by West, Shay
“Beau certainly can’t keep his eyes off you. But he doesn’t look too happy,” Paul said.
Alex refused to rise to the bait. “Mr. Edwards got on his case in tutoring weeks ago and he’s just pissed at me.”
“Why would he be pissed at you?” Paul asked.
“Because I wouldn’t let him slide in the tutoring and he’s going to be benched for the rest of the semester.”
“Ouch. But I’m glad you stuck to your guns.”
“It’s not fair. Just because he plays ball he thinks he’s better than everyone else.” Simon turned and glared at Beau’s table.
“I know, right? All the jocks are the same. They walk around like they rule the school. Too bad they don’t realize that they can’t play the game forever. If the guy can’t pass high school, how’s he ever going to make it in college?” Paul said.
“Not all of them. Most of the ones in the tutoring session have pulled their grades up. At least they’re trying,” Alex said.
“I can’t believe you’re sticking up for them,” Paul said.
“I’m not sticking up for them. Just giving credit where credit is due. The ones in my session have worked really hard to bring their grades up.”
“Well, it doesn’t change the fact that the huge pain-in-the-ass that is Beau Johnson isn’t very happy with you,” Simon said.
Alex glanced up and gulped audibly when Beau’s blue eyes seared into her chest. Rather than the fluttering in her stomach coming from how hot she thought he was, this time it was from pure discomfort and wanting to avoid seeing him in tutoring ever again. To distract herself, she opened her presents. Jenn gave her a gift card to Kohl’s with a note that promised a girls shopping trip. Amy bought her several history books. Paul and Simon got her movie tickets and several boxes of movie candy.
After lunch, she shared her cake with her friends and thought that she was a pretty lucky girl to have these wonderful people in her life. During moments like these, she considered coming clean about her big secret. Of all her friends, only Jenn knew the truth of her time traveling. It would be so great to share the burden with the people she was closest to. Maybe they can help.
Get a grip, Alex! You’ll only get them killed.
She put her fork down next to her half-uneaten cake, a dark cloud moving over her good mood. It was difficult to enjoy the little things when her life was in mortal danger and knowing that the evil Traveler could hurt her uncle at any moment.
“Something bothering you?” Amy asked.
Alex gave her a half-hearted smile. “Just ate too much.”
Amy frowned. “You do this all the time. Just when the group is having a good time you go all quiet and broody.”
“I don’t do it all the time,” Alex mumbled as she poked her cake with a fork.
“Yeah, you pretty much do. You’re not depressed or anything, are you? My cousin suffers from depression and she has to be on meds.”
“I’m not depressed. Just got a lot on my mind, that’s all. I mean, mom has a new boyfriend and I’m still not sure what to think about that, I’m anxious to get my license, the tutoring has been rough lately, and between work, school, and theater, I just don’t feel like I have enough hours in the day.”
Amy blinked slowly. “Alright, I was just asking. Guess I can see why you’d be a little stressed and quiet.”
“That’s exactly it. Stressed.” Alex hoped she was convincing enough to end the conversation.
“I think she needs herself a guy to loosen her up.”
Alex turned a withering glare on Simon who was wiggling his overly large ears at her. “I don’t need a man thank you very much. I don’t have time for one.”
“Oh pooh, there’s always room for one of those.”
“This conversation is over, Simon.”
The bell sounded. Alex picked up her tray, giving Simon a dirty look as she passed. She rolled her eyes and laughed when he waggled his eyebrows.
The afternoon passed quickly. After her last class, Alex ran outside to meet her mom and Bruce. She wished she knew where they were going to dinner but Bruce wanted it to be a surprise. She heard someone shouting her name. Alex looked around in confusion. An arm waved frantically at her from a sleek black sports car. As she got closer she recognized her mom, beaming from the passenger seat. Bruce exited the car and tossed his keys over the hood to Alex. She juggled them and almost dropped her phone in the process.
