The Ripple

by J. J. Belding

  Thank you," she repeated, before slowly stepping away from him.

  "You're welcome." His arms felt empty without her but he was confident it wouldn't be long before she was back where she belonged. Returning her smile, he asked "You ready to grab some lunch?"

  She nodded and he placed his hand against the small of her back as they headed back toward the car. He scored another win when she didn't pull away from his touch.

  Chapter 9

  The early autumn weather was as close to perfect as anyone could wish for and, after dropping Mrs. Hunter's produce off, they enjoyed broccoli cheese soup and BLT's on the deck at Gourmet Gaby's. In the bay, they could see several small islands. Brightly colored speed and sailboats zipped around them, leaving foamy white wakes in the deep blue water.

  "You know my father and I aren't particularly close," Wyatt finally forced himself to say. A fresh start with his wife meant he needed to open up and be honest about that part of his past, as well as making sure he didn't screw up their future again.

  "That's an understatement," Tessa said, rolling her eyes heavenward. "No offense but I've often wondered how you managed to be conceived because he's not particularly close to your mom either."

  "He always claimed she married him for the money. Once she'd produced a son on the first try, her duty was over as far as she was concerned."

  It was a lie though, he explained. He and his mother had talked about it once, on her birthday. Wyatt had been fifteen then and too young for such confidences but her heart had been broken by her husband's cold refusal to acknowledge another of her special days.

  She'd loved Matt Garber desperately in the beginning but soon realized he'd never wanted her affections. It hurt, she'd told him but it hadn't taken long for her feelings for him to die. Fortunately, Leanne wanted her son for the right reasons and had always been a devoted mother who loved him with all of her heart.

  "I guess I'm not surprised to hear that. There's always been an air of sadness surrounding your mom," Tessa murmured, looking a little sad herself. He wondered if she was surprised at his openness about it now.

  "The only thing that mattered to him was his oil drilling business. People were low on the list of importance." Wyatt paused to take a slow breath. He hated owning up to this next part. "I was a major disappointment to him because I had no interest in it. I always liked fixing things and working with numbers. He was sure I'd be a failure in life and didn't pull any punches telling me either. And he started telling me when I was about ten years old."

  "I don't even know what to say," she said after several moments of uncomfortable silence. She reached across the table and covered his hand with hers, her expression soft, tender like it used to be.

  "I'm not telling this so you'll feel sorry for me. I'm telling you because I finally figured out I was turning into my father. I know our reasons weren't the same though. I don't know what he wants out of life. But me? I was trying to prove to him that I wasn't the failure he predicted I'd be. My goal since I was a kid was to sock a million dollars into savings as fast as I could so I could shove his face in it."

  "Wyatt—"

  "No. Let me finish. Please?" He turned his hand palm side up so he could hold hers and was grateful when she didn't pull it away. "The problem is, along the way, I let you think that was the most important thing in my life. And it's not, Tessa. It never was. I just couldn't figure out how to get that million dollars and put you first."

  Tears stung his eyes as he looked at her, hoping she'd believe his words. Because it wasn't just talk. These were confessions from the lips of a man desperate to hold on to the owner of his heart. But she wasn't saying anything now and that same heart sank a little.

  "Things are going to be different, Tessa. I promise."

  "When?"

  "Now. Starting today, I'm a new man. Or the man you married. Not the idiot with tunnel vision he turned in to."

  "I think I believe you," she whispered after a brief silence. "And I hope he's back because I've really missed him."

  "He's back to stay. I promise."

  ***

  As they strolled hand-in-hand around Fallen Souls Memorial Park, just a few blocks away from the deli, Wyatt was feeling confident. Mostly. It was shaken when he got the call he'd been waiting for. That meant another moment of truth was fast approaching. Tessa's eyes filled with disappointment when he put the phone to his ear but all he did was thank the caller, say they'd be right there, and smile.

  "We've got to go," he said, pulling her hand, coaxing her into a slow jog back to the car.

  "Wyatt! What are you doing?" she asked, her laugh a combination of confusion and amusement.

  "It's a surprise. Come on."

  On the short drive back, Wyatt kept telling himself he was doing the right thing. It would mean telling Tessa the truth. She might not believe him at first but there would be no arguing with the dates. Nearly a month had passed since they'd checked in to the Cottage Inn and a lot had happened since then.

  Hopefully, she wouldn't be too freaked out over what had happened. His biggest fear at this point though would be that she might blame him for the night she was killed, or the possibility that she might be trapped in Hemisphere forever. Still, he couldn't let go of the hope that this surprise might make her happy. Happier than he'd ever known her to be.

  "What in the world?" she asked, when they arrived back at the inn and he nearly dragged her to the dining room.

