A Gift of Time

by Beth Flynn

  “No, he’s not cute. He’s adorable. Dimples and all. And quit avoiding the question. Why Kit?”

  “Oh, that’s just a nickname,” she answered casually. “My husband calls me Kit. You know, it’s short for Kitten.” She blushed.

  “I like it. You don’t look like an Ann Marie.” Carter leaned way back in her chair. “So when can I meet your husband? You don’t strike me as the marrying type. I guess that tattoo on your finger, which I’ve never quite been able to read ’cause I haven’t gotten close enough, is your wedding band. Am I right?”

  Ginny subconsciously tucked her left hand beneath the cat on her lap.

  “My husband isn’t really the social type. He’s a lot older than me, and because of that, we find it hard to socialize. It’s difficult to find friends or couples in our age group that like the same things as us. You know what I mean?”

  Carter smiled kindly at her new friend. She could tell Ann Marie was struggling with something. Carter didn’t mean to come off as nosy, but she was just so excited to have made another friend, one that she could sense was the real deal, she was a bit overzealous in her questioning. She wanted Ann Marie to trust her. And more important than that, she wanted it for the right reasons. She had grown up around so many phony people, and she wanted friends she could genuinely connect with. She would have to figure out a way to let Ann Marie know she was sincerely interested in her life, that there was no need to put on false pretenses. Carter could be trusted with whatever it was Ann Marie couldn’t bring herself to share.

  “So, Kit.” Carter grinned and gave her a level gaze. “Has anybody told you that you are one lousy liar?”

  Chapter Six

  Grizz

  1988, Prison, North Florida

  After discreetly asking one of the guards on his payroll, Grizz discovered the young inmate, whose name was William Petty, had been given special privileges by another guard who had taken pity on him. The man allowed Petty a couple of nights a week to visit the library after hours. It was really the only time the young prisoner had to himself.

  Less than a day later, a note was delivered to William. It read simply, “The library tonight. Midnight. Don’t make me wait.”

  It was 11:30 p.m. when Grizz slipped into the library and realized William was already there. Just like the first night Grizz noticed him, William’s face was illuminated by the computer screen. His eyes were wide with fear as he looked at whatever the screen held.

  Unnoticed, Grizz made his way to the open doorway of the small library office. He casually leaned against it and just watched. When Petty sensed his presence, he stopped typing and slowly turned toward the large man looming behind him. He was visibly shaking.

  Grizz looked past him and stared at the computer screen. To his surprise, it was Grizz’s face staring back at him. Petty had been looking at his mug shot. He didn’t say anything, just gazed at the young man, who was now very intently studying a spot on the wall.

  Petty spoke first. “I know who you are. Every—everybody knows you.”

  “Then why were you looking me up on the computer?” Grizz asked in a low voice.

  Still without making eye contact, the young man answered, “Just wanted to see how much was true.” After a brief pause, he asked in a quivering voice that was laced with fear, “Wha…what...what do you want? What do you want with me?”

  Grizz pulled his T-shirt up over his head and tossed it, his eyes never leaving William’s face. The young man caught the shirt and, closing his eyes in recognition of what was to come, laid it on the desk. William heard the unmistakable sound of a zipper being lowered. T-shirt and jeans in prison. He knew this guy was important, and just the fact that he was in the library in the middle of the night wearing whatever he damn well wanted to told him he shouldn’t try to fight what was coming. He’d read the guy’s rap sheet. He knew he’d kidnapped a fifteen-year-old girl, knew he liked them young and pretty. Most of them do, he thought, as he quietly resigned himself to what was going to happen.

  William opened his eyes and gasped when he saw the size of the man’s cock. There was no way. Absolutely no way. This guy would tear him to shreds.

  Grizz yanked him to his feet. William decided it was time to lose himself inside his own head. To block out what he knew was coming. To pray that there wouldn’t be a mess left to clean up and if there was that he wouldn’t be too incapacitated to do it.

