Stealing Time (23 page)

“Oh, no you don’t. You can’t leave me
hanging. No secrets!” Kate inwardly cringed, knowing she was
keeping a huge one.

“Okay, I guess it doesn’t matter now. When we
were back at the canyon I ran into Thomas. He told me something
strange. Remember Kenneth?”

“Yes, of course. We saw him at the train
station.”

“He was at El Tovar, asking a lot of
questions. Thomas said he remembered him from the wedding and
thought it was odd he was still there. He knew Kenneth was my
roommate and should be back at school. He asked Thomas where we
went. Thomas told him we were in New York and from there would go
on to our separate schools. It’s probably no big deal.”

“He was spying for your father,” Kate said
what she knew Drew was thinking.

“You think?”

“Absolutely. Kenneth seemed relieved my story
matched what you said Thomas told him. He was probably going to
report back to your father. Do you think he went directly to your
house after seeing us in the station?”

“Maybe not. Knowing Kenneth like I do, he
waited until the next day since our stories matched. He’s a
procrastinator. Little did he know he helped with our getaway.”

“What if he ends up working for your
father?”

“God help him...especially since he blew his
first assignment.”

A light tap was heard at Anna’s apartment
door, and Kate went to see who it was. If it was anyone other than
Lindsey, she had no idea how to explain their sudden
appearance.

“Kates!” Lindsey hugged her tightly. “Here, I
brought you guys some clothes.” She dumped jeans and shirts on the
bed. “Now get dressed and go out to my car. I’m on this side, so
you can climb out the window.” She disappeared as quickly as she
came.

“That’s a true friend.” Drew said as he
slipped on his shirt. They stuffed their old clothes in the bag,
straightened the room and climbed through Anna’s bedroom window to
Lindsey’s waiting car.

Lindsey spun the car around and pulled up to
the front of the house like they just arrived. “Hope breakfast is
cooking!”

She honked the horn and jumped from the car.
Abby was the first to greet them. “Look how big she is! Hey, Abby
girl, how’s my girl?” Lindsey played with her dog like everything
was normal, never asking Kate any questions.

“Lindsey?” Kate called her name to get her
attention. “What day is it?”

“Really? You don’t know what day it is?”

“It’s been a tough week.”

“It’s Sunday.” Lindsey’s face grew
serious.

“Oh, thank goodness, you two are alright!”
Aunt Sue hugged Drew and Kate at the same time as she came to greet
them. “Your mother called on Tuesday and was surprised you weren’t
here. No worries though. I just spoke to your father. Your plane
leaves this afternoon. Come on, breakfast’s ready.”

Sue walked down the hall leading to the
kitchen, leaving the three friends alone.

“Want to fill me in?” Lindsey looked up at
Kate from the floor where she was still playing with the dog.

Kate dropped down next to her and said in a
low voice, “Drew’s father’s a mob boss and tried to keep us from
leaving. I wasn’t going to let that happen and figured a way out of
there. Too many details for now. I’ll call you when I get
home.”

Lindsey’s eyes grew wide as Kate told the
story. “I don’t think I have the patience to wait,” she
whispered.

“Well, you’ll just have to. Let’s join the
family.” Kate got up and pulled her friend to her feet. “Will you
drive us to the airport? We can talk then.”

“Of course, I will.” Lindsey squeezed Kate’s
hand. “And we’ll talk any time you want.” Kate was grateful for the
unspoken bond between them.

The Jenkins house was always full of people,
but Kate was taken aback by the sight of only three people at the
kitchen table. Anna was missing and Brandon was at school, so there
was just Grandpa Dan, Aunt Sue and Megan. The house was quieter.
Kate felt the sadness that filled the room.

“Aunt Sue, looking forward to one of your
breakfasts!” Kate was determined to leave the ranch knowing
everyone was in a better place. “Anna always loved your French
toast. Said no one could make it like you.”

Drew picked up on Kate’s intention and took
over. “Grandpa Dan, how’s the Packard? Mind if I see it before I
leave?”

“It’s your car now, Drew. Anything you want
me to do?”

“Well, let’s take it for a spin, and we’ll
talk.”

“Sounds like a great idea.”

Kate noticed Megan silently eating, head
down. “You should go, too, Meg.”

