“My buddy, Nik.” Steven picked up the steaming mug of coffee before him. “He’s waiting back at the hotel.”
“No cream?” She dumped two teaspoons of sugar and a splash of milk into her own cup. “You must have a stomach of iron.”
“It goes in faster that way.” Steven downed half his cup. “For me, it’s more about the caffeine than anything else.”
“Hmm.” She shot Steven a quizzical look as she took a sip from her own cup. “Good coffee is meant to be savored, not gulped.”
“Noted.” Steven smiled and mirrored her more measured approach. “This is a pretty strong brew.”
“You should try the coffee at my father’s restaurant. That’ll wake you up in the morning.” She held her cup below her nose and inhaled, taking in the rich aroma before bringing the cup to her lips again.
“Family business?” Steven asked.
“A deli on the Upper West Side. I’ve been helping out there the last eighteen months since my brother got called away to fight the Germans.” She glanced at her watch and her eyes grew wide. “And I have totally lost track of time. My shift starts in just a few minutes and I’m going to be late. Papa’s going to kill me.” Her face went a shade paler. “Especially when I tell him about the car.”
Steven shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll just be glad you’re all right.”
Her lips spread in a knowing smile. “You don’t know my father.”
“True enough.” Steven reached for the check, but his fingers didn’t prove fast enough. “So, what do you do at the restaurant?”
“Oh, whatever Papa needs.” She pulled a few coins from a velvet change purse and stacked them on top of the check. “Greeter, cashier, bussing tables—”
“You bus tables.” Steven had guessed the young woman might be a Broadway starlet or a nightclub showgirl, not a minimum wage worker at a family restaurant.
“And what’s wrong with bussing tables?” A hint of righteous anger flashed across her gaze. “It needs to be done, doesn’t it?” She puffed up her chest. “Don’t think just because I’m petite that I can’t do as much work as a man.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Steven held his hands before him, palms out. “That’s not what I meant at all. I guess I just pegged you for a…different line of work.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Such as?” Her angry pout blossomed into a mischievous grin.
“I don’t know. Nightclub singer? Broadway starlet?” He remembered the eruption of tulle and muslin exploding out the top of her bag. “Maybe…professional dancer?”
The woman lowered her eyes and blushed, then glanced up at Steven with the same innocent stare as before. A look he recognized all too well, Audrey’s face again flashed across his memory bringing with it a fresh surge of guilt.
“That was sweet. As far from the truth as it could be, but sweet. Thank you, Steven.” She took his hand. “For everything.”
The waitress cleared her throat. “Two blueberry muffins.”
“Can you put them in a bag?” Steven asked. “We both have to get going.”
As the waitress walked away, Steven caught a hint of disappointment in the pair of Audrey Hepburn eyes that stared from across the table.
“It’s a shame we have to cut this short,” she said. “We barely got a chance to talk at all.”
“The city’s not that big.” Steven gave her fingers a gentle squeeze and pulled his hand away. “Maybe we’ll run into each other again.”
“That would be great.” Her voice held no small amount of enthusiasm. “And thanks again for coming to my rescue.” A half-smile returned to her features. “Hey, if you’re ever passing through the Upper West Side and are hungry for the best Reuben in the city, you should stop by. We’re Dante’s Deli.”
Steven laughed. “Sounds pretty ominous.”
“Oh, nothing like that. Dante was my grandfather’s name. He started the deli some forty years ago. We’re up on the Upper West Side.”
Steven raised an eyebrow. “You said that.”
“I did, didn’t I?” A touch of color blossomed on her cheeks.
“Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Matheson.” Steven’s cheeks grew warm as well. “Hope they’re able to get your car fixed and that your dad doesn’t blow a gasket.”
“Thanks.” Her eyes turned up into the same mischievous smile. “And by the way, as my own personal knight in shining armor, I think you can get away with just calling me Ruth.”
