Clockwiser (18 page)

Samuel flattened the string and crossed out the first dot. Then he added a new one next to mine. “His life hasn’t unfolded naturally. Everything that will happen and has happened between here and here,” he pointed to Willie’s two dots, “has been changed.”

“So, it’s changed.” Lucinda said. “Does it matter?”

Samuel leaned back into his recliner. “That’s up to you to find out.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

CASEY

We stopped at a fast food Mexican place to regroup, though I found my appetite lacking in a big way.

Mexican blankets, cha-chas and other themed trinkets decorated the bright yellow walls. Spanish string music pumped through a bad sound system. The place smelled of taco spice, cilantro and cheese.

“They bring food all the way up from Mexico?” Willie said, staring wide-eyed at the bright menu board that hung behind the counter above our heads.

“Oh, you’re so cute.” Lucinda nudged up beside him. “You’ve really never eaten a taco before?”

We got our orders and took a seat by the window overlooking the highway. Willie and Lucinda sat across from Nate and me in a booth with royal-blue fiberglass benches. Lucinda had her flirt on high and touched Willie’s arm every two seconds, totally oblivious to the embarrassment on Willie’s face. He wouldn’t be used to girls being so forward. I felt like kicking Lucinda under the table, but she sat kitty-corner from me and I was afraid I’d nick Willie instead.

Nate knocked his leg against mine as he bit into his burrito, and I knocked him back. It was like we were trying to speak without speaking. We were still there for each other, even if we screwed up once in awhile. There was so much I wanted to say to him, but it had to wait until we were alone. And probably until we had this difficult situation sorted out.

“What should we do?” I said softly, not that I had to worry about Lucinda and Willie hearing us. She had him captivated with stories about high school life in the twenty-first century and how much Willie was going to enjoy Cambridge High.

Next thing you knew, she’d be proposing.

“We need to find out more about Willie,” Nate said. “The 1862 Willie. And about his family, what happened to them in the last 150 years.”

“The Turner house is a museum now,” I said.

Nate smiled. “Good idea. Let’s go there.”

We all agreed to go, but first we had to do the poster blitz for my parents.

A crowd was gathered on our driveway and front lawn, friends of my parents, neighbors we’d known forever, Tim’s friends, my friends. My dad handed out printed copies of Tim’s picture with a phone number and a promise of a reward on them. My heart sank. I felt so bad that we were wasting these people’s time like this and getting my parents’ hopes up. They both had dark circles under their eyes and looked like they’d aged ten years.

I’m so sorry.

I searched the group for signs of Chase, but couldn’t see him anywhere. I was surprised by the measure of disappointment I felt. I shook it off. Across the yard I saw Officer Clarice Porter. She was in plain clothes and at first I didn’t recognize her. Her husband Wade was also on the force. He was tall, built like a footballer, and he towered over his much smaller wife. I went to them to say hello.

“Hi, Casey,” Clarice said. Her hair was out of her standard bun, falling in dark waves down her back, and you could tell she was in shape by the way her jeans fit. The Porters were a good-looking couple.

“It’s so, nice of you to come out today,” I said. “My parents and I really appreciate your support.”

“No problem. I’m still on medical leave until the end of the month, but I feel fine. Anything we can do to help, we’ll do. You know that, right?”

I almost teared up at her kindness.

“Thanks, that means a lot.”

“Our best people are on this case. They’ll find your brother.”

Oh, I wished she hadn’t added that last part. I felt so bad that all these people were worrying and working, and it was my fault.

I said goodbye and headed back toward Nate and the gang when I felt hands grab my shoulders from behind.

“Casey! I made it.”

I spun around and Chase almost ran me over. As it was, he stood very, very, close. I could smell his aftershave, and see the small crinkles around his eyes when he smiled.

“Hey.” I took a small tiny step backward. “I’m glad you could make it.”

He rocked back on his sneakers. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Then he followed me to my group, and I introduced him to Lucinda, Willie and Nate. Chase scowled a little at Nate, and I remembered that he thought Nate had hit me. Nate barely lifted his chin to acknowledge Chase.

We picked up our posters from the pile on the table Dad had set up outside, and marked off the area we’d be blitzing on the map he’d laid out.

Tim’s friends came in behind us, led by Alex. I felt bad for him, knowing it must be hard for him, too, to have his best friend go, “poof”.

I turned to offer some words of comfort, but he’d fallen back, and was talking earnestly to someone. When he twisted slightly, I saw that it was Chase. How did they know each other already?

Chase saw me watching and sprinted over. “I don’t think we’ll all fit into your boyfriend’s car.” He gestured to his Mustang in the driveway next door. “Do you want to come with me?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Nate and Willie and Lucinda were opening the doors to Nate’s BMW. It wouldn’t be fair to make Chase drive alone, and I was the only one he actually knew, even a little bit. “Wait, just a moment.”

I skipped over to Nate’s car. “Hey, guys. I should probably go with Chase. He’s new, and doesn’t know how to get there...”

There was a moment of really awkward silence. Nate’s face sealed up like a stone. Lucinda looked a little stunned by my choice, too. Willie was the only one who didn’t seem to register the tension.

He turned to Lucinda. “In that case, would you prefer the front seat?”

“Uh, no, you go ahead.” Then she mouthed to me, “
What are you doing
?”

I shrugged. I wasn’t sure. I felt caught.

My hand started sweating on the posters, and I shifted them to my other arm. When I turned to go with Chase, he had a bemused smirk on his face.

“That went well,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“I was being sarcastic. Your friends don’t like me.”

