A Gift of Time (Tassamara) (32 page)

“Dumbledore?” Rose asked.

Akira, who had been pretending to ignore them, turned her head, raising her eyebrows.

“From Harry Potter?” Mary responded.

Rose shook her head. “I don’t know it.”

Mary’s eyes widened. “Oh. Ah. Well… Dumbledore says death is the next great adventure.”

Rose turned to Akira. “Do you know him?”

Akira tilted her chin in a nod so small most people wouldn’t have noticed it.

“Hmph.” Rose snorted, feeling vaguely disgruntled, although she couldn’t have said why.

“It’s not important,” Mary said peacefully. “I’m glad my baby will be safe, but I’m okay leaving her for a time.”

Max had been on his telephone, alternately rolling his eyes at whatever he was hearing and scribbling notes on a paper napkin Grace had found for him.

“Wait, emergency hearing?” he said, his words loud in the quiet room. “With what judge?” He listened, beginning to nod. “Lovely, lovely. I know Judge Sheridan well.” He paused again. “Oh, you know. Golf buddies. Metaphorically speaking. I don’t golf. Nothing against it, good way to get exercise, but not my thing. But Katie Sheridan and my wife worked together on a couple of non-profit boards. I’ll give her a call, explain the situation. I’m sure she’ll be willing to help out.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?” Mary asked.

Rose turned her attention back to Mary, frowning. Of course she didn’t. But then she paused. She glanced at Akira who watched her steadily, bottom lip tucked under her teeth. Rose had visited the other side once already. But maybe she hadn’t given it a fair chance. She hadn’t felt ready. She’d mostly been annoyed to be there. Oh, sure, the love was wonderful. Being washed in joy and peace, surrounded by cushions of affection, it wasn’t as if it were unpleasant. She’d just felt—not ready. As if she weren’t done with what she wanted or needed from this dimension.

Max closed his phone with a satisfied sigh. “Kenzi, dear,” he said. The little girl turned away from Grace toward him. “Natalya wanted me to arrange for all your brothers to come live with you, too. Is that something you want?”

The little girl nodded eagerly.

“What?” Grace spluttered. “What?”

“Oh, wonderful,” Mary sighed. “Then the boys are taken care of, too. I think that’s my cue.” With a last smile toward Rose, she stood and disappeared.

“All of them?” Grace asked.

Max tipped his head, lifting his shoulders in a small shrug. “It seemed… well, I did wonder whether it was the drugs talking. She gave me a lengthy list of instructions.”

“What else?” Grace asked suspiciously.

“She plans to marry Colin in June,” Max replied promptly, without looking at his phone. “She asked me to book Maggie to cater and that local bluegrass band for the music.”

Akira put her hand over her mouth, stifling a squeak; Zane grinned; and Grace shrugged. Rose clapped twice and clasped her hands together, delighted. Weddings were so much fun. She hadn’t been to one in decades.

“Not a surprise,” Grace said. “They should have done it a long time ago.”

“She did say I could wait on those details, though. But they’re going to adopt all the children.” Grace raised her eyebrows and Max continued. “And she asked for the house on Lake Elsinore for a wedding present.”

“The one where she nearly died?” Grace protested.

Max shrugged. “She liked it. With five kids, they’ll need a big place. And apparently there’s a movie theater in it?”

“Nat wants a movie theater?” Grace laughed. “She barely watches television. That doesn’t make sense.”

Max looked down at his phone again and rubbed his chin. “I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe this was the drugs talking.”

Akira leaned forward and asked, “What did she say about the movie theater?”

Max chuckled. “She was very clear, actually, even if it was the drugs. She wants the highest-end home theater system available with an extensive library of classic movies, including the entire Mystery Science Theater 3000 collection. She said she owes a debt.”

Rose gasped. The entire MST3 collection?

“Huh, the house, all right, but the theater sounds like drugs to me.” Grace said. “Let’s hold off on that one.”

Rose, eyes pleading, turned to Akira.

Akira, smiling, leaned back in her chair and said, “Let’s go ahead with the movie theater. And include all the Harry Potter movies in the library, please.”

Rose clapped her hands again and jumped up, out of her chair, twirling around the room and ignoring a passing nurse who walked through her. Maybe someday she’d be ready to move on. But first she needed to find out who Dumbledore was.

To my imaginary friend ZeroGain, who has become my real friend Tim. This book would not have come into being without your steady support at the other end of the instant message window.

A Gift of Time went through innumerable revisions over a period of eighteen months. Along the way, I posted multiple drafts of early chapters on Critique Circle, Fictionpress, and Project Team Beta. I’d like to thank everyone who provided feedback in those forums, as well as the people who maintain those online communities. AllyrienDM, Aehvtine, World of Ink, and the anonymous reviewer who thanked me for making my characters “mature, reasonable people with good sense,” get my special appreciation for continuing to read, despite the ever-changing first chapters.

I am also extremely grateful to this book’s team of beta readers: Carol Bird, Barbara Gavin, Melony Grace, Lynda Haviland, Kris Hiehle, Mike Kent, Sarah Kessler, Judy Long, Amy Mendoza, Christina Pearson, Tim Nutting, and Teresa Young. Without your support, this book would have been living on a USB drive in my desk drawer indefinitely.

I hope you enjoyed visiting Tassamara. If you’d like to know when I’m releasing a new book or story, please sign up for my
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Thank you so much for reading!

Best wishes,

Sarah