9
Room & Board
Steven and Niklaus faced little trouble securing employment at a certain dining establishment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Their offer to work mainly for lodging and food garnered them an enthusiastic handshake from Mr. Matheson and a quiet squeal from his daughter. The extra help would clearly free Ruth up to pursue other interests, but her furtive glances throughout the short but obligatory interview process left Steven wondering whether her excitement had more to do with the possibility of the two of them sharing a roof.
“The main things I need help with are keeping the place straight and the dishes clean.” Matheson’s words, flavored with even more New Yorker accent than Ruth’s, came across as stern but kind. “I’ve been doing it all since my son went off to fight in Europe—”
Ruth coughed under her breath as she walked by with a tray piled high with glasses, plates, and silverware.
“With Ruthie’s help, of course.” Matheson shot his daughter an amused smile. “Just the two of us for over a year and a half now. You’d think, times being what they are, that people would be chomping at the bit to have any sort of job, but keeping this place afloat through the war has been nothing short of a miracle. Everything else in our lives got pushed to the back burner. We barely even make it to church anymore, and it’s been months since Ruth brushed the dust off her ballet shoes.”
Steven shot Ruth a quizzical glance, and at her wide-eyed stare, quickly changed the subject. “One thing we haven’t covered yet is where you’d be putting us up.” He glanced around the relatively cramped deli. “We don’t want to be in the way.”
Matheson stroked his chin. “We can clear some space in the back storage area, I guess. Nothing too glamorous, but it’s heated. There should be just enough room for a couple of industrious young men to make a temporary home.” His eyes went up and to the right, as if he were performing some complex calculation. “Let’s see. There’s an old couch and a decent size cot we can bring down from upstairs. That should work for beds until we can do better.”
“One of them could stay in Tommy’s room.” Ruth bit her lip coyly and avoided Steven’s gaze. “That way, they could both have a bit of privacy.”
Her father cocked his head to one side in consideration.
“That won’t be necessary, sir.” Steven took a step in the direction of the storage room. “I’m sure there’s plenty of room in the back, and we’d hate to intrude on your family space.”
“Very well, Mr. Bauer. You’ve sold me. You and Mr. Zamek can stay and work, though why you won’t accept even a small wage is beyond me.”
Niklaus stepped in. “If we’re still here after a month, we may wish to renegotiate, but for now, a roof over our heads and food in our bellies will be more than enough.”
“All right, fellas. Sounds like a done deal. Some basics. We’re open seven days a week, six-thirty to seven except Sundays when we close at three. I need at least one of you boys on the floor before six every morning for set up. Clean up after each meal usually takes half an hour or so, a little more if we’re busy at lunch, so don’t expect to be freed up before a quarter to eight most nights. If we’re slow in the afternoon, I can probably cut one or both of you loose for a while if you have errands to run.” Matheson fumbled in his pockets and produced a collection of keys that looked like a prop from a movie set. He pulled off a ring of four and handed them to Steven. “This is an extra set of keys the two of you can share for now. Any questions?”
“No, sir.” Steven slippe
d the keys into his pocket. “We’ll get started this afternoon.”
“Spectacular.” Matheson peered around the deli. “The lunch crowd seems to be thinning out. I think I’ll head to the market and stock up on some staples.” As he returned the remainder of the keys to his pocket, he turned to Ruth. “Honey, do you still have the keys to the car?”
“Umm, about that.” Ruth stared at her shoes for a moment, then looked up into her father’s eyes. “Come upstairs for a minute, Papa. I need to tell you something.” She turned to Steven and rested a hand on his arm. “Steven, can you and Nik keep an eye on the place for a few minutes?”
Nik grabbed a damp rag and started wiping down the nearest table. “We’re on it. Anybody else comes in, we’ll have them wait at the front till you get back.”
“Thanks.” Ruth escorted her father to the door leading to their apartment upstairs, leaving Steven and Niklaus alone with the last three afternoon patrons of Dante’s Deli.
