by Jill Cooper
“Thanks for letting me stop in. I know it’s inappropriate,” Dad says. I push the door open and he him slumped in his chair. Mom slides a a green mug of coffee toward him.
“Think nothing of it, Jax. A lot has happened between us, a lot I wish hadn’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care. You’re hurting, so I’m hurting.”
She sits across from him and Dad runs his hands through his hair. I think he might be on the verge of losing it, so I back away from the door slowly. Spying on him is the last thing I want to do.
Guess I’ll have to grab some water from the bathroom tap.
I head back up the stairs and Mike stands in the dark at the railing. “What’s going on down there?” He’s suspicious and the tone in his voice runs my blood cold.
“Dad’s here. They need some privacy, I think.”
“Oh.” Mike walks back to my room with me. The corner of his mouth twitches up with a smile and fills me with horror. If I didn’t love him, if I didn’t know him, I’d suspect things were going the way he wanted.
Just the way he wanted. Does that mean he’d planned it?
Morgan is dead and maybe he hadn’t wanted that, but the result is the same. Mom and Dad are spending time together just as Mike had wished, but he wouldn’t…would he?
Chapter Eight:Donovan
Lara’s on edge all night and I can’t help her because the anxiety I’m feeling is unparalleled. Finally, she’s in bed, soundly asleep. I sit beside her and watch the gentle rise and fall of her chest. Her head leans to the left and her lips are gently parted. I study the way her hair covers her brow and the scar not meant to be hers and how it obscures her face.
Still, she’s beautiful. She’s mine, but I feel like I’m on borrowed time.
I sneak out of the apartment into the common hallway, closing the door softly behind. Heading toward the laundry chute, I turn the corner where Cassidy waits with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Her hair is in a messy ponytail like she ran out of the house in a hurry.
A few days ago, the feelings I‘d for her in the altered timeline had been confused with my real feelings. When I thought I’d lost Lara for good, my feelings for Cassidy had all faded away. Now, she’s only family to me. But everything we’ve done now twists our relationship.
When she spots me, her arms relax to her side. “I don’t like this.”
“You think I do?”
“We shouldn’t be keeping secrets from her,” Cassidy says.
“If we don’t, you know what will happen. She might separate from this body and then we’ll lose her—this time for good. Keeping secrets is the only thing we have. Besides, we don’t know what’s going on with her.”
“No?” Cassidy’s eyes widen. “Mike put her in that body and either something went wrong or that body isn’t equipped to handle Lara’s time travel abilities.”
It’s everything I’m afraid to say and don’t want to listen to. “Have you talked to him? Mike?”
“No, he and Molly have their own drama going on. Jax’s fiancé was murdered tonight.”
I didn’t even realize Jax had gotten engaged. “I’m sorry to hear that. Are Mike and Molly all right?”
“For now, but Molly is distracted. I told her about Lara and it’s one more thing pushing her toward the edge. She’s sensed something is wrong but with everything going on with Dad and Mike, I’m not sure she can focus.”
Great. Just what a guy wants to hear. My sister-in-law has a gift to see the future and the endless possibilities that await all of us, but now she can’t focus.
“She needs to. And soon. We need to talk to Mike without Lara knowing what’s going on.”
Cassidy agrees with a nod, but her eyes sparkle defiance. She doesn’t like it and I don’t either, but our choices are rapidly running out. “Get Lara to work in the morning. Keep everything running as smooth as possible. It’s the only choice we have right now. Soon as we can get to Mike, we’ll talk to him. Just not tonight.”
Another twelve hours probably isn’t going to make matters worse, but I’m on pins and needles. I don’t know how I’m going to sleep that night. “If you find anything out, just let me know.”
“You too,” Cassidy says and she opens a portal back to the bridge. I leave her there and head back into the apartment.
I close the door quietly and head into the kitchen. When I get inside, the light flicks on. Lara—in her pink bathrobe—stands by the door with her hand on the light switch. “Hey.” I stroke her arms as I lean in for a kiss. “I thought you were still asleep.”
“I woke up with a dry mouth and a headache. Decided to grab some water. I was worried when you weren’t here. I thought something might’ve happened to you.” Lara’s eyes widen with concern and I hate seeing her so vulnerable and out of sorts.
“I didn’t mean to worry you. I was just…” I didn’t even have a good excuse. “I’m worried about you. I was out pacing in the hall.”
Lara’s stance softens as she leans against me. I wrap my arms around her and never want to let her go but I’m terrified I won’t have a choice. I rest my chin on her head and we embrace. Her presence is the only thing that makes me feel better.
“I didn’t want you to know how worried I was, and I ended up worrying you anyway. I’m sorry.” I kiss the top of her head.
I’m filled with trepidation as Lara gazes up at me. Will she believe me? Had I been convincing enough? Her eyes say I was. I’m thankful and feel like a heel all at the same time. She kisses my lips. “Why don’t you come back to bed? Maybe we can make each other forget for a little while.”
She takes my hands and leads me to the bedroom. I’m glad she’s stopped questioning me. In the bedroom, she disrobes and reveals there was nothing under that robe at all. If making love to her will keep Lara distracted from what’s really going on, I’m all for it. But her behavior, her heightened sexual appetite, worries me.
