Destiny's Dream

by Delia Latham

  Jenna unlocked her car door with the remote in her hand. She slid behind the wheel then fixed her gaze on him. Beneath the nebulous interior lights, her eyes glittered like green gems in her pale face. “I’d better not, Clay Gallagher! I’m counting on you to take care of my sister. Don’t let that monster near her again, do you hear me?”

  Clay nodded, his jaw clenched so tight it hurt. “I hear you.”

  Destiny's Dream

  19

  Despite the little white pills Dr. Bob made her swallow while he watched, sleep eluded Destiny that night. Each time she closed her eyes, she saw Karyn’s bruised and broken body. Or Julie, struggling against the ropes on her hands and feet, with that pitiful terror on her pretty face.

  Who would be next? How many people would be harmed before this man was found and stopped? Despite her bravado in the face of Jenna’s demands, it seemed impossible to justify keeping the Gate open in the face of such violence.

  Then she’d remember her dream. That magnificent gate. Solomon. All the happy couples he’d shown her, couples brought together through her agency—the agency God gave her. Had it all been just a manifestation of her own wishes and dreams, manufactured by her silly, romantic subconscious? Yet it had seemed so real! She’d been convinced God had granted her an actual visitation, a confirmation of her plans.

  But surely God wasn’t a part of anything that caused injury to innocent people.

  She cried out in wrenching agony. “What should I do? Please show me Your will.”

  Either He wasn’t speaking, or she wasn’t hearing, and something had to be done. By morning, Destiny had decided on a course of action.

  ****

  “You’re doing what?” Clay set his coffee mug down on the table none too gently. Hot liquid sloshed over the sides, but he ignored it. “Destiny, that’s crazy. Why would you give this lunatic what he wants?”

  She slid into the chair beside him. Dark circles gave her eyes a haunted look, and accentuated the pallor of her face. She used a paper towel to wipe up his coffee spill with a hand that trembled.

  “You were right before, Clay. I don’t have a choice. People are getting hurt because of Solomon’s Gate, and I can’t live with that.”

  He shook his head. “It’s not your fault. You can’t be blamed for this man’s actions.”

  “No, but—” Her voice caught, and she pinched the top of her nose between her thumb and finger. “I can’t exacerbate his insanity, either. If closing the Gate keeps him from hurting people, I have to do that.” She lifted tear-wet eyes to his. “Don’t I?”

  Clay scooted his chair closer and pulled her into his arms. He said nothing for a moment, just rocked her. She wept without a sound, but he felt the little hiccups of air she pulled in every few seconds. He stroked her hair and murmured soothing nonsense while he thought.

  Finally she sat up and pulled a tissue from the pocket of her robe. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “You’re exhausted. And you’re trying to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. They’re not that broad, you know. You can’t fix everything for everyone all the time.”

  “I know that. But I can fix this, Clay. I can close the doors to Solomon’s Gate and maybe stop someone else from getting hurt.”

  He shook his head. “That’s not the answer.”

  “Then what is?”

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how to fix this, but I do know that God didn’t give you this business only to take it back because somebody has a problem with it.”

  Destiny’s eyes widened. “You’re saying God gave me this business?”

  He chuckled. “You heard me.”

  “Wow.” A mere whisper, but Clay felt it clear to his heart.

  “Look, I know I haven’t been exactly ecstatic about this dating agency. I’ve never given you full credit for having a real career, and certainly not for using it as a ministry. But, well…I think I get it now.”

  “You do?” Even through her weariness, he sensed her pleasure in his words.

  “Yes. I’ve seen the way you handle your Seekers—with kindness, and always with prayer. I’ve witnessed the results. They’re good. You’re good. Solomon’s Gate is a good thing…a God thing.” He pulled in a deep breath and blew it back out. “Why would you throw it away?”

  She stroked his cheek with the back of her hand, and shook her head. “Not because I want to, Gallagher.” The little catch in her voice ripped at his heart, because he didn’t know how to heal her pain. “It’s the last thing I’d ever want to do.”