  He took a big breath and decided that maybe he was wrong to pray for those things. Maybe he would be better off if he prayed for a quick death.

  Chapter Seven

  Ginny

  2000, Fort Lauderdale (After the Execution)

  I removed the diamond earrings from the little stuffed gorilla and carefully placed them in the pocket of my jeans. I would never wear them, but maybe I could give them to Mimi one day. It didn’t require an immediate decision.

  Thinking of Mimi brought to mind Perry, the therapist Tommy and I had been seeing. We knew we needed to tell Mimi that Tommy was not her biological father, not to mention figure out what to say in case she wanted to know who he was. Perry was walking us through that, and we were making some positive headway during our sessions. But while a part of me felt it was good to consult an expert, I still had reservations as to whether we needed someone to advise us.

  It had only been a few weeks, but Tommy had been doing some bonding of his own with Mimi recently, which seemed to be helping. When she was younger, they used to go on daddy-daughter dates the second Tuesday of every month. Tommy would take Mimi out, just the two of them, and they would do whatever she wanted. I have to give him credit—he saw the inside of more skating rinks, movie theaters, and clothes stores for little girls than most fathers. And, of course, he always let her choose her favorite restaurant for dinner. I think Tommy ate enough fast food over the course of the years to last him a lifetime.

  But a few years ago, she’d started making excuses not to go. We chalked it up to the dreaded teenage years; not sure if she suddenly found it embarrassing to be seen going out with her father or if it was the same withdrawal I’d experienced from her. But whatever the reason, it didn’t matter now. Tommy was insistent that they spend time together, and we were relieved she’d been willing. Now, when I’d ask him how their recent “date” had gone, he would tell me they were getting to know each other again. He was trying to build trust for what we needed to tell her.

  I could only pray this wouldn’t be shattered when it was finally time to reveal the truth.

  Shutting the door to the guesthouse, I marched down the steps and saw Carter on the side of the main house fiddling with the hose. She turned it off and approached me, her smile fading as she came closer and noticed a change in my posture. I approached her stiffly, the resolve in my eyes obvious.

  I met her halfway and said evenly, “I’ll call the paper to run an ad for the cars and bikes. I’ll probably get some people who’ll be interested. If I can’t make it over to meet them, would you mind doing it?”

  “Of course, I don’t mind, Gin.” She absently brushed her hair away from her face and peered at me. “I’m here most of the time.”

  I thrust my chin in the air. “Listen, I think it’s time for you to start using the guesthouse again. I know you always have your activist friends coming and going, and sometimes you limit the invites because you can’t accommodate them all. So, well, feel free to start using the garage and the guesthouse, okay?”

  “Yeah, sure. That’s great. Thanks for that.” Her voice was quiet, and she hesitated. “Are you okay, Gin? I mean, the Bible, Delia’s letter, knowing he’s...I guess it’s been one rough morning for you.”

  I didn’t answer her as we both stared at each other. I looked down when I realized what I was holding, then roughly shoved the small cardboard box at her.

  “And another thing—I need a favor. Can you make sure this goes out with tomorrow’s garbage? There’s nothing in there that I need or want. I’ll get my Bible next time I see you.”
>
  Giving her no time to reply, I made a beeline for my car. I drove off without giving Carter or my old home a backward glance, all the while trying to convince myself that any feelings I may have still had for Grizz would be tossed in the garbage along with the box of mementos.

  **********

  I got home earlier than expected and didn’t know what to do with myself. For the first time in a very long time I felt listless, without purpose. Maybe it was because I’d put most of my activities on hold while we were getting our lives back in order after Grizz’s execution. Hmph. Execution.

  I could take a look over some of my new accounting clients’ books. I was caught up, but I always found myself diving in to check and double-check myself. I loved working with the numbers. But not today. I wasn’t in the mood.

  I could work on my Sunday school lesson. Preparing the children’s lessons always brought me calmness and peace, especially when I was upset about something. Not that I was upset. I was just so organized that I’d scheduled more time than needed to clean out the garage and guesthouse, and since that hadn’t taken long at all, I had some free time on my hands. That was all.

