A Gift of Time (The Nine Minutes Trilogy Book 3) (27 page)

Chapter Forty-Seven

Grizz

2001,
Fort Lauderdale

He had just
loaded up his groceries and was getting ready to
climb into his car when he heard her.

“It’s you,
isn’t it?”

He stopped
dead in his tracks as he watched his daughter walk up to the passenger side of
his car and jiggle the door handle. The same daughter that had tricked him with
a phone call to the prison pretending to be her mother. He didn’t answer her
but slowly scanned his surroundings.

“I’m alone.
You are Grizz, aren’t you?” she asked quietly. He barely heard her over the
noise in the parking lot.

He still
didn’t answer.

“Did you
have my father killed?” Her voice was calm, but he noticed the defiant tilt to
her chin. He saw the same expression on her face he’d seen on her mother’s more
than twenty-five years ago. The night he’d had Ginny brought to the motel. And
again not fifteen minutes ago in the cereal aisle.

He didn’t
answer her but got in the car, reached over to unlock her door and roll down
her window.

“Get in,” he
said.

Her eyes
widened. So it is him. She didn’t know how it was possible, but she was right.
She leaned down and looked at him through the passenger window.

“Why? So you
can have me murdered, too? Then who’s next? My little brother? Then you can
kidnap my mom like you did all those years ago and disappear?”

As soon as
the words were out of her mouth, she knew she shouldn’t have said them. Leslie
had shared with her some of the things he’d done. Her mother had confirmed part
of it. But Ginny had also shared stories of their love, a love she believed to
be a true one. Mimi knew Grizz would never hurt her mother. Could she trust her
gut, which told her he hadn’t had anything to do with Tommy’s death and would
never do anything to bring harm to her and Jason, as well? She was on the
fence. But not for long. She’d just lived through the most painful few months
in her life. What do I have to lose?

She climbed
in and slammed the door behind her.

He didn’t
say anything. He didn’t look at her. He just turned the key, and the loud
engine roared to life. He pulled out onto the main road. Then, after driving
for only a few minutes, he pulled over at the next shopping center. He parked
under a shady tree far from the stores and turned off the engine. He looked
over at her.

“Never. I
mean fucking never are you to climb into a car with a strange man. Never!” His
voice was a low growl.

It had taken
less than three minutes to drive from one parking lot to the next, and she’d
watched him the whole time. This was the last thing she expected him to say.

He held up a
hand as she opened her mouth to speak. “And before you give me some teenage lip
that I’m not your father and can’t tell you what to do, you need to know I
would be saying this to any girl who asked me for a ride. Got that?”

She didn’t
know what to expect, but it hadn’t been a reprimand. Especially since he was
right. He’d interrupted her right before she could tell him he wasn’t her
father. Darn it. Now what?

“You don’t
need to be afraid of me, and if you know some of the things I’m pretty sure you
do know about me, I can understand why you might be. But I didn’t have Tommy
killed, and the last thing I’d ever do is cause harm or allow anyone near you,
your mother, or your little brother.”

He’d now
turned to face her. He took off his sunglasses, and gave her a level look.

They say the
eyes are the window to the soul. In the depths of his gaze, Mimi knew what he
said was true. She blew out a long breath.

But how was
it even possible she was having a conversation with a man who’d been executed
last summer?

They talked
for almost thirty minutes. Actually, she asked questions and he gave answers.

Finally, he
said, “I need to get you home.”

“You’re
going to take me home?” she blinked.

“Yeah. I’m
going to take you home.”

“I…I…I’m not
sure that’s such a good idea. Aren’t you supposed to be dead? What if one of
our neighbors recognizes you? And what were you even doing in a grocery store,
right here in South Florida? I mean, shouldn’t you be in hiding?”

He laughed.
“It’s called hiding in plain sight, and it’s not too hard.” His tone changed
then, and he gave her a serious look. “It doesn’t mean I want to be seen or
recognized. I’m James Kirkland now. I might resemble Jason Talbot, but I’m not
him, and I don’t make a habit of being out.”

“So if
somebody does recognize you and tries to report it, what will you do? Will you
kill them?” Her eyes were wide.

“I see your
mother has been truthful about me.” He didn’t know whether he was sorry or
relieved.

She nodded,
and he recognized something in her expression. She was impressed.

He didn’t
like it.

