Phoebe's voice grew cold. “You don't want it, boy? Fine. Take off the bracelet. Throw it away. Throw it all away. Go back to your tedious, soul-sucking job. Beg for hours, scrape for tips. Live one step up from poverty, if you can.
“Get your precious diploma. Find a job. Marry a woman with goals as small and petty as your own. Accept mediocrity. Deny the possibility of beauty and power and passion.
“And for the rest of your life, you'll always wonder.
“What if.”
The connection abruptly dropped. Fuming, Owen tried to call her back, but it went straight to voice mail.
“f*****g nuts,” he muttered. He pulled back into the street. For a moment his hand clamped about the bracelet, then it dropped back to the steering wheel.
Can't throw it away now, he said to himself as he drove back to
