A Gift of Time

by Beth Flynn

  Tommy didn’t say anything, and Alec wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Then something occurred to Alec, and he quickly added, “Unless you need me here. I’ve not asked how things are with you and Ginny. I figured the family cruise was a good thing. Am I right?”

  Tommy scratched his chin and let out an audible sigh. He let both hands land with a thud on the chair armrest.

  “Yeah, the cruise is a good thing. Things are good with Ginny. Better than they’ve been in a while. I don’t know. I just still feel like shit about some things.”

  Sarah Jo’s threat had weighed heavily on him, and when Ginny had recognized something was bothering him, he’d done the shittiest thing he could’ve done. He’d brought up her interview with Leslie. He’d done it to divert the conversation away from what was really bothering him. Sarah Jo.

  This surprised Alec. Even when Tommy and Ginny were separated, he never saw his friend act anything other than upbeat, positive, and always professional. Then again, he’d been going through his own hell with Paulina and may not have noticed.

  “If you wanna talk, man, feel free to unload. I won’t judge. I’ll just listen.”

  Tommy cast a wary eye at his friend. Alec had been a good partner and a good friend. Tommy hated to admit it, but he’d had Axel do an extensive background check on Alec before Tommy accepted him into the firm, eventually promoting him to a full partner. He found they fell into an easy and comfortable relationship and mixed just enough business with pleasure to have a trusting and amicable friendship.

  But it had never gone so far that Tommy shared any of his and Ginny’s background. He’d trusted Alec with his business. Could he trust him with some personal revelations, as well? It would be nice to get some things off his chest. Not all things. He would never tell Alec about Grizz or the motel. But he could share, without giving any details, the burden he’d been carrying about Sarah Jo.

  “Yeah, man. I could use an ear. Maybe even some advice.”

  Alec looked at his watch and pressed the intercom on his phone. When his assistant responded, he told her, “Please reschedule my one o’clock with Mr. Sanders.” He nodded at Tommy.

  Tommy took a deep breath. “Have you ever met or heard me or Ginny talk about Sarah Jo before?”

  “Yeah. I know her. Husband’s a surgeon? I’ve seen her a couple of times at your get-togethers. I don’t think I ever said anything to her other than ‘please pass the potato salad.’ One of Ginny’s friends, right?”

  Tommy swallowed thickly and tugged at his collar. Was the room getting hot or was he just getting riled at the mention of her name?

  He didn’t go into any of the sordid details, purposely leaving Ginny’s miscarriage and rape out of the story, but he did tell Alec he’d recently discovered Sarah Jo hadn’t exactly been the friend that Ginny and he always thought she was. He never mentioned the threats or what Sarah Jo was capable of, pretending he only needed advice on how much one should share with their spouse when it would only hurt them.

  “You said that all of the shit happened years ago, when you were younger? Do you think she’s grown past it, or does she still pull crap?” Alec asked.

  “I don’t think she’s done anything bad in years, but I don’t have a way to know that for sure.” Tommy let out a sigh. “I just don’t think I can stand to be in the same room with her knowing what she was capable of.”

  “Well, if it wasn’t life or death shit, I’d say she outgrew it, but the decision to stay friends or not should be left up to your wife. I would tell her.”

  Tommy had no intention of telling Ginny about Sarah Jo’s deceitfulness. He just needed to talk, and spilling some frustrations to Alec had helped. He was certain Alec would’ve been appalled to hear the brutal truth of what Sarah Jo was capable of—and their threats to each other.

  He thanked Alec and quickly changed the subject to a recent client who’d threatened to fire them and take her business to a rival firm.

  Alec leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head. He stared at the ceiling without saying anything for a minute. This particular client had been stringing them along for months. He thought they should cut their losses and say goodbye. She’d been a thorn in their side and they could take the financial hit. But the thought of her trying to blackmail them into more work at no expense to her snooty self didn’t sit well with Alec.

  “Call her bluff, Tom. Call her fucking bluff.”