“Are you sure? I mean, this is a really nice car,” Alex said, hardly daring to believe that she would be driving this awesome machine.
“I’ve driven with you before. I trust you.”
Alex grinned as she tossed her backpack to her mom and slid into the driver’s seat. She didn’t think she would ever forget the feel of the real leather seats or the look of the fancy instrument panel. She shoved the key in the ignition and gunned the engine, feeling a sense of power she’d never felt while driving the Blazer.
“Take us out of space dock, Captain,” Bruce said from the back seat.
Alex laughed and pulled away from the curb. She fought the urge to floor it so she could feel the vehicle lunge forward but she didn’t want to overstep the privilege. She kept the car right at the speed limit.
“Head to Main, Alex. We’re going to Le Rouge,” Bruce said.
She nodded and headed down 7th Street. She wanted to roll the window down and blast the music but she settled for a face-splitting grin. The fact that they were headed to a fancy French restaurant could have something to do with it.
Alex parked in a large lot behind the restaurant. She sighed in disappointment when she turned the engine off. She kind of wished Le Rouge was about a hundred miles away so she could continue driving.
“This way, ladies,” Bruce said.
Alex walked behind her mom and Bruce. He was wearing a pair of dark denim jeans, a white button down shirt and a suit jacket. Her mom was wearing one of the new outfits her aunt had recently stocked for Uptown Girl. The slacks and cream-colored blouse was very flattering. Alex felt out of place in her outfit.
“Ummm, am I dressed okay for this place?” Alex asked with more than a hint of trepidation in her voice.
“You look great, honey,” Patricia said over her shoulder.
Alex fidgeted with her clothes as she followed Bruce and her mom to the restaurant. Bruce held the door for them making Alex feel like a real lady. The greeter checked her ledger when Bruce gave her his name and she promptly led them to a semi-secluded table near the back. Bruce held their chairs as they sat. Alex smiled and blushed as she sat down.
“Isn’t this place great?” Patricia whispered.
“It’s beautiful. I feel a little out of place,” Alex said.
“You look fine. Working at your aunt’s store definitely has its perks, doesn’t it?”
“Absolutely.”
The waitress arrived to take their drink order. Bruce suggested wine for himself and her mom and Alex ordered a water and iced tea. She sat and listened to her mom and Bruce chat, a warm flush filling her when she saw how happy her mom was.
Maybe this guy isn’t bad news after all.
The rest of dinner passed in a blur. The menu items were unlike anything Alex had ever seen. It was nearly impossible to choose something. Bruce was able to suggest several things. Alex picked one at random and handed the waitress her menu.
“While we wait for our entrees, why don’t we give Alex her gifts?” Bruce suggested.
“You didn’t have to bring them here. I could have opened them at home.” Alex didn’t want a replay of her birthday at the school cafeteria.
“Apparently Bruce can’t wait that long,” Patricia said with a grin.
Bruce shrugged as he pulled a small back box out of his jacket pocket. “It’s just a little something. I saw it and knew you would love it.”
Alex took the sleek box with shaking hands. She never expected her mom’s boyfriend to get her something for birthday.
“Open it. I’m
dying to see what it is,” Patricia said.
“You don’t know what it is?” Alex asked.
“Bruce wouldn’t tell me.”
“I wanted it to be a surprise. The fewer people who know a secret, the easier it is to keep,” Bruce said.
He’s not wrong about that.
Alex opened the box and her breath left her chest in a whoosh. She reached out and grabbed the silvery necklace, unable to believe what her eyes were seeing. Attached to the necklace was an intricate book made of silver. It even had spidery black writing on the open pages. She had never seen anything to beautiful and perfect, like it was made just for her.
She looked at Bruce and shook her head, unable to speak. Her throat was so tight she feared she would pass out right there on the table.
“What is it, Lexi? Hold it up so I can see.”
Alex placed the necklace back into the box and shoved it across the table to her mom. She bolted upright so quickly she barely missed running into a waitress. She ignored her mother calling after her and ran to the bathroom with tears spilling over her cheeks.