“I’m not the
same person I used to be,” he said firmly.

“Will you go
inside with me? Will you talk to Mom?”

She wasn’t
sure where she was going with this. She couldn’t fathom her heart or her
intentions, but she had come to several realizations in the last half-hour.
First, she knew she had no reason to be afraid of him. Second, the wannabe
journalist in her was intrigued. Three, she’d stumbled across something far
more interesting than Slade Bear or her friend Lindsay’s latest shopping trip.

And fourth,
her inner spirit was telling her this man, her biological father, would be
instrumental in making her mother happy again.

And for some
reason, her mother’s happiness had suddenly become very, very important to her.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Ginny

2001,
Fort Lauderdale

I was putting
the groceries away when Denise dropped Jason
back at home. While I worked, I’d been pondering the events of the last
twenty-four hours.

Seeing Grizz
at the church had been a shock, but I had to admit to myself that I knew he’d
show himself eventually. I hadn’t believed he’d leave after what I’d told
Carter to relay to him. The fact that he’d showed up at my grocery store
earlier this morning had unnerved me more than I cared to admit, and I found a
bit of smug satisfaction in knowing I’d been right that he wouldn’t stay away.

 
I was also still a little stunned by
Alec’s admission last night. We’d met for dinner prior to going to hear the
same band we’d heard the previous weekend, and I told him what Jason had said
about Caleb thinking we’d make a good family. I asked his opinion on how we
could still be friends but dissuade our children from the notion that we might
one day be a couple.

“Would that
be so bad?” he’d shyly asked me.

I’d looked
at Alec then. Really looked at him. And noticed something in his expression I
hadn’t seen, or hadn’t allowed myself to see before. Attraction.

Then of
course came the awkwardness of trying to figure out how I could stay friends
with a man I wasn’t interested in romantically. I knew Alec would make any
woman a wonderful partner, and even though I wasn’t having those feelings for
him now, I couldn’t help but wonder if someday I might. Was I shooting myself
in the foot? Would I be burning a bridge behind me?

I wouldn’t
answer his question. I skirted around it and let myself enjoy his company for
the rest of the night. Thankfully, he made no attempt at anything intimate, not
even hand holding.

At one
point, I was a little surprised when Alec asked specifically about Sarah Jo. He
wanted to know if we’d resumed what he perceived as a close friendship since
she and Stan decided to stay in the States. I answered him honestly, told him
Sarah Jo was there for me in the tragic weeks following Tommy’s death, but like
most people, she’d settled back into her busy life. I hadn’t seen her that much
if at all.

As I put a
box of cereal on the shelf, I thought about Sarah Jo, about why we seemed to be
drifting apart. Was it just the craziness of life, or something more?

My reverie
was interrupted by an “I’m hungry” from Jason as he made his way into the
kitchen.

“Not even a
‘Hi, Mom, how are you’?” I asked as I placed a kiss on top of his head.

He gave me a
wide smile and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Hi, Mom! How are you? I’m
hungry.”

“I just
bought lunchmeat. Make yourself a sandwich,” I told him.

“Awww, can
you make it for me?”

“Sure,” I
said as I started to carry some canned goods into the pantry. “I was going to
clean Spooky’s litter box, which you were supposed to do before you went to
Max’s, but I’ll make you a sandwich instead, and you can clean the box.”

He followed
me into the pantry and looked up at me with wide eyes.

“Sorry, Mom.
I forgot.”

“I know you
did, Jason. I’m not upset with you. I’ve been forgetting a lot of things too
lately, especially since we’re all trying to get used to doing Dad’s chores.” I
wasn’t referring to Spooky’s litter box but other household chores that had
been Tommy’s.

Twenty
minutes later, the cat box was clean and Jason had finished his sandwich. I
looked at the clock, and it occurred to me that Christy should’ve had Mimi home
by now. I reached for my purse and realized my phone wasn’t in it. When I
thought about it, I hadn’t had my phone with me all morning. I bet it was still
charging on my nightstand.

I peeked in
Tommy’s office. Jason was sitting at the desk working on homework. It was his
new favorite place to study.

I was
heading upstairs to get my phone and see if Mimi had texted or called when the
front door opened. I turned around and had to catch myself from gasping out
loud.

Mimi came in
the front door—followed by Grizz.