  **********

  Tommy turned up the radio in his car as he sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-95. “If I’d Been The One” by 38 Special reminded him of a smaller, simpler South Florida.

  He was getting tired of the traffic, the crowds, and seeing all the places that used to be home to palm trees replaced with concrete. He was serious when he’d told Ginny a few months ago that they should sell everything and start over fresh somewhere. Maybe she would still consider it.

  Mimi would be bringing home a boy tonight. A boy she’d secretly been seeing behind their backs for months before Grizz’s execution.

  He couldn’t blame his daughter for the secrecy, and he was grateful that she’d confided about the guy to Gin. He’d almost gone through the roof when Ginny told him the boy, Elliott, had turned eighteen this year. But, when Ginny explained that Elliott had wanted to meet them and it was Mimi who’d avoided it, he calmed down a bit.

  “We have to give him a chance, Tommy. He’s trying to do right by her. Can you imagine how nervous he must be?”

  So they would be meeting Elliott for the first time tonight, and Ginny had told him Mimi didn’t know who she was more worried about: her father intimidating Elliott or ten-year-old Jason embarrassing her to death. Tommy knew he wouldn’t do anything to make his daughter or Elliott feel uncomfortable, but he sure as hell couldn’t vouch for what Jason might do. She was probably right. Jason would embarrass her.

  For Tommy’s part, he would be nice. Polite but firm. If—and it was a big if—he approved of this young man, there would be strict rules until his daughter turned eighteen. He’d let Ginny and Grizz down once by not being on top of Mimi’s activities. It wouldn’t happen again.

  **********

  Tommy was getting ready for work the next morning as he let himself think about the night before. The dinner had passed without incident. Well, if you could forget Jason’s awkwardly timed questions about whether or not Mimi and Elliott made out, Tommy would say it was downright successful.

  He had to admit he didn’t like the ink and he didn’t like the bike, but he had to give the kid credit for not trying to hide it. Elliott was up front about not always being on his best behavior. He talked about his grandmother, Edith. He talked about school and work, and these were all things that could easily be verified. And they would be, as soon as Tommy had a few minutes to talk to Axel. He wasn’t going to feel guilty or apologize for asking Axel to do a background check on Elliott.

  He found himself hoping Elliott was being truthful. He didn’t want to find out the boy had been dishonest about anything. Tommy thought Elliott looked like he could’ve been older than eighteen, but he knew Axel would find out for sure.

  He’d just finished combing his hair and spraying on some cologne. He wouldn’t let himself think about how he’d handle it if something did come to light that he didn’t care for. It was troublesome enough for him and Ginny to deal with Mimi falling for a boy three years older than her.

  He bounded down the stairs and could hear his family’s lighthearted banter at the breakfast table. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and something cooking caused his stomach to rumble.

  He walked into the kitchen and headed straight for the coffee pot, planting a kiss on Ginny’s cheek as she stood at the stove and flipped pancakes. He chanced a peek at Mimi’s face. She was smiling at something Jason had said to her. He paused for a second before the reality of what he was seeing sunk in. He hadn’t seen this look on Mimi’s face in a while. She was happy. She was teasing with her brother.

&nb
sp; He sent up a silent prayer. God, please let this boy be who he says he is.

  “Well, maybe Mom has another pink one you can use,” Mimi teased her brother. “Maybe you can even take it on the cruise with us next week.”

  “No!” Jason yelled at his sister. “Pink is for girls! Mom, you have a blue one, don’t you?”

  Tommy had his back to the table as he poured his coffee. He started to turn but stopped when he heard Ginny’s reply.

  “I’m sure I have a spare toothbrush that isn’t pink, Jason. Dr. McDonough always gives us freebies when we get our cleanings.”

  Tommy carried his coffee to the table and sat down, asking casually, “What’s all this about pink and blue toothbrushes?”

