A Gift of Time (The Nine Minutes Trilogy Book 3) (11 page)

I cocked my
head, gave her a serious look. “You don’t know anything, sweetheart. You don’t
know a darn thing.”

I could hear
Tommy’s voice follow me up the stairs.

“Gin, Perry
said we should do this when we’re all together. You need to calm down. We’ll
talk about this in his office.”

I’d felt
we’d made some progress with Perry, but I was ready to be done. I didn’t want
someone telling me the right or wrong way to handle my life. We’d started out
with good intentions, but if I let myself think about it, I really didn’t care
for Perry. There was something smug and condescending about his personality.
Yeah, I wouldn’t be seeing Perry again.

“I’m
finished with Perry, Tommy. He’s stretching this out. The more times we visit
his office, the bigger his piggy bank gets.”

“He told us
we need to wait, Ginny!” Tommy yelled.

“And I’m
telling you I’m tired of being told what I can and can’t do. And besides, it’s
too late. The cat is out of the bag.” I didn’t give him a chance to reply as I
quickly added, “And Perry can kiss my ass.”

As I
flounced up the stairs, giving Jason a pat on his head as he made his way down,
I could hear Mimi ask Tommy, “Did Mom just cuss?”

Chapter Sixteen

Carter

1981,
Fort Lauderdale

Carter stood at
her kitchen counter and sliced an apple,
popping a piece into her mouth to enjoy as she worked.

“We’ll go
for a walk as soon as everybody gets their treats,” she said to her Golden
Retriever mix, Cooper, who stood next to her with his leash dangling from his
mouth.

A knock at
her door interrupted her work. She stiffened and with the paring knife still in
hand and Cooper at her heels, cautiously approached the front door. She didn’t
get many unexpected visitors.

She took a
quick look through the peephole and gasped. Him. He’d been looking down, but
she recognized the haircut and general shape of his head.

He knocked
louder this time, causing her to jump.

“I know
you’re home, Carter. I see your car. Please open up. I’m only here to
apologize.”

Yeah, right.

“Look,
please, just tell your friend to stay away from me, okay?” There was
desperation in his voice that she’d never heard. “I’m only here to tell you I’m
sorry about what I did to scare you with the raccoon. I didn’t kill it. It was
already dead on the side of the road when I found it. I only put it in your car
to shake you up.”

She bit her
lip.

“Look, can
you please open up so I don’t have to yell? I can’t do anything to hurt you
with a broken arm. I don’t want trouble. I just want you to call off your
attack dog.”

She looked
through the peephole again and this time saw he was holding up his right arm.
It had a cast on it. It could be a fake cast. Would he go to all this trouble
to get inside her apartment? Before she could ponder further, he lowered his
arm, and it was then she noticed his left eye was swollen, and the side of his
face was sporting some bright blue bruises.

What was
going on?

She undid
the chain and slid the deadbolt open. She opened the door and noticed the look
of relief on his face.

“Thank you.
Can I come in?” A pause. “Please?”

She stood
aside and motioned with her hand that still held the knife.

“I can
promise you that you won’t be needing that. Okay?” he said as he walked into
the apartment and sat uninvited on the couch.

He looked up
at her. He looked so different than the confident and cocky jock she’d gone on
exactly one date with. She’d enjoyed herself on that date and had been looking
forward to going out again. The only problem was she’d been busy—and he
took that as flat-out rejection. Which it wasn’t.

She’d tried
telling him her schedule was full, had even tried to say she could meet up for
quick lunches until they could actually plan another date night. But he’d
rapidly jumped into full-fledged stalker mode. When she let herself think about
it, it was almost as if he enjoyed tormenting her. The dead raccoon was the
straw that broke the camel’s back. She’d told Kit, who convinced her to go to
the police and file for a restraining order.

And that was
exactly what she’d planned on doing, right after taking her dog for a walk this
morning.

She
remembered thinking before how good-looking he was. Interesting how someone’s
personality can affect how they look. She was seeing him through new eyes now,
and she had to admit—he was downright ugly. And the fresh bruises and
swollen eye had nothing to do with it.

Now,
watching him visibly shake while sitting on her couch, she saw something new in
his expression. Something she’d not seen before.

Fear.

“Please,” he
said in a trembling voice. “Please tell him I came here and apologized. Tell
him I’m never coming near you again. Tell him I’m not some sociopath who gets
off on killing animals. Just tell him. Tell him you’ll never lay eyes on me
again. Please tell him all of that. Okay?”

