Vince reached in front of Edda Mae to put the four plates in the cupboard above the sink. “Jill seems to know what she’s doing.”
Just as Jill hung up the phone, Edda Mae’s grip on the frying pan slipped and it bounced against the stainless-steel sink with a bang.
“Gun! Shooter!” Vince was never sure how he got the warning past his parched throat.
Sam lifted his M16 and began firing.
Yap-yap-yap-yap.
Vince frowned. Dogs usually ran for cover at the first sound of gunfire.
He blinked.
Moonbeam was on Teddy’s back, yelping her displeasure at something.
“Hey. Ow.” Teddy squirmed until the little dog leaped off, still barking.
“Darn and double darn,” Edda Mae said, taking in her soaked blouse and jeans and then the water around her feet. “Moonbeam, hush.”
Dogzilla ignored her owner.
Everything was chaotically the same. Vince began breathing. No one had noticed his descent into the past.
And then he saw Jill staring at him.
Unwilling to be her lab specimen, Vince snapped off two paper towels and knelt to attack the puddles. He didn’t want Edda Mae to slip and fall, plus it gave him an excuse to duck out of Jill’s line of sight and examine the pretty blue linoleum. “Don’t move, Edda Mae. I’ve got it.”
Jill scooped up Moonbeam and shushed her, bringing much needed quiet to the room. Then she ruined it by coming to stand in the kitchen entry.
Vince braced himself.
“A man who does dishes and floors?” Jill asked in a voice laced with sarcasm. “I thought venture capitalists were clueless about stuff like that.”
“One of my first jobs was washing dishes in the Sicilian’s coffee shop. What was yours? Guard duty at the photocopy machine?” Vince let his tone convey a level of disdain equal to hers. You could say all you wanted about the Patrizios, but they had a strong work ethic.
“Lucky,” Teddy said. “My job’s cleaning toilets.” He took over the computer as soon as Jill vacated the desk chair.
Cradling soggy, dripping paper towels, Vince got to his feet, but he avoided looking Jill in the eye. Maybe she hadn’t noticed he’d transported himself to another time.
But what if she had? She’d think he was crazy, which would present a huge obstacle for Vince to overcome here in Railroad Stop.
“Jill, where is your mop?” Edda Mae glanced around the kitchen.
“Between the refrigerator and the cupboard. The same place you kept it for years.” Jill stared at Edda Mae. “Are you having a senior moment?”
“Oh.” Edda Mae chuckled as she reached for it. “Well, I am a senior, so I guess I’m entitled to one now and then.”
Jill set the dog on the floor. She stepped closer to Vince, concern in her eyes. “Are you okay?”
Like he was going to say no? Diversionary tactics were called for.
“I need to ask you something. Alone.” Vince claimed Jill’s arm and steered her toward the door. There was no way he was letting Jill ask him questions, much less ask them in front of Teddy and Edda Mae. Besides, if he proposed a closer business relationship with his casino, Jill might see how advantageous the deal would be to both of them.
Moonbeam skittered out of their way.
Downstairs, Jill stepped out of Vince’s grasp and led him across the gravel parking lot toward the garage, the sky a gemlike blue above the towering pines ahead of her. “I know what you’re going to say, what you’re going to ask me.”
What the—? She was a mind reader now? “Do you?”
“It should be easy,” Jill continued, not looking back, the natural red streaks in her hair glinting in the sun.
“Of course it is. As long as we agree,” Vince said with relief. Jill must have come to the same conclusion he had this morning when he saw Shady Oak’s dining room. They could both benefit if they worked together.
They walked past the garage. Beneath the overhang the boards they’d painted last night leaned against the wall.
Jill led Vince up a path farther away from the
Just as Jill hung up the phone, Edda Mae’s grip on the frying pan slipped and it bounced against the stainless-steel sink with a bang.
“Gun! Shooter!” Vince was never sure how he got the warning past his parched throat.
Sam lifted his M16 and began firing.
Yap-yap-yap-yap.
Vince frowned. Dogs usually ran for cover at the first sound of gunfire.
He blinked.
Moonbeam was on Teddy’s back, yelping her displeasure at something.
“Hey. Ow.” Teddy squirmed until the little dog leaped off, still barking.
“Darn and double darn,” Edda Mae said, taking in her soaked blouse and jeans and then the water around her feet. “Moonbeam, hush.”
Dogzilla ignored her owner.
Everything was chaotically the same. Vince began breathing. No one had noticed his descent into the past.
And then he saw Jill staring at him.
Unwilling to be her lab specimen, Vince snapped off two paper towels and knelt to attack the puddles. He didn’t want Edda Mae to slip and fall, plus it gave him an excuse to duck out of Jill’s line of sight and examine the pretty blue linoleum. “Don’t move, Edda Mae. I’ve got it.”
Jill scooped up Moonbeam and shushed her, bringing much needed quiet to the room. Then she ruined it by coming to stand in the kitchen entry.
Vince braced himself.
“A man who does dishes and floors?” Jill asked in a voice laced with sarcasm. “I thought venture capitalists were clueless about stuff like that.”
“One of my first jobs was washing dishes in the Sicilian’s coffee shop. What was yours? Guard duty at the photocopy machine?” Vince let his tone convey a level of disdain equal to hers. You could say all you wanted about the Patrizios, but they had a strong work ethic.
“Lucky,” Teddy said. “My job’s cleaning toilets.” He took over the computer as soon as Jill vacated the desk chair.
Cradling soggy, dripping paper towels, Vince got to his feet, but he avoided looking Jill in the eye. Maybe she hadn’t noticed he’d transported himself to another time.
But what if she had? She’d think he was crazy, which would present a huge obstacle for Vince to overcome here in Railroad Stop.
“Jill, where is your mop?” Edda Mae glanced around the kitchen.
“Between the refrigerator and the cupboard. The same place you kept it for years.” Jill stared at Edda Mae. “Are you having a senior moment?”
“Oh.” Edda Mae chuckled as she reached for it. “Well, I am a senior, so I guess I’m entitled to one now and then.”
Jill set the dog on the floor. She stepped closer to Vince, concern in her eyes. “Are you okay?”
Like he was going to say no? Diversionary tactics were called for.
“I need to ask you something. Alone.” Vince claimed Jill’s arm and steered her toward the door. There was no way he was letting Jill ask him questions, much less ask them in front of Teddy and Edda Mae. Besides, if he proposed a closer business relationship with his casino, Jill might see how advantageous the deal would be to both of them.
Moonbeam skittered out of their way.
Downstairs, Jill stepped out of Vince’s grasp and led him across the gravel parking lot toward the garage, the sky a gemlike blue above the towering pines ahead of her. “I know what you’re going to say, what you’re going to ask me.”
What the—? She was a mind reader now? “Do you?”
“It should be easy,” Jill continued, not looking back, the natural red streaks in her hair glinting in the sun.
“Of course it is. As long as we agree,” Vince said with relief. Jill must have come to the same conclusion he had this morning when he saw Shady Oak’s dining room. They could both benefit if they worked together.
They walked past the garage. Beneath the overhang the boards they’d painted last night leaned against the wall.
Jill led Vince up a path farther away from the
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