  Mimi looked at her father and said, “Jason dropped his toothbrush in the toilet last night. Again. Last time he did it, Mom had to give him the only spare one she had, and it was pink. He got so mad at her that he threw it away after he used it.”

  “I did not throw it away!” Jason stated emphatically. “I didn’t, Mom, I swear. It was gone when I got home from school.” He picked up his orange juice and shot a glare at his sister, whining, “I don’t know why you had to bring something up from over a year ago, Mimi.”

  Ginny loaded pancakes on the plate in the middle of the table and cast an amused eye at her son.

  “Well, I don’t know where it went,” Ginny told Jason, “but I remember getting you a new one that same day, and I never did find the pink one I gave you.” She smiled at Tommy and her smile faded as she noticed his expression.

  “Tommy? Are you okay, babe? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  He caught himself and smiled. “Coffee went down funny. Feel like I have some heartburn coming on. I just need to eat.”

  “Well, there’s plenty,” she said. “Mimi, you’ll miss your bus, and I don’t have time to drive you. Jason, keep eating or you’ll miss yours, too. You still need to brush your teeth.”

  “But, Mom...” Jason started to whine.

  “I have a spare toothbrush, and I’m pretty sure it’s blue. Now eat!”

  Tommy wasn’t sure how to ask without it sounding too awkward, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

  “So I guess Mom needs to save the pink ones for Mimi, right? Like Jason said, pink is for girls.” He looked at his plate as he cut his pancakes.

  “That’s what I think, too, Dad, but Mimi always calls first dibs on the colors when we go to the dentist and we get our new toothbrushes.”

  Mimi had already stood and pushed her chair in with her hip.

  “Pink? Are you serious, Dad? I haven’t had a pink anything since I was ten years old.” She turned to her mother. “I like using the dining room chairs in here, Mom. They’re easier on the butt.”

  She walked over to the bench by the back door and picked up her backpack and teasingly addressed her little brother.

  “And what do you care anyway, Jason? I always pick green because I know you like blue. I cannot believe we’re even having this conversation.”

  She rolled her eyes and walked out of the kitchen, but not before Ginny caught a hint of a smile. Her Mimi was back.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Grizz

  1990, Prison, North Florida

  “Are you going to just stare at me, or are you going to stand up and at least give me a hug?”

  By now, Grizz had sat up on his bed and just stared at the extremely thin brunette.

  “Didn’t recognize you, Chicky. You don’t look like yourself.” He stood, and after a long hug, he stepped back and held her at arm’s length, giving her a once-over. “You’ve changed your look since the trial.”

  With a half smirk plastered on her face she looked him up and down. “So did you.”

  He instantly ran his hand over his shaved head and grabbed at his beard.

  “I was going to suggest you let me trim up that rat’s nest you have hanging from your chin, but I guess you probably don’t get to play with scissors in here.”

  She paused then and looked around the cell. There was the standard toilet and sink, but that was all that was standard. The sink had a mirror over it, and she noticed razors on a small shelf. The bed was not prison issue. It was a twin-sized bed, but the mattress was thick. An overstuffed chair sat in the corner with a reading light behind it. A small shelf held a microwave. A microwave? And she wasn’t sure, but she could’ve sworn she smelled blood.

  “Looks like you have everything you could need in here. Why am I not shocked?” She shook her head as she smiled and looked down. She was standing on a braided rug. “I’m surprised you don’t have the fancy chess set Kit bought you all those years ago. I guess she still has it.”

  “It’s in an office I have use of.”

  “Of course, it is.” She laughed.

  He gave her a wide smile then. “Have a game going on with one of the guards. I win, I get even more privileges. He wins, I make sure he gets something for it.”

  “Looks like you’ve been winning a lot,” she said as she took another glance around the cell. “And besides, since when do you have to win a chess game to get what you want?”

  “I don’t. But the games keep it interesting.”

  He motioned her to the only chair and sat on the end of the bed to face her. The cell was small, and their knees almost touched.

  “Tell me what you’ve been up to? How has life been treating you since the trial?”