  I paced the house. I could call Sarah Jo to see if she was up for a quick lunch, but something held me back. Every time I’d tried to get with Sarah Jo in the past several weeks, she was tied up trying to arrange her move.

  I changed the kitty litter, unloaded the dishwasher, wiped down the refrigerator, and swept the kitchen and back patio. I was putting the broom and dustpan away when I looked at the clock on the kitchen stove and realized it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. I could surprise Tommy at the office and take him to lunch. Or, I could surprise him with something else. Something really special. Yes—that was it.

  I headed upstairs to take a quick shower and change. I could only hope he didn’t already have plans. Of course, I knew when he saw me, he’d know exactly what I had in mind and would immediately cancel any plans he may have had.

  Less than an hour later, I walked through the doors of Dillon & Davis Architects. Eileen wasn’t at her desk, so she must’ve already left for lunch. Good. That’s what I’d hoped. I’d seen Tommy’s car in the parking lot, but his office door was closed, so I knew he might be in there with clients. I was approaching his door to tap lightly and peek my head in when I heard a long, low whistle.

  “Looks like my man Tom is going to get lucky this afternoon. What are you doing here, Gin? And isn’t it a little warm for stockings and stilettos?”

  I recognized the voice immediately and grinned as I turned to see Alec Davis, Tommy’s partner. Before I could answer him, the phone on Eileen’s desk rang, and Alec reached for it, mouthing, “Excuse me.”

  Alec was a nice guy. A good guy. We’d been friends with Alec and his wife, Paulina, for a couple of years. I’d never really warmed up to Paulina. There was something just a little off about her that I never could quite tap into. She was pleasant enough when we had a rare business dinner, but it seemed whenever we’d tried to socialize outside of work, she had some excuse. There were many instances when Alec would show up with his two little boys in tow for a barbecue or other activity that Paulina had begged out of at the last minute.

  I’d wondered on more than one occasion if something was wrong. By all outward appearances, they seemed like the perfect couple. Alec was extremely handsome, successful, charismatic, and by all accounts a great husband and father. He had light brown eyes, dark brown hair that was long enough to cover the back of his shirt collar, and a prominent dimple in his left cheek. He was tall, about Tommy’s height, and slender but not too thin. I knew he was a runner—not a jogger, like me, but a serious runner. He also must’ve spent some time with weights at the gym. It was obvious the first time I saw him at the beach. The tattoos running up and down both arms and covering his chest had surprised me. They did little to hide the fact that he had some amazing abs and heavily muscled biceps. I hadn’t expected that beneath the formal work attire I’d always seen him wear. I hadn’t drooled over someone as handsome as him since the first time I’d laid eyes on Anthony Bear all those years ago.

  Paulina’s coloring was in sharp contrast to Alec’s. She had dark brown eyes and light hair. Her creamy skin only highlighted the deep chocolate of her eyes, and she kept her naturally curly hair short so that it framed her perfect oval face. She had a body that most women would envy, especially after having two children, and a beautiful and wide bright smile framed with naturally pouty lips. Sadly, her smile never seemed to reach her eyes.

  I sat in the empty seat beside Eileen’s desk and recalled a conversation from that first family beach trip. I’d been sitting in the beach chair by myself, watching as Tommy and Alec roughhoused in the water with my Jason and Alec’s two boys. Mimi wasn’t with us. Paulina had noticed a friend a few blankets down and had gone over to say hello. Alec had left Tommy in the water with the three kids and approached me with a smile.

  “These kids are wearing me out. Don’t know where your husband finds the energy.” He reached for a towel and stood next to me, drying off. He squinted over at Paulina, and we both saw she and her girlfriend were taking a walk down the beach away from us.

  Alec’s swim trunks were heavy with the weight of the water, and they were slipping down below his waist. I’d started to look away when I noticed strange-looking scars on his right hip. He caught my glance and answered my unspoken question.

  “Bullet wound,” he said matter-of-factly.

