A Time Apart: Time Travel Historical Highlander Romance
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Authors: Lolita London
A Time Apart
Time Travel Historical Highlander Romance
Lolita London
Copyright © 2015 by Lolita London
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Chapter One
“Oh you fuc…”
Jenny tightened her jaw and just managed to contain the string of expletives that threatened to come out as she stared at the blank screen of her computer. The report she was typing for her boss was almost finished and a growing panic filled her mind that an entire afternoon of work might have just been lost. That would be a disaster she didn’t even want to contemplate, but there was no containing the worry that a bad day was just about to get a whole lot worse. She glanced at the fan close to her desk and saw the blades still spinning, so guessed that the problem wasn’t related to a loss of electricity.
She tried pressing the on/off switch, but her computer screen remained stubbornly blank as nothing happened. The urge to smack her hand across the apparently broken machine filled her mind, but she closed her eyes and resisted the temptation as she tried to remain calm. When she opened them again she looked at the phone on her desk and knew there was only one thing that she could do.
“Pain in the ass bloody PC,” she muttered under her breath when she picked up the handset to bring it to her ear and dialed the number.
“Hello,” Sam said when he answered the call.
“I need you right now,” Jenny blurted out and then realized her unintentionally suggestive comment would get her a cheeky response from the company IT man. “For work,” she followed up with quickly before he spoke.
She heard the laugh on the other end of the line.
“Shut up,” she went on. “This is serious. I really do need your help.”
“What’s the problem?” Sam asked.
“My computer just died,” she replied. “I’d almost completed a report for Mr. Blair and he needs it this afternoon. Could you come and have a look please?”
“Sure,” he said. “Just give me five minutes to finish something and I’ll be right along.”
The line went dead and Jenny put the handset back in its cradle. She glanced at the clock on the wall to see it was now after four in the afternoon and she knew there was no way she would get the full report typed again that day if she needed to start from scratch. Well…, not unless she worked to eight in the evening and she suspected that Mr. Blair wouldn’t exactly be happy about that. Not that it was her fault, but he wasn’t the easiest boss to work for and she knew he would blame her for the delay. She tapped her foot nervously as she waited and looked up at the sound of the door opening.
“So.., what have you done to your computer?” Sam accused her with a mock expression of annoyance before the grin broke out on his face.
“I didn’t do anything,” she protested as he walked in the room and moved towards her. “I was sitting typing and the bloody thing just switched itself off. I looked up from what I was doing to the sight of a blank screen. It’s a nightmare that I could well do without at this time of day.”
“That’s what they all say,” Sam teased her. “It’s always the computer’s fault and never the person using it that’s to blame.”
“I’m telling you…,” she went on in a raised voice before she was cut off.
“OK, OK, I’m just winding you up,” Sam told her. “Just let me have a look.”
Jenny got up to allow him drop in her seat and he started by pressing the on/off switch.
“I tried that already,” she said.
Sam rolled his eyes then looked over his shoulder to glare at her.
“You’re not going to stand there watching my every move are you?’ he asked.
“What do you expect me to do?” Jenny shot back.
“Not annoy me,” Sam let out. “That’s what I want you to do. Can’t you just go and get yourself a coffee or something. The last thing I need is a running commentary from you as I try to fix your mess. I need some quiet to help me concentrate.”
Jenny let out a sigh as she stared at him.
“You can fix it can’t you?” she asked.
“Just go and I’ll try my best,” he told her.
Jenny shook her head ruefully as she walked to the door and left the room. Her day started badly when the morning bus broke down and made her late for work. Mr. Blair wasn’t too pleased about that, but she suspected he might go ballistic if the computer couldn’t be fixed. He’d stressed that he wanted the report finished that afternoon and there was now a chance that might not happen. She dreaded telling him and decided to put it off until she knew for sure what the situation was with her computer.
“Hey,” she said when she walked in the small kitchen area and saw her friend switching on the kettle.
“Someone sounds cheerful,” Caroline replied when she turned to look.
“I’m having a really, really shit day,” Jenny admitted.
“What happened?” Caroline asked.
Jenny told her the story about typing the report for Mr. Blair and her computer breaking down.
“That is bad,” Caroline consoled her. “But I’m sure Sam will fix it. He knows his stuff.”
“I hope so,” she replied without much conviction.
When the kettle boiled, Caroline spooned coffee in two cups and poured the water. She then got a carton of milk from the fridge and added some to the coffee. After putting the carton back, she lifted one of the cups and handed it over.
“I know how to cheer you up,” she said with a smile.
“Doing what?” Jenny asked as she brought the cup to her mouth to take a sip.
“The fair is in town,” Caroline went on. “How about we go after work tonight?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Jenny replied and her lack of enthusiasm for the idea showed.
“Come on,” her friend encouraged her. “It will be fun. It’s set up in the grounds of the Albion Manor House and I think this is the last night it will be here.”