  ****

  She had strict instructions, relayed from Dr. Bob and seconded by Clay, to return to bed. But Destiny was set on going to work, at least for a short time. She had a lot on her mind, and she did her best thinking in her office. Besides, she had an early afternoon doctor’s appointment.

  Claire’s gracious home sat on a low rise about fifteen miles west of Castle Creek. Destiny pulled out of the driveway, pointed her aging red convertible toward town and settled back for the ride, grateful for the few moments of solitude the brief distance provided.

  Clay was the last person she’d expected to champion Solomon’s Gate. His vehement defense of the agency provided ample food for thought as she negotiated almost non-existent traffic going into town. His argument pretty much echoed her own feelings prior to Karyn’s horrible misfortune. Up until then, she’d experienced not a single moment of doubt about her business endeavor.

  So many little events and occurrences seemed to point to the Gate as a good thing—almost divinely appointed. Then there’d been that dream, which she’d taken as a direct message from Heaven. But if the existence of Solomon’s Gate caused people—good people, like Julie and Karyn—to be hurt, how could she justify keeping it open? Any success she might make of the agency would bear the taint of innocent blood.

  Drawing a frustrated breath, she pounded the steering wheel with one hand. “God, I don’t know what to do! I want this so much, but if it’s not in Your plan for my life, then please show me. And if Solomon’s Gate is meant to be, then show me that.”

  Why did answers seem hardest to come by when she needed them most? She blinked back tears as she approached the city limits, tapping her brakes and decelerating to the slower speed limit.

  As she neared the first signal light, Destiny noticed a man on the corner. Tall and thin, he wore ragged, mismatched clothing and clutched a cardboard sign. Destiny could not yet see its message, but knew it likely held some version of the familiar, “Will work for food.” Long, unkempt hair hid what portion of his face wasn’t covered with a beard.

  She sighed. “I’m sorry, Lord. My problems are few, and petty when compared to so many others. Please bless this man today, and show Yourself real to—oh!”

  Her brakes squealed as she swerved to miss the very object of her prayer. The stranger stepped off the sidewalk and onto the road as he swung toward her, his sign raised high above his head.

  In the few seconds before she flew by him with only inches to spare, Destiny read the words the disheveled fellow had risked life and limb to show her. Scrawled in big red letters, his roughly drawn message hit her with the impact of a flashing neon sign: Swing wide the Gate!

  Heart pounding out a double rhythm, Destiny breathed a grateful prayer for the lack of traffic. She swung the car to the sidewalk and turned off the ignition before jumping out and dashing back to the corner, where the man stood watching her through faded brown eyes.

  Back on the sidewalk, he appeared unfazed by his close call. The cardboard square hung from limp fingers and dragged the ground at his feet. For someone who’d almost killed himself making sure she saw his message, he showed a decided lack of interest now.

  “Are you okay?” She raised her voice, glad to see him still on his feet and apparently unharmed.

  He shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Just dandy.”

  Destiny drew closer, unsure how to approach him. “I’m sorry
if I gave you a scare. You really should be careful about stepping onto the road like that.”

  “Yeah, sure,” the man repeated.

  Destiny sighed. “What does your sign mean?”

  A bitter cackle of laughter burst from the man’s throat. “Whaddaya think it means, lady? I ain’t ate nothin’ since yesterday morning. I’m hungry.”

  “But that’s not—” Why was she standing here arguing? The poor guy must be illiterate, and someone had played a mean trick on him. Destiny strode closer, ignoring the ripe stench that grew almost unbearable as she closed the gap between them. Holding her breath to avoid gagging, she jerked the sign from his listless fingers.

  “Hey!” He scowled, but made no move to stop her.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll give it back. I want to read it to you.”

  “What for? I guess I know what it says, lady. Who do you think made that thing?”