  He must have read the expression on my face because he quickly added, “Don’t worry. I didn’t rob a bank and get in the middle of a shootout or anything like that. Can’t even claim to be a war hero and injured in the line of duty. Nope. My brother and I found my grandpa’s shotgun in his barn when I was about ten years old. I’m lucky it didn’t actually take my head off.”

  “I thought it looked serious.” I sat up and took my sunglasses off to get a closer look. “Looks like a lot of little scars around it.”

  “Shrapnel from the blast.” He towel-dried his hair. “Still bothers me sometimes. Even after all these years.”

  “I had a friend once who was shot. Grazed his rib cage and ended up in his side. I remember him occasionally mentioning that it bothered him.”

  I was referring to the time Grizz got shot. We’d been living at the motel then, and he’d come home with a bullet in his side. This was about six months before he got stitches in his head for smacking into one of the planters I’d hung outside our door. Yes, I was familiar with serious wounds and had seen Grizz stitched up on many occasions, though I didn’t tell Alec any of this.

  “Not unusual,” Alec said casually as he bent over the cooler to get a drink. “I asked my doctor once if it was a phantom pain. He told me it was more likely the nerves that got damaged didn’t heal correctly. The doctors did all they could do to repair them, but it’s not a guarantee. Sometimes they kick in and do their own thing. It’s not really painful anymore, more like I’m aware that I was hurt there. Is that how your friend described it?”

  I didn’t answer him, saved by the rest of the troop who had made their way out of the water and were asking for towels.

  The sound of the phone being returned to its base brought me out of my daydream, and I stood up. Self-consciously, I tugged at my skirt, as if pulling on it could bring it closer to my knees. I hadn’t given any thought to running into someone other than possibly Eileen at Tommy’s office. I knew my response sounded lame, but I came up with the best excuse I could think of.

  “I’m supposed to meet a new client later. Thought I’d stop in to see Tommy first...since my new client is near here and all.”

  I looked at the floor. I was the worst liar in the world, and I knew it, and obviously Alec did too. I could see in his eyes he knew exactly the reason I was there. I was certain I turned beet red.

  He shook his head. “The lucky bastard is out with Eileen. She was having some car trouble, and he offered to ride along with her to some repair shop. That’s
why his car is still outside.”

  “Oh. Well, I guess I’ll just be heading out then. Can you tell him I came by? I wanted to take him to lunch before my meeting.” I didn’t mention that before taking my husband to lunch, I was going to lock his office door, pull the fancy blinds closed and give him the hottest sex he’d ever experienced.

  My cheeks flushed, and I struggled to sound normal as I secretly prayed my carnal intentions weren't so obvious. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. Just that I had a burning need to seduce Tommy, an insatiable need to feel him inside of me. For lack of a better or more eloquent description, I was there to bang his brains out and then take him to a restaurant, where I wanted to convince him over a quick lunch to check into a motel for another hour instead of going back to work. It could all be wrapped up in time for me to be home when Jason got off the school bus.

  Alec stood there with his hands in his pockets and looked at me sideways with a grin.

  “I’m no replacement,” he held up his hands, “but I would be more than happy to take a pretty lady to lunch. That is, if she would do me the honor of her company.”

  I smiled and relaxed. This was Alec. Our friend. A happily married father of two.

  “Of course. I’d love to have lunch with you. Thank you for asking me.”

  He held his arm out to me. “But if he shows up and sees your car, you won’t be able to surprise him later.”

  I agreed to drive and steered him toward my parking spot.

  At Alec’s suggestion, we ended up at Bella Roma’s, a small but excellent Italian restaurant on the ocean side of A1A just a little north of the office.

  “We don’t need to go someplace so fancy for lunch, Alec. Seriously. I’d be just as happy with Denny’s.”

  “I invited you. And besides, we can’t let you be all dressed up with nowhere to go.”

  I knew he was teasing about my overdressed state and laughed along with him. Lunch was pleasant and friendly until it turned serious.