The Coffee Shop (23 page)

“How long has it been since we just went out to a bar and had a couple of beers?”

“Let’s see now? Oh yeah, now I remember, since you stopped paying for your drinks.”

Brian paused. “Yeah, that would be it.”

Without looking up, Derrick put up a finger. “If you’re thinking about punching me in the arm again, don’t.”

“Oh? Or what?”

The bartender reached up turning up the volume of the television. “Again, Calaire flight two one nine to Toronto has gone down. Rescue crews are on the scene now.” The images on the screen showed a massive fire around mangled wreckage, twisted and charred metal jutting out from its midst.

Derrick’s heart was pounding so hard in his chest he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. “I’m sorry. What was the number of that flight?”

The bartender turned to Derrick. “Buddy, you all right? You look as white as a sheet.”

Gripping his beer tight in his grasp his hand started to shake violently. “The number?” he whispered.

“Oh, two one nine.”

Derrick’s head started to spin, and he felt himself falling.

Chapter Eighteen

“Annie!” Derrick sat up. He was at home in bed, and he sighed in relief. “It was just a dream. It was just a dream. Oh, God. Ahh.” The smell of bacon made him sit forward, and looking around the room he saw the clothes tossed on the chair by the bed, the lamps on the bedside tables now different. “Annie?” Jumping out of bed, he threw on his robe and ran out to the kitchen. He saw a blonde standing before the stove. “Annie?” he said loudly. The woman turned and looked at him.

“Yes?”

Derrick jumped as Annie came up behind him, the woman at the stove watching him curiously.

“You’re up. I thought you decided you were going to sleep in.” Bringing her arms up around his neck, she kissed him tenderly on the lips. “Hey, why don’t you give Brian a call? You two can spend the weekend together.” She patted him affectionately on the chest.

“The weekend?”

“Ah, sweetie, I know you hate me being gone for that long, but it’s only two days. It’ll be over before you know it. Just you see. And then we can go out for that dinner you’ve wanted to take me to.” She smiled up at him and kissed his chest.

“Yeah, that sounds great.” He watched as she sat at the table. Sharon set the plate of food before her, just as before.

“Uh, I forget, what was that flight number again?”

“Why do you want to know the flight number?”

“Oh, I was just going to check for you to see that it’s leaving on time.”

“Oh, you are just so thoughtful.” She smiled, and jumping from her chair, she came over to him and hugged him. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

Derrick looked to the ceiling, shaking his head. “I think you might have mentioned it in passing oh, once, maybe twice.” She caressed his face, and for a second he thought he saw a tear forming in her eye. “Hey, you’re not gunna cry now, are ya?”

“Me? Cry? You know me. Of course I’m gunna cry.”

He laughed, and brought his hand to hers as she held it to his face. “I tell you what,
I
am going to take
you
to the airport.” She leaned back looking up into his face. “I’ll just go throw on some clothes, while you finish eating, and I’ll call Lawrence to tell him we’ll be down in a few minutes. How does that sound?”

“You’re coming with me to the airport?”

He smiled down at her.

“I’d like that. I’d like that very much.”

“You do know you’re going to have to give me back my face if I’m going to get dressed?”

“Do I have to?”

He smacked her playfully on the butt. “Go eat!”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, I like the sound of that.”

“Well don’t get too used to it.” Walking back to the table she glanced over her shoulder. “That one was a freebee.”

Walking back toward the bedroom, he turned his head slightly in her direction. “Oh, that flight number?”

“Oh, Calaire flight two one nine.”

He hesitated, but forced himself to continue walking so that she wouldn’t know anything was wrong.
I could tell her
.
I could tell her not to get on that flight. That it’s going to crash. Yeah, like she’s going to believe that one. Hell, I wouldn’t believe it!
Dressing in his best suit, he flipped on the television seeing the time and date on the weather channel. It was five months into the future. But what had happened to the last five months? Why did he have no memory of them? What had happened to him and to Annie in all that time? What was going on? The only thing he was sure of was that this was the day Annie would take Calaire flight two one nine to Toronto and would be killed when the plane crashed. Stepping out of the bedroom, he stood before her with his arms out.

