“McGladreys’ residence, Meghan speaking.”
“Hey, Meghan, this is Erin Durie. Is your dad around?”
“Sure. Hold on.”
What would she say? How would Connor feel if she revealed how Rob had come to be in this century in the first place?
“Hello, Erin. What’s up?”
“Robley is gone.” Her chin quivered. “I thought you should know.”
“Gone?” A few seconds of silence passed before he continued. “When will he be back?”
A lump formed in her throat, and try as she might, she couldn’t speak around it. Her eyes brimmed with tears again. She should’ve waited until tomorrow to make this call. Everything was still too fresh. Too raw.
“Can ye drive, lassie?”
Had she left her car keys in the pocket of her Harley jacket? If so, the jacket was still in the chamber she’d shared with Rob. Another sob threatened to spill out of her. She’d slept in his arms just last night. Had she known it would be their last, she wouldn’t have slept at all. Swallowing hard, she shook her head. “No,” she whispered.
“I’ll come for you. Look for me out your front door.”
“OK,” she squeaked before hanging up. Her limbs heavy, she forced herself to her room and changed into jeans and a sweatshirt. She hadn’t even missed a day of school. At least she had obtaining her midwife certification to keep her going. She’d need a reason to get out of bed in the morning. She searched for her keys in her purse. They were there. Good thing. She grabbed a jacket out of her front closet and left her apartment to wait for Connor.
It didn’t take him long to reach her apartment building. Erin’s eyes widened as Mark Pilon hopped out of the car and held the door open for her. Great. She wanted to bare her soul, and now she couldn’t. She slid into the front seat, and Mark moved to the back. Disappointment coursed through her, and it must have come through in the expression she shot Connor. “Thanks for coming for me, but—”
“It’s all right, Erin.” Connor pulled his car away from the curb. “Mark knows everything.”
“He does?” She twisted around to glance at him. “You do? How?”
“I do teach high school physics, you know. I’m not stupid.” Mark raised an eyebrow. “Once I saw Connor and Robley sparring with their broadswords, I began to put a few things together—like the way Robley is always in medieval mode with his speech. And he did say he’d fought for real before. The way he reacted to my motorcycle was a big tell too. I confronted Connor, and he told me his story, but not Rob’s, though he did admit your cousin came here from the fifteenth century.”
“I’ve never thought of you as stupid, Mark.” She couldn’t help the defensive tone infusing her voice. “I only said Robley was my cousin because I didn’t know how else to explain him. He’d just landed in our time the day you met him.”
“Sure. I get that.” He shrugged. “I was hanging out with Connor when you called. Don’t worry. He’s dropping me off at my place on the way back to his.”
Mark’s hurt feelings and his interest in her surged toward her. She cringed, shutting out the unwanted emotions. “I’m sorry. I’m just not in the best of moods right now. It’s been a really rough few weeks. Day. I mean day.”
“It’s OK. Time isn’t linear. The past and the present coexist simultaneously, or so theorists believe.” Mark leaned forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I hope someday you’ll share your story with me.” He patted her shoulder before turning to Connor. “It’s the next corner, man. I’ll get out here so you don’t have to turn.”
Connor pulled over, and Mark climbed out of the car. He leaned down to peer at her, motioning for her to lower the window. She did.
“You ever need someone to talk to, my number’s in the club directory.” He nodded to Connor. “Later.”
“Later,” Connor said, returning the nod. Mark straightened and shoved his hands into his pockets, and Connor drove back into traffic.
Erin closed the window. She heaved a huge sigh and stared out the windshield. “I’ve been gone for about six weeks,” she said. “A faerie appeared in my apartment on this very date, only six weeks ago, and tossed me and Robley back to the fifteenth century.”
“You were sent back as well? Why do ye suppose?”
“The faerie didn’t intend to send me back with Rob. I just got caught up in the whole thing when I tried to douse the faerie with pepper spray.”
