She laughed lightly. “Is that why you grew that silly beard—for camouflage?”
Dan ran a trembling hand over her hair and nodded. “The heart-shaped freckle on my jaw was a dead giveaway. GAP predicted if you recognized me as Danny, it’d lead to disaster.”
Her eyes twinkled. “That beard was horrible. Couldn’t you come up with something else? A Halloween mask or heavy makeup?”
“Either option would’ve been far better. I hated my beard even more than you did. It was a bristly mess that looked awful and felt worse.”
“You should’ve tried some hair tonics.”
Dan began to blush.
“You didn’t!” She laughed. “Not after teasing me about my facials.”
His blush deepened. “I tried everything—even slathering it with raw eggs and papaya.”
Her eyes widened. “Is that what you were doing when I picked up the violet?”
He chuckled and nodded. “I nearly had a heart attack when you rang the doorbell.”
Gil gave him a swat. “You pig! You actually had me feeling sorry for you when you told me about your blender accident. You’re such a little liar!”
“Hey, I didn’t dare admit to trying a hair care tip gleaned from a ladies magazine. I knew you’d never let me live it down.”
“You can bet I wouldn’t.” She laughed. “And I still won’t! You can never, ever call me vain again, or make a single comment about my beauty products. I guarantee none of them made me look as weird as you did in that egg-papaya mess.”
“Fair enough,” he replied with a smile.
Gil looked at Dan’s clean-shaven chin. “All humor aside, you don’t have to worry about your looks anymore. I never knew how much perfectly good face a handsome man could hide under a terrible-looking beard.”
“I’m glad you like my looks now that you can see them. That goes a long way toward soothing my ego. It was bruised pretty badly by that ghastly beard.”
Gil laughed and bobbed her head. “Glad to oblige ya.” Touching his freckle with her fingertip, she smiled. “So, what exactly should I call you now? Doc, William, or Dan?”
“I’ve been waiting for over twenty years to hear you call me Dan,” he replied softly, taking her hand.
“Dan it is then,” she said a bit breathlessly, looking down at their clasped hands.
* * *
As Ryan turned his car into the parking lot nearest Hawking Hall, he saw Marc drumming his fingers.
“Something bothering you?” Ryan asked, turning off his blinker.
“I don’t want to face the frigid blast when I go to the third floor. Cris hates me.”
“She’s too kind to hate anybody.”
Marc grunted. “That’s what you think. I’m tempted to cut and run. Do you think your parents would mind if I arrived in California a few days before you did?”
“They wouldn’t care a bit. But if you want a place to bolt, why not South Dakota? Wouldn’t your parents like a visit?”
Marc hunched a shoulder. “Maybe, but my dad and I aren’t exactly speaking. In his opinion, a deacon’s son shouldn’t live the way I’ve been living.”
“You’re not living that way anymore.”
“It doesn’t matter. He’s disappointed in me, and I don’t want to face him.”
“I know,” Ryan said, pulling into a parking space, “but maybe you should. After my family reunion, we could swing by South Dakota so you could mend a few fences. Having me at your initial meeting with your dad might dispel some of the tension.”
“You’d do that for me?”
Ryan smiled. “What are friends for?”
Marc sat silently for a moment. “Do you think Dad would actually forgive me?”
“If he’s a true Christian, he will. Either way, it’d be good for you to take the first step toward reconciliation—even if it doesn’t lead anywhere.”
As Marc nodded, Ryan fished beneath his seat for a hat and gloves.
“What are those for?” Marc asked, looking at the winter gear in confusion.
“To fight off the archive artic chill. We need to get to work or we’ll be late.”
* * *
Acutely aware of their clasped hands, Gil asked softly, “Dan, can you tell me why the first surf—the one that led to Death Row Daniel—failed?”
Dan’s eyes became serious. “When I first met the Death Row Daniel version of myself, I asked him that very question. He said his Gil wasn’t able to stop Rick from killing Sue, and when she tried, Rick attacked her. The child version of Death Row Daniel walked in on the fight after school. He stabbed Rick, but he didn’t know how to stop Gil’s bleeding. She died in his arms.”