Niklaus raised an eyebrow. “Looks like she hasn’t told him yet.”
Steven shook his head and let out a mournful chuckle. “I don’t think that discussion is going to go too well. Ruth’s dad seems like a pretty no-nonsense kind of guy.”
“To be honest, though?” Nik moved on to the next table. “I don’t get the impression she’s all too worried about what her dad thinks.”
Steven raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Come on, man. The girl hasn’t been able to keep her eyes off you since we got here. If you think for a minute she’s going to pay attention to a word coming out of ‘Papa’s’ mouth, you’re delusional.”
Niklaus was right, and Steven knew it all too well. Since their arrival earlier, the lovely Miss Matheson had done little to hide her attentions. Mr. Matheson either hadn’t noticed it or, more likely, had been too polite to say anything.
“It’s funny.” Steven chuckled as he collected plates and silverware from a table by the window. “I kind of figured she’d take a shine to you once she got a look at the two of us side by side.”
Niklaus scoffed. “You’re the one who pulled her out of a wrecked car. Do you honestly think I’d have a snowball’s chance in hell?”
“But between the two of us, you’re the one that looks like he leaped off the cover of Men’s Health.” His eyes dropped to Niklaus’ ankle. “Current injuries notwithstanding, of course.”
Niklaus shook his head. “Steven, one of these days you’re going to figure out exactly where you fit into the scheme of things.”
“What do you mean?”
“Our little team of junior league superheroes are the best friends I’ve ever had. Before I got pulled into this stupid Game, I didn’t know a group of people could care for each other the way we do. I’d take a bullet for any of them, and they for me. Still, there’s no doubt about who the linchpin of our group is. I may tower over all of you, pardon the pun, but you’re the one everyone looks up to.”
“Doesn’t feel that way.” Steven lowered his head. “I mean, the last time we were all together, Lena and Audrey could barely look at me, and Emilio only went along with me out of concern for Lena’s safety.”
“You just don’t get it.” Niklaus sighed. “Look. Even when you’re arguing like cats and dogs, Lena hangs on every word you say. Emilio respects you a hell of a lot more than he lets on. And Audrey, well, you know.”
Hearing and saying their names aloud, especially Audrey’s, ripped Steven’s heart open anew. “God, I hope she—everybody is okay.”
“You and me both.” Niklaus jammed his hands in his pockets. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject.”
“It’s okay.” Steven waved goodbye as the last three customers all headed out for the afternoon. “It’s not like Audrey isn’t on the tip of my brain the moment I wake up every day.”
“I can only imagine.” Niklaus’ gaze trailed over to the door where Ruth and her father had disappeared. “Back to my original point, though. You shouldn’t act so shocked that little Miss Matheson finds herself all smitten with you. As far as I’m concerned, it’s right in line with the rest of reality.” He grinned. “The Tao of Steven Bauer, maybe?”
“Regardless of how infatuated she may or may not be with me, it’s not like I’m going to do anything about it.”
Niklaus downshifted into his best impersonation of Spock. “Because you might upset the space-time continuum?”
“Something like that.” Arthur and Ruth Pedone’s faces from six decades hence flitted across his memory. “Not to mention, as you pointed out, things with me and Audrey are a bit complicated.”
Niklaus shook his head. “Doesn’t seem too complicated from where I’m standing.”
“I don’t know. We’re fighting for our lives in a Game where any or all of us might die any second unless, of course, we choose not to play, at which point the world apparently tears itself apart and we all die anyway. And that’s assuming you and I can find a way to rescue the others and get all of us back to the present before everything goes down.” Steven massaged his temple to keep the newly forming headache at bay. “That’s about as complicated as it gets, my friend, and not a place for romance.”
“I don’t know. Can you imagine a better place to fall in love than fighting together to save the world?”
“I—” Steven stumbled on the words, unsure of even his own answer.
Niklaus sat at one of the tables and took a sip from an untouched glass of water. “You know, I never told any of you what I was doing on top of the King tower that night.”