“Pepper spray on the fae? Hmm. This is a tale I wish to hear in full, but let’s wait until we’re at my house. Katherine will want to hear it as well.” He glanced at her. “Relax, lassie. You look as if you’ve been through quite a lot for one day.”
“You could say that.” She leaned back against the leather seat of his sedan and closed her eyes. “I married him, Connor. Robley and I said our vows before his clan, and now he’s lost to me forever.” She rubbed at the empty, aching place in her chest.
“Ah. I thought there might be something between the two of you.”
She swiped at the tears on her face. “I just needed to talk to someone who understands the whole time travel thing—someone who’s been through it.” She bit her lip, struggling to keep it together. “I need to be with people in this century who knew Rob.”
“Of course.” Connor turned into his driveway, parked the car and shut it off. “Come. I can offer you wine and sympathy. My wife and I are here for you.”
Gratitude sent a fresh spate of tears flowing. She really did need to get herself under control. Maybe talking about the whole thing would help. Connor led her to the door to their kitchen.
Kathy met them there, her expression filled with concern. “Oh, sweetie.” She drew Erin into a brief hug. “I’ve opened a bottle of wine, and we have all night. Tell us what happened.” Katherine walked to the counter, took a few paper towels from the roll and handed them to her.
A bottle of wine and three glasses awaited them at the kitchen table. Erin settled herself there and buried her face in the soft wad of paper towels. “Where do you want me to start?”
“Start at the beginning, lassie.” Connor’s deep voice washed over her, along with his concern. “Robley told me he fell into you at the Renaissance festival. Start there.”
“He planned his trip. He was going to stay here for a month and then return to his own century.” She leaned back and met their curious stares. “He made a bargain with a faerie named Áine. She lives among humans and calls herself Madame Giselle. I guess she’s a faerie princess or something.”
Connor’s shocked expression made her turn away. “Rob didn’t want you to know he had a way back. He thought it would upset you. And besides, things didn’t turn out as he planned anyway.”
“Things rarely turn out as we hope when it comes to the fae. Rob shouldn’t have worried about us. I would not go back even if I could. My life and family are here.” Connor reached for Kathy’s hand. “Tell us about this bargain Rob entered into.”
Erin accepted a glass of wine and launched into the tale, sharing all that had happened since the day Robley had fallen into her. By the time she was done, she’d consumed two glasses of the Merlot and felt the mellowing effects. “I even tried to use one of the diamonds to get back to him.” She sighed. “It’s pretty clear the entire thing was orchestrated by the damn faerie princess.”
“Humph.” Connor nodded.
Kathy leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table. “What do you intend to do now?”
“I’ll go to school on Monday.” Erin expelled a shaky sigh. “What else can I do but pick up the shreds of my life and continue on? There’s no way to go back, and I don’t even know if Rob is . . . if he’s still . . .” She blinked against the sting in her eyes and tried to swallow the tightness clogging her throat. All she could do was shake her head. “I just needed to talk to someone. Thanks for letting me purge, but there�
�s nothing to be done. I have a life to get back to, and that’s all there is to this heartbreak.”
“We’re here for you.” Kathy reached across the table and placed her hand over Erin’s. “Connor and I understand, and whenever you need to talk, give us a call.” She glanced at her husband. “In fact, I don’t think you should be alone tonight. Why don’t you stay in our guest room, and Connor will take you home after breakfast tomorrow morning? Sunday is waffle day around here.” She rose from her place and picked up the empty wineglasses.
“Thank you for the offer, but I really want to go home.” She had a Robley-scented T-shirt to snuggle with. She stood. “I hate to put you out. Are you OK to drive me home?”
“I am.” Connor pushed his chair back. “I had but one glass of wine, and it takes far more than that to affect me. If home is where you wish to be, I’ll take you there now.”
