Some Time Away (Lovers in Time Series, Book 3): Time Travel Romance

by Marilyn Campbell

  Connor chuckled. "That's ironic. Our relationship started off with me thinking she was too young because she was only twenty and I was thirty. Now, through the miracle of time travel, we're the same age. But I'll keep your words in mind."

  Noah nodded then asked, "Any idea how we should handle the big reveal? I haven't met her but she doesn't sound like the type to faint from a shock."

  "It's impossible to guess how she might react, but I'm positive it needs to be in private," Connor replied. "And I'm guessing by this hour she might be in her apartment... but that doesn't mean she's alone." His expression fell as he gave that possibility some thought.

  "I know what to do," Maggie said confidently and both men raised their brows with attention. "I'm not going to explain now, but she's waiting for... some information from me. I think if I have the front desk call her and say I have something of urgent importance to discuss with her, she might invite me to her rooms."

  Noah quickly countered. "Or she may come to the lobby, which would definitely not be the best place for this reunion."

  Maggie shook her head. "No, this matter is very personal to her. I think she'll bite."

  "Okay," agreed Noah. "But I expect to hear about this important information, personal or not, before we go to sleep tonight."

  "I promise to tell you all about it, but for this to work, the two of you have to stay out of sight while I go to the front desk."

  Without knowing why, Noah and Connor took a side entrance into the hotel and waited for Maggie in the alcove by the tree house elevator. Mere minutes later, she joined them.

  "She instructed me to come right up," she said with a grin as she used the key card to open the elevator door. "Her suite is on the second floor."

  "She always said she liked that apartment better than the penthouse," Connor noted. "Should I come up with you or—"

  "Come." Maggie motioned for him to step inside quickly. "I don't think we should give her a chance to think about what your return means. Ripping the bandage off abruptly is usually best."

  A range of emotions crossed Connor's face as he obeyed. "Maybe I should take a shower first and get the goop out of my hair, maybe put something on besides this waiter's tux—"

  Noah cut him off this time. "In sixty seconds, none of that is going to matter."

  When they stepped out of the elevator and into the garden foyer outside Lilli's apartment, the men stood to the side as Maggie knocked lightly on the door.

  "Ms. Harrison," Lilli stated without any expression of welcome or invitation to enter. "I was not expecting company this evening but I was told you have something important to relate."

  Maggie forced herself not to react to the sight of the barefooted woman in the plush white robe, long blond hair brushed out over her shoulders, makeup removed... and slightly red, puffy eyes, as though she'd been crying. "May I come in please?"

  Lilli frowned. "Right here is good enough. I'd prefer you give me the bad news quickly and leave me to figure out how best to deal with it."

  Maggie's gaze darted to Noah, who pretended to rip a bandage off his arm and she got the message. "Okay. I know Crystal Island and this hotel has all sorts of paranormal secrets."

  Lilli rolled her eyes. "I've heard that before and it's all nonsense. I thought you had something to tell me about Mr. Nash's book. Now I would like you to leave... or I will buzz for security." She started to close the door but Maggie blocked it with her body and sped up her delivery as Lilli glared at her.

  "I know it's not nonsense because I've seen scenes from the past in mirrors and heard voices when no one was around. I know the big rock on the beach is a portal to travel through time."

  That statement was rewarded with an audible snort from Lilli.

  "And I know that's true because Noah Nash and I just returned from a visit to 1927!" She held out her hand and drew him to her side.

  Noah gave Lilli a lopsided grin and simply said, "Hello."

  Before Lilli could decide what to say in return, Maggie continued. "I also know that thirteen years ago you traveled back to 1924. And the reason I know that for a fact is because we brought someone back with us."

  Maggie and Noah took several steps back.

  Connor moved into the doorway.

  And Lilli dropped to her knees.

  In an instant, Connor lifted her into his arms and, looking toward Noah and Maggie, said, "Thanks guys. I'll take it from here." Then he kicked the door closed.