“Hey, what’s this?”

“Just showing you what you’re going to be missing.”

“Now that’s playing dirty, I’ll have you know.”

“Hey, you work with what you’ve got. What can I say?”

“Oh, you’re not full of yourself at all. No, you’re just too perfect for that.”

“Exactly! Oh, you know me so well.”

“Yes.” She came over slipping her arms around his waist under his coat, her expression becoming serious. “Yes, I do.”

“Oh, and I like the sound of that.”

“What?”

“I do.”

She leaned back, her eyes meeting his, and he smiled, smacking her playfully on the butt. “You know, you keep doing that and people are going to talk.”

“Oh, and what are they going to say?”

“Look at that dirty old man taking advantage of that beautiful young girl.”

Derrick threw his head back with laughter. “Well they’d be partly right.”

“Oh, and which part?”

“Hey.”

She laughed, and he smiled down at her.

“The beautiful young woman, and she’s all mine.”

“Oh really, why you make that sound as if I am a possession, sir?”

“That’s because you are. As far as I’m concerned, you’re mine.” He grinned. “Any objections to that?”

She returned the grin. “None.” And she smacked his butt playfully.

“Oh now what’s this? Are you taking advantage me, Miss Maddock? Why, that’s just not done I’ll have you know.”

“Oh, stop it! And we have to get going, or I’ll miss my flight.” She pressed her hand to his chest, rubbing it gently. “Did you get a chance to check to see if it’s leaving on time?”

“Yeah, it’s…yeah, you’re good to go.”

“Wonderful. A great start to a great weekend.”

“You say that like you’re going to be glad to get away.”

But she just smiled.

“Hey, I saw that!”

“What?”

He grinned, helping her with her suitcase. Sitting next to her in the limousine, he drew her hand into his, holding it in his lap.

“You’re in a funny mood.”

“Am I?”

“It’s only going to be the weekend, and then you’ll have me all to yourself again.”

“You’re right.”

The limousine pulled up at the unloading zone, and Lawrence jumped out to retrieve her suitcase from the trunk.

“Thanks, Lawrence, you’re a dear.” Annie smiled taking the suitcase from him, and taking a step back she bumped straight into Derrick. “Oh, I didn’t know you were right there.”

“Annie, you can’t go!”

“What?” She turned at his words, her gaze looking to his.

He looked down into those brown eyes. “You can’t go, without giving me a kiss goodbye.” He slipped his arms around her and pulling her to him, he kissed her. He drew back, and she looked up at him adoringly.

“No one can say you’re not a romantic.”

“Who says I’m not a romantic? Why, I’ll challenge them to a duel at dawn. My honor cannot be questioned like that.”

“Shhh. People will hear you.”

“Let them. Let them hear me.”

She pressed her hand to his mouth, giggling as he continued to try to talk beneath it.

“Then I shall take my leave, my lady.” He bowed, bringing his arm down in a sweeping gesture.

“I’ll say it again, you’re in a funny mood. And I have to say, I like it.”

“Oh really?” He glanced around. “Shall I be dressed like Mr. Darcy when you get back?”

“Okay, now I’m impressed.” But then she stepped back. “Who was she?”

“Who was who?”

“The woman that made you sit through Pride and Prejudice.” She pouted. “Oh, you poor darling.” But then he looked away. “You didn’t? You watched it? And no one made you? Were you on drugs at the time? Or had you fallen on your head and thought yourself a woman?”

“I’ll have you know I am not totally without…”

“Without what?”

“You are going to miss your check in.”

“Nice try. We are going to pick up this conversation when I get back.”

