The Same Time (Time Series book 2)

by Brona Mills

  ‘Don’t worry,’ I tell him. ‘Mike won’t be mad you asked his sister out.’ I pause. ‘Will he?’ I ask Caitlyn.

  She shrugs. ‘I don’t know. Boys usually go missing after they ask me out. I never get the chance to find out what Mike thinks.’

  We both giggle, but Liam’s face has turned ashen.

  ‘Don’t be such a scaredy cat, she’s joking.’

  ‘I’ll see you tonight.’ He grins at Caitlyn.

  We turn to the main door and head outside.

  ‘Wear something warm,’ he calls after us. ‘I’m going to take you somewhere a little unexpected.’

  ‘God, that smile is lethal.’ Caitlyn pants. ‘I wonder how many different ways I can get him to smile like that.’

  I chuckle. ‘You’ve turned into a piranha.’

  She nudges me on the side. ‘Only when they ask nicely.’

  ‘I can’t believe you brought me straight to your place already,’ Caitlyn moans from the other side of my office door.

  I drop the page of the contract and hang my head in my hands. ‘You know I usually like my assistants to keep quiet and not yell at me while I’m working.’

  ‘I’ve been home for four hours. I haven’t even unpacked or slept. Mike’s new accountant keeps calling and asking for a meeting. How do I access your calendar?’ Caitlyn thumps on the keyboard like it will make the calendar pop up any quicker.

  ‘Schedule something for next week. I’m busy.’

  ‘He says it’s a priority.’ She appears at the door. ‘You should get some sort of colour coding system set up.’

  ‘I have an assistant, Abigail, who has her own system.’ I scoff.

  ‘Then where the hell is she, or the system?’

  ‘She’s on vacation. I didn’t want to use an agency to fill her for the week. But you’re here now, so stop bitching.’

  ‘Liam’s picking me up in an hour and I haven’t even showered. I haven’t shaved my legs in two weeks, so do me a favour and take the accountant’s call so I can find a razor and some deodorant.’ She grins at me.

  ‘Tell him he has sixty seconds to tell me what’s up before I bump him back to next month.’

  A few minutes later my office phone rings. At least she remembers how to transfer a call. ‘Stella Lewis,’ I answer curtly.

  ‘We need a meeting today,’ Anthony tells me.

  ‘I know you’re new and want to make your mark, Anthony, but I’m busy. This shit isn’t going to fly in the long run.’

  ‘There’s nearly a million dollars missing from Mike’s personal accounts.’

  Fuck.

  I slide my chair back and close the office door. ‘Is someone stealing from him?’

  ‘Honestly, it doesn’t look like it. It’s two large chunks. One I’ve managed to trace to a house purchase for seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The other payment looks like cash, but I can’t be sure.’

  ‘Who’d be so stupid to take it in large amounts?’

  ‘No one. When people are stealing, they start small. Move some things around until it gets lost. But there aren’t any other suspicious transactions. This looks like it might be someone who knows it will come out eventually and doesn’t really care. The house purchase was last week. The cheque was cashed today. I’m applying to the bank to release the security feed to see who cashed it. But my gut’s telling me it’s the wife.’

  ‘Audrey wouldn’t steal her own money. She and Mike have joint access to all assets. She doesn’t need to hide anything.’

  ‘Then why has she bought a three-bedroom home in Lakewood? Look, it’s none of my business, and normally when the wife is doing a cloak and dagger run like this it’s for good reason. In my personal opinion, she’s not taking much, so I’d love to turn a blind eye and let her go before Mike tries to stop her. But I was hired by Mike and not the wife, so I’m obliged to tell you guys when there’s suspicious activity on his accounts. I’m going to ask that you investigate this without him.’

  ‘You better watch what you’re implying, Anthony.’

  ‘All I’m saying is no one knows what’s going on behind closed doors. I’ve done my legal obligation. You don’t have to do anything with the information. Let her go if it’s the right thing to do, Stella.’

