The Same Time (Time Series book 2)

by Brona Mills

  ‘If it’s alright with you, I’d rather leave them there. The attic’s not fully converted across the road and there isn’t a room big enough to display all the things how I like it. I’m a little nervous that some things might get mislaid in the move.’ He swaps dishes with me and continues to fill his plate.

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘If it’s a problem, I’ll move it. But I thought it would be nice for Max to know that I’ll still be over here most days working when I’m not in the university. Plus, you and Mike are working from your office. When you need me for a meeting about the show, I’ll be close by.’

  ‘You bought a house across the street, David. You’re pretty close by.’

  ‘You said you were okay with me moving here.’ He drops his fork.

  I hold my hand up. ‘I am, but . . . ’

  ‘But what, Stella? You really should have voiced any concerns you had before we crush Max’s heart again.’

  ‘The girls,’ I blurt out. ‘I don’t want Max to see girls coming and going from your house all the time. Even if you’re dating them, god knows they never last long.’

  ‘Is that the only problem?’ He sighs, sounding relieved.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Then that’s okay.’

  I nod.

  He picks up his fork and continues eating. ‘I’ll just make sure and fuck them at their place.’

  ‘Attention, soldier, can you hear me, over,’ Max says through the walkie speaker.

  David answers him, and I take a moment to think of something to change the subject. Anything to take the attention away from the pain in my throat. Four years of watching the man I love sleep around town makes me question if what we had was real. Each girl is a twist in the gut that I struggle to forgive. Because when David gets back to me in another ten years’ time, apparently I’m going to forgive everything he’s done, and every girl he’s fucked. I’m going to have to swallow my pride and try to push those images out of my mind because I love him, and although it wasn’t my fault, I was the one who broke him.

  ‘All went okay with Audrey’s last visit?’ I ask.

  ‘I think so. I spent some time with her yesterday, and we ironed out some holes in the time travel line. I’m pretty sure this morning is going to be her last appearance for us.’

  ‘Hmm, ten years. How do you go from spending ten years falling in love with someone one day a year, to knowing they’re never coming back?’

  ‘By knowing that you’re their future husband.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I told Mike this morning, so I guess it’s okay to talk about it now.’

  ‘Audrey’s married to Mr Perfect. We all know how much she wanted to get home to her own family.’

  ‘Audrey’s married to Mike in the future. That’s why she was travelling. She wasn’t some random person who works for Mike. She’s his wife and that’s why she was so invested in making sure that his life played out exactly as it was supposed to.’

  ‘But why didn’t she say anything this whole time?’

  ‘Because she was scared that Mike would never fall in love with her all on his own. She didn’t want to influence anything.’

  ‘Like she might have influenced us?’ He ignores my comment. ‘Mike already loves Audrey.’

  ‘I know that, and you know that, and I guess Mike knew that, but he held back out of respect for her marriage. He was always jealous of her husband, knowing how in love she was and how hard it was being away from her family. If you think about it, they really only knew each other for ten days.’

  ‘But he spent each year in between becoming obsessed with her. Missing her, wanting to share his life with her.’

  ‘And now he can.’

  ‘How? She’s left and you worked out that the travelling line was going to stop on his thirtieth birthday.’

  ‘Yes, but now he gets to meet the twenty-five-year-old Audrey in this time line.’

  ‘The real one?’

  He crunches his face. ‘They’re both real.’

  ‘I know, but the one who won’t disappear on him each time.’

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘What’s he going to do? Is he going to go to Ireland and try and find her? Where the hell is she supposed to be right about now? Did she at least leave you some information?’

  ‘No, she was a little guarded about that. But she did tell me to meet Mike for lunch in Venice Beach this morning after she left. Turns out, she was waitressing there, or is waitressing there.’

  ‘You guys met the real Audrey this morning? Why the hell didn’t you lead with that?’

  David shrugs. ‘Just a little jealous, I guess. Mike’s finally going to get everything he ever wanted.’

  I clasp my hand over David’s, and he carefully retracts it from underneath.