  Destiny ignored him, flipping the dirty cardboard over so she could see the words…then flinging it onto the ground at the feet of the homeless man, who gaped at her as if she’d grown another nose. She dropped it on the ground and backed away, one trembling hand covering her gaping mouth.

  Maybe she’d gone crazy. She knew what she’d seen when he stepped out in front of her. If she closed her eyes, she could still see the words etched against the backs of her eyelids. Swing wide the Gate!

  Squatting low to the ground, the stranger picked up his sign and brushed it off, sending her a reproachful glare. “Whad’ja do that for?”

  He stood up, grasping the cardboard at both ends and holding it up in front of his chest. Destiny was treated to another close-up look at his treasure, which mocked her with its predictable message: Hungry. Will work for food.

  ****

  Fifteen minutes later, Destiny parked in front of Solomon’s Gate and hurried inside. She’d left the bewildered stranger with ten dollars and an abject apology. Hopefully he’d use the money to buy food, not alcohol. But after nearly running him over and then invading his space the way she had, she wasn’t about to lecture him on how to spend the money.

  Julie looked up from her desk when the door opened. “Hey, you’re supposed to be in bed!”

  “I can’t stay in bed when I have things to do, I’ll go crazy.” I may already be there. She gave her friend a brief hug. “God will get me through all this. And I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon.”

  Julie shook her head. “Nothing slows you down, does it?”

  “Not if I can help it.” She lifted a trembling hand to brush a strand of hair off her face and gave Julie a shaky smile. “I’m still a little weaker than I realized, though, so I won’t be here too long. What a wuss, huh?”

  Her laughter sounded brittle, even to her own ears. “My door will be closed for a little while, but if you need me, just go ahead and buzz through.”

  She headed for her office, but Julie caught her before she could shut the door. “Wait up, boss. Number one, you’re not a wuss—not even close. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met.”

  Destiny raised an eyebrow, surprised at her assistant’s outburst. Julie was a sweet girl, but rarely vocalized her feelings. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

  A soft pink blush colored the girl’s cheeks. “You’re welcome.”

  “Okay, that was number one. Is there a number two?”

  “Oh!” Julie grinned. “I almost forgot to give you this.” She placed a gold-foiled business card in Destiny’s hand. “A really tall, really…” The girl giggled. “Really beautiful man stopped in earlier and left his card for you. I hope you know who he is, otherwise he wasted a trip. There’s no contact information.”

  “Thank you.” Destiny hurried into her office without bothering to glance at the card.

  Dropping her handbag into the bottom desk drawer, she eased into her comfortable dual-purpose chair, leaned back and allowed her eyes to close for a moment. “Thank You for being with me this morning.” Exhaustion weighed like a physical thing, stealing even strength to pray aloud, but her heart cried out in gratitude. She could not have lived with running a man down in the street.

  Finally she sat up, determined to accomplish something before heading back to her borrowed bed.

  The business card Julie had thrust into her hand lay facedown on the wide, otherwise-empty expanse of her desktop. She picked it up, surprised to find text on the back. Scanning the small words, she gasped: He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

  Destiny closed her eyes, pulled in a couple of deep breaths, and willed herself not to overreact. Mama’s assigning of this particular segment of the Bible to Destiny did not make it hers in the truest sense of the word. Psalm 91:11 happened to be a familiar, often-quoted verse of scripture. She would see it on many more items during her lifetime. It’s appearance on this little piece of paper was nothing more than a timely coincidence.

  Still, she barely dared to breathe as she opened her eyes and flipped the card over. Upon seeing the front side, she sprang to her feet, knocking her fancy chair backwards into the wall. The gold business card fluttered to the floor.

  No matter. Its contents was seared into her brain.

  Solomon Angellus

  Gatekeeper

  Swing wide the Gate!

  Unable to stop shaking, Destiny reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out her purse without looking. She fumbled the startling message off the floor and dropped it inside, then walked out of the office on trembling legs, barely acknowledging Julie on her way out.

  Clay and Bob were right. She needed a little more time to recuperate. Her doctor’s appointment would just have to wait.