He gave her
a pleading look. Carter was truly baffled. She sat down on the chair across
from him and absently petted Cooper, who sat at her feet. Her brows furrowed.

“Who? Who am
I supposed to tell this to?”

She saw a
quick flash of anger in his face, but he reeled it in quickly and drove it
back.

“Don’t play
dumb, Carter. Your friend. That fucking gigantic monster with the crazy long
hair and scary-ass tattoos. The one that rides a motorcycle?”

She blinked
without saying anything. She only knew one person who fit that description, and
she’d only met him once. Kit’s husband. Grizz.

She’d been
invited to Kit’s house in Shady Ranches while her husband was away on business.
He’d returned early, and Carter almost crapped herself when he’d let himself in
the back door.

Grizz was
nothing like she’d expected. She always associated “being away on business”
with someone who wore a suit and tie and carried a briefcase. They’d just
stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity but was only a few
seconds when Kit, who’d been putting a load of clothes in the dryer, came back
into the room and launched herself into his arms. She looked so small compared
to the giant man that Carter slowly gave the once-over, taking in the long
hair, five o’clock shadow, and tattoos that covered his massive body.

But it was
the look of love and gentleness he gave his wife that shocked Carter far more
than his appearance. He’d missed her, and he was totally smitten. It was too
obvious to miss.

Carter shook
off the memory as she listened to her repentant stalker.

“You’re
going to try and tell me you don’t know who I’m talking about? Well, I get it.
You have to play dumb, don’t you? He probably doesn’t want me to go to the
police.”

Carter
raised a brow.

He rushed
on, watching her face. “Okay, so he’s not the kind of guy to care what I’d do,
which is nothing. I wouldn’t do anything. Don’t tell him about the police
comment, Okay? I—I was just kidding.”

Carter couldn’t
help herself. She smiled. Then she gave him a serious look.

“I’ll tell
him you apologized. I’ll tell him you won’t bother me again. I’ll tell him you
don’t kill small animals. At least, I don’t think you do. You could be lying.
You seemed to enjoy tormenting me.”

“It was road
kill, Carter. I swear the raccoon was road kill that I found.” He stood up
then, raised his broken arm. “He did this slowly. Not quick. Slowly, so I could
feel it. He wanted me to hurt for scaring you.” He gulped. “I can promise you I
never want to see him again in my life. And don’t take this as an insult, but
you’re not worth it. Nobody would be worth it.”

He didn’t
wait for her to answer, just walked to the front door and opened it. He stopped
to look back at her.

“Okay?”

She nodded
her agreement, and he was gone.

Three days
later, Carter sat at the gas station and watched Kit’s husband, Grizz, lean
back against his car while he pumped gas. She swallowed thickly, put her car in
park, and approached him.

Without
making eye contact, she heard him say, “I was wondering when you were going to
make yourself known. You’ve been following me.”

“Uhhh...I
didn’t realize you noticed. It just never seemed like a good time to talk to
you,” she stammered.

He smiled at
her then. Her heart actually gave a jolt from the attention he gave her in that
one smile. She didn’t remember thinking he was good-looking that first and only
time she’d met him. Her only recollection had been big. But his smile was
disarming.

“I know you
followed me to my bars and out to the motel, at least until you thought better
of it and turned around. That was smart. Turning around. I’m thinking that you
don’t want Kit to know what I did. You could’ve asked to see me or made an
excuse to see her in the hopes of running into me, but you didn’t.” He nodded
as he spoke. “I appreciate that.”

“You do?”
The surprise in her voice evident.

“Yeah, I do.
I try to protect her as much as I can. She doesn’t need to know I broke that
shitbag’s arm.”

“Why? Why
did you do it?” She couldn’t help but ask.

He retrieved
the nozzle from his gas tank, placed it back on the pump, and started to put
the gas cap back on. Without looking at her, he told her.

“Because Kit
was afraid for you. She cares about you, and he was scaring and upsetting you.
That was scaring and upsetting her. And nobody upsets my wife if I can help
it.”

Carter
smiled shyly. “Well, no matter why you did it, I appreciate it, and I owe you.”

“You don’t
owe me.” He leaned back on his car, crossing his arms over his chest. The look
on his face was nothing but serious and totally focused.