  ‘So.’ He slides his empty plate away from him. ‘I’m guessing we give them a couple of weeks, then invite them over for dinner. What do you say?’

  ‘You want a dinner date? With me?’

  ‘Not a date.’

  My heart lands on the floor.

  ‘Just a meeting of sorts. We need Audrey to know that over the next ten years, we don’t regret the time we had together.’

  ‘I don’t regret it.’

  David stands and leans on the back of the bar stool at the other end of the kitchen. ‘Neither do I. But naturally, things are going to be tough between us over the next few years. We’re still bickering, and everyone knows we had a hard separation. We need Audrey to know that despite everything, it’s okay that she makes sure we got together.’

  ‘Why? I hurt you.’

  He nods. ‘But it was the best couple of years of my life.’ He shoves his hands in his pocket. ‘Plus, I got to be a dad to Max, and I won’t give that up no matter what.’

  ‘Thank you for helping us. You saved us from Nathan, so many times. I don’t think you realised.’

  ‘Any time, Mighty. And just so you know, you saved me too . . . right before you ripped me apart.’ He slides his keys off the counter and saunters out the door.

  Nine and a half years later

  Friday, September 18, 2015

  Mike, David, and I are having a meeting in Mike’s living room about a joint television project for David and Mike, but as usual, the talk returns to Audrey.

  ‘I don’t understand why you won’t start talking about this with her now. So she’s prepared for when it happens. She’ll have six months to come to terms with it and figure out what might help her, or us, in the past,’ I say, when really I want to know what David’s opinion on knowing things about your own impending time travel might be.

  Mike sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. ‘I’ve told David a million times. I’d rather he spent his time trying to stop all this, than wasting energy and time on how to correctly tell someone they might be the first person to ever time travel.’

  ‘What does Liam think?’ I ask. ‘Perhaps having an opinion of someone who’s emotionally removed might be worthwhile. Or Ethan. Have you talked this over with him?’

  ‘I haven’t told either of them the specifics of how it’s not just theory,’ David says.

  But they know. I nervously tap my pen off the side of my iPad until David snatches it out from under me. How the hell have they all been working for years without explaining to each other that they each know this huge secret? God, have they wasted valuable input from one another?

  Mike glares at him. ‘Maybe this is something you should be discussing. We’ve known them long enough and they’re in a position to help.’

  ‘I agree.’ I pitch in. ‘You might be surprised. They’re not exactly idiots. They may have figured out that you already have experience with the things you’re coming up with. I mean, why else would they be taking something so ridiculous and putting so much money and belief in it, unless they think it’s possible?’

  ‘They’re also in a position to take the information to the wrong person. To take all the research, Audrey included, down
a more sinister path,’ David argues.

  I scrunch my nose at him. ‘What the hell does that mean?’

  ‘That means we have managed to keep Audrey alive and out of the hands of people who wouldn’t give a fuck if they hurt her to get answers. If we start bringing in other people, we might not be in control anymore.’

  ‘Were we ever in control?’ Mike cocks his head to the side.

  Mike’s front door slams closed and a female voice shouts out, ‘Hello, bitches, I’m home.’

  ‘Caitlyn?’ Mike asks, bouncing from the couch towards the door.

  Thank god, at least this’ll be one less worry for Mike. David and I follow him out to the hallway where he’s swinging Caitlyn around.

  ‘Back in one piece I see.’ Mike holds her out at arm’s length. ‘I can’t believe you’ve been backpacking for so long. Who knew one continent could keep a really annoying person so busy.’

  ‘Well, I had to come pay you back eventually.’

  ‘Hmm, I was wondering if that was ever going to come up.’

  ‘Jeez, Mike. Her bags are barely even in the door.’ David points to the full to the brim, covered in dirt, green and black backpack leaning against the front door. ‘Give her five minutes before you launch into the sensible brother routine.’

  ‘No,’ Caitlyn practically screams. ‘I need a job, and since I owe you a ton of money, I was thinking you’d be more inclined to give me my old job back.’

  ‘You want me to pay you, so you can pay me back? How the hell does that work?’