  Destiny's Dream

  20

  She didn’t mention the incident to Claire, and she didn’t call Clay. She went straight up to the guest room, dropped her clothes to the floor and crawled between the sheets. Sleep took her before she had time to stew about the extraordinary events of the morning.

  Claire roused her sometime later and set a tray across her knees on the bed. Destiny dutifully swallowed a few bites of the delicious homemade chicken noodle soup, mumbled a thank you to her hostess, then dropped back onto her pillow and fell asleep again.

  It was mid-afternoon before she opened her eyes, finally feeling refreshed. A quick shower sluiced the last of the drowsiness from her eyes. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a comfortable top, grabbed a book, and wandered into the living room. But after reading the same paragraph for the third time, she still had no idea what it said. Sighing in exasperation, she plopped her book facedown on her lap.

  “This is ridiculous!” She spoke aloud, though she sat alone in the living room. “I should be at work. There’s nothing wrong with me.”

  “No, of course not. You just push yourself too hard, that’s all.” The cheery voice preceded Claire through the arched doorway. A bright smile lit her round face over a tray piled high with sandwiches, cookies and tea. “Just relax, dear. You needed a day off.”

  Destiny sat up straighter, watching her hostess carefully lower the overloaded serving dish to the coffee table. Despite her frustration, she couldn’t help an amused chuckle. “Goodness, that’s enough food for a small army! Are we expecting company?”

  The older woman arranged a hot ham croissant and several crisp slices of bread-and-butter pickles on a small plate and passed it to Destiny before fixing one for herself. “Well, you just never know, do you? It’s better to have too much food than not quite enough, I always say.” She poured two tall glasses of iced tea, then set her own plate on a small table and eased herself into the overstuffed chair next to it.

  “Thank you, Claire. It looks delicious.” To Destiny’s surprise, she was hungry. She bit a less-than-ladylike chunk out of the sandwich, moaning her pleasure as she chewed. Now that she thought about it, the soup Claire had all but fed her in her sleep was all she’d had today, and she couldn’t remember having eaten anything at all yesterday.

  She gr
abbed a napkin from the pile on the tray and swiped at her lips before downing a long drink from her glass. “This is the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.”

  “Oh, now, I doubt that!” Glowing pink cheeks revealed the other woman’s pleasure at the compliment. “But I am glad you’re eating. You need to keep your strength up.”

  Destiny rolled her eyes and swallowed another bite before speaking. “Claire, my strength is fine, there’s nothing wrong with me. You people are mollycoddling me far too much. How am I supposed to keep a business running if I close it every time I sneeze?”

  “I’d hardly call it a sneeze, dear! You pulled off a genuine swoon last night, if ever I saw one.” The older woman chuckled, her eyes alight with mischief. “You gave those delicate gals from the old movies a run for their money. If only I’d had some smelling salts!”

  Choking on a bite of pickle, Destiny grabbed her glass and took another healthy swig of the cold liquid. “Oh, for pity’s sake! Spare me the weak sister scenario.”

  “Too late,” Claire quipped. Picking up her own napkin, she touched it to her lips. “And the Gate isn’t closed. Julie’s been there all day.”

  “Yes, but she shouldn’t be there alone. It isn’t safe.”

  “Why, I thought you knew, dear.” She pushed out of the chair and began gathering items back onto the big tray. “Carson’s with her. You know, I think he rather likes that girl!” She shot Destiny a teasing glance. “Clay has made arrangements to spend the morning in your office tomorrow, while you see the doctor, like Dr. Clevenger said. You don’t mind, do you?”

  To her surprise, Destiny found herself choking again, this time on unexpected tears. “I can’t believe everyone’s covering for me like this.”

  Claire’s bell-like laughter made Destiny smile, and the tightness in her throat eased a bit. “Why ever not? We love you, dear. And besides…” She swept Destiny’s plate off her lap with a grand flourish. “You’d do the same for any of us.”