“The way it curves down like this and has these splits, though”—Fiona pokes at my skin where the line breaks off—“means you’re willing to sacrifice everything for it.”
“For what? Love?” I want to laugh. “No, I don’t think so.”
Fiona hums. “You say that so confidently, but your palms don’tlie.” She taps the outside of my palm. “Your Marriage lines. Long means you’re picky.”
Not picky enough, given my track record with marriage.
“And your Fate line, which is also your Career or Money line,” Fiona says, leaning in closer. She traces twice vertically from my wrist to the center of my palm. “You have two!”
“Does that mean she has two different destinies?” Logan asks. He’s been quiet this entire time, watching very closely.
“It means you have big changes ahead,” Fiona says. “In your life or work. Maybe both. They’re straight, though, so you have a lucky future ahead. Your life looks stable.”
Stable. I’ve never considered my life to be stable before. Not as a kid. Not as a young adult. Not even as a lottery-winning adult.
Something about this experience is weirdly comforting. It’s like, in this world filled with uncertainty, there are at least a few knowns right here in the palm of my hand.
Fiona instructs me to press my fingers together side by side. She holds my hand up to the light. “You hardly have any gaps between your fingers. You don’t let money slip through easily,” she says.
A very thin crack of yellow from the overhead light peeks through below my knuckles. That sounds about right, too.
Logan grips my thigh softly and gives me an uneasy smile. Probably because he knows he’s next.
Fiona turns my hand over in hers and gives it a little tap. “Thank you for sharing your lines with me.” She gestures to Logan. “You’re up!”
He doesn’t take her hands. Instead, he apologizes, stands, and leaves. My mouth drops open as he disappears behind the curtain.
“Don’t worry,” Fiona assures me. “That happens a lot.”
I stand to follow him, hesitating at the door. “Fiona, from what you saw…” I say, turning back around, “do you think I—things—will turn out okay?”
She gives me an encouraging smile. “Only you can decide that.”
Feels at odds with her whole business of interpreting-lines-literally-etched-into-my-skin, but okay.
I thank Fiona for her time. She points out the QR code for payment. Even though Logan didn’t get a reading, I decide to pay for both sessions. Plus, a big tip. Past me couldn’t imagine spending this much money on something like this.
Before I go, Fiona stops me at the front door. “Zel! Remember, your palm lines don’t solely decide your future,” she says, her tone laced with a different, more thoughtful tone. This isn’t the peppy Fiona who I’ve spent the last ten minutes with. “I captured you now in this moment, but over time, your palm lines evolve. Just as you, too, evolve. I’ve shared my interpretation and my insights, but we all have the power to change our lives. To change our fortunes.”
“How?”
“Stop doing the things that aren’t working for you,” she says simply, her easy-breezy attitude back. Then she waves goodbye, leaving me alone out front with that fortune-cookie advice.
Chapter 18
HAZEL
Logan’s parked outside waiting for me in the car. Once I’m buckled up, he starts driving. As soon as we’re back on the highway and moving in the right direction, apologies spill out of him.
I stop him mid-sentence. “Logan, I’m the one who’s sorry. I should’ve never put you in that position. You told me no, and I didn’t listen.”
He shakes his head. “No, you were right. I’m the one who normally says yes. I just didn’t want to hear anything bad.” He’s white-knuckling the steering wheel. “I freaked out.”
This is Logan, the guy who joins strangers’ fortune readings on a whim. The guy who sets up impromptu dates on firehouse rooftops. The guy who, up until this very moment, has never turned down a new experience. That Logan was overconfident and unafraid to push his limit. Now he worries how a palm reader will interpret his hands.
Maxwell talked about mindset and trying new things and seeing the positive. All things, I’ve come to realize, that Logan has already done for a lot of his life. Lately, though, he’s been retreating.
“Also, I’m pretty sure this hand has my better lines,” he says, lifting his casted arm.