Gil shuddered. “No wonder he wouldn’t tell me what happened.”
“What could he say? That your death haunted him as much as his mother’s? He begged me to find you more help.”
“That’s why you told me to contact Sue’s neighbors?”
Dan nodded and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “I knew obtaining help would be pivotal to your success—so did Death Row Daniel.”
Gil’s eyes filled with tears. “His story’s so sad.”
“It was tragic. He knew if we succeeded, he’d cease to exist, but he pleaded with me to end his timeline. He said his life was agony. In prison, he made you a locket. I promised to give it to you after your surf succeeded, but when Danny won through on D-day, the locket vanished.”
“I won’t need a necklace to remember him,” Gil said softly. “I know he made some awful choices, but he was unforgettable in many ways.”
“It looks as if your life has been touched by all three of the Dannys.”
“You could say that. All three of you are very dear to me.” Gil paused. “But, Dan, what started everything? Why was I sent back to Danny in the first place?”
“If you’d read the manuals, you’d know the triggering event of a tangled timeline is usually never identified.”
“You mean it acts like a Temporal Black Hole?”
He shook his head. “Temporal Black Holes are a different phenomenon—one I don’t understand myself. This is more like progressive fading. Trying to discover a triggering event after three surfs is as difficult as finding meaning in distorted shadows in the moonlight. Unless Poppa can shed some light on it, we’ll never know how our story began—only how it ends.”
Hearing the subtle meaning behind his words, Gil glanced at Dan and caught him gazing at her with such love that it took her breath. Breaking eye contact, she stepped away from him and picked a flower. Keeping her eyes averted, she began stroking the pink petals.
Dan moved to her side. Gently taking her hand, he inquired softly, “So, how is our story going to end?”
Gil didn’t speak for a moment, and when she raised her eyes to his, she was blushing a deeper pink than the flower she held. “You know,” she said slowly, “I’ve had an awful crush on my teacher for more than a year and a half now.”
Dan smiled a smile that made her heart flip over. “You know,” he murmured in a husky voice, “I’ve been in love with you for a lot longer than that.”
“Why, Dr. Ableman,” she exclaimed in mock horror. “I’m surprised at you! NSU frowns on professors and students fraternizing in a romantic manner.”
“Frowns upon, but doesn’t forbid,” he replied. “Besides, my dear Miss Montgomery, you’ve passed your field exam. You aren’t my student anymore.”
Taking a brazen step forward, Gil put her arms around his neck. “In that case,” she whispered, “what are you waiting for? Are you ever gonna shut up and show me what you got?”
Dan smiled softly and gently put his arms around her waist. As he drew her close, Gil held her breath and tipped her face up toward his. Slowly—ever so slowly—Dan lowered his warm, tender lips to hers.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Inside the house, Twinkles stood at a window next to Poppa and watched Gil and Dan kissing in the garden. As Twinkles leaned back in her h
usband’s arms, Poppa grinned and nibbled the nape of her neck.
“Aw, nuts!” a voice next to them grumbled.
Startled, Twinkles looked down and saw little Danny glaring out the window.
“I might’ve known she’d end up with him,” the boy mumbled, scuffing his feet.
Bending down, Twinkles said softly, “Who’d you want her to end up with?”
“Me!” Danny scowled. “I don’t care if Gil’s older than me. I’ll love her forever!”
Twinkles gave the boy’s shoulder a squeeze. “I believe you.”
Giving a gusty sigh, Danny stared at the kissing couple in the flower garden. “I know Doc will take good care of her, but I wish she could’ve belonged to me.”
Poppa gave Twinkles a wink and looked Danny straight in the eye. “Maybe she can belong to you both.”
Briskly, Twinkles drew the drapes. “Let’s give those two some privacy. I have Rocky Road Brownies in the oven. How ’bout I make you a brownie sundae with hot-fudge sauce?” Seeing Danny’s frown, she coaxed, “I’ll put maraschino cherries on it.”
