The Choice - Nicholas Sparks [44]
“Among other reasons.”
Stephanie laughed. “Oh, that’s good. If I didn’t know you, I might have even believed you.”
“You don’t know me!”
“Oh . . . I know you. Believe it or not, I know exactly who you are.”
“Oh yeah? Where am I from?”
“I don’t know.”
“Tell me about my family.”
“I can’t.”
“Then you really don’t know me, do you?”
After a moment, Stephanie rolled over to face her. “Yes,” she said, “I do.” She couldn’t hide the challenge in her tone. “Okay, how about this? You’re a good girl and always have been, but deep down, you think there’s more to life than always following the rules, and there’s a part of you that craves the unknown. If you’re honest with yourself, Travis is part of that. You’re selective when it comes to sex, but once you commit to someone, the standards you would normally hold yourself to go out the window. You think you’ll marry your boyfriend, but can’t help but wonder why you don’t have a ring on your finger yet. You love your family, but you wanted to make your own decisions about who you become, which is why you live here. Even so, you worry your choices will earn your family’s disapproval. How am I doing so far?”
As she’d spoken, Gabby had grown pale. Interpreting a direct hit, Stephanie propped herself on an elbow. “You want me to go on?”
“No,” Gabby said.
“I was right, wasn’t I?”
Gabby exhaled sharply. “Not about everything.”
“No?”
“No.”
“Where was I wrong?”
Instead of answering, Gabby shook her head and rolled back onto her towel. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Gabby expected Stephanie to persist, but instead, Stephanie simply shrugged and lay back on her towel, as if she’d never said anything at all.
Gabby could hear the sounds of children frolicking in the surf and distant, indistinguishable strains of conversation. Her head spun at Stephanie’s assessment; it was as if the woman had known her all her life and were privy to her darkest secrets.
“By the way, in case you’re freaking out, I should probably let you know I’m psychic,” Stephanie remarked. “Weird, but true. Came from my grandmother, as far as I could tell. The woman was famous for predicting the weather.”
Gabby sat up as a wave of relief washed over her, even though she knew the concept was preposterous. “Really?”
Stephanie laughed again. “No, of course not! My grandmother watched Let’s Make a Deal for years and never once beat the contestants. But be honest. I was right on the money, wasn’t I?”
Gabby’s thoughts went full circle once more, leaving her almost dizzy. “But how . . . ?”
“Easy,” Stephanie said, lying back down. “I just inserted your ‘amazingly personal experiences’ into pretty much every woman who ever lived. Well, except for the part about Travis. I guessed about that. But it’s pretty amazing, huh? I study that, too, by the way. I’ve been part of half a dozen studies, and it always amazes me that once you cut through the clutter, people are pretty much the same. Especially through adolescence and early adulthood. For the most part, people go through the same experiences and think the same things, but somehow no one ever escapes the belief that his experience is unique in every conceivable way.”
Gabby lay back on her towel, deciding it might be best if she simply ignored Stephanie for a while. As much as she liked her, the woman made her head spin way too frequently.
“Oh, in case you were curious,” Stephanie remarked, “Travis isn’t seeing anyone. He’s not only single, but he’s eligible.”
“I wasn’t curious.”
“Since you have a boyfriend, right?”
“Right. But even if I didn’t have a boyfriend, I wouldn’t have been curious.”
Stephanie laughed. “Yes, of course. How could I have been so wrong? I guess I must have been fooled by the way you keep staring at him.”
“I haven’t been staring.”
“Oh, don’t be so touchy. After all, he’s been staring at you, too.”
Ten
From her spot on her towel, Gabby inhaled the scent of charcoal, hot dogs, burgers, and chicken wafting on a gentle breeze. Despite the breeze—and the lotion—Gabby’s skin felt as if it were beginning to sizzle. It sometimes struck