Erin glanced at their kitchen clock. It was nearly midnight, and she was drained. “Thanks for listening, and for coming to get me. I really appreciate it.” She slipped her jacket back on and followed Connor to his car. Settling herself in the front seat, she yawned. Time travel did take a toll, and she was exhausted and aching all over. All the emotions churning through her wore her out even more. “I’m sorry Robley didn’t tell you about the deal he made and that he had a way back.”
“Think nothing of it. Do you want the documents being made for him? I should be getting them in the next week or so.”
“Sure. They’re souvenirs of my brief marriage to a fifteenth-century Scottish Highlander.” Her one and only marriage, that was certain. For the rest of the trip home, she stared out the car window at nothing. She’d throw herself into school, pick up as many nursing shifts as possible and keep herself busy until the pain of her broken heart dulled. What else could she do?
Erin shifted her school backpack to her left shoulder and stuck her key into the lock. Her first week back to her routine had been brutal, beginning with this morning’s proof that she wasn’t pregnant—another loss to grieve. A small part of her had wished for that forever link to Rob, and it sucked to find out she’d been denied even that comfort. The rational part of her knew it was for the best, but love wasn’t rational.
She had just enough time to make herself something to eat before showering and changing into scrubs for the nursing shift she’d picked up for tonight. Keep busy. Her new mantra. Sighing, she dumped her stuff on the kitchen counter. She opened the freezer in search of something to tempt her nonexistent appetite. The phone began to ring just as she popped a frozen dinner into the microwave and pushed the start button. She snatched up the phone. “Hello?”
“Erin, it’s Mom.” Her mother’s voice sounded shaky. “You got a minute?”
“Only a minute.” Her heart wrenched. She knew what was coming. “Thirty seconds, actually. I’m working tonight.” She had no sympathy to offer. Her own heartbreak still smarted.
“I’m leaving George,” she said with a watery sniff.
“I’m sorry to hear it.”
“Can I come stay with you until I get myself on my feet again?”
Erin stifled the rising groan. Her mother getting herself on her feet again meant finding stepdad number five. “Sure. You have a key.” She’d moved Robley’s stuff to her bedroom. It made her feel more married, or like he was still in her life. Crazy, she knew, but it helped ease the grief. The microwave dinged. “I’ve got to go. We’ll talk later.”
“Thank you, baby. Don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You’d manage, Mom. Give yourself some credit.” Maybe this time she could talk some sense into her mother, get her to consider a few alternatives. “You know where everything is.”
They said their good-byes, and Erin ate, got ready for work and left for the hospital. Funny. Her heart was broken, and instead of turning to her mother for comfort, she’d called Connor and Katherine. OK. Not so funny. Mostly tragic.
Her shift at the hospital had been an easy one, and it was still early enough for Erin to get a decent night’s sleep. For that she was grateful. She pulled her car into her parking space, glancing at her mom’s car in one of the guest spots. Hopefully Jane was already in bed. Erin was too tired to listen to her go on and on about how her soon-to-be ex-husband was the one at fault for yet another failed relationship.
She climbed the stairs to her apartment, thoughts of Robley filling her mind. How long would it take before the memories began to fade? Maybe she’d write it all down just so she could look back and remember. A scrapbook! Yes, she’d create a scrapbook. Thank goodness they had taken pictures with her iPhone. Unlocking her door, she heard the muffled sound of the TV from inside. “Drat,” she muttered as she opened the door to the smell of cigarette smoke. “Hi, Mom. You can’t smoke in here. This is a smoke-free building. It’s in my lease.”
“Oh. I thought that was just when you were here. Sorry.” Her mom stubbed out her cigarette on a coffee saucer set on the table. “How was work?”
Erin surveyed her apartment, taking note of the dirty dishes filling the sink and her mother’s clothing and shoes strewn about. Robley’s bedroom might’ve been a mess, but when it came to the rest of the apartment, he’d always been thoughtful about cleaning up after himself. “Work was fine.”
That’s all the invitation her mom needed. She launched into her diatribe about all the wrongs done to her by her loser husband. Erin listened awhile before anger stiffened her spine. She had her own losses to deal with.