The little girl’s head popped up. “That’s
what Grandma J called me!”

“I know. Do you mind if I call you that
now?”

Her head bobbed up and down. “I’d love it,
Kathryn.” Megan smiled as she used the name Anna called Kate. Then
she turned to Drew. “Can I ride shotgun?”

Everyone laughed, and the feeling in the room
suddenly moved in a positive direction. Breakfast finished with
everyone talking at once, and Kate felt her job was done. Smiling,
she sat back, looking at her family. They were so different from
Drew’s. Full of love. Welcoming and nonjudgmental.

Drew needed people like this in his life, but
Kate wanted him to have good feelings for his own family, too. She
felt in her pocket to check that she still had the note from Ilene.
She had tucked it away in her book so she could bring it to the
present. Planning to show him later, Kate knew Drew would cherish
this piece of his mother for the rest of his days.

Yes, Ilene, I saved your son. Little do
you know he’s alive and well, living a full and happy life in
another century.
“I think I’ll join you, too. I’d love to get
outside one last time before heading home.”

“You are home, Kathryn.” Megan crossed her
arms, giving Kate a stern look. “Grandma always said this was your
second home.”

Kate glanced around the room and then at the
faces she held so dear. “I guess you’re right, Meg. I do have two
homes. Thanks for reminding me.”

The whole table rose as a unit, cleared their
dishes and headed to the back door. Dan slid the door open, and
they stepped out into the fresh Arizona morning air.

Kate put her arm around Aunt Sue and
whispered, “Follow your heart.”

Sue looked shocked, like someone shouted her
secret to the world, but then recovered. “I should’ve guessed you
knew.”

“I saw him at the funeral, didn’t I?”

Sue could only nod. Her eyes filled with
tears.

“Introduce him to Megan. He needs to know his
daughter....and she needs him.”

“You sound like Grandma J.” Sue wiped at
tears that were now streaming down her face. “Alright, I will, for
you and for Anna.”

The sky was as blue as Kate had ever seen.
Those white puffy clouds her Aunt Lucinda so loved dotted the sky.
The Jenkins family could find peace on a day like this.

“Rest in peace, Anna,” Kate said to the sky.
Everyone closed in around her as if to keep her as near as
possible. She felt the love, Anna’s love, surround them. It
couldn’t be a better ending to a story that could have gone
terribly wrong.

Chapter
Seventeen

Kate was in quite a mood. She couldn’t study.
She couldn’t concentrate. Back in New York she longed to be home
and live the normal life of a teenager in college. Now, here she
sat, doing exactly that. Unsatisfied, something still grated at
her, gnawing at her inner soul. She finally gave up trying to do
schoolwork.

“I have a paper due the end of the week and
haven’t even started!” she screamed at the bedroom walls. “Am I
going to college because it’s expected of me and not really my
dream?”

No major was selected when she registered.
Kate had checked ‘Undeclared’ as her chosen field. She was told
that many students who didn’t have a major made that choice. Drew
knew what he wanted to study and was still determined to finish
school out west. Kate would rather write in her journals and get a
part-time job. If she got through the first year, perhaps she could
convince her parents that college wasn’t for her. Since she wanted
to finish the year she planned to focus on writing classes to help
her improve her skills.

Kate couldn’t sit still and decided to head
for the kitchen. A snack might help. She stopped on the stairs,
thinking she heard someone calling her. Funny, it sounded like a
woman’s voice, but Drew was the only one home. “Drew?” She called
out. “Nope, he’s still studying in his room like a good boy.”

She continued down the stairs and assumed the
TV was on. Silence greeted her on the first floor. She walked to
the refrigerator. Again, the voice called out to her. Kate swung
around, trying to catch whoever was teasing her. Slowly it dawned
on her. She knew the voice wasn’t anywhere in the house but in her
head. It was saying, “Go to New York. Woods and Associates.
Important.”

Kate heard those words from Grandmother
Lilly, but now they were swirling in her head like a bad song stuck
on repeat. She knew she was supposed to go, but why the urgency?
Grabbing a soda and forgetting the snack, Kate ran up the stairs to
Drew’s room. Surprisingly, the door was open. He leaned over his
desk reading.

“Drew, we have to go to New York City
now.”