  Mr. and Mrs. Hunter were there, along with another gentleman in a suit. He had a thick folder on the table next to his shiny leather briefcase. Getting to his feet he shook Wyatt's hand, then Tessa's.

  "Mr. and Mrs. Garber. Dennis Montrose at your service. I have to say this is one of the quickest deals I've ever closed. In fact, if I checked into it, I'm sure we're setting a speed record." He grinned at everyone and said, "Shall we take our seats and get this show on the road?"

  "I don't understand," Tessa said quietly, sitting in the chair Wyatt held out for her.

  "That's right," Mr. Montrose said, chuckling. "Your husband said this was a surprise. Do you want to tell her or shall I?"

  "I will," Wyatt said, kneeling down beside her and taking her hands in both of his. Looking up at her, he hoped she could see how sincere he was. That she'd realize he was giving up his old dream for a new one. For hers, and to make sure she lived a long, healthy life." We're buying the Cottage Inn. All we have to do is sign the papers and it's ours."

  To say that she was stunned would have been putting it mildly. Tessa stared at him like he'd lost his mind for nearly a minute. Then her brows drew together as the confusion returned. But when he just kept looking at her, smiling tenderly, he saw it give way to hope.

  "Really?" she asked, so softly he barely heard the word.

  "Really."

  "Why?"

  "Because the place is for sale. Because you love it. Because it's a dream you never told me about." He could see hope warring with doubt in her eyes.

  "What about your job? I'm supposed to stay here while you're traveling all over the country?"

  "I called Richard before you woke up this morning to tell him I quit. Effective immediately."

  Tears filled her eyes. Before she could blink them away, one escaped, rolling down her cheek and landing on her shirt with a silent plop. Wyatt reached up to wipe the damp trail away.

  "After that, I transferred the purchase price from our savings to the Hunter's." He laughed softly. "And before you ask, I don't care. It took a third of our savings and I don't care. I don't need to prove anything to anyone except you and I'll keep proving how much I love you, how much you mean to me for the rest of our lives."

  ***

  After they'd signed the papers transferring ownership of the inn to them, they had a long conversation with the Hunters. Maybe it was cowardly on his part, but he wanted someone familiar with Hemisphere there when he told his story.

  They were stunned when he told them they'd been living the same
day for the past twenty-six days. Mrs. Hunter ran to get the register and, sure enough, had to admit that it had been almost a month since they'd checked in. Tessa didn't want to believe it at first but she couldn't argue with the dates either. For the two of them, it was still October twenty-seventh. For everyone else, time had moved forward. It looked like Ed's guesses on the fugue state might have been spot on.

  Having already accepted that the impossible had happened, Wyatt took a deep breath and told her about the night she'd been killed, and what Ed feared might happen if she left the city limits. She was so quiet for several long moments, he thought she was okay with it.

  But he was wrong.

  Tessa totally freaked out. For the next hour she shouted, she paced, she cried. She blamed him for making her a prisoner in a town he brought her to and refused to listen to anything he had to say.

  Then, in the middle of her tirade, Barbara Hunter got slowly to her feet, slammed her hands on the table and shouted, "Enough!" It was enough to stop Tessa in the middle of another accusation. "You need to stop. Just hush and sit down."

  "What?" she asked, wide-eyed as she stared at their normally mild-mannered hostess. "How dare you talk to me-"

  "I said hush! And sit. Now." Her tone brooked no argument and without further fuss, Tessa dropped back down into her chair. Once she was quiet, Barbara resumed her seat, folded her hands on the tabletop, and looked straight at Tessa. "You, young lady, need to stop focusing on a single event and look at this situation as a whole."

  "You mean stop focusing on the fact that I had my head ripped off by a monster?" Wyatt was impressed that the question wasn't shouted, though the saccharine sweet tone was almost as bad.

  "That's exactly what I mean. Your husband brought you here to make you happy. Everything that happened afterward was beyond his control. Honestly, how many wishes have you made that came true?" She seemed to be waiting for an answer. "How many?"

  "None," Tessa snapped, glaring at her. "An hour ago, I might have said one, but that was before I realized the dream life I thought my husband was giving me was actually a nightmare! So yeah, that answer is none."

  "Why doesn't that surprise me?" Barbara asked, then sighed. "No one knows what causes a ripple to start and no one knows what causes them to stop. Wyatt had no control over any of this and blaming him is ridiculous. But once it happened, once he knew leaving might be dangerous for you, he didn't think twice about changing his whole life to make you happy and keep you safe. He gave up his dream because you were more important. That should be your focus."

  She was silent for several excruciatingly long minutes before saying she needed some time to think about everything. And then she got up and went outdoors, sitting in a gazebo that had been built beyond the fruit trees. Wyatt could see her from the table and he just watched her, feeling a little numb, wishing he'd kept his mouth shut about the attack.