  He hangs up. The beeping tone on the other end speeds up and I remember that I’m supposed to place the phone down. What the hell is Audrey doing? What would be so bad that she’s preparing to run? I know the steps. Get your plan together. Stash some cash, if you can. Have somewhere to go. A three-bed house in Lakewood is certainly somewhere you wouldn’t expect to look for Audrey Knight and her four kids. Jesus, Mike. What the hell have you done?

  ‘Caitlyn, call Audrey at FEED US, ask her to lunch.’

  A few minutes later, Caitlyn appears at the door. ‘She isn’t there. Hasn’t been in for a few weeks, reception said.’

  I close my mouth and try to act natural. ‘Okay.’

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Caitlyn asks.

  I smile. ‘Nothing. I’ll catch up with her later.’

  ‘Are you covering for her?’

  ‘Covering for what?’ I screech. Shit, that was not natural. I know how this plays out, and letting the husband’s sister know something is up is not okay.

  ‘Is she having an affair?’ Caitlyn gasps.

  ‘No, Caitlyn, I just asked her to lunch.’

  ‘But you’re acting all weird. It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s cheated on Mike. Remember the shit you had to hide from the press when Jess screwed that guy in Miami? He called off their wedding. It was heartbreaking to see that happen to him. What if Audrey is going to break his heart too? Oh god, what if this is the reason I had to come home early?’

  I rest my head in my hands to tune out her babbling. Just lie—or act, it’s the same thing. ‘I’m worried about Mike’s reaction to you dating his friend. I wanted to ask Audrey what she thought, that’s all.’

  Caitlyn stands straighter. ‘I’m going on a date. Not dating him. Besides, Mike has no idea what I’ve been getting up to or with whom these past years.’

  I tilt my head at her. ‘Maybe don’t lead with that.’ I slip my heels back on under the desk and text Anthony.

  Send me the address of the property.

  I pick up my purse to leave and freeze. Liam’s voice echoes in the hallway and Caitlyn giggles in response. I roll my eyes and prepare to tease them on the way out, but Ethan’s voice speaking next has me stalling. ‘Can we get on with this?’

  ‘Of course,’ Caitlyn stutters. ‘She’s inside.’

  Fuck. She knows not to send people through without checking with me first, but when my office door opens David is with them.

  ‘Well, to what do I owe the pleasure?’

  David tilts his head ever so slightly. ‘It was you who asked us to meet here.’ His eyes widen.

  Is he trying to warn me against spilling my time travel knowledge to Ethan and Liam?

  I look around the other two men. ‘No, I didn’t. So, who the hell called this little shindig?’

  Ethan pulls out a faded white envelope from his briefcase and my heart stops.

  ‘It’s time.’ Ethan places the letter on my desk, and I need to throw up. I run to the adjoining bathroom and lift the toilet lid before throwing-up into the bowl.

  David follows behind me and holds my hair out of the way. ‘Are you okay?’

  I raise my hand to push him back, but he passes me toilet paper and stretches over me to flush.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I tell him.

  ‘Don’t worry about it. Are you sick?’

  ‘No. I’m sorry about everything. I knew.’

  ‘Knew what?’ he asks.

  Ethan answers from the other room. ‘Stella knew about the letter you left yourself.’

  David walks back to the office, and I trail behind him. Liam has taken a seat in the armchair, and my eyes fall on the letter I’ve waited to read for an eternity.

  Ethan remains standing and
addresses David. ‘In 1994, you appeared in my office, the same age as you are today.’

  David looks from me to the letter on my desk.

  ‘You travelled through many years, much like Audrey has, and left yourself this letter, with the instructions that it should be opened today.’

  ‘How?’ David asks.

  ‘Mike’s fortieth birthday, in the same crash that brought Audrey to you,’ Liam says.

  ‘Then why are you telling me this now? It’s too early,’ David turns from Ethan to Liam.

  ‘Because you need more information than Audrey does. You need to make sure you figure out the science and travel along with her,’ Ethan answers.

  David picks up the letter and studies his own handwriting. ‘You knew about this?’ he asks me.

  I swallow hard. ‘You told me not to say anything. That I could interfere with the future.’