In times of worry and in times of stress, Lara’s never been one to make a move except now it seems to be what she defaults to. I might be reading too much into it, I might be looking for trouble where there isn’t any. So, I ignore the warning bells going off in my head as I grind my hips against hers.
Even her rush of breath sounds strangely different. There are brief moments when she’s not like Lara at all. And that worries me more than anything.
Chapter Nine: Lara
In the morning my head is foggy, as if I didn’t get a good night sleep. I can smell the fresh brewing coffee and Donovan cooking French toast. My stomach rumbles with hunger as I slip into a blue dress and black flats. When my hair is dry, I put a simple black headband on and scowl at my appearance. The short hair is one thing, but that scar running down my cheek….
It’s something I’m going to have to get used to, like the port I’d once had on the back of my head. Now, that’s gone too, and I worry that might be the reason my time-travel ability has stopped working.
Donovan and I sit at the square kitchen table and make small talk. He has an early meeting and has to head out the door before me. We eat thick slices of French toast swimming in maple syrup, and drink our coffee. He rinses his mug in the sink and then plants a kiss on my cheek. “You sure I can’t give you a ride to the TTPA?”
I slip on my silver trench coat and tie the belt tight against my waist. “I’m sure. I’ll hop on the T after I drop our new clock off to be repaired. We can meet for dinner. Maybe Italian?”
Donovan’s face spreads slow with a smile. “Sounds good. I’ll text you the time and the place. I know we still need to settle this time-travel thing, but it’s best if we go to work. Try to keep our lives normal as possible.”
I nod in agreement even as part of me screams it’s a mistake, but I can’t sit at home. I can’t do nothing. There are people depending on me and I can’t disappear on them.
Donovan leaves after we share a long, drawn-out good-bye kiss. The apartment feels empty with him gone, as if his presence alone is enough to fill t
he space. I listen to some quiet music while I wash the breakfast dishes. One of these days, a dishwasher would be a nice appliance to have.
When my mom calls to tell me what had happened the night before with Jax and the twins, I can’t believe it. “You should have called me last night.” I try to keep the anger out of my voice, but it doesn’t work. I lean my back against the counter and I fume.
“I didn’t want to ruin your honeymoon. You’re newlyweds.”
That’s not an excuse and I think she knows it. “I would’ve come. I would’ve been there.”
“I know you would’ve honey. I know you would’ve, but you’ve been through so much in such a short span of time. Mike and Molly are my responsibility, not yours. Not all the time.”
Her words cut me even though I know she doesn’t intend them to. My time travel ability being gone has made me sensitive. I can’t fix this for Jax or Mike, even if I knew how.
“Give my love to Mike. Do you think I should call Jax? I didn’t even know he was seeing anyone.”
“He wanted to keep it quiet. He didn’t want to ruin your big day.”
I hope Jax doesn’t think I’m really that selfish and immature. I would’ve been happy to share my day with him. “It wouldn’t have ruined everything. It would’ve made it more special.” I chew on my bottom lip.
“It was his choice. I had to respect it. Give him some time and then call him. He’s going to need everyone’s support if he’s going to get through whatever comes next.”
She was right about that and it was something we had a lot of experience with. “Have the police reviewed the surveillance video? Have they found any suspects who don’t have the last name Montgomery?”
Mom laughs. “Lara, please leave this to the police. They’re doing their job. Mike was angry but he did nothing wrong, so they’ll move on from him. It’ll blow over.”
“All right, Mom.” I don’t want to tell her that my power is gone. She’d be happy and ecstatic, but she’d be able to tell I wasn’t. I’m not ready to open that can of worms.
“I wish I knew why these things keep happening to us. I’ve made some mistakes along the way, but we’re good people. I know it.”
We hang up with me promising to drop by later. And I’ll call Jax. I’m shaken that something so horrible could happen to my family and I hadn’t even known about it. After I pull myself together, I place the clock from the mantle back into its paper bag. I grab my house keys and my purse, and step out into the apartment building like a regular person.
I’ve never felt so average. Anything could happen, and I’d be powerless to stop it.
****
There’s a clock repair-and-restoration place in Porter Square. I stop by on my way to work. Inside, I expect to find a clock horror show, with clock pieces—old and new—hanging on the walls. There’s a desk and a glass case in the center of the shop. Antique clocks in various state of repair cover the countertops and an elderly woman with white hair and bifocals stands from her chair as I pull the clock from the paper bag I carry.
“Beautiful piece,” she muses as I place it on the top of her desk.
“I thought so too, but it won’t tick. The wind-up gear on the back is missing.”
She picks it up and turns it around to inspect the back. It takes her a few minutes and grates on my patience. I busy myself by at the other clocks in the glass case, some so old they had to be antiques. “Umm-hmm. I can have it ready for you tonight if you can stop by? I can call you when it’s ready.”
I agree as she takes out a small name tag. There’s a string and she loops it around the back of the clock. When she asks, I give her my name. “Lara…James.”
“Beautiful name.” She smiles at me.