  "It's going to be all right," Barbara assured him, reaching across the table for his hand. "You can't really blame her for having a little meltdown. It's not every day a girl finds out they've been killed."

  After what felt like forever, Tessa finally came back inside. Wyatt got to his feet, surprised when she walked straight to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and whispering that she was sorry. Then she turned to thank Barbara before sitting back down.

  Wyatt hoped this meant she'd accepted everything she'd learned but figured that was a little too optimistic. She'd probably have her moments, but it was a start. It didn't hurt when Barbara mentioned a couple of similar circumstances, even down to the ripple. One of the women had done some research, and discovered that once they had a tie to this world, they were able to travel anywhere they wanted.

  Tessa demanded to know what the tie was. When she found out it was a child, a biological child, she calmed down even more. And when Wyatt said they could start working on that tie immediately, she actually smiled.

  Later, they spent half the night getting to know each other again and this morning, he was exhausted. It was a good exhaustion though, something he hadn't experienced in months. Something he hoped to experience a lot more of in the future.

  If time ever moved forward again. It would be hard to improve upon perfection but being stuck in a time ripple meant he had a lot of time to try.

  Beside him, Tessa stirred and her hair tickled his chin. Wyatt smoothed it down, wondering what changes he could make today that would make it better than it had already been. Maybe get everything started earlier so they could get to bed earlier tonight. Maybe buy her flowers at the farmer's market. Maybe…

  Beside him. Tessa was beside him, not clear across the huge bed, hugging the edge of the mattress.

  For a moment, Wyatt couldn't catch his breath. His eyes popped open and he stared at the ceiling. It was full daylight, he was still in bed—and Tessa's warm, naked body was pressed against his.

  As he tried to make sense of what was going on, he realized her right leg was drawn up over his thigh and her right arm was bent so her hand was splayed across his chest. Or it was – until it started heading south.

  She took her time, her fingertips barely caressing his skin, driving him crazy inch by agonizing inch. He couldn't think beyond wanting to push her onto her back and make love to her all morning. It seemed her thoughts were perfectly aligned with his.

  Later, as she collapsed against his chest like a ragdoll, it really hit him. Tomorrow had finally arrived and he'd won his wife back. He'd missed her so much, missed moments like this and he made a solemn vow to himself. He'd never take her for granted again.

  "Good morning," Tessa murmured, kissing his neck.

  "Good morning," Wyatt whispered back, holding her close.

  Their lives were about to change. They were moving to a place that, on the surface, was as homey as any other small town in the world. Below that shiny surface though, there was something frightening. Dangerous, even.

  There were things they needed to learn about in a hurry in order to keep Tessa safe, to keep them both safe, but he didn't care. A whole lot of people lived in Hemisphere, thrived even. And as long as they took the right precautions, as long as they were together and his wife was happy – with him – that's all that mattered.

  Good morning?

  Yeah. All of their mornings were going to be good from this day – this brand new day – forward.

  ~~~~~<>~~~~~

  Thanks so much for reading The Ripple. I hope you enjoyed Wyatt's story. And that you'll leave a review letting others know. Word of mouth not only helps readers who might love the story find it, but it also helps those who might not to pass it by.

  And don't forget to sign up for the Hemisphere Orientation and New Resident's Packet (link on next page) to find out more insider secrets about our unique little town.

  Keep reading for a free offer and news about new releases.

  Thanks again,

  J.J. Belding (aka Kristy K. James)

  If you enjoyed this story set in the unique little town of Hemisphere, look for more by J.J., along with her partners in crime fellow Hemisphere cohorts, Billy Baltimore, G Oldman, and Kit Nash.

  Hang out with us on the following social media sites and find out about our current books, upcoming releases, and other news:

  http://hemisphereunderground.com/

  https://www.facebook.com/TheHemisphereUnderground/

  Current & Soon-to-be-released Hemisphere Books

  J.J. Belding

  The Ripple

  The Depot, Book 1 in Haunted Depot: The Ghost Curse 12/12/17

  A Merry Depot Christmas: Book 2 in Haunted Depot: The Ghost Curse 12/19/17

  Billy Baltimore

  Emma Spaulding, Paranormal Detective: Sasquatch

  Emma Spaulding, Paranormal Detective: Djinn 11/21/17

  G Oldman

  Peril In the Park, Book 1: A Hemisphere Story

  Rise of the Watchman, Book 2: A Hemisphere Story 12/5/17

  Kit Nash

  Rectifi
er: Some Assembly Required 11/28/17

  And don't forget to look for me and my Kristy K. James books!

  http://kristykjames.net/

  https://www.facebook.com/kristykjames

  https://www.wattpad.com/user/KristyKJames@KristyKJames

  (free stuff from Kristy)

  https://www.wattpad.com/user/HemisphereBooks

  (where you'll find J.J.'s free stories)