“Okay,” the boy grumbled. “I guess a fella can have a broken heart and a homemade hot-fudge sundae too. Nothing says he can’t.”
* * *
In the garden, Gil felt her heart summersault as Dan raised his lips from hers and murmured, “I’ve been waiting to kiss you for twenty-four years—you’ve always been the only woman for me. I’ve tried hard to become the man you’d desire for your husband.”
Gil smiled and snuggled close. “You’ve succeeded.” Flirtatiously, she peeped up at him through her lashes. “Was our kiss worth a twenty-four year wait?”
“It was worth every second,” he replied, tightening his arms around her.
“I’m glad. I enjoyed our kiss too, but...” Gil let her sentence trail away.
“But what?” he asked in concern.
“Even though it was enjoyable, I once had a wise professor who said everything gets even better with practice.”
“You little rascal.” He laughed. “Are you using my own words to flirt with me?”
Gil’s dimples came out to play. “I’m just giving you something to think about.”
“It’s an interesting thought, indeed.” His eyes sparkled. “Shall we put in some more practice and go for kiss number two?”
Grinning mischievously, she turned her face away. “I don’t know...”
Dan laughed. “You’re gonna be quite a handful, aren’t you?”
“Of course, I am.” She twinkled up at him. “But if you want another kiss, you’d better give me an awfully good reason for giving you one. I’d hate for my lips to get all chapped for nothing.”
“How’s this for a reason? We belong together, you and I. I love you, and I always will.”
Gil smiled and cuddled close. “I love you too—more than you could imagine.”
Dan gently tipped her face toward him. “So how about that practice?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
After a few swiftly passing—yet delightfully slow—minutes, Dan moved his lips to her ear to whisper endearments. Smiling happily, Gil ran her fingers through his silky hair. Nuzzling his chin, she murmured, “Why was your beard so bristly when you have such soft hair growing out of your head?”
“I don’t know.” He chuckled. “It’s a mystery of life. But is hair care what you really want to discuss right now?”
“Not really,” she whispered as he kissed her earlobe. “But I do have a question.”
“Mmm?”
“You said you wanted to be my husband. Does that mean you just proposed?”
Gil felt the quickness of his heartbeat and the soft rumble of his laughter as he replied, “Honey, if you remember, I already asked you to marry me and you refused.”
She gasped with laughter. “You rat, that didn’t count! You were only ten.”
Dan chuckled and looked at her with glowing eyes. When she started to speak, he suddenly became very occupied with kissing her neck. The touch of his tender lips sent shivers of pleasure cascading through her body. A bit breathless, she pulled back and said, “Don’t try to distract me. I asked you a serious question.”
With a smile, he tightened his arms around her. “When you were a little girl, I’ll bet you peeked in the closet to find your Christmas presents.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Stop trying to spoil your surprise. I’ve had twenty-four years to plan my proposal and you’re going to love it. Besides, do you really want to skip dating and go straight to being engaged?”
Gil laughed. “Not a chance! I plan on playing hard to get.” Pulling his head down, she nibbled his heart-shaped freckle and whispered, “So what exactly would you call the state of our relationship right now?”
One corner of his mouth twitched up into a grin. “I’d say we were extremely engaged to eventually become engaged.”
As his eyes captured hers, time seemed to slow down. She held her breath as he gently brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and gathered her close. A wave of incredible sweetness washed over her as his lips found hers for kiss number three.
After a few moments, Dan raised his head and murmured, “Even though today isn’t our engagement day, it’s still very special. Do you know why?”
“That depends on what date you’re talking about.” Her voice held a quiver of laughter. “Back in Washington D.C. it’s June fifteenth, but here in Charlesberg, it’s October twenty-sixth. With time travel clouding the issue, you need to be more specific.”
“Seeing we’re currently in Colorado, I think we’ll stick with the Charlesberg calendar.” He smiled. “So do you know what’s significant about today?”