  ‘That was all theory,’ he snaps. ‘Never would I have thought I’d be travelling.’

  I shake my head. ‘I . . . I mean the other you . . . ’

  His eyes widen. ‘You met me, when I was travelling? When?’

  ‘You saved me,’ I tell him. ‘Every time you showed up, I was in danger, and you saved my life.’ The tears roll down my cheeks and I deflate in the leather high-back behind my desk.

  David rips the letter open and flips through the pages then closes it in half and sits across from me at the desk.

  ‘Before I read this, I need you to tell me the truth. Tell me everything, Stella.’

  Ethan leans forward, but David cuts him off before he opens his mouth. ‘You’re next. Once she’s done, you’re telling me everything you know, too.’ David sits on the edge of my desk, turning his back to the others.

  I nod and settle in to tell my account of DD over the years and what David is going to do. My emotions stay in check when I recall the events of my life and I replay them like a displaced narrator. Until I get to the morning in early February 2001.

  Maybe now we can finally grieve together. He’ll know the reasons why. He doesn’t even have to forgive me, because it wasn’t my decision either. He’ll finally be there for me—because I need someone to hold my hand too.

  Fourteen years ago

  Monday, February 5, 2001

  Calabasas, Los Angeles County

  I slam the front door and head to the kitchen to salvage some coffee. Once I get Max ready and dropped off at school each day, I can normally get straight into the home office.

  ‘I thought you’re switching to decaf.’ David shoves on his shoes, while balancing one arm on the kitchen counter.

  ‘As soon as you make a pot of decaf in the mornings, I will. But until then, I’m going to enjoy the left over, nearly-cold coffee without having to go to the effort of making a new pot.’

  David rests his hands on my hips and kisses me slowly on the forehead. ‘Did you sleep well?’

  I nod. ‘I never heard you get up this morning.’

  ‘I had some things I needed to do upstairs.’

  I harrumph. ‘The attic is becoming like your dungeon. Every time I need to find you, you’re up there.’

  ‘I’m keeping all my records on Audrey there. At least it’s close by when things make sense in my head.’

  ‘Are you running?’ I gesture at his workout clothes.

  ‘Yup, I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Going to the gym straight after. I’ll bring you back lunch, so text me what you fancy later.’

  ‘Okay. You got another Amazon delivery.’ I point to the brown box on the counter.

  He rips the tab open and slides the small pile of books out.

  I eye the titles, all about babies and toddlers.

  ‘I see you’ve exhausted the pregnancy and birthing books, finally upgraded to the baby books.’

  ‘Mock me all you want, Mighty. But I want to be fully prepared when the time comes.’ He turns his attention to my stomach. ’Cause when this baby comes out, I have a feeling all hell might break loose for a while.’ He giggles.

  ‘Don’t listen to Pamela. She tends to exaggerate. I was so not that psycho when I had Max.’

  ‘Better safe than sorry.’ He scrunches his nose and kisses me.

  I part my lips for him, and he groans as he slides his tongue into my mouth. He backs me up against the fridge and hikes my leg around his waist. He pushes the kiss deeper, expelling all space between our bodies, leaving me breathless as he trails kisses down my ear and the side of my neck.

  ‘I have work to do,’ I tell him.

  His mouth has already found its way across my clavicle and down my chest. He nibbles on the top swell of my breast before placing a chaste kiss on the side of my cheek.

  ‘Just kissing you goodbye is all.’

  ‘Yeah, right, might want to get rid of this before you step out of the house.’ I run my hand over the strain in his shorts.

  ‘I know a great way to get rid of it.’ He winks.

  I slap him on the ass and shoo him out the door.

  I lift the coffee pot, when the familiar bright lights grow in the middle of the kitchen. The coffee pot rattles as I try and place it back on the tray. Audrey never comes to me. And it’s the beginning of February.

  The growing light retreats and DD stands before me. The same clothes, the same unshaven face, the same forty-year-old, broken-looking ’cause-his-wife-had-an-abortion Divorced-Dave.

  Oh.

