Tears blurred my vision. Here she’d been so nice to me, and I’d made a total mess of her kitchen—and even though she was saying it was no big deal, I knew it was. “I’m really sorry,” I whispered.
Gina paused to look at me. “Lily,” she said gently. “It’s just juice. It’s okay. I promise. Now, why don’t you head down the hall to the bathroom and use one of the washcloths in the basket to clean yourself up. You’ll be a sticky mess on the drive home, otherwise.”
I was breathing hard and still unsure, but at last I managed to turn and do as she instructed. After closing the door to the bathroom, I sat on the rim of the tub and covered my face with my hands. I was so rattled and upset, and not just about making a mess. When I’d first looked at the photograph on the counter, I’d been stunned to see that it was a photo of me. I’d been weirdly dressed, and my hair was totally different, but I swore it was me pictured there, and then I’d felt the glass slipping out of my hand and I’d blinked and the image had been replaced by someone else—a girl about my age—and as all the synapses in my brain had been firing, I’d known that she was Gina’s daughter. But the really weird thing was that I’d also known her name as clearly as I knew my own. I knew that her name was Amber.
With a deep breath I got up from the tub and moved to the sink to stare at my reflection. What the hell was happening to me? Why was I having all this crazy déjà vu? And how did I know names of people I’d never even met? Yeah, I’d gotten Cole’s middle name instead of his first name right, but still…Spence wasn’t a common name. How had I pulled that out of thin air? And why was I so sure that Gina’s daughter’s name was Amber?
I shook my head. I was being stupid. Of course her name wasn’t Amber. And then another thought occurred to me. Hadn’t Cole’s uncle been murdered by his girlfriend whose name was Amber?
Sweat broke out across my palms. Could it be the same girl? But the paper had said that Amber committed suicide, not that she’d been murdered. And how could the girl from the article be Gina’s daughter? I mean, that really would be a freaky coincidence. Wouldn’t it?
“Only one way to find out,” I whispered. After hurrying to clean myself up, I stepped back out to the kitchen. Gina was rinsing her hands under the faucet and no sign of the mess I’d created remained. “Again, I’m so sorry,” I said.
She shut off the faucet and turned to me as she wiped her hands. “Sweetie, after you’ve had a life like mine, you learn not to sweat the small stuff.”
“Thanks,” I said. “But I still feel bad.”
“Well, don’t. Now, have a seat and try my hummus. I make it myself.”
I nibbled at a little pita bread dipped in the hummus, and it was, in fact, delicious. “Gina?” I said carefully as she sat down next to me.
“Yes?”
“Can I ask…what was your daughter’s name?”
Gina’s gaze moved to the set of framed photographs next to me. “Amber,” she said. “Her name was Amber.”
I blinked. I’d been right. For a moment I wondered if maybe I was developing some sort of psychic ability. I mean, all of the day’s coincidences just seemed so freaky to me. But wouldn’t I know other things besides just a name or two? Wouldn’t I have visions of events that had yet to happen?
I had no idea how that stuff worked, and I was on the fence about whether or not I believed in it, but no other explanation came to me to account for pulling out two random and somewhat unique names associated with two people I’d never met before.
As I pondered that, the doorbell rang and Gina hopped off her chair. “That’ll be Arthur.”
I followed her back out to the salon, and she undid the lock for me. Arthur stood by the car, holding the back door open. I turned to Gina to say good-bye, but she beat me to it.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Lily,” she said.
“Thank you,” I told her.
And then I did something that was totally unlike me, and impulsive, and…well…weird. I reached out and hugged her. She gave a startled laugh, but she hugged me back, and as she did so a wave of sadness overtook me that I couldn’t explain. It came out of nowhere. I felt my eyes well up, and as I hugged Gina, I had the urge to hold on tight and never let go. She laughed again and patted my back, obviously a little thrown by how fiercely I was hugging her.
Feeling a fresh blush touch my cheeks, I said, “I should go….I’m sorry…I…” and then I simply pulled away and ran for the car.