“I think so, too.” Still, something in my belly unsettles. It says that’s not really my name, but I figure I must have to just get used to the idea.
She tears off a serial number from the tag and hands it over to me. “See you tonight, Ms. James.”
Married and being called Mrs. James still is going to take some time to get used it but inside, I feel a rush of excitement. There’d be so much to be grateful for if not for my time travel ability suddenly disappearing.
****
I jump on the red line subway, which would take me to the TTPA down in Boston. It takes some time to get there from Porter Square, so I settle down in a seat. The subway car’s air condition keeps the space cool. As we come to the next stop, the subway car lurches and dings with the stop announcement.
People step off in more significant numbers than those stepping on. Some men, dressed in sweatshirts and baggy jeans worn backward, sit across from me, and even though I’m not looking at them, I can tell they are looking at me.
Letting out a long breath, I feel a little vulnerable. It’s crazy and I’m probably imagining it. They haven’t said anything to me, but I can feel their glances on me and when I look over at them, the one seated in the middle is leaning over with his legs spread wide, gawking right at my bare legs.
I pull my legs closer to my seat and cover my knees with my dress. The light above the door glows red and dings. Quickly, I rise and as soon as the train doors open, I bolt. I hold my purse’s strap tight across my chest and skip past people and I get lost in the crowd. I’m hurrying against the dense population toward the stairs that feel like a mile away.
Glancing up at the mirror that’s suspended from the roof, I can see one of those same men is following me. He could be a regular guy or could be a time travel assassin. There’s no way to be sure.
I take a breath and hold it, sliding between people standing at a popcorn stand which smells of melted butter. It’d be intoxicating any other day but this one. I’m terrified as I get to the stairs, as a group of kids leap out in front of me in a mad dash to the stairs.
The mother apologizes to me as she rushes ahead, and I fear the worst. Someone taps me on the shoulder and I turn around. The man from the subway had caught up to me and he’s close enough so I can smell his aftershave.
What did he want? I hold my breath as he holds out the ticket stub from the clock repair shop. “You dropped this.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you.” I snatch it from his hand and hold onto it tight.
He smiles, and I realize how kind his face is. I had judged him based on his clothes and how he’d held himself, but his eyes shine a radiant blue. “Tough day?”
“The worst.” I laugh and thank him again. When he turns, I hurry up the stairs and barely let myself think about it.
I felt stalked, attacked and under seige all because I no longer had my powers. This time, I had been wrong, but what would I do if next time I wasn’t?
****
The TTPA offices are in a skyscraper not far from the Prudential. Inside the lobby, the usual security guard greets me at the metal detector. “Morning,” I try to stay chipper as I pass my credentials along.
“Morning, Mrs. James,” he says with a wink. “Just press your thumb against the scanner and we’re all set for another day. Hope you had a nice wedding.”
“Very.” My voice sounds stressed as I press my thumb against the scanning plate. It flashes red, so I scowl and do it again. Same result.
“Funny, the machine doesn’t recognize you. Why don’t you wipe your thumb clean and try again?” He hands me a soft cloth.
“Sure.” I wipe my hand because I’m so nervous, they’ve become clammy. I’ve never been denied before so what could possibly be going on? Taking a deep breath, I try again and this time, the machine light’s up green. I breathe a sigh of relief and step through.
The security guard lifts his hat in a farewell greeting to me and I hurry into the elevator. I really need to get upstairs, go to my meeting, and settle in with a cup of tea.
The elevator dings at each floor, and on level five I head over to Delilah’s office. I knock once and her happy voice rings out. “Took you long enough. Come in, come in!”
Despite everything,
I grin. Delilah is always the same.
Her office is as bright as she is: white carpets, a beige cream desk, and off to the side a sitting area bigger than some people’s apartments. The round white sofa is covered in yellow and blue toss pillows and that’s where my red-headed friend waits for me. The round glass coffee table has snacks and tea waiting for me as I enter.
It’s good to see her. I feel light as I stride over. She takes my hands and I sit beside her.
“One lump or two, dear?” Her eyes sparkle and I feel like I’ve come home. But, I’m not ready to tell her about my time travel problem. For a while, I want to be me.
“How about three?”
Delilah laughs. “Your wish is my command.” She uses the tiny tongs to slip three sugar cubes into the waiting paisley teacup. “How was your honeymoon? I hope it was as relaxing and magical as Donovan hoped.”
I pick up the teacup and give it a gentle sip. It’s hot and soothing with notes of mint. “It was wonderful. To get away from everything after the wedding.”
“The wedding,” her eyes widened and she reached forward to grab a scone off her tray. “Yes, that was the trippiest thing that ever happened to me…well since college, at least. I was frozen in time, I could see you and Molly, but I couldn’t move. It was scary.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Really, I’m sorry anyone had to go through it. I hope we can catch our breath now. At least for a short while. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Delilah waves me off. “That wasn’t even the worst of it! I have all these memories of things that didn’t even happen. Like me, as your mother’s receptionist and still working under Patricia James? Vile.”
My heart skips a beat and I slide the teacup onto the coffee table before I drop it. “Patricia James? The Patricia James?” I can’t stop my eyes from bulging out of my head.