The sound of
traffic and the smell of gasoline were nothing compared to his captivating
stare. His green eyes bored into hers. No wonder Kit fell in love with this
guy. There was something about him that was powerful and extremely attractive.
I am not going to crush on my new friend’s husband. Not happening, Carter.

She
swallowed hard and gave him a genuine smile.

“Well, I
feel like I do. If there’s anything I can do for you, and I can’t imagine what
that could even be, but if there’s anything, let me know.”

He didn’t
answer her. He just nodded. She nodded back and turned to walk back to her car.

She was
getting ready to open the door and get in when she yelled back over her
shoulder, “Just remind me never to do anything to upset your wife!”

She giggled
and looked his way to see if she could gauge his reaction, but he’d already
climbed back into his black Corvette. Gee, if he heard me, I hope he knows I’m
only kidding. I don’t ever want to get on the wrong side of him.

She thought
about what he’d done to her stalker and shuddered as she got into her car.

Chapter Seventeen

Mimi

2000,
Fort Lauderdale (Before the Execution)

“
That’s him. That’s
him!” Maggie whispered, gently poking
Mimi with her elbow.

Mimi looked
up and saw Elliott approaching. She could feel her pulse quicken. He broke into
a wide grin when they made eye contact.

“That’s the
guy who always asks about you,” Maggie said quietly, looking down as she
pretended to arrange flowers. “He’s been in here at least three times and
always misses you.”

Mimi didn’t
say anything. She just smiled as Elliott approached.

“I’ll be in
the back. Can you help this customer, Mimi?” Maggie asked in a voice that was
too loud and obvious. Mimi could feel the embarrassment creeping up her neck
and face in the form of a healthy red blush as Maggie headed for the back room.

“I’ve been
in a few times,” Elliott shyly told Mimi.

“I’m sorry I
missed you.” She meant it. She’d spent countless hours daydreaming about the
young man who’d waltzed in and out of her life last month. She’d prayed she’d
see him again, and God had heard her.

She took in
his physique. He was wearing blue jeans, a T-shirt, and a light threadbare
jacket. His hair was a little longer than she remembered. As if sensing her
scrutiny, he ran his hand through it and stammered.

“So, umm,
when I was here last time I kind of mentioned you having a boyfriend, but I
realized I never actually found out if it was true. I’m just here to see,
ah—if you don’t, um—if maybe you’d like to do something sometime?
Maybe let me take you out somewhere?”

He bit his
lip and looked away quickly before looking back at her.

“You mean,
like hang out?” She caught a whiff of his cologne then and her heart
flip-flopped. She absently started straightening up the counter.

“No, I don’t
want to hang out with you, Mimi. I want to take you out. On a date. That is, if
you don’t have a boyfriend.” He started to turn red.

“I don’t
have a boyfriend, and I’d like very much to go out with you, Elliott.” She
started twirling her hair and bit the edge of her lip.

“Great!” He
gave her a wide smile and rolled back on his heels, hands shoved tightly into
his jeans pockets. “I guess I’ll need your phone number, and maybe you can tell
me where you live so I can pick you up? Maybe tomorrow night? If you’re
available?”

He looked at
her hopefully.

She didn’t
want Elliott coming to her house to meet her parents. They hadn’t talked enough
to exchange ages, but she was certain he didn’t know how young she was, and she
was pretty sure he was at least eighteen, if not older. She would have to play
this carefully.

She gave him
a genuinely disappointed look.

“I can’t
tomorrow night. Unfortunately, I’m busy for the next few nights.”

“Oh,” was
all he said. He looked away, and Mimi could tell he was grappling with whether
or not she wanted to go out with him.

She took in
a big breath and prayed for a confidence she wasn’t quite feeling. The
overpowering smell of flowers brought an unexpected calmness to her. With more
boldness than she felt, she decided to take the plunge.

“But, well,
I get off in a couple of hours. If you want to come back then, we could go out
tonight. That is, if you want to. If you already have other plans and can’t, I
completely understand.”

He grinned.
“No, I don’t have any plans. Tonight is great! Do you want to go out for
dinner?”

“Sure, as
long as it’s not fancy. I won’t be going home to change. You’ll have to come
back here for me, and what you see is what you get,” she couldn’t help but
laugh at her own joke.

