A Gift of Time (The Nine Minutes Trilogy Book 3) (32 page)

“I was only
teasing with you. I’m sorry, honey,” Grizz told me for the third time.

I saw
sincerity in his eyes and relaxed. He slowly raised my hand to his mouth and
gently kissed the inside of my wrist.

I pulled
back like I’d been burned. And then, gathering up my things, I walked out of
the house without saying goodbye or looking back.

I was upset.
The only problem was I couldn’t figure out if I was upset about his crude
teasing or the way that kiss made me feel.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Grizz

2001,
Fort Lauderdale

It had been
four days since Ginny had been in his home.
She’d not come back or tried to call. He let her have her space as he waited.

It was now
Tuesday morning. Grizz came out of the convenience store, barely paying
attention to his surroundings when he heard a loud voice coming from near his
work truck. His landscaping crew had finished up an early morning job and
decided to make a pit stop for some ice before heading to the next one. Grizz
had run into the store to grab some Hershey’s Kisses, his most recent and only
vice. Well, his other vice. His first one was and always would be Ginny.

“You need to
take your sorry, Spanish-speaking asses back across the water where you belong.
First, you take our jobs, and now you’re trying to turn Fort Lauderdale into
Cuba? Isn’t it bad enough you already took over Miami? You gotta come up here,
too?”

Grizz slowed
and surveyed the scene. He hadn’t been spotted yet, and he listened as the crew
foreman, Carlos, tried to explain in broken English that they didn’t want any
trouble and would be leaving as soon as the rest of his men came out of the
store. Grizz liked Carlos. He was mild-mannered and worked hard for Anthony,
ensuring that his crew did, too. He watched as the source of the accusations
stepped closer to Carlos, his spit spraying as he continued his tirade.

“Well, sorry
ain’t good enough, amigo. You think sorry is good enough, Rick?”

Grizz
noticed another man then, leaning up against a beat up truck, arms crossed and
a toothpick sticking out of his mouth.

“Nah,
Jesse,” he drawled. “I think they need to do more than apologize for tarnishing
the good old U.S. of A. by trying to replace the English language.”

Grizz didn’t
know what Jesse and his ugly friend Rick had in mind, but he’d seen enough. He
shoved his bag off Kisses into his back pocket and walked up behind the man who
was in Carlos’s face. The one named Jesse. He grabbed him roughly by the back
of the neck and, squeezing, said in a low voice, “I think you owe my friend,
Carlos, an apology.”

Jesse’s eyes
widened and his posture straightened as the pressure on his neck hardened. He
was being held so tightly he couldn’t turn his head to see who had grabbed him,
but he could see his friend, Rick, jump to attention and quickly get in the
passenger side of their truck.

Grizz
noticed the movement, too, and looked over at the man.

“Don’t you
think he owes Carlos an apology, Rick?” Grizz growled.

Rick’s
response was to nod and roll up the truck’s window.

“Just having
some fun. Didn’t mean anything by it,” Jesse choked out.

Carlos
started telling Grizz he was okay and there was no harm done, that they should
be leaving. The other men on the landscape crew had already loaded up. Three of
them in the back seat of the truck and three more in the bed of the pickup.
They stared in awestruck silence as the big quiet man, who’d joined their crew
all those months ago, showed a side they hadn’t seen.

“You still
haven’t apologized,” Grizz told him.

“Sorry.
Sorry, uh, Carlos. Sorry, man,” Jesse said with a squeak.

Grizz shoved
him toward his own truck and watched as he walked around the back of it.
Jesse’s dog, a white Pit Bull with brown markings, had been watching from the
bed of the pickup. As Jesse passed him, Grizz heard him say, “You useless piece
of shit-for-brains dog. Could’ve used some help back there, Rocky.”

He punched
the dog right in the side of the head.

Before Jesse
reached the driver’s door, Grizz had him by the back of the head, this time
smashing his face hard into the side view mirror, breaking his nose. The crunch
was loud, and Grizz heard the collective gasps from the landscape crew as they
watched from their heightened perch in the bed of Carlos’s work truck.

