A Gift of Time (The Nine Minutes Trilogy Book 3) (15 page)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Tommy

2000,
Fort Lauderdale (After the Execution)

“
So how was
last night?” Tommy asked Alec as he walked inside
his partner’s office. He shut the door behind him and took the chair in front
of Alec’s desk.

Alec leaned
back, his chair giving a small squeak. Ginny’s college friend, Casey, was in town
for a while, and Ginny had thought the two should meet. The four of them met
for dinner the previous night. After, Alec took Casey out for drinks and
dancing, and Tommy took Ginny home.

“Well?”
Tommy grinned. “You have to tell me something. I’m sure Ginny is grilling
Casey, and she’ll want to know if you said anything to me. And if I go home and
tell my wife you didn’t say anything, I’ll have to hear it that I should’ve
asked you. So I’m asking you. Did you have a good time?”

Alec smiled
awkwardly. “Yeah, I had a good time, Tom. Casey is beautiful and smart, and I
really enjoyed her company.”

“Really
enjoyed her company, huh? Sounds like dullsville.”

Alec’s smile
faded. “I just don’t think I’m ready, man. I thought I was, otherwise, I
wouldn’t have agreed to go. And I’m flattered that Ginny tried to set me up
with somebody so gorgeous and successful. I really am. I know Casey has dated
NBA players and NASCAR drivers and even some hotshot tech CEO. Honestly, Tom, I
think she’s looking to settle down. And I just can’t go there right now. The
separation is still too fresh.”

What Alec
didn’t add, couldn’t add, was how the date had ended. He’d walked Casey to her
door and bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek. She’d smiled up at him to
thank him for a lovely evening, but the words had caught in her throat, and her
face grew serious.

“So how do
you intend to handle it?” she asked as they’d stood at her front door.

The full
moon cast a soft glow over them. They could hear the gentle murmuring of an
elderly couple as they took a midnight walk with their dog on the sidewalk in
front of Casey’s rented townhouse.

“Handle
what?”

Her reply
caught him off guard. “Handle the fact that you’re either already in love with
or falling in love with Ginny.”

Casey’s
words had shocked him. She’d invited him in for coffee and politely explained
how he probably hadn’t realized it, but he’d spent most of their date talking
about how lucky Tommy was and what a good mother Ginny was and did Tommy know
what he had.

Alec
swallowed now, fumbling for the right words to say to Tommy. Casey was right.
Alec had slowly been falling for Ginny.

And he
realized with a jolt that it had happened long before Paulina had left him. It
was all those times they’d spent together with the kids. There were even a few
instances when both Paulina and Tommy hadn’t been able to make it to some
family function, and he’d been alone with Gin and the children. It had never
bordered on inappropriate, but his feelings had been there all along, and he
couldn’t deny them. He remembered the recent lunch date with Ginny and how he’d
gone home that night and jerked off in the shower while fantasizing about her.
The thought of slowly undressing her and what he’d find under that sexy outfit
she’d been wearing that day almost undid him.

But he also
knew he wouldn’t allow himself to act on it. He respected Tommy too much. He
wouldn’t do to a friend what had been done to him. It was different, but not
really.

He’d made up
his mind last night after the conversation with Casey and was at the boys’
school first thing this morning to make sure it wouldn’t be a problem.

Tommy nodded
in understanding. “At least you’re honest about not being ready, man. I
appreciate that. Casey’s not just an easy lay. From what Gin’s told me, she’s
gone into those relationships looking for more than a good time, but it’s never
worked out for her. You could’ve led her on and made her think there could’ve
been something more. I’m glad you didn’t. Is she expecting to hear from you
again?”

“I don’t
think so. The chemistry just wasn’t there. I’m pretty sure we’re both on the
same page.”

“So are the
boys getting excited about the cruise?” Tommy asked as he stood. He knew Ginny
would be disappointed to hear Alec and Casey hadn’t ignited any sparks.

“Yeah, ummm,
listen. I need to talk to you about that. Sit back down.” He gestured toward
the seat Tommy just vacated.

“Sounds
serious. What’s up?”

