As he hung up, she heard loud voices in the background and wondered what was going on. Hopefully, it had nothing to do with the trip.
At least now she had a much-needed distraction. Shopping would be more fun if she’d been going on vacation and not to rescue her parents. But getting out and doing anything was better than pacing the bookstore and worrying.
But first, she needed to tell Gramps he didn’t need to gather the money, and Luke had arranged the trip. Gramps would want to come, but after seeing how frail he’d looked earlier, there was no way she’d let him even if Luke didn’t object.
* * *
As Gwen had expected, Gramps was sitting at the desk in his office, concentrating on whatever was on his screen. After she told him about the plane and that Luke’s team was traveling to Egypt with her, Gramps had agreed to stay home. But he’d made her promise to keep him updated as much as possible.
Then, she stopped by the kitchen to let Grams know she needed to pick up a few things and pack her bag. Destiny offered to join her, and Gwen was grateful for the company. Maybe Destiny would have some advice on what she should bring, too. Luke knew what she needed, but a woman's input was safer.
“I need to pick up a pair of hiking boots. We don’t have a lot of options in Lancelot,” Gwen said.
“Did Merlin say you needed them?” Destiny asked.
“He said if I had them, to pack them. I only have a pair of Keds. But since I don’t know where I’ll be going after I get there, I wasn’t sure they’d be good enough.”
“Good point. I haven’t been to Egypt. I’d think regular shoes would work, but it can’t hurt to have the boots.”
Destiny followed Gwen back to her house to drop off her car. Then Destiny drove them to the shoe store. It felt like fate when there was a brand new display of hiking boots in the front window of the store, and she easily found a pair that fit.
After that, they went into a few other stores and eventually found some light-colored shirts and a couple pairs of light-colored slacks. Since Gwen didn’t know how long they’d be in Egypt, she made sure she had five days of clothing in light colors.
“I love that shirt you got, Gwen. It’s so pretty,” Destiny said as she helped carry their bags into the house.
They’d both bought more than they needed. Gwen had forgotten how much fun it was to shop with another woman—and more expensive. And why had she let Destiny talk her into sexy lingerie? She didn’t plan on seducing Luke while they were around his team.
“Thanks,” Gwen said. “Oh, I hope you’re not allergic to cats since you’re about to meet Sir Galahad.”
“Nope, no cat allergies. Aren’t you the gorgeous dude?” Destiny said as she set down the bags to kneel and look into the cat’s amber eyes. It surprised Gwen when he rubbed against Destiny and allowed her to pick him up. Maybe the precocious feline finally felt secure enough to trust others.
“Do you want something to drink?” Gwen asked as Destiny followed her into the kitchen, still carrying Galahad.
“Water or tea?”
“I have tea, but it’s not sweet.”
“That works.”
Gwen filled two glasses from the pitcher of tea and then opened a container and added a slice of lemon.
“You can look around,” Gwen offered. “I’ll just be down this hallway, so I can pack. I wish I had time to wash all the new clothes, but it should be okay, right?”
“Yeah, I’m sure it will be fine.”
Grabbing her bags and the glass of tea, Gwen went to her room and unpacked everything. After she spread the purchases on the bed, she realized she bought a lot more than she’d planned. It had been a while since she’d gotten anything new, and she’d wear all of it eventually.
Destiny came into the room as Gwen finished the last of the de-tagging and folding. “Did Merlin say how many days you’d be there?” she asked.
“No, and I didn’t think to ask. I figure five days’ worth should be enough.”
“Yeah, probably. I hope you’ll get your parents and leave right away.”
“Me, too.”
Destiny sat on the edge of the bed. “Don’t forget toiletries since you don’t know where you’ll be. And sunscreen. I don’t know if you usually wear a lot of makeup, but I wouldn’t while you’re there.”
