Page 49 of Destiny Reclaimed
Gwen slipped into her car and cranked the engine. With a glance over her shoulder, she caught a glimpse of the curtain in their bedroom sway. Her resolve cracked a bit. She needed away from here.
She pulled out of the driveway so quickly the tire caught the corner of the curb. The car bounced up and landed heavily in the street with a tooth jarring consequence. Placing her hand over her churning tummy, she realized she’d better pull it together before she hurt their unborn child.
Flipping on the blinker, she turned right, heading toward the dime store downtown. It was a beautiful day. Over the past couple of weeks, the chilly, damp, spring air had begun to make the switch to a warm summer breeze.
She waved at Myra Gleason as the woman walked down the sidewalk, pushing her son in a baby carriage. Passing by, she glanced over her shoulder. Myra wore a big smile and walked with a bounce in her step.
Tears of guilt slid down her cheeks. Would she ever again be as happy as Myra appeared?
A couple of months ago she had almost everything going for her. She was a newlywed who’d married the man she loved, and she’d gotten pregnant right away.
Then, it all turned to shit.
If losing her older brother hadn’t been hard enough already, to lose her twin was more than she, and her heartbroken parents, could bear. Every time she visited her mother, the pain emitting from her mom’s eyes made her want to climb into a hole and die. And if all that wasn’t bad enough, her husband, the love of her life, had the means to set things right, but wouldn’t—didn’t love her enough to help.
A small part of her understood what her husband meant when he’d tried to justify why he shouldn’t attempt to change the past—the butterfly effect, but the past she wanted him to change was so recent she couldn’t imagine there’d be much of an effect. He didn’t see it her way at all, sticking with the fact the risk could be greater than they could imagine, especially since neither of them could see into the future. Call her selfish, but the pain in her heart, and that of her parents, had her ready and willing to take the risk.
Gwen pulled into a parking spot in front of the dime store and slid out of her car as she hiked her purse over her shoulder. On weekends, downtown parking was a premium, but mid-week, finding a spot wasn’t a problem.
She strolled to the back of the store to look at the fish as she always did. Their shiny colors and free flowing movements brought comfort to her.
A young boy pointed at a goldfish and begged his mother for one.
“Not today, Samuel, but your birthday’s coming up, maybe then.”
The little boy with the big brown eyes seemed to accept that answer. But if he would have turned those sweet eyes toward her and asked for a fish, she probably would have purchased every single one in the tank for him.
The lady and boy walked away, and Gwen stared at the fish as they swam around without a care in the world.
“Ahem. Can I help you?”
She flinched and turned.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” the man apologized with a warm smile as his dark, inset eyes studied her.
He lingered close enough to make her uncomfortable.
She took a step back. “That’s okay.”
“Do you need a fish? I can bag one up for you?”
She lowered her gaze to his chest. The guy wore a black apron over a long-sleeved, white shirt and a black bowtie indicating he was an employee, but he must be new. She frequented the store often and had never seen him before, though there was a familiarity about him.
“Oh no, I was just looking.”
The stocky man inched closer and outstretched his hand. “I’m Arthur, the new assistant manager.”
Apprehension seized her. He emitted an odd vibe. She didn’t want to touch him but didn’t want to be rude either. With reluctance, she shook his large hand. A hand that matched the rest of him; he was not only several inches taller than her but big—thick. Not fat, but muscular. Even his head and neck seemed larger than normal. Yet, his nose was long and thin.
He held her hand longer than what was appropriate as he studied her intently.
“You’re Jack’s wife, aren’t you?”
She began to perspire and pulled her hand back. How did he know that? She didn’t know him.
“Yes,” she replied, hoping he’d stop staring at her with that eerie gaze now that he confirmed she was married. Instead, it intensified.
Sweat ran down her sides. She made a move to step around him, to get out of the corner he’d boxed her in, but he didn’t move.