  Noah and Maggie stared at the door for a second then smiled at each other. "So much for Lilli not being the type of woman who would faint from a shock," Noah said with a chuckle.

  "Well now, she didn't completely faint, but that wasn't exactly your everyday sort of shock." She turned her ear to the door. "I don't hear anything. Should we wait to make sure she's all right?"

  Noah hugged her to his side as he pressed the elevator button. "I'm quite sure we can trust Connor to take care of her. I'm also very sure that I'm more than ready to go back to our suite upstairs... our air-conditioned suite with the king-sized bed."

  "And our huge shower stall with the two massaging heads and really hot water."

  The elevator door opened and Maggie dashed inside. "Hurry up slowpoke," she teased. "It's not like we have all the time in the world."

  * * *

  For the first time, Noah was still in bed next to Maggie when she opened her eyes in the morning. She smiled and yawned and stretched with a satisfied groan. "I feel like I slept for a week," she said.

  He leaned over and kissed her navel. "You almost did. It's nearly noon. But I'm not one to talk. I just woke a few minutes ago. Must be time-travel's version of jet lag."

  Everything came back to her in a rush and her fingers flew to her earlobe. No earrings. Was it all a dream? A moment later he dangled an antique diamond earring in front of her.

  "I took them off you before I closed my eyes. Didn't want to risk choking on one of our souvenirs."

  She relaxed a little but not completely. "I don't know about you but I'm feeling... disoriented. We just had this amazing, totally weird week and then, bam, we're back where we were before it happened. I know we fixed what we were sent there to do, and maybe even more, but I feel like I was reading this exciting book and then got left hanging at the end. I want to know what happened to everyone."

  "Me too," Noah said. "And since we're back in our high-tech world, it should be easy to find out. I have a great program that allows me to search all sorts of reference materials about people, including genealogies."

  Maggie abruptly rose and headed for the door.

  "Hey! Where are you going?"

  She flashed him a smile. "I just realized I'm late for work."

  "But your boss wants to cuddle."

  She came back and gave him a firm closed-mouth kiss. "And your assistant would enjoy that too but then it would be another couple hours before we got to work and my curiosity is killing me."

  He crossed his arms and pouted. "Fine. But you'll owe me."

  She smirked at him and hustled to her bathroom before she gave into the temptation to ask about what he might demand of her.

  Maggie felt refreshed and appropriately dressed when she returned to the living room. Noah was already working at the computer on the dining room table and brunch had been ordered.

  He motioned for her to sit beside him, but when she got close he pulled her onto his lap and into a slow, tongue-stroking kiss. Despite her intention to stay in work mode, it took him less than ten seconds to melt her resistance. "You win," she murmured against his mouth.

  "You agree I'm the boss?" He rubbed his nose against hers.

  She sighed and relaxed into his embrace. "Yes, sir. You are the boss."

  "And you agree you're supposed to do whatever I ask of you?" He nipped her ear lobe.

  "Yes, sir, if it is in my skill set, it will please me to please you." She purposely wriggled her bottom more firmly into his lap.

  He groaned. "And you will never
ever leave my bed again without my permission."

  She straightened her back and made a face at him.

  "Too far?" he asked with a crooked grin.

  "Just a tad." She shifted on his lap so she could see the computer screen. "Anything yet?"

  "I just logged onto—" A knock on the door interrupted him. "That should be Room Service."

  "I'll take care of it," Maggie said cheerfully as she hopped off his lap. "You keep going."

  Maggie opened the door and exclaimed, "Oh my goodness. What is all this?"

  Noah was at her side in an instant.

  A waiter with the expected room service cart was indeed one of the people at the door and he entered the suite first. Behind him was a housekeeper with two folded, freshly laundered hotel robes, and bringing up the rear of the staff parade was an attendant with a cart bearing two large vases of very different, exquisite bouquets of tropical and traditional flowers. A gold-edged envelope poked out from the most ostentatious bouquet. After they all left, Maggie extracted the card and read it aloud.

