Wrong Time

by Mitchel Grace

  “Well, maybe with a little feedback the sequel will improve, but honestly, I don’t know how. The leading man was amazing,” Lee said with a wide grin.

  Nathan and Sam were in an absolutely confused state by now. Sam tapped Nathan on the shoulder and put her lips next to his ear.

  “What are they talking about? Is this one of those things that is confusing to me but to no one else?” Sam asked.

  “No, this is definitely strange. I honestly have no idea what’s happening.”

  “So did you guys see any good movies in Paris?” Michael asked while winking at Nathan.

  “No, but we went to the Eiffel Tower,” Nathan answered.

  “Oh, and how did that go?” Michael asked.

  “It was so much bigger than I thought it would be. It took forever to be done with it, and by the time that we were done, we were both out of breath,” Sam answered.

  The room burst into laughter.

  “Wait a minute. What exactly is going on here?” Nathan asked.

  “Maybe we’ll let you in on it someday, but for now, this is just too much fun to let you in on,” Lee said while patting Nathan on the back.

  Nathan turned and looked at Sam and wondered if this was how she felt all the time. She walked up to him and grabbed his hand.

  “Well, at least if we have to be clueless, we can be clueless together for once,” Sam said.

  Chapter 18

  The next morning, Sam and Nathan woke to the sound of the phone ringing.

  “Hello,” Sam said sleepily.

  “Well, hello there. I heard that you had quite the time in Paris,” Jason said with a certain chipperness in his voice.

  “Ugh, I don’t want to even think about that. Why are you calling so early?”

  “First of all, I’m just calling to tell you that Campbell has passed everything along to the French government, and barring any unforeseen problems, you two will be heading back to France in the next few days. Second of all, it’s not early. It’s 11:30.”

  “You’re lying,” Sam said and then looked at the clock.

  It really was 11:30.

  “No, I’m not. I guess that long flight really kicked your butts.”

  “I guess it did. Well, let me wake Nathan up and catch up with you later on,” Sam said, and the two said goodbye.

  “Nathan, wake up. We overslept,” Sam said while gently shaking him.

  “I’ll have a hamburger, but I don’t want anything but ketchup on it. I’ll have some fries with that, too,” Nathan said while still sleeping.

  Sam could only laugh at his sleep talking. Well, if he needs to sleep for a few more minutes, then so be it, Sam thought as she made her way to the bathroom to take her morning shower. After she was finished and she was dressed, she walked back out to the bedroom where Nathan was just starting to stir.

  “Well, good morning,” Sam said.

  “Good morning. So what’s on the agenda for today?” Nathan asked very sleepily.

  Sam told him about their plan to go back to France in the next few days.

  “So today we pretty much have nothing to do. Do you have any ideas of how we can spend the day?” Sam asked him.

  Nathan thought for a moment, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t come up with a thing.

  “I don’t know. You have a little more experience in this area. What is there to do here?”

  “I have never explored the city, but there’s a mall a short distance from here. Maybe we could get you some clothes that don’t have ducks on them,” Sam said and then laughed.

  “That would be incredible!” Nathan said in relief.

  Finally, he didn’t have to walk around looking like an idiot.

  “Also, I didn’t really want to make a big deal out of it, but my birthday is tomorrow, so not that you have to, but it would be nice if you thought to get me a little something,” Sam said.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve never actually asked when you were born. I should’ve known before now.”

  “That’s all right. I never told you. I’ll be twenty-five tomorrow.”

  “My, my, you are going to be twenty-five. I had no idea that I was jumping into bed every night with such an old lady.”

  “Shut up! You’re twenty-five,” Sam said.

  “Yes, but I don’t look a day over twenty.”

  “And I do?” Sam asked in offense.

  Nathan didn’t know what to say to that, and Sam was looking at him expectantly.

  “Well, you see . . . what I meant to say was,” Nathan said as he inched his way to the bathroom.

  In a quick flash, he ran into the bathroom and shut the door, locking it behind him.

  “You can’t stay in there forever, you know,” Sam said from outside the door.

  I might just have to, Nathan thought as he tuned the shower on. Once he had showered and was dressed, he walked out of the bathroom. There, sitting on the bed waiting for him, was Sam.

  “So I’m still waiting for the answer to that question,” Sam said while crossing her arms.

  Okay. You’re really going to have to lay on the charm here, Nathan thought to himself. He reached down and pulled her up to him and wrapped his arms around her.

  “I think that you’re the most gorgeous woman I have ever met, and of course you don’t look old. I was only joking, but you should know that even if one day all of your outward beauty fades, I will still love you in a way that no one else could. You have my heart,” Nathan said.

  Sam felt touched by his words, but she wasn’t ready to let him off the hook just yet.

  “Well, all I can say is that my birthday present better be amazing, or this old lady is going to be very angry,” Sam said while showing a hint of a smile.

  “All right, but maybe we could get the others to meet us there?”

  “Why?”

  “Well, I thought that I could get Michael and Lee’s opinion on what I had in mind to get you, and if I’m busy picking out your birthday gift, then you won’t be left alone to pick out some clothes for me.”

  “And why is that such a bad thing?”