Steven perked up while doing his best to maintain a façade of cool. Niklaus had made it all too clear from the very beginning that any discussion about finding him drunk atop a skyscraper in the middle of the worst storm to hit Atlanta in a century was off limits. Steven had avoided the gossip among the team as best he could, but he’d be lying if he said his curiosity hadn’t been piqued. He had no doubt Niklaus had shared at least part of the story with Archie, albeit in a bit more professional capacity, but otherwise, Niklaus had kept mum about that night.
“Nik, we found you at your absolute bottom. The man we met that night isn’t you.” Steven sat opposite his friend, who was clearly upset. “We can talk about it if you think it’ll help, but you don’t have to.”
“Actually, I do.” Niklaus took another sip of water, though the weariness in his voice suggested he would have preferred something stronger. The mirth and ever-present sparkle gone from his eye, his somber gaze spoke volumes. “Believe it or not, that day was a perfect storm before the first drop of rain ever fell.”
Steven rested his elbows on the table and leaned in. “Tell me.”
Niklaus sucked in a deep breath. “So, the building where you found me? I’d been working there for just over six years. Investment banking.”
Steven nodded. “I knew that part.”
“The bank does a lot of business in eastern Europe. As you can imagine, being fluent in Polish and German and serviceable in a few other languages proved a good skill set to have. I rose through the ranks quickly, promotion after promotion, every bit the American Dream.”
“Until?”
“One stupid error. Fat thumbed a major transaction that influenced several hundred accounts.” Niklaus’ trademark grin made a brief appearance. “Funny how one decimal place can really bring out the bad side of most investors.”
“They couldn’t fix it?”
“Took them the better part of a week. Lots of money had to un-change hands. A bazillion transactions had to be reversed. I worked two weeks of sixteen-hour days trying to set everything straight. And then, on the day of the storm…”
“They fired you.”
“I showed up that morning and they had security standing on either side of my office door. I had five minutes to pack up the few things in my office and get out. After everything I’d done for them.” Niklaus lowered his head. “And that was just the first half of the proverbial one-two punch.”
&n
bsp; “God,” Steven said, “what else?”
Niklaus sucked in a breath. “Her name is Victoria.”
“Victoria.” Steven took a sip of water to clear his throat. “Who’s she?”
“The day you found me, that whole week, in fact.” Niklaus’ chin hit his chest. “None of that was how it was supposed to go down.” His hands balled into fists. “I had it all planned.”
“Had what all planned?”
“Just suffice to say that somewhere among the rubble we left between the King and Queen towers in Atlanta sits roughly ten thousand dollars of compressed carbon and platinum.”
“A diamond?”
Niklaus nodded. “Despite the shit show at work, I’d planned for that to be the night. Fancy dinner, candlelight, violins, the real deal. When I called her that morning to tell her I’d been fired, she sounded a bit cagey right off the bat. When I pressed her about what was going on, she didn’t waste any time telling me about the other guy.” He gulped down the rest of his water. “Almost cliché, right? Fired and dumped in the space of fifteen minutes?”
“Wow.” Steven shook his head. “That’s a lot to take.”
“And the biggest irony of the whole thing? The only reason I made the mistake at work in the first place?” Niklaus grunted. “I was late getting back from lunch after picking up the stupid ring at the jewelry store.” He massaged his temples. “She never even saw the damn thing.”
“What did you do?” Steven kicked himself, the answer obvious.
“I got drunk.” Niklaus let out a long sigh. “At the nearest bar by the fastest means possible. Three sheets to the wind before the lunch hour was done.” He let out a sad laugh. “By mid-afternoon, I’d charted a course back to the King tower and found my way up to the roof.”
“Oh, Nik.” Steven squeezed his friend’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“When the heavens opened up, it was like the final insult.” Niklaus rested his face in his hands. “And the state I was in? I was pretty much…” His voice went quiet. “…teetering on the edge.”
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