  "There are no words or gifts that could adequately express our appreciation for what you did for us. We cannot imagine either of you needing a return favor of equal magnitude, but if you did, we would do our best to grant it. At the very least, we hope you will join us for dinner in our suite this evening. The conversation should prove quite illuminating.

  Meanwhile, do know you have our promise of everlasting kinship. From this day on, you will be considered a member of the Davenport family and, as such, there will always be a complimentary room for you at a Davenport hotel... wherever and whenever you arrive."

  The card wasn't signed but it left no question as to who sent it.

  "Wow," Maggie said with a shake of her head. "Talk about someone having a total personality change overnight. I guess it took something as supernatural as Connor's reappearance to get the wicked witch's heart beating again."

  Noah arched one brow. "The wicked witch? Maybe now would be a good time for you to explain what you meant about her waiting for information from you."

  Maggie sighed. "I doubt if it matters any more, but I would have told you about it eventually."

  "I'm listening." His mouth tightened and he crossed his arms.

  She took a breath. "First, understand the only reason I didn't say anything before was because I didn't want to do anything that might affect your creative flow."

  "Okay. You were being thoughtful. Got it. Go on."

  "Second, the afternoon I told you I was filling out paperwork in Human Resources, I had actually been ordered to report to the General Manager's office and not tell you anything about it. I would have ignored that order except Ms. Davenport threatened me and my friend Tanya, who owns the agency I work for."

  Noah's jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. "She threatened you? You should have told me anyway. I'm sure I could have helped."

  She bit her lower lip. "Please don't be angry."

  He looked angry anyway. "Just explain."

  "She told me I had to report to her every week. Tell her what you were planning to write about. And if it looked like you were going to say anything about her grandfather, directly or indirectly, I had to give her advance notice so she could stop you."

  Noah's expression relaxed. "And that is the direction I was going in. I see. And you didn't want to warn me because..."

  "If I told you, it could have made you go in a different direction just to help me."

  He mulled it all over. "You're right. That's what I would have done. But after everything that's happened, I've been thinking of going a different way with my next book anyway. I may not use the Davenport at all."

  Her eyes widened. "Really? Tell me more."

  His stomach rumbled and his gaze shifted to the room service cart. "That'll take more than a few minutes and our food's getting cold. Besides, I thought you were anxious to find out what happened to the people in our personal Magical Mystery Tour."

  Noah hadn't exaggerated about how easy it would be to trace what had happened to Moira, the Hampshires and the Gavistons. Easiest to find were the two fathers.

  George Hampshire served two terms as a Florida State Representative then retired from politics... possibly because Vincent Gaviston, aka Vincenzo Vespucci, would have withdrawn his financial support when the marriage of their children was called off.

  Vespucci was investigated by the FBI on several occasions, mainly for racketeering and illegally importing and distributing alcohol, but was never convicted of a crime, possibly due to the fact that a marriage was consummated between Amelia and the troubled son of a U.S. Senator within a year of her broken engagement to Broderick.

  Moira and Broderick were married in 1927 and had one son and three daughters between 1927 and 1932. Noah couldn't find anything on Broderick's early work history, but during the Depression, when others were suffering, he moved the family to California and ended up having a decent career as a movie actor, using the name Morey Flanagan.

  Their four children grew up, the girls got married to men in various lines of work and the boy became involved in California politics after a short stint as a child actor. None of them were still alive. However, there were ten grandchildren, eight of whom were still alive, twenty-one great-grandchildren and eighteen great-great-grandchildren currently living in various parts of the country.

  "Amazing" summed up Maggie's overall impression. "We didn't just save Moira, Broderick and their first child. Fifty-two more lives took place because she wasn't murdered and he didn't commit suicide in 1927."

  Noah nodded slowly. "I'd bet that if Broderick wasn't the unidentified male suicide, and if we hadn't been there, and he had gone ahead with marrying Amelia, he may have never done anything on his own. And the records show that Amelia never had any children with her husband."