  Nathan wanted to shout from the rooftops, “It’s bad because the last time you bought me clothing, I ended up looking like an Elvis impersonator with a duck fetish,” but he contained himself.

  “It’s not. I just thought that you might like to have some company, too,” Nathan explained.

  “All right.”

  Nathan picked up the phone and called Michael, and then he and Sam started out the door.

  Once they arrived and met up with everyone, the groups split up. The guys went one way, and the girls went the other. They both agreed to meet back in the restaurant in the mall after they were through.

  “So where are we headed?” Michael asked Nathan.

  “I have no idea. What do you buy a spy girl, exactly?”

  Neither of his friends had an answer to that question. They walked aimlessly throughout the stores, but they couldn’t seem to find anything that matched her personality. Sam didn’t seem like the type of woman who would want clothes or anything like that, but at the same time, he didn’t know if she would want a grand gesture like jewelry. Besides, she didn’t even wear any jewelry, other than her mother’s locket.

  “Well, we’ve officially looked everywhere except the jewelry store. We might as well try there,” Lee said.

  “All right,” Nathan said while sounding discouraged.

  They looked through a collection of bracelets, necklaces, and rings, but none of it really felt like Sam. Finally, when he had almost given up, one thing caught his eye.

  “Now that’s interesting,” Nathan said.

  “You know that’s an engagement ring, right?” Michael asked.

  “I know, but it doesn’t have to be used as an engagement ring, does it? I mean, I don’t want to freak her out, and I’m definitely nowhere near ready for marriage, but this just feels like it’s it.”

  “Man, have you looked at the price tag on that ring
?” Lee asked.

  It was true that the ring was expensive, but Nathan had enough money to buy it. Sure, he would pretty much be wiped out after he bought it, but Sam did say that he better get her an amazing birthday present, and this, in his mind, was definitely it.

  “I don’t think that this is a good idea. It sends the wrong message. No matter how you mean it, an engagement ring is going to come off as odd,” Lee said.

  “I’m getting it,” Nathan said.

  The truth was that Nathan could care less about the ring, but the inscription that was inside of it showed how he felt about Sam perfectly. After he had paid for the ring and they left, the three of them headed to a bakery to get Sam a cake. Then they went back to Lee and Michael’s car to hide the cake and went to the restaurant.

  Once they were inside the restaurant and had located the girls, they all sat down and started to order. When the waitress got around to getting Nathan’s order, Sam cut him off before he could even answer the woman.

  “He’ll have a hamburger with nothing but ketchup on it and French fries,” Sam said.

  After the waitress left, Nathan looked at Sam in amazement.

  “Okay. How did you know what I was going to order?” Nathan asked.

  “Oh, I know a lot of things that you don’t know,” Sam said in a slightly disturbing way.

  “Seriously, how did you know that?”

  “Let’s just say that you talk in your sleep. You’ve already told me plenty of things.”

  “Really? Like what?”

  “Like that embarrassing period in your life when you were eight.”

  “You know about the mean girl who used to beat me up?” Nathan asked in shock.

  “No, I didn’t, but now everyone does. Just consider this payback for the plane,” Sam said while laughing.

  Nathan looked over to his friends, and both Michael and Lee were looking at him in a shameful way.

  “What? That girl was gigantic, and I held my own,” Nathan said in an ill attempt to defend himself.

  Everyone at the table burst into laughter.

  “All right, if we’re going to play at this game, I may just have to reveal a few secrets about you two,” Nathan said.

  Michael and Lee immediately got quiet.

  “Let’s start with Lee. He couldn’t control his bladder at night until he was thirteen. Now let’s move onto Michael. Do you remember Marty?” Nathan asked him.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Michael said while looking away.

  “There was this guy named Marty, and Michael and he became really close friends. They were such good friends that they would always talk to each other about the most personal things. They did everything together. They even slept over at each other’s houses as grown men. I tried to tell Michael that Marty was different than him, but you know Michael, he didn’t really get what was going on. Eventually, Marty and Michael became a couple, and Michael didn’t even know it.”

  “That is a lie!” Michael exclaimed.

  “Dude, it is not. He changed his relationship status online and everything.”

  “Yeah, but anyone can do that. It’s not like I changed my status or anything. After that, I distanced myself from the guy, anyway.”

  “That’s true, but that didn’t stop him from sending you chocolate on Valentine’s Day for the two years following that,” Nathan said and then laughed.

  “Hey, the chocolates were good,” Michael said quietly.

  “All right, if you want to spill the beans on that story, how about I tell Sam about the time when . . .” Michael said before Jess interrupted him.

  “Anyway, let’s get back on track here. This is what we got for you,” Jess said while handing Nathan a bag full of clothing.

  Meanwhile, Trish turned to Lee.

  “I don’t need to put a pad down in my bed or anything for you, do I?” Trish asked while laughing.

  Nathan was amazed at what he found in the bag. The clothes were normal.

  “Thank you,” Nathan said to the girls.

  The six friends ate and spent their time laughing and joking for the rest of the meal.

  When they were leaving, Sam turned to Nathan.