Jesse
collapsed and began to cry as he cradled his broken and bloodied nose. Bullies
are the worst crybabies ever, Grizz smirked. He headed to the back of Jesse’s
truck and yelled over his shoulder, “I’m taking your dog.”

On the drive
over to their next job, Carlos did his best to explain that he and his men had
done nothing wrong. They had just been standing by the truck waiting for Grizz
and two other men to come out of the store when Jesse and his friend Rick
pulled up. Apparently, Jesse and Rick had been offended because the crew was
talking in Spanish. It didn’t happen a lot, but Carlos confided to Grizz that
there was definitely some resentment and animosity, especially as South
Florida’s Hispanic community grew and expanded farther north from Miami.

Grizz knew
Carlos and his guys hadn’t done anything to incite the two men. They were
bullies looking for a fight. Guess they picked the wrong people to taunt that
day. Not to mention, there were only two of them and at least four of Carlos’s
crew who’d been standing there. They were counting on them not being legal
immigrants and therefore submitting to the intimidation.

Grizz sat in
the front passenger seat, his left hand absently stroking the back of Rocky’s
neck. The dog sat quietly between the two men.

“I’ll have
to tell Anthony today that I’ll be quitting,” he told Carlos. What he didn't
mention was that going into the convenience store had been stupid. He should've
stayed in the truck like he'd been doing and let one of the guys buy what he
wanted. He was getting too comfortable and familiar and it was dangerous. He
needed to reel himself back and stay alert.

Carlos
looked over at him from the driver’s seat, his eyes wide. “No. No, James. It’s
okay. We don’t say anything to Mr. Anthony. He won’t know.” His English was
broken and his accent was thick, but his voice was laced with sincerity.

Grizz didn’t
say anything. He knew he’d taken his retaliation too far. He hadn’t intended
to, but seeing Jesse abuse the dog crawled too far under his skin. He always
was a sucker for a helpless animal. Should Jesse report the abuse and the
stolen animal, it would bring the authorities to Anthony’s door. The name of
his landscaping company was advertised on the sides of the work truck. Stupid
fool. He would let Anthony know before the end of the day.

They had
arrived at the next job and were unloading their equipment when his cell phone
buzzed. He wasn’t used to getting calls. What if the incident had already been
reported and Anthony had been contacted? Shit.

He squinted
in the bright morning sun and immediately recognized the number. Not because he
was used to seeing it, but because he’d memorized it in the event it was used
to call him.

It was
Ginny.

He walked
away from the other men, Rocky at his heels.

“What’s up,
baby? You okay?”

“Oh, Grizz,”
she cried into the phone. He could tell she was upset.

He stopped
and stiffened as she told him what had happened.

“I want to
get my children,” she cried. “I need to go to their schools and get them. I
just want them near me.”

He
understood.

“Listen,” he
replied calmly. “I’ll get a ride back to the yard and get my car. You get the
kids and stop by the store. Get some sandwiches and drinks and bring them to my
house. I would do it, but I don’t know what they like. It’ll be okay. I’ll be
waiting there for you, honey.”

"Okay,"
she whispered, her voice shaking.

"Baby,
listen, can you do me a favor?" he asked before she hung up.

"Yeah.
Sure," she replied.

"Will
you bring your guitar?"

He closed
the phone and stared down at Rocky. The dog looked up at him with soulful deep
eyes.

“C’mon, boy.
Time to meet your new family. And if there is a God, then maybe one day they’ll
be my family, too.”

Chapter Fifty-Five

Ginny

2001,
Fort Lauderdale

My hands shook
as I drove my children first to the grocery
store and then to Grizz’s house in Laurel Falls. I had been doing some chores
at home and listening to a morning TV program with half an ear when the program
had been interrupted.