“The kids
and I are going to pass on the cruise. I appreciate that you and Ginny invited
us to be part of your Thanksgiving holiday, but I think we need to save it for
another time. I—I need some time away, Tom. I’m thinking of taking the
boys for a couple of months and heading up to my grandparents’ old cabin in the
Carolinas. It’s in the mountains, away from everything and everyone. No phones,
no cell reception, no cable or satellite TV. It’ll be good for the kids and
me.”

“Paulina?”

“Are you
asking if I’m leaving because of Paulina, or are you asking if she knows?”
Before Tommy could reply, Alec said, “I’m not leaving because of her, and she
doesn’t know yet, though I can assure you she won’t care. I’ve already talked
to the boys’ teachers and can get advanced assignments. They won’t be penalized
and can pick up where they left off when we get back. It’s just been a lot, and
I guess having time with a beautiful woman last night and not feeling anything
is telling me something. I need to regroup and get my life together. Make a
plan for my boys and me. Honestly, Tom, I’m not sure if my future is in South
Florida.”

Tommy hadn’t
expected this, but he understood. He was sincere when he’d suggested to Ginny
not too long ago that they sell everything and start fresh somewhere.

“You covered
for me when I was going through my shit. I can certainly handle things here for
you.”

“There won’t
be much to handle. I’ve got most of my clients wrapped up. I haven’t been
taking on anything new, so you’ll only have to deal with your clients. And of
course, you’ll have Phil and Brody.” Phil and Brody were junior architects and
would easily pick up any slack if needed.

Tommy didn’t
say anything, and Alec wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Then something
occurred to Alec, and he quickly added, “Unless you need me here. I’ve not
asked how things are with you and Ginny. I figured the family cruise was a good
thing. Am I right?”

Tommy
scratched his chin and let out an audible sigh. He let both hands land with a
thud on the chair armrest.

“Yeah, the
cruise is a good thing. Things are good with Ginny. Better than they’ve been in
a while. I don’t know. I just still feel like shit about some things.”

Sarah Jo’s
threat had weighed heavily on him, and when Ginny had recognized something was
bothering him, he’d done the shittiest thing he could’ve done. He’d brought up
her interview with Leslie. He’d done it to divert the conversation away from
what was really bothering him. Sarah Jo.

This
surprised Alec. Even when Tommy and Ginny were separated, he never saw his
friend act anything other than upbeat, positive, and always professional. Then
again, he’d been going through his own hell with Paulina and may not have
noticed.

“If you
wanna talk, man, feel free to unload. I won’t judge. I’ll just listen.”

Tommy cast a
wary eye at his friend. Alec had been a good partner and a good friend. Tommy
hated to admit it, but he’d had Axel do an extensive background check on Alec
before Tommy accepted him into the firm, eventually promoting him to a full
partner. He found they fell into an easy and comfortable relationship and mixed
just enough business with pleasure to have a trusting and amicable friendship.

But it had
never gone so far that Tommy shared any of his and Ginny’s background. He’d
trusted Alec with his business. Could he trust him with some personal
revelations, as well? It would be nice to get some things off his chest. Not
all things. He would never tell Alec about Grizz or the motel. But he could
share, without giving any details, the burden he’d been carrying about Sarah
Jo.

“Yeah, man.
I could use an ear. Maybe even some advice.”

Alec looked
at his watch and pressed the intercom on his phone. When his assistant
responded, he told her, “Please reschedule my one o’clock with Mr. Sanders.” He
nodded at Tommy.

Tommy took a
deep breath. “Have you ever met or heard me or Ginny talk about Sarah Jo
before?”

“Yeah. I know
her. Husband’s a surgeon? I’ve seen her a couple of times at your
get-togethers. I don’t think I ever said anything to her other than ‘please
pass the potato salad.’ One of Ginny’s friends, right?”

Tommy
swallowed thickly and tugged at his collar. Was the room getting hot or was he
just getting riled at the mention of her name?

He didn’t go
into any of the sordid details, purposely leaving Ginny’s miscarriage and rape
out of the story, but he did tell Alec he’d recently discovered Sarah Jo hadn’t
exactly been the friend that Ginny and he always thought she was. He never
mentioned the threats or what Sarah Jo was capable of, pretending he only
needed advice on how much one should share with their spouse when it would only
hurt them.

