Bigger on the inside: Space, Time Travel, Alien Criminals (A Space Time Travel Mystery Book 1)

by Alianna Smith

  “Is she gone forever?” Evie asked. "Like Sam and Tanya?”

  Dave sighed. He didn't want to lie to them, but neither did he want to make things worse. "I don't know. I certainly hope not. She just... needs some time to herself.”

  “I don't want her to go,” Evie said, her voice betraying how upset she was.

  “I don't want her to go either,” Dave said. "I love her just as much as I love you, right? Ewan?”

  “But you’re not her Dad,” he pointed out, and for the first time Dave realised that Ewan didn't understand the way he felt about Lucy.

  “Come on, all of you, let's have a wee sit down,” Dave said, ushering them into the lounge. He made them sit on the sofa and pushed the coffee table away so he could crouch before them. "I am your Dad because Rita and I wanted to have you. When I first met Rita, she'd already had Lucy.”

  “With Stuart,” Evie pointed out.

  Dave smiled. "Yes. But you see, I forgot about that because I really liked Lucy, and then I loved her and I felt like her Dad. I still do.”

  “I don't understand,” Ewan said. “Why did she say all those things?”

  Dave scrubbed his hand over his face. “She is very sad about losing Rita. She feels a bit lost because she'd only ever known one of her birth parents, and now Rita's gone. So now she's trying to find that sense of belonging somewhere with her birth dad.”

  “But she's our sister,” Ewan pointed out. “We have the same mum, isn't that just as important?”

  Dave sighed. “Not if someone keeps telling her that she's only a half-sister,” he said softly.

  Ewan pursed his lips and ducked his head. Evie reached out for his shoulder. "I didn't mean it,” he mumbled.

  “Of course you didn't. But Lucy is trying to find out who she is, and...”

  “She's Lucy. She's our sister,” Ewan pointed out again, looking up.

  “It's not as simple as that, Ewan. You'll see when you’re fifteen... or hopefully not.”

  “So it's my fault she left?” he asked, tears pooling in his eyes.

  Dave rocked forward to kneel in front of the sofa. “No, no, it's not your fault. Look at me,” Dave said, cupping the back of his son's head. Ewan looked at him with rapidly tearing eyes. "It's good for her she's gone. She needs some time away to sort through her thoughts. It was just too much.”

  “Is that why you cried last night?” Evie asked softly.

  Dave's heart broke. He had hoped that Ewan and Evie hadn't heard him. He needed to be strong for them because they needed him to lean on. "In a way, yes. But that doesn't mean I don't love you all very much. I love you so much, you hear? All of you.” He turned to look at the door where Paul was standing. "Lucy will come back. We'll just have to be patient.”

  “I'm sorry, Dad,” Ewan said.

  “Aye,” Dave said, dropping a kiss onto his son's forehead. He pulled his children off the sofa to hug them, somehow managing to include Paul as he joined them for a cuddle.

  Chapter 15

  The house was quiet after Lucy left. Dinner was subdued although he had made their favourite, lasagna, and the kids had retreated to their own rooms soon after. They were very quiet, and when he went upstairs to check on them, he found Ewan and Evie in his room, drawing a poster together. Paul was by himself, reading; his oldest boy looked up briefly from his book and flashed him an encouraging smile. The atmosphere in the house had been very tense in those past weeks, and now that the storm had broken and Lucy had left, it was as if they could breathe again , like after a sudden rainstorm has cleared the air on a hot summer day.

  As he went back downstairs he realised how exhausted he was. Ewan and Evie had never been able to play together for any length of time before mayhem of some sort broke out. Seeing them working together so peacefully on a drawing of a crowded, kind of manic, Viking ship was odd to say the least. He wasn’t sure if there wasn’t another storm brewing. But all remained calm.

  He went to the newel post where he’d hung his bag to get out his sketch book and the small prints of the empty rooms. He had been so caught up in exploring Rose’s home that, once again, he hadn’t been able to discuss his ideas with her. Slumping on the sofa with a sigh, he wondered if he should still take the job with the Heritage Trust Fund. There was no doubt that they would work on the Emptiness folder together, he really wanted that and so, apparently did she. But if he took work for the Heritage Fund, he’d be away for at least a month travelling between sites, longer if he went to England to work as well. Now that Lucy had left them he felt he needed to be there for the wee ones more than ever. They had been visibly shaken, most of all Ewan, and he didn’t want his family to keep slipping through his fingers. Dave wasn’t sure he would be able to cope with losing them, of them wanting to get away because they didn’t feel loved any more.

  They had welcomed Lottie with open arms and they were eager to redecorate the room for her. Still Dave couldn’t help wondering what would happen if they suddenly decided that he had only hired Lottie so he could be away from home. He was sure that they would understand that he needed to work, but there might be an undercurrent of him wanting to get away from them. Or was he projecting his own feelings onto them? Did he want to get away from it all?

