Second Time Around (41 page)

Because of you!
Mac raised a hand, stopping the rest of the question. He was tempted to give them a lecture, tempted to tell them it was Wriggens who’d leaked the Toby story, tempted to yell at them for keeping him and Cheryl apart one moment. Yet he knew that to explain and defend would feed the frenzy even more. But what could he say? Should he say?
Give me the words.

He scanned the room, waiting until he had every eye. “The essence of the Time Lottery is based on emotion, wanting to change a negative to a positive, a sadness to happiness, a failure to success. Change elicits more emotion. As does the threat of being left behind. And that is what drives the family and acquaintances of the winners into the limelight. Fear and worry that they are going to be left behind, that their loved one is not coming back. And as the day of that climax is imminent, emotions run high.”

Good segue, Mac. Good segue.

“Which leads me to this moment. By the end of tomorrow, all three winners of the Time Lottery will have made a decision that will change their lives—and the lives of their family and friends—forever. Who will come back? Who will stay in their Alternity? I think in light of these life-changing moments and choices, our little intrigues will pale.” He leveled them with a look. “Don’t you?”

He could tell that a few of them wanted to say more, but he left before they could sully the moment.

Bangor

Dina stared at her empty desk. She knew she should offer to help one of the other secretaries. Mariner Construction was busy, even if Dina was not. Yet in her current mental and emotional condition,
doing
was difficult.

“Hello? Earth to Dina.” Linda, the head estimator, stood in front of her desk.

“Sorry,” Dina said. “Did you need something?”

Linda looked to the right, then the left. Then she leaned on Dina’s desk. “I need you to stop playing the martyr.”

Dina straightened her flip calendar so its edge was parallel with the desk. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about you pining for David for over half your life and continuing to pine for him now.”

“I do not pine.”

“Semantics. He comes back tomorrow.”

“Perhaps.”

“And you need to be there.”

“There?”

“In Kansas City. Sitting beside his bed.”

“I would never sit beside Mr. Stancowsky’s bed.”

Linda leaned even closer, her voice soft but full of power. “You need to be sitting next to his bed at that Time Lottery place so that when he wakes up and opens his eyes, the first person he sees is you—the woman who loves him.”

If anyone else had talked to her that way, Dina would have objected. But Linda had guessed the truth a long time ago. She was the only one who knew the state of Dina’s heart.

“I wasn’t invited.”

Linda straightened. “That’s your problem. After all these years, if you’re waiting for David Stancowsky to invite you to be anything but his slave, you haven’t learned a thing. You aren’t
getting
an invitation.”

“I can’t push myself on him.”

“You’re not. If the man comes back it means his dearly departed Millie was not the woman of his dreams. Hey, she’s made her true feelings pretty clear in this time zone, so I wouldn’t doubt she did it back in his second pass through ’58. Which means he’ll have a broken heart that needs mending. He’ll need the comforting arms of a good woman.” She raised and lowered her eyebrows as a hint.

Dina’s pulse rate had doubled. She’d always assumed David would continue to pursue Millie no matter where he was. Linda had brought new insight into the matter. “Do you really think…?”

Linda came around the desk and nudged herself in front of Dina’s computer. “Move over.” She commandeered the mouse and clicked away.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting you an airplane ticket to Kansas City.”

“But…” Dina stopped herself with a nod. “Okay.”

“Now we’re talking.”

Kansas City

Rachel looked out the window of the airplane as they made their descent into Kansas City. It was odd to come back for her mother’s return when her mother might not return.

Yet how could she not be there to say welcome back—or good-bye.

Rachel looked at her father in the aisle seat. His hands were clasped across his middle, his eyes closed. She thought he was sleeping, until his forehead tightened and his eyebrows dipped. He took a deep breath and she realized he was fighting off tears. Nearly thirty years of marriage was not something easily discarded, especially in this bizarre manner. If her mother didn’t come back, it was final. She would be dead to them; in fact, her body
would
die. There would be no second chance to say what should have been said. To hug. To kiss. To hold.

Rachel drew in her own breath and put her fingers over her eyes against the tears. Then she felt a touch on her arm. She turned and found her father’s hand reaching toward her.

They held hands across the empty seat.