  Caitlyn slides her arm through Mike’s and walks towards the kitchen, scooping mine on her way past and giving me a kiss on the cheek. ‘Can you grab those?’ She tilts her head from David to her bags. ‘There’s more outside.’

  He mock salutes her and walks past us.

  ‘What were you guys all doing home in the middle of the day?’ She takes a seat on the couch and curls her feet up. ‘I was expecting Audrey and the kids.’

  ‘Audrey is at the charity office,’ Mike tells her. ‘And the kids are in school. Well, the girls are in school. Andrew’s in day care one day a week when Audrey has to go in to the office. Mostly I work from home when I’m not on set.’

  ‘Oh good, that’s kind of convenient if I move into the guest house.’

  ‘Caitlyn, you can’t just come back and work for me. You were gone for years. I had to replace you.’

  Caitlyn stops twirling her purple hair extensions and places her hand over her heart. ‘You can’t replace your own sister, Michael.’

  ‘Ha-ha,’ Mike says humourlessly.

  ‘I’ll have a look at things and see if I have some jobs for you,’ I tell her. ‘And David too. I’m sure between the three of us, we can pull a full-time job together.’

  Caitlyn quietly claps her hands. ‘Thank you, thank you.’

  Mike rolls his eyes at me. ‘Okay, but you can start with David. He doesn’t have a P.A. and I’m sure once you start doing all his shit for him, he’ll realise he needs one. Then he’s the one stuck paying you.’

  ‘Great! He always did love me,’ she chirps.

  ‘Come on. I’ll help you make up the bed in the guest house, and you can tell me all about the asshole.’

  She darts her eyes to me. ‘What asshole?’

  I grab her hand and pull her up. ‘The one who had you pack up and come home all of a sudden.’

  Caitlyn’s shoulders drop as we walk out the kitchen patio doors. The sun shimmers off the pool and Caitlyn stops and takes a deep breath. ‘God, I love this house.’

  David finally returns from the hallway. ‘You didn’t tell me you had a cab full of bags, Perra, and no cab fare,’ he calls after us.

  Caitlyn turns to him and blows him a kiss. ‘Thanks, boss, I’ll make sure and earn it back.’

  ‘What’d I miss?’ David asks Mike as I close the patio doors.

  The bed is made and Caitlyn flings her bags on top while I grab a laundry basket for her.

  David opens the door and drops a zip lock folder containing a manila file into her hands before she has her bag open.

  ‘I heard I got stuck hiring you. I need you to take these documents over to Liam at UCLA. Do you know where our lab is there?’ David asks Caitlyn.

  ‘No, tell me and I’m sure I can find some hot young student to show me the way.’

  David rolls his eyes at me.

  ‘Fine, I’ll take her.’ I slide my shoes back on, holding onto his arm for support.

  ‘The whole point in me paying her is so we can get more things done. If you’re going over there anyway, I can send her to my office to clean up or find some other shit to do.’

  ‘David,’ Caitlyn mocks in a sing-song tone. ‘When you hire someone new, you have to train them. And that includes showing them where you fucking work, douchebag.’

  David takes the folder from her, rolls it up, and swipes it at her ass like it’s a sword. She holds her hands out, palms out, and takes the folder back off him.

  ‘If you were my sister, I would’ve left you in England,’ he calls after us.

  Caitlyn chuckles as she shoves her arms into her hoody at the door. ‘He’s so easy to wind up, isn’t he?’

  I nod.

  ‘You two need to get back to annoying the hell out of each other. You were so much more fun when you were a couple. This polite thing you’ve got going down is just weird.’

  I sigh and head towards the SAAB that Mike has assigned Caitlyn to use. ‘Trust me, it’s better than it was.’

  ‘If you say so,’ she mutters as she opens the doors.

  It takes more than two hours to drive across to UCLA.

  ‘I have to say, I never missed the traffic. I’m not sure I can get used to this,’ Caitlyn fumbles with the key fob to lock the car.

  ‘I don’t think you’ll have to come over here much.’

  ‘That’s a shame.’ She grins at a group of guys as we walk into the science building and cross the hallway.