I don’t know
how long I stood there, staring at the screen as horror unfolded on live
television. I cried for the victims in those airplanes and in those buildings.
I cried for the families that didn’t know if they’d be seeing their loved ones
again. I cried for the country, my country, that I loved so dearly. This wasn’t
supposed to happen. Here. In the United States. But it had, and it would
forever change the course of American history.

My first
thought was for my children. I wanted to be near them. I didn’t believe they
were in any danger at their schools, but the need to be close to them was
overpowering and definite.

My second
thought was for Grizz. He made me feel safe. I wanted to be near Grizz. I
racked my brain as I drove to their schools, trying to figure out if I knew
anybody who might’ve been out of town and visiting where the attacks had taken
place. I couldn’t think of anyone then, but as the weeks passed, the tragic
news of someone’s loss would reach me, and I’d mourn for them. As it would turn
out, I didn’t know anybody that hadn’t been affected to some degree by what
happened that horrible Tuesday morning.

I talked
with my children as we made our way to Grizz’s house. I had told myself, and
truly believed, that I would be keeping them away from him. Yet driving to his
home with them somehow felt right. Was it because of the air of authority and
protection he exuded? He’d always made me feel safe, and I wanted that for my
children, as well. I felt they were especially vulnerable since they had lost
their father earlier in the year.

I had been
right. Jason was downright afraid. His voice was shaky as he peppered me with
questions on the drive to Grizz’s.

I saw his
eyes widen when Grizz answered the door. I held my breath.

“James!”
Jason cried.

He lunged
for Grizz, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist. I watched Grizz hold him
as he looked at me and then at Mimi, his eyes unsure as Jason clung tightly to
him. My son had his face buried in Grizz’s stomach. I let out the breath I’d
been holding and nodded.

“Did you
hear what happened, James? Did you hear about it?” Jason asked as Mimi and I
walked in, closing the door behind us.

I started to
get tears in my eyes as I watched Jason look up at Grizz, still clinging to him
tightly. It was then that I remembered how loving my little boy always was,
especially with Tommy. There had been lots of hugging and physical affection
between father and son, and Jason had obviously missed that. The men in our
lives—teachers, coaches, even Alec—who had stepped in to offer
comfort had all eventually gone back to their lives. They were still kind and
loving and continued to include Jason in their activities. But all talk and
memories of Tommy, the stories Jason craved, the stories Jason still needed to
hear had slowly faded away as people returned to their lives and routines.

This man
from Tommy’s past, James, would be a new source of comfort to my hurting child.
I looked over at Mimi and could see she recognized it, too. I felt a warmness
invade my heart. I swiped at the tears and was heading for the kitchen to get a
napkin when I almost tripped over a dog.

Less than an
hour later, I sat next to Mimi under the shade of a large tree and watched as
Grizz showed Jason how to bait a hook and cast his line. I recognized the spot
as one he’d taken me to more than fifteen years ago. I hadn’t realized how far
out we must have driven back in the eighties. Development had been spreading
west but apparently hadn’t reached Grizz’s favorite fishing spot. I quietly
strummed my guitar as we talked.

“He likes
him, Mom,” Mimi said quietly. “He really likes him.”

I knew she
was referring to Jason’s fascination with Grizz.

“I know he
does.”

We didn’t
say anything else for a few minutes. I watched Grizz lean over and say
something to Jason as he nodded back my way. Jason handed Grizz his fishing
pole and ran toward me, his face flushed.

“James
thinks I might need more sunscreen,” he told me breathlessly. It was hot, and
the heat was taking its toll on my son.

I laid down
my guitar and after lathering him up and sending him back to Grizz with two
cold drinks, I turned to look at Mimi. She was sitting up, resting both elbows
on her knees. She raised a bottle of water to her lips and took a sip.

“Do you?” I
asked her. She looked over at me. “Like him?”

“I think I
do, Mom. I can’t tell you why. I certainly don’t have a reasonable explanation
as to why I like him. You seem happy right now. Happier than you’ve been since
Dad died.”

