Cries in the Night (38 page)

“It’s not like it’ll be a date or anything,” Austin hurried to add. “There’ll probably be a few of my football buddies and some girls hanging out with us.”

Her jumping and cheering screeched to halt . He hadn’t asked her because he wanted to be alone with her. He was just being nice and neighborly. But even shared time with him was better than being alone.

“Sure, sounds like fun,” she answered lightly. “It’ll give me a chance to meet some of the kids from school.”

They went through Kelly’s house and into the backyard where Josie, a fluffy black-and-white mixed breed puppy ran around them in happy circles.

“Found your wallet,” Kelly said as she picked up the folded leather whose corners were missing. “Looks like Josie thought it was a chew toy.”

Austin took it and quickly checked to see if the contents had been ruined. “We got back just in time.” He heaved a sigh of relief as he took out his driver’s license, school ID and other items that had been inside. None of them showed any puncture marks or puppy slobbers. He picked up his phone that was still lying untouched on the chair and put it in his pocket. “It’s a good thing she doesn’t like the taste of plastic.”

“I’ll buy you a new wallet,” Kelly stated apologetically.

“This one was worn out anyway.” He made sure everything was out of it, then he tossed it toward Josie who eagerly retrieved it. “I’m glad for an excuse to get a new one.”

Kelly smiled at him. It was nice of him to say so, even if it wasn’t true. The wallet hadn’t looked all that old to her. “Just the same, my dog and I have done enough damage for one day, so I insist on paying for it.”

“You can help me pick one out at the mall tomorrow,” he suggested. “That is, if you want to go.”

“When has any girl ever turned down an invitation to go to the mall?” she laughed.

“Let’s get this doghouse finished so we can call out for pizza.”

“Wait here. I’ll get some ice to put on your thumb while you supervise.” Kelly ignored his protests and ran into the house. She filled a baggie with crushed ice and wrapped a towel around it. When she returned and handed it to Austin, he took it and gingerly wrapped it around his hand.

“Thanks.”

“Frozen peas are better, but we didn’t have any,” she told him.

“Peas?”

“Yes, because they’re small and round. They don’t cut through the bag like ice does, and they kind of mold around your finger.”

“Good to know, but I’m sure we
never
have peas in our freezer.”

Kelly pulled one of the lawn chairs closer to the partially-built doghouse and pointed to it. “Sit down and tell me what to do.”

Austin surprised her by sitting without protest. “First, you need to lift off the roof so you can finish nailing in the floor.” His lips curved into a crooked grin. “Just ignore all the blood.”

CHAPTER TWO

THURSDAY, JULY 3, PRESENT DAY

FORT MYERS BEACH, FLORIDA

Kelly swam her usual thirty laps of the pool while Josie ran back-and-forth, following on the flagstone decking. The little dog obviously couldn’t figure out why Kelly was in the water. She inched closer, barking out her concern until her tiny paws got a little too close to the edge and she fell in with a splash.

Resurfacing, Josie started thrashing around in panic, then settled into jerky swimming movements as her instincts kicked in. Kelly quickly crossed the pool to the puppy and scooped her into her arms.

“Poor baby,” she crooned. “I’m going to show you how to get out of here in case you fall in and I’m not home.” Gently, she released Josie about a foot away from the steps. Josie resumed her dog-paddling until her feet touched the concrete step. She quickly climbed out of the pool and shook. After giving Kelly a confused look, she ran a safe distance from the pool and started rolling in the grass.

Kelly climbed out and wiped herself off with a big, fluffy beach towel. She looked down at her body critically. After a month of living with her aunt, there was actually a visible change in her body. When she arrived in early June, she had a muffin top. Her mother had been an excellent cook, especially cakes and cookies which added what her mother had called baby fat. That would have been cute if she was two … at sixteen, not so much. Her aunt Jane could barely boil water and preferred salads and fresh vegetables, so Kelly’s calorie intake had drastically dropped.

Aunt Jane did her best. She had been happily single and childless, content with spending long hours in the office or in court and working her way up to Assistant District Attorney. Suddenly, she lost her only sister and brother-in-law in a horrible car accident and, as a result, gained a teenager … Kelly. Jane, who rarely cooked and had depended on take-out for meals, now had to shop and have available good, healthy food for a growing girl.

The new healthier diet and almost daily exercise had helped Kelly lose a few pounds and tone up. She had to admit that her clothes fit better, and she wasn’t so embarrassed to be seen in a swimsuit. Not a bikini in public … yet.

Kelly spread her towel on a chaise lounge and laid down on her stomach. Josie plopped down in the shade from the chair and Kelly idly stroked the soft fur
of her new pet as she let the sun dry her. Josie was another surprise for poor Aunt Jane. When Kelly had found the puppy tucked inside her backpack after their trip to the old circus, she had been overjoyed. She wasn’t sure how her aunt would respond. They lived in a Victorian house that was almost a hundred years old. Kelly’s great-great grandfather had built the house in the early 1900s while he was working with Thomas Edison as a mucker. Aunt Jane had inherited the house five years ago and had spent a lot of time and money having it renovated. The addition of a puppy was probably pushing her generosity.

Aunt Jane hadn’t found out about the puppy until she got home from work the day after Kelly’s last time travel. Of course, she couldn’t tell her aunt about that trip or the other two Kelly and her friends had been on. Scott’s invention of a phone app was their secret. So, the best explanation for where the puppy came from was that it followed her home … which was sort of true if you didn’t get bogged down on the details of time and space.

