A Time of Shadows (Out of Time #8) (31 page)

“Tempting,” she said, and Simon felt his hopes begin to deflate. “But,” she added as she slipped from his embrace, “I think we should go. Something’s going on with him.”

“Don’t tell me,” Simon said, resigned now to his fate. “Melissa?”

Elizabeth shook her head.
 

Simon tried to remember the latest in a long line of conquests. “Melanie?”

“Not a woman.”

Simon paused. “We
are
talking about Jack Wells?”

Elizabeth ignored his jibe and dug into her jewelry box. She pulled out a necklace.

“If it’s not that then—”

Simon’s reply was interrupted by the doorbell. “I suppose we’ll find out sooner rather than later.”

“Would you…?” Elizabeth asked, waving her hand in the general direction of the door.
 

Simon nodded, kissed her cheek and started down stairs.
 

He checked his watch as he hit the bottom step. Twenty minutes early. That wasn’t like Wells. He was always precisely on time. It was perhaps his best feature.

Simon opened the door. Jack grinned back at him.

“You’re early,” Simon said.

“I am?” Jack looked down at his watch and tapped its face. “Must need a new watch. And speaking of watches…” he said as he stepped past Simon and into the foyer. “There’s something I want to talk to you two about.”

Simon closed the front door and arched an eyebrow. “I assume we’re not talking Timex.”

Jack grinned. “No. I’m thinking about joining up. With the Council I mean.”

Simon nodded, not surprised. “I see.”

“See what?” Elizabeth said as she came down the stairs and joined them.

“Nice dress,” Jack said with a whistle that earned him a scowl from Simon and a grin from her.

Elizabeth showed it off and then came to Simon’s side.

“Wells is thinking of joining the Council,” Simon said as he picked up his car keys from the bowl by the door.

“Really?” Elizabeth said, cocking her head to the side in surprise.

“Is that a ‘good’ really,” Jack asked, “or an ‘are you crazy’ really?”

“A little of both?”
 

Jack laughed. “Fair enough. Now about dinner,” he said as he opened the front door. “How’s Chow’s? It’s on me.”

Elizabeth paused and shook her head. “If you don’t mind, I kind of have a hankering for Italian. I’ve been craving cannoli all week.”

Simon looked down at her in surprise. He was never one for sweets, but for some reason he’d had a cannoli on his mind as well.

Jack’s brow went up. “Craving? You’re not…?”

The question caught Simon by surprise. He turned to Elizabeth and found himself oddly disappointed when she shook her head.

“Don’t be silly. Of course, I’m not pregnant.”

She turned to Simon like they were going to share in the joke of it, but then something passed between them. Something powerful. Whatever it was, it was gone before he could put a name to it.
 

“You two okay?” Jack asked.

Simon nodded and pulled his eyes away from Elizabeth. “Just a strange feeling. A bit like déjà vu.”

“I’m pretty sure this never happened before,” Jack said.

“Definitely not,” Simon agreed.

Elizabeth looked up at him questioningly.

“Wells offered to pay for dinner.”

Elizabeth laughed as they walked outside. But as Simon closed the door behind them, he could feel the ghost of something in the back of his mind.

He caught Elizabeth’s arm while Jack went on ahead.

“You’re sure?” he asked. “About…that?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“You two okay?” Jack called out.

Simon held up a hand, signaling they were, and would be right along, then turned back to Elizabeth and pulled her into his arms. “About that,” he said. “Maybe after we get Jack’s life settled, we can talk about ours?”

“Really?” she asked.

“Is that a ‘good’ really or an ‘are you crazy’ really?” he said.

She laughed and pulled him down for a kiss. “A good one,” she assured him. “A very, very good one.”

OTHER BOOKS IN THE OUT OF TIME SERIES

Out of Time: A Time Travel Mystery (Book #1)

When the Wall Fell (Book #2)

Fragments (Book #3)

The Devils' Due (Book #4)

Thursday’s Child (Book #5)

Sands of Time (Book #6)

A Rip in Time (Book #7)

A Time of Shadows (Book #8)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Monique was born in Houston, Texas, but her family soon moved to Southern California. She grew up on both coasts, living in Connecticut and California. She currently resides in Southern California with her naughty Siamese cat, Monkey.

She's currently working on an adaptation of one of her screenplays, several short stories and novels and the next book in the Out of Time series.

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moniquemartin.weebly.com