She locked herself in a stall and put her face in her hands, trying to get a handle of the emotions surging through her. It wasn’t possible one person could be expected to deal with this many feelings at once.
Get a grip, Alex!
That sharp voice in her mind helped to calm her down a little. After taking a deep, shuddering breath, she wiped her face and exited the stall so she could wash her face before heading back to the table.
She stared at her face in the mirror for a moment to let the emotions wash over her one at a time. When she had first seen the book necklace, she had been ecstatic. No one had ever given her anything that beautiful and grown up before. And it meant that Bruce cared enough about her to get her something completely appropriate, something he knew she would love.
Her hands curled into fists. Her father had never given her anything this nice. The only gift he bought her that her mom had nothing to do with was a baseball and glove. Alex remembered opening the box and staring at the sports equipment with stunned disbelief. Her father had been so excited to go out and throw the ball with her. After missing every toss and taking a hit to her face that left her with a fat lip, the ball and glove ended up in the back of her closest. He knew she wasn’t into sports but he somehow thought that the perfect gift for her was a baseball and glove.
I wish dad would have been more like Bruce.
Guilt chased away the anger, leaving her hunched over the sink trying to stop the tears. Bruce wasn’t her dad and would never be her dad. She didn’t want him to be her dad. But she wanted him to be...something. It was all such a jumble that Alex couldn’t put a name to what she wanted.
She glanced up at the mirror and gasped. Her reflection was that of the nurse. The woman was in uniform and staring at the mirror in her time with wide blue eyes. There was a man in uniform standing behind the scared nurse but Alex couldn’t see enough detail. Move just a little to the left! Alex motioned with her hands, hoping the woman would move in that direction.
Just then, the man stepped into view and Alex got a good look at his clothing.
That looks like a Nazi uniform!
CHAPTER 23
“ALEX, WHAT IN the world has gotten into you?”
Alex gave a yelp of surprise and turned to face her mother. She had been so intent on the man she had seen in the mirror that she hadn’t even heard her mom come into the restroom.
“What are you doing in here?” Alex said the first thing that popped into her mind.
“What do you mean? You left the table in another temper tantrum. I thought you were over this, Alex.”
Alex shook her head trying to focus on what her mom was saying. She had almost forgotten about leaving the table after opening Bruce’s birthday gift.
“It’s not what you think. I don’t even know if I can explain it.”
“Well, you better try, young lady, because you hurt that man’s feelings and embarrassed the hell out of me.” Patricia was breathing heavy and Alex could tell she was near tears.
“I was just overwhelmed by the gift. It was so beautiful and perfect and I don’t have anything even nearly that nice. And all of a sudden I felt angry that dad never got me anything that nice and then I felt guilty for being angry at dad but I’d rather have Bruce’s necklace than that dumb old baseball...” Alex trailed off as she burst into tears.
“Oh, Alex. I don’t even know what to say.”
Alex fell into her mother’s arms. “Just when I think I’m over what dad did something comes along and brings it all back.”
“It did the same to me for a while too, Lexi. But you know something? I can’t change what your dad did and neither can you. We can either let what he did keep us from being happy again or we can move forward. I chose to move forward. I admit there are times when the anger still gets to me but it fades quickly.”
“Does it make me a bad daughter that I like Bruce? That I wish dad had been more like him?”
“Of course not, Alex. Your dad wasn’t very nice to either of us. But we came out alright. And there is someone nice that wants to be a part of both of our lives. I know it’s hard, honey, but you can’t enjoy true happiness without experiencing sorrow as well.”
“I know, it’s just so unfair.”
“It is unfair, you’re right. You deserved to have a good father and I deserved to have a loving husband. But life just didn’t play out that way. We can’t go back in time and change the past so all we can do is live for the future.”
Alex snorted laughter before she could stop herself.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. Just weird emotional stuff running through my head. Let’s go back to the table before Bruce thinks we ditched him.”