  ‘David usually brings confidential papers himself. He doesn’t trust couriers. It’s saying something that he asked you to do it.’ I stop and glare at her, waiting for the elevator.

  ‘I know, I know. Don’t fuck it up.’

  ‘Come on, I’ll introduce you to Liam and get you set up with ID cards and key entry.’

  ‘Wow, who knew David took security so seriously.’

  ‘Yeah, well, there’s a lot at stake here.’ My ID card lets me in the first set of doors, and we wait in the make shift glass panel foyer. ‘And a lot of money and time invested in his research. If the wrong people were to get their hands on this, some damage could be done.’

  ‘Well, hello,’ Caitlyn whispers as she leans to the side. ‘Wouldn’t mind doing him some damage.’

  ‘That’s Liam,’ I tell her. ‘He’s David’s lab assistant. Well, to be honest, he’s like another David. He knows everything around here, and he’s the only person David has ever relinquished control to.’

  ‘Urgh, I’d so relinquish control to him, too.’

  ‘Caitlyn,’ I snap. ‘Seriously, can you cut the crap?’

  Caitlyn straightens. ‘Sorry.’ She attempts to smile, but I know she didn’t mean to piss me off.

  Liam swipes his access card to leave the inner office and greets us at the door. ‘Hi, Stella.’

  ‘Liam, this is David’s new personal assistant.’

  Liam grins and offers his hand for Caitlyn. ‘Nice to meet you.’ His gaze drops to their hands and he takes his time scrolling back up to Caitlyn’s face.

  For fuck’s sake.

  ‘Can you make sure she has access here? David sent her over with files for you. I’m only here to show her around today. She’ll be doing most of the drops from now on. David’s going to be busy at home for the next few months and he needs someone to run back and forth.’

  Liam’s eyes widen and he looks at me. ‘You’re telling me I can send everything I need through Caitlyn, instead of waiting for you or Mike or god forbid having to dr
ive over there myself?’

  ‘Exactly,’ Caitlyn says. ‘Use me for whatever you need.’

  I try to hold in my laughter, but the blush covering Caitlyn’s face makes my heart flutter. Oh, she likes him. I turn my attention to Liam, who has his hands in his pockets and is rocking back on his heels, smiling at her but not making fun of her Freudian slip like I expected him to. Hmm, Liam’s chin-length dark surfer hair, pulled back in a hair tie, is the kind of guy Caitlyn usually drools over. I never noticed that he has a decent build under his T-shirt, and, oh god, his tattoos. Caitlyn is going to flip when we get out of here.

  ‘So.’ I clear my throat. ‘I have a lot to do. If you two want to get this over with, we can go.’

  ‘Get what over with?’ Caitlyn asks.

  I nod to Liam. ‘Ask her out.’

  ‘Stella,’ Caitlyn gasps.

  Liam puts his hand up to stop the argument he can sense coming out of Caitlyn.

  ‘I know you want him to ask you out. And you.’ I turn to Liam. ‘This is the quietest two minutes I’ve ever heard you, so I know you want to ask her.’

  I look from Liam to Caitlyn, who tries to hide her smile behind her hand. ‘I would say yes. Just so you know.’

  Liam blows out a gasp. ‘Good.’

  ‘Good,’ I echo. ‘So, if you can get the access sorted and send it over to Mike’s house. Better still, drop it off yourself tonight when you’re done and you can pick her up for your date. Now, if I’ve finished match making, I have a job to do.’

  ‘You’re Mike’s assistant too?’ Liam asks.

  Caitlyn snorts. ‘Not anymore. I quit on him a few years ago. It was a last minute thing and left him hanging. He won’t re-hire me, so David’s stuck with me.’

  Liam tilts his head. ‘You quit, but he lets you hang around his house, and David trusts you with trailing his life’s work from one end of the city to another. What’d you do? Cast a spell on them?’

  ‘She’s Mike’s sister,’ I tell him.

  ‘Caitlyn Knight?’ he asks, his voice a little hoarse. Realisation lights up his face. ‘Of course you are.’