“You said
that all of the shit happened years ago, when you were younger? Do you think
she’s grown past it, or does she still pull crap?” Alec asked.

“I don’t
think she’s done anything bad in years, but I don’t have a way to know that for
sure.” Tommy let out a sigh. “I just don’t think I can stand to be in the same
room with her knowing what she was capable of.”

“Well, if it
wasn’t life or death shit, I’d say she outgrew it, but the decision to stay
friends or not should be left up to your wife. I would tell her.”

Tommy had no
intention of telling Ginny about Sarah Jo’s deceitfulness. He just needed to
talk, and spilling some frustrations to Alec had helped. He was certain Alec
would’ve been appalled to hear the brutal truth of what Sarah Jo was capable
of—and their threats to each other.

He thanked
Alec and quickly changed the subject to a recent client who’d threatened to
fire them and take her business to a rival firm.

Alec leaned
back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head. He stared at the
ceiling without saying anything for a minute. This particular client had been
stringing them along for months. He thought they should cut their losses and
say goodbye. She’d been a thorn in their side and they could take the financial
hit. But the thought of her trying to blackmail them into more work at no
expense to her snooty self didn’t sit well with Alec.

“Call her
bluff, Tom. Call her fucking bluff.”

**********

Tommy turned up the radio in
his car as he sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-95. “If I’d Been The One” by
38 Special reminded him of a smaller, simpler South Florida.

He was
getting tired of the traffic, the crowds, and seeing all the places that used
to be home to palm trees replaced with concrete. He was serious when he’d told
Ginny a few months ago that they should sell everything and start over fresh
somewhere. Maybe she would still consider it.

Mimi would
be bringing home a boy tonight. A boy she’d secretly been seeing behind their
backs for months before Grizz’s execution.

He couldn’t
blame his daughter for the secrecy, and he was grateful that she’d confided
about the guy to Gin. He’d almost gone through the roof when Ginny told him the
boy, Elliott, had turned eighteen this year. But, when Ginny explained that
Elliott had wanted to meet them and it was Mimi who’d avoided it, he calmed
down a bit.

“We have to
give him a chance, Tommy. He’s trying to do right by her. Can you imagine how
nervous he must be?”

So they
would be meeting Elliott for the first time tonight, and Ginny had told him
Mimi didn’t know who she was more worried about: her father intimidating
Elliott or ten-year-old Jason embarrassing her to death. Tommy knew he wouldn’t
do anything to make his daughter or Elliott feel uncomfortable, but he sure as
hell couldn’t vouch for what Jason might do. She was probably right. Jason
would embarrass her.

For Tommy’s
part, he would be nice. Polite but firm. If—and it was a big if—he
approved of this young man, there would be strict rules until his daughter
turned eighteen. He’d let Ginny and Grizz down once by not being on top of
Mimi’s activities. It wouldn’t happen again.

**********

Tommy was getting ready for
work the next morning as he let himself think about the night before. The
dinner had passed without incident. Well, if you could forget Jason’s awkwardly
timed questions about whether or not Mimi and Elliott made out, Tommy would say
it was downright successful.

He had to
admit he didn’t like the ink and he didn’t like the bike, but he had to give
the kid credit for not trying to hide it. Elliott was up front about not always
being on his best behavior. He talked about his grandmother, Edith. He talked
about school and work, and these were all things that could easily be verified.
And they would be, as soon as Tommy had a few minutes to talk to Axel. He
wasn’t going to feel guilty or apologize for asking Axel to do a background
check on Elliott.

He found
himself hoping Elliott was being truthful. He didn’t want to find out the boy
had been dishonest about anything. Tommy thought Elliott looked like he
could’ve been older than eighteen, but he knew Axel would find out for sure.

He’d just
finished combing his hair and spraying on some cologne. He wouldn’t let himself
think about how he’d handle it if something did come to light that he didn’t
care for. It was troublesome enough for him and Ginny to deal with Mimi falling
for a boy three years older than her.