She studied her mom. Bleached-blond hair and puffy around the eyes, Jane looked older than her forty-four years, but she still dressed like she was in her twenties. Life hadn’t been easy for her mother. Mostly due to her own bad decisions, but still, Erin could see that she’d been crying. She softened, and her anger dissolved. “Any chance you and George might reconcile?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Have you tried marriage counseling? You never know; it might help.”
Jane gasped. “That’s what I said, but he won’t go. We never do anything together anymore. All he does is go to work, come home and sit in front of the TV, drinking beer.” She swiped at a single tear making its way down her cheek. “He doesn’t love me anymore.”
“Did he say that?”
“No, but I can tell.”
She wondered what George’s side of this argument might sound like. She’d always liked the guy. “Why don’t you go to school, Mom? Get some kind of training so you can make a decent living on your own. Stay single for a few years.”
“What?” Jane reached for her pack of cigarettes. Glancing at Erin, she put them back down. “I can’t afford to go to school, and besides, I’m too old for that now.”
“No you’re not. Lots of people who lost their jobs in this recession are back in school and starting over. Get into a program that only lasts for eighteen months, something in the medical field.” She had the two diamonds to sell, plus she still had True’s debit card. “I can loan you the money, and once you have a job, you can pay me back.”
Her mother shrugged her shoulders as if disinterested and turned back to the TV, but Erin saw another tear follow the first. “Mom, you’ve been married and divorced five times. I’ve had four stepfathers. You can’t keep looking for men to take care of you. At some point you have to start being responsible for yourself.”
“What do you know about it?” her mother snapped. “You’ve never been in love. It’s not like I set out to wreck my life because of some man. It just happens. Besides, I have a job. I’m a receptionist at—”
“I know plenty,” Erin snapped back. “I just had my heart broken. I lost the only man I will ever love,” she muttered under her breath.
“Really?” Her mother blinked at her. “Well, you’ll get over it. I always do.”
How like her mother to dismiss Erin’s pain. Her hands fisted at her side, and her chest tigh
tened.
Jane rose from her huddled place on the sofa. “I’ll clean up here before I go to bed. I do appreciate your letting me stay with you, sweetie, and I promise—no more smoking in the building.”
“Thanks.”
“You know,” she said, her voice hesitant, “your daddy was the love of my life. My biggest regret is that he and I didn’t make it stick. We were just so young, only nineteen when you were born. All that responsibility was just too much for a couple of kids.”
Erin’s eyes widened. “Did Dad have any special abilities that you know of?”
“Hell yes.” Her mother chuckled. “That man was the best lover I ever had. He knew what I wanted and how I wanted it without my ever having to say a word.”
“Ew. TMI.” Erin shot her mother a shocked look. Did that mean her dad had the ability to pick up on the physical reactions of others? “I’m beat.” Erin stretched. “Will you at least think about school?”
“Sure, baby. I’ll think about it.” Her mom crossed the room and gave her a hug. “I’m proud of you. I’m so glad you’re doing something with your life, and you aren’t making the same mistakes I did.”
“You are?” Her eyes filled. “This is the first time you’ve ever said that to me.”
Her mom let go of her. “Maybe getting older is making me a little wiser.”
“Things are going to work out,” Erin told her. “I don’t believe George has fallen out of love with you. Maybe he’s going through something that has nothing to do with how he feels about you. Did you ever think about that?”
“Maybe. Whatever it is, he won’t talk about it.”
“Give it some time.” She started down the hall. “Good night.”
Sadness pressed painfully against Erin’s heart for what she’d lost and for what she’d never have—a family of her own. Too much. It had all been too much. She thought about calling the McGladreys or Mark, just to talk to someone who’d known Robley. But she didn’t want to encourage Mark. She was a MacKintosh, and MacKintosh women gave their hearts only once and for all time. Besides, she had a more pressing call to make.
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