"You have been more kind ta me than anyone has ever been and 'tis not right for me to intrude on your privacy any longer."
Although Maggie and Noah both felt confident Moira was not despondent enough to take her own life, they still felt more comfortable knowing she was safe and protected until the time came for them to be transported home.
Noah slowed Moira's departure by reminding her that she'd been too sick to work that day. "It wouldn't be good if someone saw you looking perfectly healthy this evening. You'd be better off staying here again tonight and going right to work in the morning. Besides, Maggie and I will be meeting friends on the mainland tonight and won't be back until morning. And then we'll be checking out. So you can just make yourself at home."
"The extra rest will be good for the baby," Maggie added and Moira relented.
Since a card game had kept her distracted all afternoon, Noah taught her how to play solitaire for her evening's entertainment.
Once they were certain Moira would not be leaving, they went into the bedroom and Maggie told Noah about her conversation with Connor. "I assured him that you would want to help him but I'm not sure I convinced him that he should try to come with us."
"But you had the feeling you were supposed to offer him the chance, right?"
"Yes. Definite shiver confirmation."
"Good. Then I'll hope his chivalry doesn't get in the way of his good sense."
They dressed as though they were actually going out on the town. Noah pocketed a little cash and left the remainder in an envelope with a note for Moira to use it for her new life. They recalled Reynard telling them the only things that could travel through time with them were what they were wearing or holding. After a brief debate as to whether they had the right to take a souvenir back with them, they decided to each choose one item that could be easily worn.
Noah decided the pocket watch was the most relevant souvenir he could think of, then insisted Maggie put on the diamond earrings because they were the only items in the bungalow that came close to matching her brilliance.
As the three-quarter moon began to inch above the horizon, they strolled arm-in-arm to the spot on the beach where they hoped to soon be transported back to the future.
"I have a confession to make," Maggie said once they'd reached the portal.
"Isn't that one of those scary conversation openers?"
She smiled. "Not this time. I just wanted to tell you that I've had a wonderful time. Here, in this completely unreal situation, with you."
Noah angled his head toward her. "Doesn't sound like much of a confession. I've had a blast too."
"The confession part is that I was beginning to hope we would fail and be forced to stay here. In spite of all the conveniences we'd miss, this time has some things I'll miss in the future. It just seems... quieter, less... complicated."
Noah leaned down and kissed her mouth. "I love you, Maggie. I love you enough to stay here, knowing exactly how difficult our lives would get, if that really was what you wanted to do. I'm yours to command, Sugarlips. State your desire."
In spite of the importance of the moment, Noah's words delivered a trill of sexual desire and she closed her eyes to savor the feeling. His chuckle brought her part of the way back.
"If that's what you want, we should probably find somewhere more private."
She drew his head down for a long, slow kiss before giving him her conclusion. "As tempting as staying here seems in theory, the reality could be very, very complicated. We have to go home for all the time-travel-paradox reasons we've ever seen in movies and because we might not resist the temptation to take advantage of future knowledge if our circumstances became desperate."
"Okay, the noisy, complicated future it is." He looked up at the moon then along the beach. "I don't see any sign of Connor."
Maggie looked up at the darkening sky. "There's still time... I hope. But he seemed truly concerned that his trying to travel back with us could prevent any of us from returning. I got the impression he would sacrifice the possibility of his getting back rather than put our opportunity at risk. I think he's that good of a man."
Noah drew her close and leaned back against the geode. "And if that's your impression of him, I have no doubt he deserves a second chance. Since he and Lilli seem to have been brought here by his wish, maybe a wish by a gifted woman is all that's needed to get him home."
It took Maggie a moment to understand he meant her. She smiled and said, "I wish for Connor to be able to travel into the future with us and be with Lilli again."
They both stared down the beach in hopes of seeing Connor coming their way but there was no one in sight. There was nothing more to do but wait.
And wait they did. Five minutes passed, then ten, then sixty as the moon traveled amongst the stars, yet there was still no sign of Connor.
Maggie remembered the tingling sensation that had crawled up her legs before they were transported the first time but so far she hadn't felt anything unusual at all. What she did feel was the same uneasiness that she'd had off and on since they'd saved Moira. "Something's wrong."
Noah frowned. "Something like our timing's off or wrong in a big way?"
"Big, I think. I don't know. I just feel... off-kilter, as though I should be doing something other than standing here."
Noah scanned the area around them for the umpteenth time. "Speaking of being off-kilter..."
She followed his gaze and saw a figure in the distance. The person seemed to be weaving in and out of the tide, falling down, getting up and staggering a bit forward before falling again. With nothing better to do while they waited for transport, they found themselves watching the awkward calisthenics. When the person was about a hundred feet away they could tell it was a man in a tuxedo, taking drinks out of a large bottle, which he managed to keep upright even during multiple stumbles and recoveries.
The man finally stopped trying to walk when he had drained the bottle. With a disgusted growl he tossed it into the ocean. For a moment he stood staring out at the water then he removed his tie, jacket and shoes.
"What's he doing?" Maggie murmured to Noah.