  "Well, we'll never know what might have happened without our butting in, but I'm satisfied with how things turned out for Moira and Broderick. Just look at the career choices of the great-grandchildren—an environmentalist, a medical research scientist, a college professor, a computer programmer; there's even one who's gotten into politics. Their names practically jumped off the computer screen for me. It's like I know they will be doing important things. Who knows, the research scientist could discover the cures for all kinds of diseases, or the politician could be a future governor or even the president. I realize that sounds crazy—"

  "Whoa. If you'll recall, I'm the one who insisted you have special talents. If you have a feeling, that's all I need to know. And the coolest part is we'll be around to see it as it happens."

  His enthusiasm was so contagious, she couldn't help but chuckle. "Very cool indeed. And look, there's even a great-great-grandchild named Moira. I can't wait to see what she'll end up doing with her life. Who would have thought a poor Irish maid and a doomed mama's boy could have planted such a strong tree?"

  Noah pulled her close for a long kiss. "Have I told you lately how much I love the way your brain works?"

  She kissed him softly. "You may have said something along those lines once or twice, but I will be sure to remind you if you ever forget."

  "Even when we're ninety-four and forget why we sleep in the same bed?"

  A hint of desire twinkled in her eyes. "We may forget a lot of things in our old age, but I'll bet your next royalty check that why we sleep together won't be one of them."

  He gave her a quick kiss and stood up. "I'm tired of staring at the screen... and sitting. Let's take a walk and see if anything's changed since our last walk-around."

  "Maybe we could stop in the Executive Office and accept the dinner invitation... and say thank you for the flowers."

  Noah laughed. "Do you seriously believe that after waiting all this time for Connor to return, Lilli is going to be at her desk today?"

  Maggie's cheeks warmed with the thought of what that couple would undoubtedly be doing this morning. "No. At least I hope not. I was thinking of leaving a message with her assista
nt."

  As they ambled through the hotel lobby, Maggie couldn't help but think about the day she first arrived at the Davenport. So much had happened since then. Her world and her view of it had been completely altered.

  Suddenly she felt a small shiver and someone very familiar came into view. Pushing a fully loaded baggage cart was their time-traveling bellman. She gave Noah a nudge and they both strode directly into Reynard's path.

  "Excuse me," he said politely.

  "Reynard, it's us," Maggie said with exaggerated meaning.

  He smiled and nodded. "Ah, yes. Ms. Harrison. And de most famous author, Noah Nash. I hope ya are having a pleasant stay. Was dere somet'ing I might do for ya?"

  She frowned. He looked the same and sounded the same but he didn't seem to be aware of any of the supernatural encounters they had shared.

  Noah squeezed Maggie's elbow and replied for them. "Oh no, thank you. She told me how helpful you've been and I wanted to say thank you."

  Reynard smiled. "Ya are most welcome but I was just doing my job." He waited for them to move and then continued on his way.

  "Too weird," Maggie said with a shake of her head. She stared at the bellman's back hard enough for him to glance over his shoulder at her. In that instant, she saw a glint of gold flash in his eyes, then he winked at her before looking ahead again. "Just doing his job, my ass."

  Noah laughed out loud. "I'm sure he has his reasons."

  A few minutes later they were passing by the shops and Noah said, "I want to buy you a present. What would you like?"

  "Don't be silly. You already gave me antique diamond earrings. I don't need anything else."

  "I'm not being silly. I missed your last birthday and the one before that and the one—"

  "All right," she cut in. "You can buy me something but only if you're going to enjoy it too."

  He arched one eyebrow. "I don't think they have that sort of shop here."

  She chuckled. "You might be surprised. I know exactly what I want that I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy and they do have it here."

  Without another word she led him directly into a boutique shoe store and stopped amidst the Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin displays. In under five seconds his expression morphed from curiosity to awareness to desire to amusement. She waited for his gaze to land on a particularly sexy stiletto-heeled, platform sandal with a network of skinny snakeskin straps and a crystal-studded anklet before pointing it out to a very solicitous saleslady.