  No.

  ‘Stella.’ He chokes out the word.

  ‘Don’t. Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear it,’ I whisper, clutching my stomach.

  ‘You keep dying, Stella.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’ve been to this day seventeen times. And I can’t change it. I’ve tried so much to change it. Each time I interfere, I get sent to an alternative future. It’s my time, 2016, but it’s all wrong. I always end up sitting at that damn birthday dinner with Mike, and we all know it’s not the place we’re supposed to be. I manage to reset things somehow and come back to this day each time and we come up with a new plan. It’s like I gravitate towards you when you’re in danger. I always come back to you. It’s like my universe can’t function if you’re not safe. My version of reality, of the whole fricken universe will never be okay if you’re dead. We try something else to save you each time, but nothing will work. You and the baby always die.’

  I drop my cup and it smashes on the tiles. The coffee splashes on my feet, and up DD’s legs. Neither of us flinch.

  ‘The first time, I came back so I could change your mind about keeping the baby. And you did. You said you never had any intentions of having an abortion, but when I got back to my time, you and the baby had died in childbirth. There were complications. I came back a second time to warn you, but nothing makes a difference. You’ve changed hospitals, you’ve changed doctors. We paid for specialist consultants. We found different complications each time I change things and we’ve prepared ourselves and the medical teams for them all. We’ve had planned C-sections, inducements, bed rest, everything. But every single time, you both die. There’s nothing I can do to stop it. The only way to keep you alive is not to have this baby. I tried to go back to before we conceived, but I don’t know how to get there. I can’t go beyond this point. Audrey’s moving forward each year she comes, but it’s like—’

  ‘You’re going back to catch every time I die,’ I whisper. ‘You told me the first time you came to me.’

  ‘How many times do you remember me coming?’

  ‘Twice. Each time Nathan came back, you were there, helping me.’

  ‘This is what happened in my original timeline. This is why you did it the first time-because I told you to. You survived and Max didn’t have to grow up without his mother. You never told me why you had an abortion, and you can’t. I need to spend the rest of my life trying to figure out how this time travel works and try my damndest to stop you from making this decision. It will get me here to help you every time you need me. And it will make sure that you do
this, Stella. You need to have an abortion. There’s no other choice. Believe me, I would have found it if there was.’

  ‘I lose you,’ I whisper.

  ‘You can’t tell me. I need to let go of you and grieve. I need to place these memories somewhere and let the younger version of myself keep going with Audrey’s research, because when the time is right, this will all work out. You need to do this, Stella. Our baby will never survive, no matter what we do. But you can. Max needs you. He’s going to grow up to be such a wonderful young man, but it’s because of you. You once told me the thing you feared was leaving Max without his mother, so do this for your son. Survive for him.’

  ‘But our relationship doesn’t survive this, and our baby—’ I whisper through the tears. I’ll never forgive myself for making DD look this broken, for not being able to tell him. For being selfish and saving myself and Max.

  ‘Oh, baby, but you’re alive. That’s all that matters. We can’t change the big things. No matter how hard we try. And if I get back home to you, I’ll understand now.’

  ‘If you’re going in reverse order, tell me. Is this the first place you’ve travelled back to? Is it the last time I’m going to see you?’

  He nods. ‘Yes. I’ll go back to every time he hurt you and keep you safe. But I need you to save yourself from this first.’

  I hang up the phone and look at DD. ‘I have a five o’clock appointment for this afternoon. I need someone to drive me.’

  ‘You should book a hotel for recovery. Tell David you have work in New York and need to leave right away.’

  I run my hand over my belly. It’s not swollen yet. You wouldn’t even know there’s a baby in there. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Mighty, you know how much this kills me. I wouldn’t be here telling you to do it if I wasn’t sure. But this time, I want to do it right. I want to hold your hand and look after you and go through this with you. ’Cause we’re about to lose our baby, and we need each other.’

  I nod. ‘Can’t I say I had a miscarriage? I remember the look in your eyes at the hospital, and you were so broken when you told me what happened. Why do we need to put both of us through this?’