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“I think we should go,” Amy said. She wasn’t going to let them see her disappointment at their reactions to the card. Let them think that the therapist meant for them to buy a house here, but Amy thought otherwise. Between her dream and the bookstore and the book, she was beginning to think that this trip was part of her destiny.
When she glanced up, the other two were looking at her. “What?”
“You just said the word ‘destiny’ and we wondered why.”
“Oh, nothing. It’s just something I’ve thought about. Nothing important.”
“I’d like to hear it,” Faith said, then glared at Zoë to keep her from making a sarcastic remark.
“Yeah, me, too,” Zoë said, but there was a tone of facetiousness in her voice.
“It’s nothing,” Amy said. “It’s just that years ago I read something that stuck in my mind. Everyone has heard about predestination, that before we’re born our lives are planned out for us.”
“And whoever believes that please raise their hand,” Zoë said.
Faith gave her another glare and Zoë closed her mouth.
“Anyway,” Amy said, “I thought about it because when I was very young I knew that Stephen was my destiny. I don’t know how to explain it, but I knew that my destiny on earth was to marry him and have three children, two boys and a girl. When I miscarried the girl I was upset, true, but it was deeper than that. I was afraid that I had somehow accidently changed my destiny.”
“If it’s predestined before you’re born, how can it change?” Zoë asked.
“That’s what I always thought, that it couldn’t change, and I guess it wouldn’t if you were the only person on earth. Well, actually, that would change your destiny for sure, but, anyway, I read an article in some magazine that said that people and events can change your destiny. Like you, Zoë, that car accident could have changed your destiny.”
“How do you know the accident wasn’t in my destiny?”
“I don’t, but since you’re so angry about it, maybe your destiny was to do something else, but the accident sent you in another direction.”
Zoë didn’t say anything, just looked at Amy.
“And me,” Faith said. “Maybe my destiny was to marry Tyler.”
It took all Amy could do not to look at Zoë. If they looked at each other, it would give too much away.
“Murder must change a person’s destiny,” Zoë said.
“Murder?” Faith asked. “What brought that up?”
“Here!” Amy said quickly. “In this book. Lord Hawthorne was killed in his sleep. Someone plunged a knife in his heart.”
“What a waste,” Zoë said. “Are you two finished? I think we should leave.” She looked at Amy. “Unless you have another fascinating word to whisper.”
“No, destiny is my word for the day. I’m ready if you are.” She picked up her handbag and her book, then reached for the business card on the table, but Faith held on to it.
“Interesting come-on this woman has,” she said. “To rewrite one’s past.”
“And if you could, what would you do?” Zoë asked, standing and looking down at Faith.
“Probably nothing,” she said as she stood up. “I think my destiny was decided for me by Tyler Parks. I think that if he’d climbed in my window a second time I would have run off with him.” She shrugged. “But he didn’t. He ran off, true, but it was probably with a blonde.”
When Faith looked at the other two, they weren’t smiling. “It was just a joke. Don’t you two have a sense of humor?”
“Sure,” Amy said. “Wait until tomorrow when I tell you about the dream I’m going to have tonight.”
Amy and Zoë left the shop in front of Faith. “You have to tell her,” Amy said under her breath. “She needs to know.”
“Why? So she can go back in time and change her destiny?”
“You can laugh at me all you want, but I think she needs to know.”