An intense
anger hit me like a punch to the gut, followed by mild curiosity. I stood
there, waiting for someone to say something. Anything.

“You don’t
keep your front door locked when you’re home?” Grizz asked in his low, deep voice.

Typical
Grizz.

Jason could
see them through the French doors of Tommy’s office, and he came out now, his
curiosity aroused.

The four of
us now stood in the foyer, just staring. Mimi broke the silence.

“I ran into
an old friend of yours and Dad’s at the Bears’. He offered to bring me home. He
just heard about Dad and wanted to offer his condolences. You remember James
Kirkland, don’t you, Mom?”

Of course,
she was lying, and the hundreds of things that wanted to come out of my mouth
had to stay where they were because of Jason. The first, of course, was how had
they run into each other? I certainly hadn’t seen Mimi with him at the grocery
store.

I looked at
my son, who just stared at the mountain of a man who engulfed our entire foyer.
His jaw was slightly agape as he slowly scanned Grizz from head to toe. Jason
approached him and put his hand out, like his father had taught him.

“I’m Jason.
You knew my dad?”

Grizz looked
down and smiled at my son. A smile that had melted my heart in days gone by and
was starting to have the same effect now. Stop it, Ginny. This is a horrible
and dangerous violation of your family. He has no right to be here.

I don’t
remember the small snippets of conversation that were exchanged. There was a
loud thrumming in my head, like a freight train was blasting through it. I do
know Grizz said something that made Jason laugh. I hadn’t invited him any
further into the house, and I had no intention of doing so.

After a few
minutes, I blurted out, “It’s nice to see you again, James. Thank you for
coming by. I’ll walk you to your car.”

I gave Mimi
a look that told her I’d be having a private conversation with her as soon as I
made my way back into the house.

“Can he come
back for dinner?” Jason asked. I could tell that he was captivated by Grizz.

“I’m sure he
has plans for dinner.” I looked at Grizz and saw understanding in his eyes.

“Maybe some
other time, Jason,” he said quietly.

Mimi jumped
in before Jason could object. “C’mon, squirt, you still have to try and beat me
at that new video game you just got.”

If there was
one other benefit besides the obvious that had made me happy since re-bonding
with my daughter, it was how seamlessly and lovingly she’d inserted herself
back into her little brother’s life. He started to follow her as she headed for
the den, but stopped to turn around and address Grizz.

“I hope
you’ll come back, Mr. Kirkland.” Then, with half a wave, he chased his sister
into the den.

I wordlessly
followed Grizz to his car.

“You owe me
an explanation,” I said in a low voice as I stood with arms crossed and looked
down into the driver’s side of his car.

He reached
into the ashtray and took out a business card. It was for Anthony’s landscaping
service. He grabbed a pen out of the console and wrote something on the back.

“I’m not
calling you if that’s what you think,” I said, my fingernails digging into my
upper arms.

Without
looking up at me, he said, “Good, because I don’t have a phone.” He handed me
the card. “That’s my address on the back. You want an explanation, you come see
me. I get home from work every night at six.”

“You want me
to come to you?” I hissed.

“You can’t
have it all your way, Ginny. You obviously weren’t happy to see me in your
church classroom. You don’t like that I shop at your grocery store. You don’t want
me in your home, and you already made it clear you wouldn’t call me even if I
did have a phone. If you don’t get the explanation that you’re looking for from
Mimi, you know where to find me.”

I glared at
him.

He started
his car then, and shifted it into reverse.

“I won’t
bother you again, Ginny. I’ll stay away. You have my word on that.”

I stood
there and watched him pull away, rolling my eyes at his last statement. Grizz
would never stay away. He wouldn’t know how to. He obviously wanted to immerse
himself back in my life. And like the bully he’d always been, he would do it
one way or another.

I was
certain I would be seeing him again.

My neck
prickled, and I turned, immediately aware of my surroundings again. Slowly I
scanned my neighborhood. I wanted to be sure nobody had seen him. I needed to
know he hadn’t been spotted. But as I walked back to my house, I was struck
with the sudden realization that I didn’t need to worry about that. I was
overthinking. Grizz was never stupid, and he wouldn’t have let himself have any
contact with Mimi, let alone drive her home, if there was even a hint of
suspicion or danger.

Nobody cared
about the dead biker who’d wreaked havoc on South Florida all those years ago.
Apparently, nobody but me.