Elliott,
who’d been staring into Mimi’s eyes, allowed himself to slowly scan his way
down her body, making sure not to linger on her chest. She was wearing a lacy
white top that wasn’t too tight, dark jeans she’d rolled up mid-calf, and white
sneakers with no socks. He noticed a silver chain on her left ankle. He gulped.

“Nothing
fancy. And even if it was fancy, I think you look perfect.” He caught her
blushing and quickly asked, “What time should I come back here for you?”

“I’ll be out
front at five o’clock.”

“Okay then,
I’ll see you at five.” He gave a final smile and wave and headed out the door.

Mimi was
still staring at the door when Maggie came out from the back.

“So? Tell
me!” Her boss elbowed her.

“There’s
nothing to tell,” Mimi answered, giving Maggie a small smile. “Yet.”

At Maggie’s
questioning look, she added, “He’s picking me up when I get off, and he’s going
to drive me home so he can meet my parents. I figured it’s the best way to
start.”

“Good girl!”
Maggie said. “I’ve got a few deliveries and won’t be coming back, so you can
just lock up. I’m so excited for you. I don’t think you’re back in until next
Tuesday, and I’ll want details!”

“I’ll tell
you everything then.”

Less than
ten minutes later, Mimi had arranged all the details. First, she’d called
Lindsay to let her know she needed an alibi.

“I’m going
to tell my mom she doesn’t need to pick me up after work. I’ll tell her you
asked me to go to the mall because you need a new dress for your dad’s work
thing and we’ll grab something at the food court.”

She could
practically hear Lindsay rolling her eyes.

“Yeah,
that’s kind of true. The whole family has to go to his stupid banquet every
year. It’s not important enough to warrant a new dress, but it sounds
convincing enough.”

“So can you
find an excuse to be driving your mom’s van around six-ish so it’s not in the
driveway? My dad gets home from work every night around six,” Mimi said. “I
don’t know if he’d notice when he drives by your house.”

“Won’t be an
issue,” Lindsay said. “It’s been in the shop for two days. I think she’s going
to have to get something new. God, I hope whatever it is it’s going to be
better than an ugly minivan.” Then as an afterthought, “How are you going to
get home? Are you going to have this guy drop you off at your house?”

“No. I was
thinking he could drop me off at your house, and you could walk home with me.
Maybe we could say that the trip to the mall was unsuccessful, and we were
going to comb through my closet to see if I had anything you could wear. I
think that would really be convincing. What do you think?”

“I think I’m
in!”

Mimi then
made the necessary call to her mother. It wasn’t unusual for Mimi to get a ride
home from work with her friend Lindsay. And they usually involved pit stops, so
this wasn’t out of the ordinary. Her deceitfulness, however, was. She hoped
there was nothing in her voice that betrayed her true motive. She’d never
realized how exhausting deception could be. She wondered how her parents had
pulled it off for so many years.

The rest of
the afternoon passed slowly as Mimi tried to concentrate on work. So many
thoughts about her upcoming date were doing battle in her brain. The lie to her
mother. Involving Lindsay in the story. How would Elliott react when she told
him her age? Would she even tell him? Would he care?

Her mind was
so full of thoughts she could barely pay attention to what she’d been doing.
She was certain that Maggie would have some rearranging to do. Mimi’s feeble
attempts at arranging some of the heartier bouquets were a disaster.

At five
o’clock sharp, Mimi was standing in front of the flower shop when she spotted
an older model tan pickup truck coming down the road. She watched as Elliott
parked right in front of the shop and got out. He’d changed into black trousers
and a long-sleeved casual blue shirt.

He opened
the passenger door. “Your chariot awaits, my lady.”

But he
must’ve had second thoughts about what he’d said, because as soon as the words
were out of his mouth he looked uncomfortable, like he’d just exposed his inner
nerdiness.

Mimi tried
not to giggle as she approached and climbed in. This was her first real date
alone with a guy. She’d had casual boyfriends before, but they were always
school-age friends, and dating was limited to boy-girl parties that were
closely chaperoned or school and church events. This was the first time she’d
actually been picked up by a guy who drove his own truck.

As she
settled herself in the seat, she realized she was probably way behind other
girls her age when it came to boys. She knew Lindsay had lost her virginity
last year to the school’s football captain, though she’d vowed to never do it
again.

“It hurt,
and he was a slobbering pig,” Lindsay had announced to her friends. “Never
again. I’m never having sex again.”

Mimi shook
off the thought as she tried not to let her nervousness show. He climbed into
the driver’s side of the truck and gave her a smile that caused her heart to
have palpitations.

