Twenty-Four
On Destiny’s second day in California, she couldn’t be more content. After her leisurely luncheon at the amusement park in Balboa, she drove back to the Newport Pier to lie on the beach in the sunshine. Her swimwear was waiting beneath a light overdress, ready to bare her pale skin to the rays of the day. She spread out the beach towel she had purchased in a shop along the boardwalk and lay down to daydream. The woven beach hat covered her closed eyes, as she allowed the sounds around her to float through her being. She heard the chatter of young children as they built sandcastles near the water’s edge, and the seabirds vying for their share of the seaweed washed to shore. She allowed herself to ignore the muffled adult voices and honed in on the repetitious white noise of the
