Destiny's Chance by Cara Bristol

irregular-shaped pool with an outcropping of stone that formed a fountain in the center. Water sparkled under the sun. Lily pads floated, and ducks congregated on the opposite bank, lured by an elderly man with a bag of bread.
    Destiny faltered. She’d plotted this moment through only so far, and self-consciousness rose up. She clutched the bouquets to her chest. Dumb idea.
    Laura touched her arm. “See with your heart,” she said softy.
    Destiny closed her eyes, took a deep breath in, and then exhaled to clear her mind of everything but memories. Meeting Zoe at the photo shoot. Her poise in front of the camera had been in evidence already, even though her career, like Destiny’s, had just begun. They’d hit it off—two friends meant to be. Destiny recalled times when they’d gabbed until dawn. Although Zoe possessed a dry sense of humor, she rarely laughed. However, her observations had kept Destiny in stitches. She remembered Zoe’s confidence, her nonchalance when she got a modeling job she’d auditioned for. She could picture her smile, often cryptic and reserved for the most joyous occasions, and she focused on her friend’s goodness, her helpfulness. Zoe had been giving Destiny a ride when she’d been killed.
    “For the gift of life,” she whispered. She opened her eyes, tugged a xeranthemum from the bouquet, and tossed it in water. The current picked up the flower, and it drifted away. “For friendship.” She dropped a forget-me-not into the pond. “For the way you made me laugh.” She set another xeranthemum adrift. The man across the pond watched them as he tossed bread to the ducks.
    She glanced at a DON’T THROW ANYTHING IN THE POND sign. “There will be a lot of flowers in the water when I’m done. What if he reports me?”
    “To whom? The park police?” Laura asked drily. “He won’t.” She pointed to another prohibition. DON’T FEED THE DUCKS. Laura waved, and the man returned the greeting. “You’re both criminals protected by a code of silence.”
    Destiny laughed and released another flower. “For your past, Zoe.” Whatever it was. Despite their many chats, her friend’s background remained a mystery. Other than her attraction to Chance, Destiny had shared her innermost feelings and family secrets. But the model who occasionally had bared all had revealed little of her personal history. It was almost as if she didn’t have a past, that she had formed out of air or sky and appeared one day to announce her presence to the world. Destiny set a forget-me-not adrift. “For your secrets.”
    One by one, she dispersed the flowers with an intentional thought until two blooms remained.
    She stared at the purple, daisy-like flower and remembered when Zoe had introduced her to Chance. By that time, she’d already heard so much about him, she felt like she knew him. But she hadn’t been prepared for the zing of sensation when they’d shaken hands. The way she could have lost herself in his brown eyes. How her heart immediately ached for him. And Zoe’s Mona Lisa smile. From that moment onward, Zoe had begun to sing Chance’s praises as if trying to sell him. Unnecessary. She’d been sold from hello. But no one would hand over one’s boyfriend to another. Here’s my boyfriend. Take him—he’s yours . Highly unlikely.
    But what if she forgave herself for her covetous thoughts and let fate decide what was to be? Forget the past and begin anew.
    For Chance . Silently she moved her lips and tossed a xeranthemum into the water.
    For Chance . Zoe’s voice.
    “What’s that one for?” Laura asked.
    She watched the flower drift away. “Possibilities.”
    A single forget-me-not remained. Destiny knelt, kissed the petals, and placed it gently in the water. “Good-bye, Zoe.”
    Good-bye, my friend.

Chapter Twelve
    Roman glanced at the menu on the lighted board above his head, then at the cashier. “I’ll have two macho tacos, an enchilada, an order of cinnamon tortilla crisps, and a