  Chicky then told him in great detail about the last few years. How she’d tried to make a go of it with Fess, but it hadn’t worked out. She’d found herself heading a little north and settling in a small town in South Carolina. She’d met an older man who owned his own bar.

  “My topless days were over, but I’d picked up just enough on how to make a bar successful.” She paused then and motioned to her chest, giggled. “Without the titties. Anyway, Ed’s an old geezer, but he’s my old geezer, and I love him. We just got married. I have to give him credit, you know, marrying me without really knowing how much time I have left.”

  The realization of what she was telling him slowly dawned, and she answered his unspoken question.

  “Cancer. It’s still early, and the doctors have told me I can fight it with treatment, but not to get too hopeful. Lost all my hair and decided I’d give life a shot as a brunette. What do you think?” She motioned to her brown hair, which Grizz suddenly realized was a wig.

  Grizz wasn’t one to get emotional, but something about seeing Chicky not looking like herself caused a lump to form in his throat. That, along with hearing Kit had given birth to a son that should’ve been his, combined to jolt him. He stood quickly and turned his back to her. His voice came out raspy when he finally answered her question.

  “Beautiful. You’ve always been beautiful, Chicky.”

  “I wish all that emotion I can hear in your voice was for me, but I know it’s not.” Her voice was quiet.

  He turned back quickly to her then, and she stood and took both of his hands in her own.

  “I heard,” she said. “I still keep in touch with some people, you know? I heard yesterday that she was in labor, and I took the first flight down to see you. I’m sorry I hadn’t done it before, but something in my gut told me you might need a friend.”

  He didn’t know what to say so he didn’t say anything. With her hands still clasping his own tightly, he sat back down on his bed and closed his eyes. Chicky took her seat and waited until he made eye contact with her.

  “I ain’t never seen a man that loves a woman the way you love her. Ever. Why didn’t you just take life without parole, Grizz? She would’ve accepted that, you know. She would’ve brought that baby girl here to see her daddy, and don’t tell me with all of your clout that you couldn’t have had as many conjugal visits as you wanted. She could’ve still been yours.”

  He could never tell Chicky the real reason he didn’t accept life without parole. He was counting on the death penalty as a bargaining chip. B
ut it wasn’t working.

  “This isn’t the kind of life I want for her or my daughter,” he told her gruffly, pulling his hands away.

  He stood and walked to the sink. He turned it on and started to splash cold water on his face.

  “And I know what you were doing before I walked in here,” she said. “I know you have a prostitution ring and can have access to as many women as you want. That’s probably why the guard let me in here. But something tells me you don’t. You’re still in love with her. You’re still loyal to her.”

  He ignored her last comment and reached for a towel.

  “And you pushed for the death penalty because you’re too fucking prideful to rot in a prison cell for the rest of your life. You always were an egotistical ass, Grizz.”

  He was drying his face when he stopped and turned around to look at her.

  “Yeah, I guess I am,” he answered with a grin.

  She didn’t know if he was answering the charge that he was still in love with and loyal to Kit or acknowledging that he was an ass. Either way, Chicky’s comment had sliced through the tension, and they both laughed as they realized that she would’ve never spoken to him like that in years past. But it was okay now, and she was right—about all of it. Chicky was his friend. And he needed a friend.

  “I bet she’s a great mother,” Grizz said quietly.

  “Oh, honey, I’m sure she is the best mother. If you can take one thing off your worry plate, if you even have a worry plate, I’m sure it can be any doubt about Kit’s love and devotion as a momma.”

  He nodded and smiled. Neither would say what they both were thinking. That Grunt would be an excellent father, as well. Grunt had run as far away as he could from that life, ensuring his education at a young age. If Grizz had done anything right in his life, it was rescuing his son from the misery he’d been living in with Candy’s sister, Karen. If he wasn’t so fucked up in the head over Kit and Grunt having a baby together, he might even have let himself be proud of his son.