“They like you. They’re just...”

He opened the passenger door for me when we reached his car. “They’re just worried I’ll steal you from your boyfriend.”

I gasped at his forwardness and felt my face grow rosy.

He laughed as he got in and put his seatbelt on. “Don’t worry. I won’t put any moves on you.” He shot me a super-sexy grin. “Today.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

CASEY

Chase lied. The whole time we were out putting up posters, he had
his
flirt on. He’d touch my shoulders or my back as he passed by, and “accidentally” rub up against me. He’d aim sly grins and pouty lips in my direction. He and Lucinda should enter a flirt competition. Except Lucinda wasn’t blatantly flirting in front of Willie’s girlfriend.

By the time we’d pinned up all the posters, Nate was fuming. “I’m going to punch that guy in the face pretty soon,” he muttered in my ear.

When it was time to go home, Nate pointed to the front seat of his car, and said to me, “Get in.”

“Hey, I can take her home,” Chase said, faking innocence. “It’s kind of on my way.”

It actually made sense to me. No point in Nate driving all the way to my house first when Chase lived right next door.

“It is getting late,” I said. “I’ll meet up with you guys again tomorrow.”

Nate grabbed my arm and pulled me close. Then he laid one on me, good and hard, straight on the lips. I could tell it wasn’t for my benefit. He was staking his territory in front of Chase. Like a dog peeing on a fire hydrant.

I pushed him away, furious. “What was that?”

I didn’t wait for an answer. I fumed as I stormed to Chase’s car. I fastened my seatbelt and folded my arms tightly across my chest.

Chase didn’t seem to be in the same kind of rush. He meandered slowly over, opening the driver’s door, and sliding in, just as Nate squealed away.

“Trouble in paradise?” His eyes sparkled with amusement.

I huffed. “No thanks to you.”

“Why?”

“You know why.” What a couple of juveniles. “Just take me home.”

I didn’t bother to thank Chase or to say goodnight when we got there.

The next morning I heard a light rap on the front door and when I looked out, there was a bouquet of flowers on the front step. They were hand clipped, tied together with string, and placed in a jar filled with water. I assumed they were for my parents, but when I checked the card, it had my name on it.

Casey, I’m sorry. I crossed the line last night. I can’t help that I like you. Forgive me?

I turned towards the Miller yard, and there stood Chase with his hands clasped in front of him and his chin lowered all repentant-like. I had to admit, he was very cute.

I found myself walking toward him. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I know, but I really am sorry. I overstepped last night, and put you in an uncomfortable position.”

“Yeah, you made my boyfriend’s black list.”

He bristled a bit at the use of the word
boyfriend
. “Well, I don’t really care about his blacklist. I just want to make sure I’m not on yours.”

“You’re not.” I grinned. “Thanks for coming to help.”

“Any time.”

I stood there with Chase’s flowers in my hand feeling awkward. And kind of special. It was such a sweet gesture and I hadn’t gotten flowers from anyone before. Not even from Nate.

“Well, I should go,” I said taking a step away.

“Casey?”

“Yes?”

“Will you go out with me sometime?”

Wow, I hadn’t expected that. This guy knows how to go after what he wants.

“I
have
a boyfriend.”

He shrugged, grinning crookedly. “I know. You’ve made that pretty clear. But he’s not your husband.”

I had to laugh. “So that’s where you’d draw the line? If I were married?”

“Maybe.”

This guy was living up to his name. “I can’t, but thanks for asking.”

The grin never left his face. “Another time, then.”

I felt myself blush, leaving Chase to stare after me. Again.

Nate was coming for me that morning. He texted that he felt bad about me taking the bus all the time lately. It was nice he finally noticed, but I was pretty sure he was more concerned Chase might offer to drive me.

Now that Chase had made it clear he was looking for more than friendship, things really could get awkward.

I put the flowers on the table and poured myself a cup of coffee. Mom hadn’t gotten out of bed yet, but Dad was in his office, so I peeked in.

“Hey, sunshine,” he said. “How are you?”

“I’m fine.”

He leaned back in his leather office chair, and took off his reading glasses. “Are you sure? I know we’ve been busy with... dealing with...”

“It’s okay, Dad. I understand. Believe me.”

“I just don’t want you feeling like we’ve forgotten that you’re still here.”

I put my coffee down to give him a hug. “I haven’t.”

I heard a knock and someone coming through the front door. Nate’s voice floated down the hall. “Casey?”

“I gotta go, Dad. I’ll be home later.”

I found Nate in the kitchen, reading the card he found tucked in the flowers.

“This guy’s after you,” he stated through tight lips.

I shrugged and then denied it. I couldn’t see how it would help for Nate to know Chase had asked me out.

Nate’s eyes held mine. “He understands our relationship, right?”

“Yes.”

“To be clear, he knows I’m your boyfriend?”

Didn’t I just answer that? “
Yes
.”

“I don’t like that guy.”

No kidding. “He was being a little forward last night, but he’s just...” My voice trailed off.

“You’re defending him?”

“No! There’s nothing to defend.”

Nate’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Just stay away from him.”

Seriously? Nate was getting all territorial on me?

“You can’t tell me what to do.”

I stormed outside and got into Nate’s car, slamming the door. I wouldn’t even have gone with him if Willie hadn’t been at Nate’s house alone with Lucinda (she texted me that she was there), and I didn’t trust her anymore.

Nate slammed his door, too, and we suffered through the drive in silence. I just couldn’t believe what a jerk he was being. Maybe I should go out with Chase, just to show him he didn’t own me.