Nestling her cheek against the hand that was caressing it, she shook her head.
Dan tilted her face toward his. “October twenty-sixth is the day Gillyflower Meadowlark Deleena Rosemarie finally discovered the true identity of Daniel William Winston Ableman. It’s the day they understood each other and declared their love at last.”
“I can live with that. I’ll mark it on my calendar with a giant red heart and a big, fat, sparkling star.” With a twinkle, she pulled his head down and whispered, “Come on, let’s go for number four.”
Seeing Dan’s smile, she knew he was more than happy to accommodate her wish.
* * *
Marc peeked out from behind a shelf at the dwindling stack of boxes. As he watched, Crystal quietly picked up a box and scanned it. Rejecting it, she scanned another. Rejecting that box as well, she scanned a third and struggled to swing it onto her hip.
Marc’s brows snapped together. He’d wondered why his boxes had been easy to shelve—now he knew. Crystal was taking the heavy boxes that belonged deep in the complicated heart of the maze. He blinked rapidly. If she disliked him so much, why was she making his life easier?
As he watched, Crystal’s heavy box slipped and she struggled to stabilize it. When she turned around, he whipped his head behind the shelf. All women were complicated mysteries, but Crystal Stuart was a mystery that might as well have been written in Chinese. He’d never figure her out.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
When Gil and Dan came in from the garden and wandered into the kitchen, Twinkles met them and offered them a brownie. Looking at the gooey squares, Gil hesitated, calculating the potential calories in her head.
“Go ahead and treat yourself,” Dan said with a chuckle, leading her to the table. “I’ll still think you’re beautiful even if you look like a stuffed apple barrel.”
As Gil gave his shoulder a swat, he handed her a brownie. “If you think you’re overdoing it, we’ll swim an extra lap at the pool when we get back.”
“Oh?” she said as Twinkles disappeared into the pantry. “Are you actually planning on swimming with me again? Has your chlorine allergy miraculously cleared up?”
“The chlorine never bothered me,” he replied.
“Then what did? You n
ever told me why you stopped swimming.”
“For Pete’s sake,” he sputtered. “Don’t you own a mirror?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“You really don’t know?” When she shook her head, he blushed. “I guess I have a confession to make. I used to plan my trips to the pool to coincide with when I knew you’d be there. I only stopped going when the sight of you in that little red swimsuit got to be more than I could handle. Watching you frisk around in that sizzling suit was torture, and I loved every minute of it.”
Gil choked on her brownie. “I’m shocked at you!”
Looking into her twinkling eyes, he replied, “You should be. I’m shocked at myself.”
“I’ve got a confession too,” she giggled. “I don’t even enjoy swimming.”
“You don’t?”
“I hate it. I only swam to be near you. The sight of you pulling yourself out of the pool would make me go weak in the knees. It was the absolute highlight of my day. You have gorgeous muscles, and when they’re glistening with water—mercy! When you stopped coming to the gym, exercise lost all its zing!”
“You actually thought I was handsome? Even with the beard?”
“I thought you were a major hunk. Emphasis on major.”
He grinned. “I thought I was just a stodgy, old professor in your eyes.”
“You were,” she said impishly. “You just happened to be in excellent shape.”
As Dan laughed, Gil smiled and nibbled delicately at the brownie she held in her left hand. She stifled another giggle. Dan was holding onto her right hand underneath the table, and his thumb was beginning to do amazing things to her palm. As she looked over at him and grinned, his thumb began to work double-time.
Twinkles bustled back into the room and began pouring coffee. “I take it you’re both on cloud nine?”
“We’re way past cloud nine,” Dan replied. “We’ve sailed right to the moon.”
As Dan continued caressing her palm, Gil said to Twinkles, “Being from further into the future, I assume you know that Dan is little Danny all grown-up. I still can’t believe it. Life seems inside out and upside down—but in a good way of course.”
Time Tsunami Page 31