Alex’s heart sank as she followed her mom back to the table. The water works almost started flowing again when she spotted Bruce all alone at the table looking miserable. As soon as he spotted them returning he stood awkwardly and shoved his hands in his pockets. His eyes were glued to the table. Rather than take her seat right away, Alex forced her feet to walk around to Bruce’s side of the table. She gave him a quick hug and backed away before it could get any more awkward.
“Well, perhaps we should sit and enjoy the rest of our evening,” Patricia said as she took her seat.
“Great idea. The evening is young so we should definitely enjoy it,” Bruce said a little too loudly and with just a tad too much enthusiasm.
“I’m sorry I freaked out. It’s just...” Alex couldn’t speak around the lump in her throat.
“We don’t have to discuss it here and now,” Patricia said.
“It’s okay, Mom, I want to try to explain,” Alex said. She took a deep breath and turned to face Bruce. “The problem wasn’t with you and it wasn’t with your gift. It’s all the jumbled up feelings about my dad.”
Bruce blinked and opened his mouth a few times, looking at her mom for some guidance.
“Just be honest. I think that if we are going to be spending time together, we need to be open with one another. Both of us have painful pasts that will rear their heads from time to time. Hiding from it or pretending the events never happened won’t help,” Patricia said.
Bruce nodded. “Your mom’s right, as usual,” he said with a smile. “I know your dad did a very hurtful thing and I am in no way trying to take his place. After my wife died, I never thought I would date again. Meeting your mom changed all that.” He reached over and took her hand.
“It’s really great that you and mom found each other. Really. I guess I just need to try to forgive my dad for what he did and let go of the anger,” Alex said.
“Take all the time you need, Alex. There’s no rule book for how long this stuff is supposed to take. We all handle pain differently. There’s no need to rush things. I’m not going anywhere. I will try to be more mindful of how my actions come across,” Bruce said.
“And I’ll try to kee
p my temper in check and think about things rationally,” Alex said with a small grin.
“So what do you say?” Patricia asked as she held up the black velvet box. “Want to put it on?”
Alex nodded and took the shiny silver book necklace from her mom and clasped it around her neck.
“Oh, it’s so pretty, Lexi.”
Alex glanced at the wrapped box still sitting on the table in front of her mom. “Can I open that one too?”
“Of course you can.” Patricia handed Alex the large box wrapped in Doctor Who wrapping paper.
Alex was careful to unwrap the box with minimal tearing. She planned on saving the paper and hanging it up in her room. She gave a little squeal of delight when she saw what was inside: a new touch-screen phone, a book on the 14th century, and a gift card from Kohl’s.
“It’s hard to believe you’re seventeen,” Patricia said.
“Seems like it took forever to get here,” Alex said.
“Ah, to be young again,” Bruce said, smiling at her mom.
Alex hurriedly put her gifts on the floor when the waitress returned with the meal. She was sure it was delicious but it tasted bland to her. As soon as she started eating, her mind returned to the nurse and the German officer she had seen in the bathroom mirror. Her heart skipped a beat when the implications of what that might mean hit her. The evil Traveler couldn’t possibly be trying to alter the outcome of WWII.
“Alex, are you okay? You look like you might faint,” Patricia said, her voice full of concern.
“No, I’m okay. Just need to use the restroom.” Alex grabbed her purse and headed back to the restroom.
As soon as she closed the stall door she grabbed her phone and sent a text to Jenn with her suspicions about the Traveler and his plans.
-Email Gavin. As soon as I get home, I’m going to visit my uncle again and warn him.
-Are you sure U want to do this without someone there?
-I’ll be okay. Text U later.
Alex hurried back to the table and smiled, hoping it was convincing. She tried to focus on the conversation, urging her mom and Bruce to eat faster so she could get back home. Her shoulders felt heavy with the terrible weight of the burden she carried. For the hundredth time she wished she could tell her mom the truth.