  The thought filled him with shame and terror. He loved his children, but sometimes it was a bit much without Rita by his side, and he’d already managed to drive Lucy out of the house. What could he have done to make her stay? He’d do anything to keep her. If she decided to want to live with Stuart permanently, he knew he didn’t stand a chance in court. After all, Stuart was her natural father.

  A knock on the door roused him from his thoughts and he started. He wasn’t expecting anyone so late, and he had already locked up for the night. Putting the neglected sketchbook aside, he stood and went to the door. It was Sarah.

  “Hello, Sarah,” he said, stepping aside to let her enter. Although the day had been mild, the night was cold and he regretted making her wait for as long as he had. Her cheek was cold as he kissed her.

  “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” she asked a little flustered.

  “No.”

  “Evie told me what happened after we left yesterday and I wanted to see if you’re all right. I’m sorry, I should have called.”

  “Don’t worry,” he said, taking her coat. “Can I offer you something to warm up?”

  “Have you got any wine?”

  “Sure.” He preceded her into the kitchen, where he found the corkscrew in a drawer and got a bottle of wine from the shelf. He had started to keep the shelf well-stocked as he had learned to appreciate the taste of wine again. Rita had been more of a beer drinker so they had kept only a few bottles on hand for when they had guests.

  “Dave? Is something wrong?”

  He turned around, peeling the aluminium wrapping off the top of the bottle.

  Sarah looked at the shelf. “You’ve gone back to drinking wine.”

  “Aye.”

  “Don’t feel guilty for that, Dave.”

  He managed to smile but it felt more like a grimace to him. “Am I changing too much too soon, Sarah?”

  “You mean Lottie? Needing to go back to work full-time?” Sarah asked, leaning against the table, watching him twist the corkscrew into the cork and pull it out, using the lever of the professional corkscrew Rita had given him for his birthday years ago. The cork came free with a satisfying pop. Dave used a paper towel to clean any bits of cork from the inside of the neck before he poured himself a bit to make sure the wine was good. Then he filled a glass for her and topped his own off.

  They took their glasses to the lounge, where they each settled in one corner of the old sofa. “Evie was over the moon about Lottie moving in.”

  “I’m more worried about Ewan,” Dave said, clinking the rim of his glass to hers. “He and Lucy, they take after Rita a lot.” He told her what had happened between sips of the rich, dark wine. “The thing is, they never learned to communicate their feelings
. Rita always kept things close to her heart, and I never... I never encouraged them to talk because... Well, because I was busy or didn’t want to upset Rita. I didn’t want to interfere with her ideas of raising the kids too much.”

  Sarah was quiet for a while. “I still think you’re a great dad. You’ve always managed to calm everyone down when there was a fight. It was one thing Rita loved so much about you, the fact that in many ways you were her opposite.”

  When he smiled this time, it was genuine. “D’ye think?”

  “Yeah. I also think that letting Lucy go was a very brave thing to do.”

  They sipped their wine. Dave wasn’t convinced. Letting Lucy leave was more of a failure in his book. “I’m terrified of losing her, Sarah. If she decides to live with the Quinlans I won’t stand a chance. I’m not even sure I want to take this to court when...” His voice broke and he pinched his nose. It was pathetic, really, how easily the tears came these days. He didn’t want the trauma of a legal battle for Lucy. If he won, which he thought very unlikely, she’d resent him for it forever.

  “You know what she told me?” Dave continued, curling his fingers in front of his mouth. It was almost too painful to repeat her words. “She told me she hates Rita for leaving her like this. And you know what’s worst? It’s exactly what I think sometimes. I’d look at her picture and... I’m so torn between hating her and missing her. It’s... I hurt so much.”

  The tears were uncontrollable once more, but unlike the previous night, they coursed down his cheeks quietly. Sarah’s eyes were watery as well, and he put down his glass to scoot closer to her for physical comfort. Before they knew it, they were in each other’s arms.

  “I know. I feel the same,” Sarah said softly, her fingers in his hair as he rested his head on her shoulder. “It’s scary and it makes you feel ashamed, but it’s normal.”

  He took her hand and squeezed it in gratitude.

  “I’ve been offered a job with the Heritage Trust Fund,” Dave said after a while.

  “You have?”

  He shifted away from her and reached for his glass. They moved around a little to make themselves comfortable now that he was sitting closer to her, and they ended up with Sarah’s shins pressed against his thigh. It was close but not too close for comfort. Dave had to admit it was good to feel someone else’s body against his, a body that wasn’t one of his children’s.

  “Aye. The thing is, I’d need to travel around quite a bit and I don’t want to leave the bairns alone with Lottie. I think I’ll turn the offer down.”

  “Why don’t you take the kids with you, go on a working holiday? The summer holidays aren’t far, and if you take Lottie you’d be free to do your thing and spend the rest of the time with the kids,” Sarah suggested.

  That possibility hadn’t even occurred to him. It made perfect sense, of course. They could travel from cottage to cottage, preferably find places to stay from which he could reach more than just one site so they wouldn’t have to move around too much. The question was if Rose would agree to this. He hadn’t even asked when she needed the new photos for the brochure. “I’d have to check with Rose if that’s possible.”