"It looks like he's about to take a swim but he looked too drunk to be doing that. Maybe I better—"
"No." Maggie grabbed his arm as he started away. "We can't move from here. We could miss our chance to get back. He might just want to wet his feet."
Noah returned to her side. "Okay. Let's give him a minute."
The full minute wasn't needed however. Without removing any more clothing, the man walked straight into the ocean and disappeared from their sight in seconds.
"Stay here," Noah ordered Maggie as he dashed off.
"Not without you!" she replied, running right behind him.
He managed to shed his shoes and jacket before jumping into the waves. Maggie stared in horror as Noah ducked below the surface, came up for air and dove down in another direction. Was this the cause of her edginess? Was this the something wrong she'd been sensing? Would this man die because she stopped Noah from going to him immediately? Or was it her fate to lose Noah after admitting she loved him?
Dear God, please help them both.
The next few seconds felt like an eternity but Noah reappeared and walked out of the water, hauling the man along with him.
As soon as Noah released his hold, the man dropped to his knees on the sand and began to cough and gag and throw up a disgusting amount of the liquid he had recently swallowed. However, the instant he got control of his stomach he got to his feet and swung at Noah. "Damn you! Damn you!"
Noah grasped the man's flailing arms. "Damn yourself. I just saved your drunken ass."
"Did I ask you to save me?" the man yelled hoarsely then started to cry. "I wanted to die." He plopped down onto the sand, sobbing, gasping and sputtering before adding a pitiful, "I don't deserve to live."
Noah glanced at Maggie. "Should I throw him back in?"
Her mouth dropped open in shock before notici
ng his smirk.
Grasping a handful of wet hair, he forced the man's head toward Maggie and said, "Recognize him?"
She stared and blinked at the sad, soggy drunk and suddenly realized who it was. "Broderick?"
He squinted up at her. "Do I know you? Never mind. I don't care. I hate you both." He bowed his head and sobbed like a wounded animal.
Maggie murmured to Noah. "Could he have been the one we were supposed to save? Could it be that everything else was only leading us up to your saving him?"
He shook his head. "That seems overly convoluted. But we can't eliminate the possibility since I had told you about a man committing suicide by drowning in 1927."
"Well, I'm sure the Hampshires could have kept his identity a secret. Especially since it was obvious they knew about his wanting to get out of the formal engagement."
Broderick appeared to have dozed off where he sat so Noah gave him a nudge with his foot that knocked him sideways. "Hey. No sleeping. What are you doing here? I was told you were on your way north."
The young man turned his head slowly from side to side but his eyes remained closed. "Uh-uh. Nope. I tricked 'em. It was the only way. I told 'em I wanted to take the train an' I told the broomstick I was drivin' and they won't know until they all get there." His words were slurred but he seemed somewhat proud of what he'd done. When he didn't receive any praise he gave his excuses. "I tried to tell 'em. I did. They wouldn't listen. They all wanted to stick me with that bug-eyed old broomstick. They didn't care what I wanted. They didn't care about what was right." He sniffed and blew his nose in his hand only to be confused about what to do with his hand.
"Stay with me, Hampshire. Why were you trying to drown yourself?"
"I had to get drunk first, you know. I'm not even man enough to do it sober. She deserves so much better than me."
"She, who?" Maggie interjected.
"My sweet Irish rose. The mother of my child. She's gone an' it's my fault. I'd rather die than live without her." His head dropped to his chest again with another wounded-animal cry.
Maggie poked him to make him look at her. "If you're talking about Moira Flanagan, she hasn't gone anywhere."
"Oh yes she has. I found out the broomstick went to see her. I don't know what she said or did but when I went to her barracks, Moira was gone, with some of her things. Then I looked for her inside the hotel an' they said she didn't come to work. I had no idea where she would go. I didn't know what else to do."
"So you got stinking drunk and walked into the ocean," Noah finished for him. "Tell me the truth now. What were you planning to do if you found Moira last night?"
He did his best to straighten up and look dignified. "I was gonna take her away from all this," he said with a royal wave of his hand. "I wanted to make her my wife. She's gonna have my baby, y'know."
"As a matter of fact we do know," Noah said. "We also know where Moira is. And although I think you might be right about not deserving her, I'll let her decide what to do with you." He gripped the man's arm and jerked him to his feet. "Come on. I'd wait until you were less disgusting but I think enough time has been wasted already."
Broderick was clearly bewildered and very inebriated but Noah didn't give him much choice about what to do next. Maggie quickly gathered up both men's shoes and jackets and caught up with them. By the time they neared the bungalow, Broderick seemed to be walking a little steadier.
Before stepping onto the porch, Noah grasped the man's shoulders and gave him a rough shake. "Listen to me now. You got lucky tonight. In fact, you are one lucky son-of-a-bitch to have somebody like Moira love you. If I ever find out you mistreat her in any way, I will come after you and finish what you tried to do tonight, only you'll be stone sober when it happens. Got that?"
Broderick straightened his back and lifted his chin. "Yes, sir. I'll take care of her, I swear. I love her more than life itself."
"Then go on inside and tell her what an idiot you are."