“I promised we’d go as soon as possible. I’m
starting my paper. Then we’ll make plans.”

“No, I want to go this weekend. I’m not
waiting another week. Plus I don’t care about the stupid
paper.”

Drew rose from his seat and strolled over to
her, taking her hand. “I see this is important to you. How about if
we work on our papers together and then book a flight? I owe you
that much.”

Kate could agree to that. She ran to her room
and grabbed her laptop. “Where do we start?”

The hours flew by as the couple worked
diligently on their essays.

“
Done!” Kate slammed her laptop shut.
“I sent mine to the professor.” She glanced over at Drew and saw he
was giving her a strange look. “What?”

“Not as serious about this as I thought you’d
be.”

“The truth? I’m not. College isn’t for me. Is
that bad?”

“No, but if you don’t want to go to college,
what do you want to do?”

“Be a writer, like my dad.”

“Then you found your major.”

Kate shook her head. “Don’t think I can do
four years. So much going on in our lives, I can’t
concentrate.”

“We can do less in our other life,” Drew said
solemnly.

“No! Never!” Suddenly, fear gripped her
throat. What Drew really meant was to stay away from the canyon.
When they were in New York she couldn’t wait to return to Ohio and
the present. Now that they were back, existing here wasn’t enough.
A part of her felt like it was ripping away. She wouldn’t be whole
if she didn’t have the two lives.

“Okay, calm down. I agree with you. I want to
keep you happy, and if staying away helps, we will. If not, we’ll
go as much as you want.”

Kate threw herself into Drew’s arms. “Thank
you. Now let’s make reservations and tell my parents we’re leaving
this weekend.”

“Leaving for where?” Kate’s mom walked by
with a full laundry basket.

“New York City,” Kate called out to her.

“You were just there, and if I may remind
you, it wasn’t pretty.” Her mom set the basket down and came in,
sitting on the bed next to her daughter. “Honey, what are you
thinking?”

“We’re not going back to 1927. We’re staying
here. Grandmother Lilly wants me to go.” Kate knew that sounded
strange but couldn’t explain the pull inside her either.

“You two are adults. I can’t stop you. But I
wish you’d stay put.” Kate’s mom stared at them both. “I know it’s
futile to argue. Does your father know? He’ll probably want to
go.”

“No and no.”

“What’s going on in here?” Her dad was now
upstairs. The bedroom was getting a little crowded.

“It’s no big deal, Dad. Drew and I are going
to New York...to Woods and Associates.”

“Great. When do we leave?”

“I said...Drew and I.”

He appeared to be hurt by the statement but
bounced back. “Fine. Call if you need anything. I can be on the
next flight out of here.”

“Thanks for understanding.” Kate jumped off
the bed and hugged him.

“Guess my little pumpkin doesn’t need her
dad.”

“Don’t say that! I’ll always need you. It’s
just something I need to do for myself.”

Her parents looked at each other with a sense
of melancholy. “Remember when she needed us all the time, Jackson?”
Joanna stood and pretended to faint into his arms.

“Mom, too dramatic!” Kate laughed and
lovingly pushed them toward the door. “Drew and I need to finish
up. We’ll let you know when we’re leaving. We could use a ride to
the airport.”

“Now she needs us.” Her dad pretended to be
shocked.

Kate shut the door and turned to face Drew.
“You understand, don’t you? It has to be me and you. We learned a
big lesson while we were away. People tried to separate us
physically and emotionally from each other, and it didn’t work.
We’re stronger for it. From now on there has to be honesty and
commitment in everything we do.” Again a twinge of guilt went
through her as she said those words.

“Kate, don’t ever doubt me again. I think I
was supposed to learn that lesson. Somehow we missed out on
completing the time-line last year. I only had a glimpse into the
world I was supposed to live in, with no idea of how dangerous or
manipulative my father was. I will ask forgiveness for that one
stupid transgression over and over for the rest of my life. You’re
my world. I need only you.”

“You have to stop feeling guilty, Drew. I was
hurt, very hurt by what you did, but then I realized that was your
family. Your father was manipulating you. Besides, you came to your
senses...it only took a few days,” Kate sighed. Then she took a
deep breath and slowly let out the only thing left bothering her.
“I would have left without you. I didn’t want to, but I would’ve
found a way.”