Jenny shook her head.
“I need to wait and see what’s happening with my computer,” she went on. “If Sam can’t fix it and I need to type this whole report again, it will be hours before I can leave the office.”
“OK look, I’ll come to your room at six,” Caroline told her. “If your PC is fixed and you’ve finished the work we can go to the fair, if not I’ll help you complete the typing. How about that for a plan?”
Jenny sipped at her coffee as she considered the offer. It was a nice gesture and she appreciated it.
“Yeah, OK,” she agreed and smiled.
“I better get back to my desk before I’m missed,” Caroline said. “I’ll see you at six.”
Jenny just nodded her head and watched her friend walking out of the kitchen. She continued to drink as her mind went over the problems she was facing. The thought of telling her boss that his report wasn’t finished filled her with a certain amount of dread and she hoped she wouldn’t need to do it. Her impulse was to go back to her room straight away and find out how Sam was getting on, but she knew he would just complain if she did. She made herself wait until she finished the coffee and she was left in peace to do this in an empty kitchen. When she eventually walked back in her room she immediately saw the signs of life on her screen.
“You fixed it,” she let out.
“Yes, it’s almost working again,” Sam replied as he glanced over his shoulder to look at her. When he turned back he worked for a few more minutes then got to his feet to vacate her seat. “That should be it.”
“You’re a genius,” Jenny exclaimed with a grin.
“Uh huh,” he said. “So now that I’ve done you a big favor, how are you going to make it up to me?”
She watched him approach and ducked out of his way.
“I wish I rewarded just for doing my job. How about I win you something at the fair tonight?”
“Oh you’re so nice,” Sam went on. “I’ll look forward to it.”
Jenny’s mind was already on work when he walked out the room and she brought up the report on the screen. She saw that she’d lost the last couple of paragraphs she typed just before the computer switched itself off, but could live with that. Her fingers flew across the keyboard to complete the typing and she printed out the document when it was finished. Mr. Blair simply accepted it from her when she went to see him at just after five and asked her to email him the file. She did it immediately when she got back to her desk and by six o’clock there was no word of any changes, so she got ready to leave. It was only when Caroline stepped in the room that she remembered their arrangement.
“Ready for the fair?” her friend said.
Jenny laughed. She was standing with her coat on and reaching for her bag, so it was obvious that she wasn’t going to be working late.
“Sure,” she agreed. “But just for a while.”
The pair of them walked out to the elevators and managed to squeeze in the first one that came to make their way down to the ground floor of the building. It was starting to rain when they stepped out to the sidewalk and Jenny held out her hand with her palm up.
“We can’t go in this,” she said as she looked up at the dark clouds above them.
“It’s just a shower,” Caroline said and grabbed her friend’s hand to lead her to the nearby bus stop.
“Some shower,” Jenny complained when they got under cover of the shelter and ran a hand through her damp hair.
Caroline just laughed.
“It will be off by the time we get there,” she said with a grin. “It never rains at the fair.”
“If you say so,” Jenny replied.
Her instinct was to catch the bus home and relax with a glass of wine after a lousy day, but she decided to go to the fair for a while. She knew she would feel guilty if she didn’t after Caroline promised to help her with the typing. The Albion Manor House was walking distance from her apartment anyway, so it wasn’t that far out of her way to spend some time there. The bus came fairly quickly and they found an empty seat when they got on. They chatted about work during the journey, but fell silent as they approached their stop.
The sound of the music came to them when they got off and Caroline eagerly led Jenny along in the direction of the manor house entrance. The noise got louder as they approached and they could hear the sound of excited children’s shouts and screams.
“Are you sure we aren’t too old for this?” Jenny said and laughed.
“Shut up,” Caroline said. “You’re never too old for the fair.”
“You’re nuts,” Jenny joked.
“It’s why you love me,” Caroline shot back at her.
Jenny could do nothing but laugh as she was virtually dragged through a huge pair of ornate gates to a cacophony of sounds and light. She looked around to see the place was busy and it appeared that plenty of people were taking advantage of the last night of the fair. For the next hour or so she was led to a succession of rides and game booths and she just relaxed to enjoy the entertainment with her friend. When she glanced at her watch to see it was nearing eight o’clock, she finally decided to call time on the evening.
“Home time I think,” she said.
“Not yet,” Caroline replied with a grin. “There’s one thing I still want to do.”
“What age are you?” Jenny teased her. “I think you’re the biggest kid here.”
“Shut up,” her friend responded. “And don’t be such a killjoy. It’s just one more thing and it won’t take long. At least I don’t think it will take much time. I saw it earlier, but decided to leave it until last.”
Jenny groaned, but didn’t protest as her wrist was grabbed to lead her towards the edge of the fairground furthest from the manor house. The evening darkness surrounded them as they moved away from the brighter lights of the fair. She saw the booth they were heading towards and tried to get free of the grip.