Maggie handed the man his jacket and shoes and wished him good luck. Noah took his own things and waited to make sure Moira accepted her man's apology. Of course she did. The fool was as alluring as a drenched, lost puppy.
Noah took another several minutes to go inside, change into dry clothes and transfer the watch from the jacket to his pants pocket. As he and Maggie headed back to the geode, he said, "Well, that was certainly an interesting turn of events."
She hugged his waist as they walked. "I'm pretty sure interesting is an understatement. Now it looks like our mission might have been to save two people and put them on the road to a happily-ever-after."
"After the first wrong guess, I'm not assuming anything. We won't know for sure unless we get sent forward again. And if we missed the zenith, we'll have to wait until tomorrow night, which will take us right down to the deadline."
Maggie sighed. "If that's the case, I think you should talk to Connor tomorrow and convince him—" She went rigid as a tingling sensation tickled the bottoms of her feet. Uncertain if that meant they were about to be zapped where they were or if it was a warning, she grabbed Noah's hand and pulled him into a run. "It's time! Hurry up."
As they neared the portal, a figure could be seen leaning against the rock. But their concern gave way to pleasure when the potential witness to their departure turned out to be Connor.
Chapter 26
"It's time!" Maggie repeated as she grasped Connor's hand and pressed it to the rock. Noah took hold of his other hand and did the same.
"I wasn't going to come," Connor said quickly. "Then all of a sudden, I felt someone give me a hard shove and—" He gasped and squeezed his eyes shut against whatever he was feeling.
The tingling had traveled up Maggie's body, inching higher and growing stronger by the second. By the time the sensation filled her completely, she could barely breathe. Rather than a shimmering peak and a slow fading, the finale was more like a brief but painful electric shock along her entire spine followed by a sense of wellbeing. "Did either of you feel that?"
"Are you kidding?" Noah replied. "It was like holding on to a live wire."
"Same here," said Connor. "I don't remember anything like that the first time."
It took them another moment to release each other's hands and take some deep breaths.
Noah lifted Maggie's chin with his finger and stared into her eyes. "Are you okay?"
She did a quick mental check. "Not just okay. I actually feel really good. Like I had a great massage and received exciting news at the same time. It's hard to explain."
He gave her a quick kiss then turned her head with his finger. "Look."
She dragged her gaze away from his face and grinned when she realized what he wanted her to see. The moon and stars offered just enough light for her to see the row of colorful cabanas in the distance. "We made it," she exclaimed and threw her arms around his neck. His arms closed around her waist and he swung her around several times before setting her down again.
The mini-celebration ended with a kiss that said everything about how happy they were to have made it back to their own present, to have saved two people and their baby, to be together, in love in the perfect time and place.
"I love you, Sugarlips," Noah murmured.
"Really?" she asked, tilting her head at him. "After all this time? Things have changed, you know."
"Ahem," Connor sounded, reminding them of his presence as politely as possible. "I certainly don't want to take anything away from your happiness, but I'm not quite sure what to do next."
Maggie's cheeks warmed with embarrassment but Noah chuckled. "Sorry about that," he said, giving Connor's shoulder a pat. "I think the first order of business is to figure out what year we landed in." He reached into his pocket and took out the gold watch. Flipping it open, he turned to let the moon illuminate the inside.
Maggie felt a flutter of happiness when she saw the wedding photo was still in place but got confused by the placement of the timepiece's hands. "Nine-thirty? Wasn't i
t going on midnight a few minutes ago?"
Noah studied the watch then looked up at the sky. "And the moon was definitely in a different position a few minutes ago. I'm sure of it." Suddenly his eyes lit up with awareness. "The moon looks full. Like it was when we left. But I also remember looking at the time when I first opened the watch... when we were getting ready to go out that first night in the bungalow."
The memory came back to her in a flash. "Yes. I remember you saying something about it being around nine-thirty when we were transported. Is it possible that we've been brought back at the same time we left?"
He chuckled. "Anything's possible. But there's one easy way to find out for sure." He took her hand and Connor followed them to the cabana where they had dined in such exotic luxury. Aware of the possibility of intruding on another guest, he cautiously poked his head into the opening and laughed aloud.
He threw back the flap so they could see what he found so humorous. Their dinner remnants were exactly as they were when they decided to take a walk. The empty bottle of German ice wine was upside-down in the bucket of only slightly melted ice. Even their robes were on the lounge where they'd tossed them.
"It's exactly as we left everything," Maggie explained to Connor as she took their suite key card out of her robe pocket. "Which makes today August 7, 2018."
"Which also makes it thirteen years since Lilli has seen me," Connor returned with a tense expression. "What if she doesn't recognize me?" He sighed. "What if she doesn't want to see me?"
Maggie made a face at him. "Remember, I told you she has the picture of the two of you in her office. If she didn't want to see you, she wouldn't keep that photo in a place where she'd have to look at it every day. And by the way, you've only aged three years so you don't look any different. Lilli doesn't look much different, except for the happiness factor, but it has been thirteen years for her and she is a woman—"
"What Maggie is trying to say," Noah cut in, "is be aware that Lilli might be worried about how she looks to you."
Some Time Away (Lovers in Time Series, Book 3): Time Travel Romance Page 24