“I look forward to it.” Taking a step back, he nodded his head. “Till we meet again.” Annie chuckled, shaking her head, and he watched as she stepped away, walking through the door into the airport. He pulled out his cell phone. “Hey, Brian, how about we go for a beer? Oh, are we talking?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t we be?”

“Have I told you anything lately that you would consider odd?”

“When are you not saying something odd? You’re Derrick Sloane.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Brian just laughed. “Yes, I can definitely say we are talking, if you can call it that. Wait, when were we not talking?”

“Are you telling me you didn’t get ticked at me for meeting Annie instead of you that day?”

“Well, I wasn’t thrilled at the idea but I got over it.”

“So we never had a fight then?”

“Okay, you know when you asked me if you ever said anything of an odd nature? Well, you’re doing it now. What’s going on?”

“Did I tell you about a dream the day I met Annie?”

“I recall something about a dream. What about it?”

“I should have cards printed up so then I can just hand them out to you each time I see you.” He sighed. “So, how about that beer?”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit early for that?”

“This from the guy that did JELL-O shots off of that girl’s — ”

“Okay, okay. God, don’t remind me.”

“Come on, I’ll pick you up. Um, another really stupid question, so bear with me here. Where do you live?”

“You and Annie had a fight, didn’t you?”

“No, Annie and I didn’t have a fight. Why would you say that?”

“Oh, something about not having any idea where I live. So what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong Brian. No, I’d have to say, for once, everything is very right. Oh, and you’re buying.” Before Brian had a chance to answer, he turned off his cell phone. “Oh, and look, I’ve gone and turned my cell phone off.” He shook his head. “How irresponsible of me.” He stepped into the limousine, allowing Lawrence to close the door for him. “Take me to Dr. Taylor’s, Lawrence, if you would.”

“Yes, sir.”

Why didn’t I just think of that before?

They pulled up in front of Brian’s building, and Lawrence informed the doorman that a Mr. Sloane had arrived for a Dr. Taylor. A few minutes later Brian appeared wearing sunglasses and got in the limousine.

“So, let me get this straight. You call me up early on a Saturday morning, drag me out of bed, for drinks, no less, and then insist that I pay for them? Is that about right?”

Derrick thought on it for a moment before answering. “That sounds about right.”

“That’s what I figured.”

“Before I start, I need you to give me your cell phone.”

“My cell phone?”

“Yes, your cell phone.”

“Why do you need my cell phone?”

“Because I’d like to turn it off. This is a conversation I do not want interrupted.”

Brian hesitated. “All right. I can do that.” He reached in taking out his cell, and turning it off he put it back into his coat pocket.

“I’m just going to come straight out and tell you what I have to say. There’s no way to make it sound any less crazy than it does, by putting if off.”

“I’m listening,” said Brian

“That dream I told you about. It was real. I had somehow managed to see five months into the future with Annie. And since then I have continued to see glimpses into the future five months ahead. Only every time I do, the timeline has been altered by something I have done when I wake up from the dream. This last timeline has changed Annie from a quiet, easy going, laid back girl, who was perfectly content to work her days in a health food store, and turned her into a VP for some corporation, something she would never see herself doing. That is, until I stuck my nose into her business.”

“So let me get this straight. You’re upset that she’s successful?”

“No, she was fine the way she was. She was happy and that was all that mattered. But at the time I was thinking that she would be so much happier if she was…”

“Like you?”

Derrick held his hands up in the air. “Yeah. Stupid huh?”

“And you’re just seeing this now? Excuse me, let me reword that, you’re just figuring this out now?”

“When I got up and saw her in that power suit, her hair tied back, rushing around and leaving town on a business trip…That’s not Annie. Not my Annie. I screwed up big time, only now it’s too late. I can’t go back and fix it.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not glimpsing the future, I’m living it. Only I have no memory of the last five months. I obviously set into motion a series of events that has led up to this life we have here now.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“There’s nothing I can do. I’m just going to have to accept Annie the way she is now.”

“Are you saying you don’t think you can live with her the way she is?”