SEVENTEEN

In his heart a man plans his course,
but the L
ORD
determines his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

Dawson—1987

Lane, as Juliet’s nurse, put her hands on Melissa’s shoulders, sending the girl off to meet the man she was to marry. “‘Go, girl, seek happy nights to happy days.’”

Mr. Dobbins clapped. “Excellent! That’s the way. Let’s take ten, then come back and start on act one, scene four—the street scene.”

Lane spotted Toby sitting in the back of the auditorium. She waved and went to see him. She leaned down and kissed him before sitting beside him. “What a nice surprise.”

He shrugged but didn’t say anything.

“What’s wrong?”

He rested his elbows on the armrests and clasped his hands. He studied his fingers, seeming to avoid her eyes. “You’re amazing. You’re good. Really good.”

It was rare praise indeed, because Toby never said much about her acting, usually giving her compliments in bland three-word bursts, such as “That was nice,” or “I liked it.”

Yet there was something about his tone that made her long for the bland comments. “Why do you make it sound like a bad thing?”

He looked toward the stage, where the crew was messing with a backdrop of Juliet’s garden. “I lied to you before.”

“Which before are you talking about?”

“When I told you not to go to the movie audition because I didn’t want you to be hurt. That was a lie.”

“What’s the truth?”

He finally looked at her, turned toward her, taking her hand. “Watching you up there… the whole world can see how good you are. And those Hollywood people would see it, too, which is why I didn’t want you to go.”

“Because I can act?”

“Because you’d win the part. I was afraid. I knew you had a shot and I didn’t want to lose you. I was being totally selfish.”

It was easy to zip over the selfish part and zero in on the fact that Toby believed in her. He believed in her talent.

She slipped her hand around his arm and leaned close enough to kiss him again. And again.

She felt good. She’d made the right choice. For how could she ever leave this marvelous boy? Her destiny was here. With him.

After Toby left, Lane remained at the back of the auditorium. The actors onstage were deep in the street scene when she felt a tap on her shoulder from the row behind.

“Grandma!” She lowered her voice when Mr. Dobbins turned around. “What are you doing here?”

Grandma crooked a finger at her and they went into the hall. “Is everything all right?”

“’Lantic Ocean, child. Can’t a grandmother come see her talented granddaughter at work?”

“You can, but you haven’t before this.”

“That’s because I have a surprise. You and I are going on a trip.

“A trip? Where?”

“Chicago.”

“Why?”

Grandma pulled a piece of paper from her purse. It was a fax from the Hollywood casting company that was handling the
Empty Promises
auditions. There was a list of towns.

Grandma pointed at the word
Chicago.
“There’s an audition in Chicago tomorrow. And we’re going. I’m driving you.”

Lane stared at the sheet. “I’d never thought of going to another town in another state.”

“Well, I did. And you’re going.” She held her chin. “You
will
do this. You
will
know
.
You
will
have no regrets. Not if I can help it.”

Lane hugged her. “I can’t believe you thought of—” She pulled back. “I can’t go. I have rehearsal.”

Grandma pointed toward the auditorium. “I took care of it. Had a nice chat with your Mr. Dobbins this morning. He says you can go. He wants you to go.”

This couldn’t be real. People didn’t get second chances like this.

Then her elation was brought up short when she thought of Toby.

“Toby doesn’t have anything to say about this,” Grandma said.

Lane hadn’t realized she’d said his name aloud. Hadn’t she just decided he was her destiny? Now destiny’s door had been flung open and everything could change. Everything.

Grandma slipped her hand through her arm. “You quit thinking of Dawson, child. You quit thinking about life here at all. Though this life is wonderful, it’s not for everyone. It’s not for you. You belong in Hollywood or on Broadway. Movies, TV, the stage. Who knows? You will. Because you will have taken every chance to get there. God likes hard work, and He appreciates people who use the gifts He’s given them. That’s all you’re doing, Lane. Making God proud.” She smiled. “And me, too. Me, too.”

Lane pulled Grandma into another hug. “You’re too good to me.”

“I know. And you owe me at least two lemon cakes and a batch of molasses cookies.”

“The doctor says you’re not supposed to have sweets.”

“What does he know?” She popped Lane on the behind. “Now get back to your rehearsal, but get home as soon as you can. You need a good night’s sleep. We’re leaving early.”