Kelly had spent the whole day role playing, trying to come up with convincing arguments and logical reasons to counter all of her aunt’s objections. By the time her aunt got home, Kelly was nervous, but prepared. She had even cooked dinner and had it ready to put on the table. Josie, of course, decided to rush things by barking at Aunt Jane, spoiling the surprise Kelly had been hoping would be after they ate. Nervously, she introduced the puppy to her aunt, rushing through the speech she had practiced, then held her breath as she waited.

Nothing could have surprised her more than when her aunt knelt down on the floor and started playing with the puppy. Seeing her aunt, dressed as usual in a crisp, perfectly fitted business suit, letting Josie cover her face in happy puppy kisses struck Kelly speechless.

“She’s adorable,” Aunt Jane said. “There hasn’t been a dog in this house since your mom and I were little. She was always dragging home strays.” Jane got to her feet, with the little dog still in her arms. “One time she found a matted-up dog that was begging food off people on the beach. Your mother cleaned her up and we were all amazed at how pretty she was … fluffy and snowy white. Then one morning we woke up and she had had a litter of six of the cutest puppies I’d ever seen.” Jane’s eyes focused on the long-ago memory and she smiled. “When they were old enough, your mom found new homes for all of them except the runt. And I was so glad because that one was my favorite. I named her Lady. She slept on my bed and followed me everywhere. Lady was my best friend for the next fifteen years.” Jane bit her lip as her eyes filled with tears. “She was a really good dog.”

Kelly didn’t know what to say. She knew how much she had mourned when Willy, her old Labrador retriever had died a year ago. Willy had been in her life as
long as she could remember. Her parents had gotten the puppy when Kelly was just two years old, so she and the dog had grown up together.

“Don’t you just love puppy breath? I wanted to get a dog, but I knew I couldn’t give it the time it deserved.” Jane leaned over and put Josie on the floor. “I’m sure you’ve been missing all the pets you had in Texas. I guess I should be happy you didn’t bring home a horse.”

“So … you’re okay with me keeping Josie?” Kelly asked hesitantly.

“If you’re willing to take total responsibility for her and make sure she’s house broken and doesn’t chew things up, then yes, you can keep her. But you need to get her a doghouse, some dishes and food, and you need to ask around to see if someone knows a good vet. She needs her shots.”

Which was why Kelly and Austin had been working on the doghouse yesterday. The next day she had gotten everything else Josie needed and even taken the puppy to the vet for a check-up and her first round of shots. The doghouse had been low priority and had been pushed off a few days. Until then, Josie had a comfortable bed on the back patio, but she spent most of her time following Kelly around and sleeping in her room. Luckily, Josie had been housebroken by Ruth, the lady in the circus who had performed the dog act.

Kelly rolled over onto her back to even out her tan. She still couldn’t get over how excited Aunt Jane had been about the puppy. It was the first time Kelly had actually seen any resemblance between her mother and her aunt. It was always odd to think of them as little girls, growing up in this old house, having pets and going to school.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that it was lunchtime, so she got up and, with Josie bounding along behind, went inside.

Fifteen minutes later, she had showered and changed into her standard summer outfit of shorts and a tank top and had pulled her wet hair back into a ponytail. Except for the few times she and Austin had hung out, the days had stretched pretty long and lonely with Scott not around.

Scott was the first person she had met here. They had quickly become friends, and, for a while, she thought he had boyfriend potential. They had gone on a movie date which had gone really well, but the truth was, there wasn’t a romantic spark between them. Not like what she felt for Austin.

That’s where it got a little fuzzy. Zoey who had had a crush on Austin had started to show signs of attraction to Scott, but then she met Jesse and fell in love. Since Jesse had to stay back in 1927, that left Zoey all alone, but she was nothing if not resilient. Kelly predicted it wouldn’t be long before Zoey tucked Jesse into her
memory book and moved on to a boy who could take her on dates and buy her presents. Would she go back to crushing on Austin or Scott?

Zoey never had trouble attracting boys. Kelly just hoped Zoey would focus on someone other than Austin.

 

“So, where are your friends these days?” Jane relaxed outside while Kelly finished painting the doghouse. Jane had returned from her trip about an hour ago and had changed into capris and a sleeveless blouse. She had poured a glass of white wine and joined her niece outside.

Kelly was a little confused by her aunt’s attitude. “Well, everyone but Austin has gone on their summer vacations all at the same time.” Kelly dipped her brush in the bright yellow paint and carefully painted along the edge of the white trim.

“Yeah … I guess I knew that. I saw Scott and his family pull out over a week ago with a camper trailer behind them.” Aunt Jane seemed distracted.

“They should be back this weekend.”

Aunt Jane took a sip of her wine. “Look, I’m sorry we can’t go somewhere. It’s just that I can’t take time off right now … you know with my case load and all.”

“Yeah, I guess there are a lot of bad guys out there,” Kelly commented out loud, then added to herself,
both now and in the past
. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve made some good friends. Honestly, I haven’t had a chance to be bored yet.”

“I’m really happy to hear that. You know, I think you’re right … people kill people for less and less these days. I would think with all the government giveaways that people would stop killing and robbing each other, but that hasn’t been the case.” She took a sip of wine and watched Kelly for a few minutes before offering, “Why don’t you think about where you’d like to go, maybe around the Christmas holidays. The courts are closed around the holidays, so we could slip away and go somewhere really cool … okay? It’d be our chance to bond.”