That was a
revelation that startled me. Today had started out so awful, but as our day
progressed, a calmness had settled over me. Grizz had been smart to take us
away from the noise of the city. To a place where we wouldn’t be continuously
reminded of what had happened this morning.

Of course,
we would have to face the harsh reality of today’s events, but it was almost
therapeutic being away for a few hours. It was nice being with him and my
children. Together.

The
realization that I was doing something Tommy would probably disapprove of
caught me off-guard. Almost immediately, I jumped to my feet and started
packing up our picnic lunch and shouting orders that it was time to go. Jason
whined that it was still early and he didn’t have homework.

I caught a
questioning glance from Grizz, but he didn’t try to dissuade me or change my
mind. He quietly told Jason he would take him fishing another time.

“Thank you
for the picnic, Gr...James,” I said without looking at him. “We have a busy
week coming up, though. Jason has back-to-back games, so probably not. There
won’t be time for another fishing trip.”

“Awww, Mom,”
Jason started to say, but he recognized the look I gave him and didn’t say anything
else until something occurred to him.

“James, do
you want to come watch me play? You wanna come to one of my games?”

“I’ll see if
I can make it, Jason.”

I eyed Grizz
and knew he was lying. He wouldn’t be going to watch any of Jason’s games and I
knew why. He didn’t want to be seen, and he didn’t have the heart to tell my
son he wouldn’t be going and didn’t want to disappoint him.

“You know
what?” I asked, a reassuring sense of calm starting to come over me. “It’s
still early. We can stay longer. Go on, Jason. You haven’t caught one yet.”

I saw the
small nod of approval from Mimi and avoided Grizz’s glance as I sat back down,
picked up my cell phone and started fiddling with it.

“No signal,”
Mimi said blandly.

“Yeah, I can
see that now.” I placed my phone back on the blanket between us. “I guess it’s
driving you a bit nuts, huh? Not being able to text your friends.”

I leaned
over and dug a container of fruit out of the cooler.

“Not really.
Things have been different since school started.”

“How’s that?”
I popped a chunk of pineapple in my mouth.

“I don’t
know, Mom. I can’t explain it. With everything that’s happened this past
year—the Leslie thing, the disasters with Elliott and Slade, him.” She
nodded toward Grizz. “And of course, Dad dying. Well, I guess the things that
are important to my friends just don’t seem so important to me anymore. Even
more so after what happened today. I feel—different. I’m just not
interested in the same things they are now.”

It was
totally understandable, and I told Mimi I thought maybe her feelings were what
it meant to be on the brink of a different type of maturity. I also told her I
was sorry her sudden leap into adulthood came with such a high cost, the
biggest being the loss of Tommy, but she explained that she felt ready for it.
She was ready for a change, but she wasn’t sure exactly what it was.

“Well, I
hope you’ll share it with me when you do decide, Mimi. I’m here for you. You
know that, right, honey?”

She smiled
at me, a bright big beautiful Mimi smile, and then lifted her water bottle as
if making a toast.

“To the
future, Mom.”

“To the
future, Mimi.” I lifted my own drink as I pondered what our future could
possibly hold.

**********

We found ourselves back at
Grizz’s house where we grilled the fish he and Jason had caught. After eating
dinner and cleaning up, I told my children they needed to thank James for a
nice day and say their goodbyes. Jason was disappointed but tired, so he didn’t
put up too much resistance. The afternoon heat of the Everglades had worn him
down.

I felt a bit
wilted myself and was suddenly concerned about my appearance. I
self-consciously started tucking my hair behind my ear and touching my face
when I felt a warm breath at my ear.

“You’re
beautiful.”

I turned to
see Grizz next to me, his expression unreadable, and I cast a quick glance at
my children. They hadn’t noticed. I was all of a sudden very anxious to get
home to a hot shower.

After some
more chit-chat in his doorway, I thought we’d said the last of our goodbyes
when I heard Mimi ask, “So, James, do you think you can teach me how to drive?”