“Do you like
Italian?” he asked.

“I love
Italian.” It was the truth. The Olive Garden was her favorite restaurant. It
couldn’t rival her mother’s cooking, but she still loved it there.

“Does
Marcella’s sound good?”

Even better.
“It sounds perfect, Elliott.”

They made
small talk during the drive. She asked him a lot of questions, mostly because
she wanted to steer the conversation away from herself, but also because she
was truly interested.

She found
out the vintage truck they were riding in had belonged to his grandfather. It
was in pristine condition, and she could tell Elliott took pride in caring for
it. He was a senior in high school and would be graduating soon. His parents
had divorced when he was very young. His father had moved away to Michigan, and
Elliott had hardly known him. To his surprise, his parents had found each other
again thanks to the Internet, and after a whirlwind reconnection, remarried
after almost fifteen years apart. His mother moved to Michigan, and Elliott
stayed in Florida with his grandmother.

“Did you
miss your father? Did you miss having a man around while you were growing up?”

“I don’t
know if I can answer that. I mean, there were other men around. My mom dated.
They all seemed like nice guys. I had male teachers along the way. I don’t know
if I missed the man so much as I missed the idea of a father. Am I making any
sense?”

“Yeah, I
think I know what you mean.” Mimi looked at her lap. She thought about her own
painful feelings concerning the man who was her biological father. The murderer
who sat on death row. The man who was scheduled to die this summer. Such a
sharp contrast to the respectable architect she’d known as Daddy. She dismissed
the thoughts with a shake of her head. “So you’re graduating soon. I guess
you’re eighteen, then?”

“Not yet. My
birthday is right after graduation. Almost there, but not yet. How about you?
How old are—”

“So what are
your plans after graduation?”

He
downshifted and slowly glided into a parking spot at the restaurant.

Mimi glanced
around the parking lot and wondered why he’d parked so far away when there were
so many open spots closer to the restaurant. He answered her unspoken question.

“Dings.
Trying to avoid the jerks who don’t care if they slam their car doors into
somebody else’s car. I’ve taken care of this truck, and I’m not going to let
some careless door-slinger mess it up.”

Turning off
the engine, he looked over at her and answered her other question.

“I’ll keep
working and go to college.”

They found
themselves having so much to say over dinner that they kept interrupting each
other. There were no awkward silences or uncomfortable lulls. As a matter of
fact, it was just the opposite. Mimi was relieved he never pressed her about
her age. They talked about school, friends, dreams, hobbies, even church. But
he never asked what grade she was in. She was relieved.

While they
were waiting for dessert, Elliott fidgeted uncomfortably.

“It’s
getting hot in here. Are you hot?”

“No, I’m not
warm at all. Why don’t you roll up your sleeves?” She’d wondered why he was
wearing long sleeves. It wasn’t hot, but it was warm out, though she imagined
he’d been trying to dress up for her.

He looked
away nervously. “I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.”

“What do you
mean?” She leaned forward.

“I, uh, have
a lot of tattoos.” He blushed. “Not all of them are very nice ones. I went
through a bad spell. The wrong types of friends. What I put my poor grandmother
through.” His blush deepened, and he shook his head.

Mimi smiled.
“Most guys would be trying to impress a girl with all of their ink, and here
you’re afraid to show me yours. I actually think that’s kind of admirable.”

He looked at
her as if he was embarrassed. “There’s more.”

“I’m
listening.”

“I don’t
usually drive my grandpa’s truck. It’s too nice to take out and drive to school
and work.” He looked down. “I normally drive a motorcycle.”

She laughed
out loud. “Stop looking so nervous, Elliott. My father has some incredible
tattoos, and he drives the baddest Harley around.”

She caught
the surprise on Elliott’s face. Then his expression turned to concern.

“Don’t
worry, though,” she quickly added. “My dad’s a nice guy. He’s an architect and
my mother is a housewife who does accounting part-time. Tattoos and a
motorcycle don’t always mean bad.”

At least I
don’t think they do. She remembered the things she’d learned about her parents’
past—things she was still learning from Leslie’s interviews with her
mother.

He looked
relieved and rolled up his right sleeve, held his right arm out to show her.

“This was an
early graduation gift to myself. It’s my newest.” He turned his forearm over so
she could see it. Mimi’s breath caught in her throat.