  “I don’t know if we’ll have this kind of time off tomorrow. Why don’t we just celebrate my birthday today?” Sam asked.

  “Okay. We’ll meet everyone back at their house and . . .” Nathan said before Sam interrupted him.

  “I was kind of hoping to spend the rest of the day with just you,” Sam said in a hushed tone.

  “All right, but do me a favor, and get in the car and look straight ahead. I have to put something in the back seat if this is going to just be a me and you thing.”

  Sam agreed to look straight forward, and Nathan went and retrieved the cake from Michael’s car. Soon they were off, and once they were home, Nathan asked Sam to go back in the bedroom for a few minutes. When he finally told her to come out, she saw the most beautiful cake she had ever seen. In fact, it was the only birthday cake that she could ever remember being for her. The two spent time talking and eating cake before Sam asked a question.

  “So what did you get me?” Sam asked.

  “Well, I hope that you’ll like this, and just know that it’s a reflection of how I feel about you. You are my inspiration, and you’re exactly what this says you are,” Nathan said and then took the ring from his pocket.

  As he gave it to her, he pointed to the inscription. It read, “My light.” Nathan couldn’t tell if she loved it or if she was in shock.

  “So what do you think?” Nathan asked.

  “It’s amazing, but Nathan, this is an engagement ring!”

  “Yeah, I thought that might be confusing, but I just had to get it for you. It’s how I feel about you, but don’t worry. I’m not popping the question just yet.”

  The color started to return to Sam’s face, and she hugged Nathan tightly.

  “It’s the best and most thoughtful thing that anyone has ever gotten me,” Sam said and softly kissed him.

  As they were kissing, she couldn’t help but think about her confusion upon seeing an engagement ring. What would I have said? I would have just let him down easy, she thought to herself. The truth was, though, that the idea that she was ever going to turn him down was a lie. Despite her pale surprised face, she had the word yes right on the tip of her tongue before Nathan cleared up the situation. Sam led Nathan to their room. That night would end up being the most amazing night of their lives, but at the same time, everything would change on that night for everyone.

  * * * * *

  Campbell was fast asleep when a noise awakened him. He clearly heard a loud crack like the sound of a door being splintered. He sat straight up in the bed and reached over to his nightstand drawer to grab a pistol that he kept there. He got up and walked to his bedroom door. He carefully walked out of his room to investigate the noise. Once he reached the dark living room, it became clear that he wasn’t alone. Campbell could hear the faint sounds of breathing. As far as he could tell, there was not only one intruder, but two. He flipped the lights on and saw his attackers. He quickly fired a shot into the chest of the first man, and as he turned to face the second man, he felt a stinging feeling in his gut, followed by a deafening sound. He dropped to the floor but kept his grip on his weapon. Once he hit the floor, he fired every bullet that his gun held, hitting the second intruder with many of them. The intruder dropped to the floor. He was dead, but there was one problem. As Campbell looked down, he saw the source of the horrible pain he was feeling. There, in his lower stomach, were two holes. Campbell had been shot. He was losing a lot of blood really fast. He felt cold and scared in that moment, so he talked to the only One who could hear him.

  “God, I have made a lot of mistakes, but I’m going to ask you for something, considering that this will be my last chance to. Please forgive me, and even more importantly, be with Zane and everyone else. Let them succeed where I have failed. Also give my wife and chi
ldren the peace that only You can give when they learn what has happened to me. I know that You will do these things, so I’m just going to go ahead and say it. Thank You,” Campbell said.

  Before long, he could see police lights outside of his house, but it was too late. He laid his head back and let a relaxing sleep take him. John Campbell was gone.

  Chapter 19

  Sam’s phone rang, waking her and Nathan from their sleep. She looked over at the clock. It was 3:37 in the morning. Sam reached for the phone, but Nathan pulled her close to him.

  “Just don’t answer it. Whatever’s going on can wait,” Nathan said.

  Sam wanted to just let it ring and stay in his arms, but it was too early for anyone to be calling unless something was seriously wrong. Even Jason wouldn’t dare call at that hour. She pulled away and answered the phone.

  “This better be good, Jason,” Sam said.

  “It’s Campbell. He’s gone,” Jason said.

  “What do you mean, he’s gone? Where did he go?”

  “No, Sam. He was killed tonight in his home.”

  A stinging silence was all that was heard for quite a while.

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Should we call the others?” Sam asked.

  “No, Zane already knows, and we can just tell everyone else in the morning. I just knew that you would want to know immediately.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be there as quickly as I can. I’m getting ready now,” Sam said as she hung up the phone.

  She sprung from the bed and started scrambling to find her clothes.

  “What’s going on?” Nathan asked.

  “Get dressed if you’re coming with me. Campbell was killed tonight, and I’m going over there to see what’s going on and if there’s anything that I can do.”

  Nathan got out of the bed and found his pants from the night before, and soon they were both on their way. Once they were in the car and Sam was backing out of the driveway, Nathan turned to her.

  “I’m sorry that something like this had to happen on your birthday of all days,” Nathan said.

  “It’s okay. You made yesterday special, and if you want to make today better, then just concentrate on helping me take down the people who did this to Campbell.”