  “Rose?” Sarah asked, arching an eyebrow over the rim of her glass as she finished her wine.

  “She works for the Heritage Trust Fund.”

  “Tyler? Rose Tyler?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’ve talked to Rose Tyler?”

  “Yes, I met her at that charity event.” For some reason, he didn’t feel ready to tell Sarah the whole story. It was just too soon, no matter how he felt about Rose. The kiss was a very vivid memory, a wonderful one. One he wanted to share with Rose alone, at least for now. He hoped he’d sounded matter-of-fact enough not to have raised Sarah’s suspicion.

  “I should check the photo credits in the magazines more carefully,” Sarah said. “What’s she like?”

  “She’s lovely and very professional.” Kind and generous, torn apart by grief. A telepath and an alien to this universe. Wonderful and a great kisser. Absolutely stunning and quite unaware of her beauty.

  “Ah,” Sarah said, and Dave feared for a moment that he had said out loud what he had been thinking. Sarah must think he was in love with her already, which, he had to admit, was the case. But it was too bloody soon for that. Far too soon. He felt unfaithful to Rita, a bit as if he was betraying the children and his family and friends.

  “Sarah, I can’t tell you more about her. We didn’t talk much.”

  “Enough for her to offer you a job.”

  Dave sighed. Had she sussed him out?

  “I don’t talk about celebs that way. It was just a job that opened up other possibilities for me. That’s how it works.”

  “You’re very discreet, Dave. I like that about you,” Sarah said, laying her hand on his denim-clad thigh. “But you’re also my friend.”

  Dave lowered his gaze to his glass.

  “Just be careful, yeah?”

  -:-

  After Sarah had left and he had checked on the children, Dave retreated to his bedroom. Although he had the antique bed all to himself, he still slept on his “side” of the bed. He had changed the linens several times so there wasn’t a trace of Rita’s scent left on her pillows. They looked pristine in the soft light of the room. He had even tucked her diary beneath her pillows again. He’d only opened it the one time to write down the time and date when he’d lost her, but he had never read it. He’d read the other ones in the search of Lucy’s dad — and he wished he hadn’t, or that he hadn’t tried to find Stuart. He would have had to lie to Lucy, but it would have saved them so much heartache. Lucy would have come around eventually. Now he had to fight for her and he didn’t know if he had the strength for it. Did that make him a bad father?

  He fished his phone out of his pocket and put it on his bedside table. His thoughts returned to Rose. He still couldn’t believe what had happened at her house. The kiss had been exquisite and it had shaken and aroused him more than any other kiss. It had been innocent as well as very erotic — simply the sweetest kiss he’d ever given and received. When he closed his eyes he could still feel the press of Rose’s lips against his and her hand against his cheek. The kiss had come unexpectedly, but it had also been wonderful and it had been a long time since he’d felt so alive. He wanted to kiss her again, and soon, impropriety be damned.

  It was too soon to fall in love again, and he knew that Rita would probably be upset with him, wherever she was now. She’d be both furious as well as happy for him to have found someone to love, anxious what would become of their children. But she also ought to know that he always put them first.

  Maybe that was what he should do. Put the children first and be the best father to them he could possibly be instead of falling in love with a rich and powerful heiress. She had said she wanted to be with him, but would she still want him when she realised that he came with not one child, but with five? That he was a grandfather?

  Dave rubbed his hands over his face. He shouldn’t even be asking himself that question. There was only one answer.

  His memory made him feel the pressure of her lips against his.

  He groaned, dropping his hands into his lap.

  “Help me,” he whispered in a rare need to pray.

  His phone rang and tore him from his thoughts. As he picked up his phone to check the caller ID he saw that it was Rose. He tapped the green button to answer the call.

  “Hey,” he said, running his left hand through his hair.

  “Is this a bad time? I realise it’s late.”

  Dave chuckled. “No, it’s okay. I’ve just said good-night to Sarah.”

  “I’ve been wondering about your au pair.”

  “Oh, that went very well. Lottie is moving in with us on Monday, so we’ll have to redecorate the old guest room for her,” he said. “Good job I got to practise on your wall.”

  Rose laughed softly, a warm sound that travelled the length of his body and poole
d pleasantly in his stomach. “Are you telling me you aren’t sore?”

  “I am, a bit, but then I didn’t do that much painting, did I?”

  “No, I suppose you didn’t. But I enjoyed your company.”

  “Likewise,” he said, worrying his bottom lip. “I’m just not sure if it’d be right for me to take the job. With the Heritage Trust Fund.”

  “Why ever not?”

  Dave took a deep breath. “I don’t want the job if you’re... Just because we know each other.”

  “I liked your work at the charity ball. That’s why I offered you the job. If you feel that you’re wasting your time — now that I know how good you are — I won’t take any offence if you decline the offer. At the time I had no idea you were an artist, and I apologise if I’ve offended you in a way,” Rose said, sounding contrite.