The Way to Yesterday (6 page)

Mary found herself focusing on the sound of their voices and wondered when
she looked, which dream she would be in-the one from her past or the one from
the future. The urge to scream was uppermost in her mind, but what was
happening was inevitable. She was losing her mind. It was the only explanation
for the fact that she kept slipping in and out of a fantasy. She shouldn't be
surprised that it was finally happening. She was having a nervous breakdown.

End of story. Curious as to what she'd see next, she opened her eyes.

'See," Daniel said. "I told you she was okay." Then his voice
deepened as he caressed the side of her face. "Sweetheart... how do you
feel?"

'Crazy," she muttered. "How about you?" He chuckled and then
winked at Hope. "I think the worst is over. At least your mother's sense
of humor is firmly in place.

'Help me up," Mary muttered.

Daniel stood, then put his hands beneath her arms and pulled her upright.

'Easy," he warned. "You might still be dizzy." Mary swayed
momentarily, then slowly gained her equilibrium.

'Okay?" he asked.

She took a deep breath and then nodded.

'Mommy?"

Mary's stomach knotted as she looked down at the little girl.

'I don't have to get
banilla
ice cream
today," Hope said.

Mary frowned, then remembered something being said about vanilla ice cream with
strawberry sprinkles.

'That's very sweet of you, but I'm all right." "Oh goody,"
Hope cried. "Ice cream will make you feel better, too."

Daniel slid an arm around Mary's waist and turned her toward the door.

'Hope, can you carry Mommy's purse for her, please?"

'Yes. I always carry it when Mommy's arms are full of groceries," she
said, then picked up the shoulder bag Mary had dropped and slung it across her
shoulder.

Mary fought the urge to laugh, but she was afraid if she started, she
wouldn't be able to stop. Maybe she should tell someone what was happening.
Then she discarded the thought. After all, who would believe her?

As they started out the door, she paused and looked back, but the old man
was nowhere in sight.

That figured. She'd probably imagined him, too.

When the sunlight hit her face, she squinted and ducked her head against the
glare. And because she did, she missed the fact that she was being led to a
waiting car. When they paused, she looked up, her eyes widening at the big,
white Cadillac Daniel was unlocking.

'I walked here," she muttered.

Daniel frowned and ran his hand through her hair.

'What are you doing?" Mary asked.

'I was checking for a bump. You're not making a lot of sense right now and
might have a slight concussion. I thought I caught you before you hit the
floor, but I could be wrong."

'I didn't hit my head," she said. "I just lost my mind."

Hope giggled. "Mommy's funny."

Mary let herself be seated in the car and then watched as Daniel put Hope in
the back seat. Without thinking, Mary turned around, got up on her knees and
buckled the little girl into her booster seat. It wasn't until she had turned
around and was reaching for her own seat belt that she realized what she'd
done. It had been so natural. Something she'd done without thinking. Something
she'd done a thousand times before. She pulled the sun visor down and then
looked at herself in the attached mirror. Ignoring her pallor, she stared,
trying to find the madness in the woman looking back. But all she could see was
a slight expression of shock.

Then her gaze slid past her own reflection to the child behind her as Daniel
got into the car. He reached for Mary's hand and gave her fingers a slight
squeeze.

'Honey... are you sure you're up for this ice cream stop?"

'I have no idea, but we'll soon find out." "It's not that
important," Daniel said. "Hope won't mind."

'But I will," Mary muttered. "In fact, I'd say we have to go. I
can't wait to see what happens next."

Chapter Four

Daniel was more than a little distracted by Mary's behavior as he drove
through the
Savannah
streets.

Even though it had been overly warm inside the old store, it wasn't like her
to faint. When he came to a main intersection and stopped at the red light, he
reached across the seat and threaded his fingers through hers.

'How are you feeling?"

Her eyes widened as she stared down at his hand and then he heard her take a
deep shaky breath.

'Mary Faith ... what's wrong?"

Mary didn't know what to say. She was convinced that this was nothing more
than an extension of her other fantasy. The dead do not come back to life, but
she'd never had a dream this real. If she only had a choice, she would choose
this insanity rather than go back to the loneliness and misery of her life. And
therein lay her dilemma. If she voiced her fears, would it make all of this
disappear? The fact that she could actually feel Daniel's hand on hers was an
unbelievable facet to this dream. To lose it-and him again, would break what
was left of her heart. She managed a smile and opted for safety. "I'm
fine," she said. "Stop worrying." Daniel grinned. "Now
that's asking the impossible and you know it. I always worry about my
girls." His voice softened and lowered so that only Mary could hear.
"You're my heart, Mary Faith. If you hurt, then so do I."

Mary's eyes welled with tears. Impulsively, she lifted his hand to her lips
and kissed the palm before cupping it to her cheeks.

Daniel groaned softly, then glanced in the rearview mirror before winking at
Mary.

'Your timing could be better here. I want to ravish you madly and we're in
the middle of a busy inter section with way too much company."

The heat in his eyes made Mary's toes curl. Suddenly, she remembered the
feel of Daniel's kisses and the pounding thrust of his body between her legs.

She bit her lower lip and then looked away.

Crazy. That's what she was. Stark, raving mad. "Mommy, are you
sick?"

The quaver in Hope's voice was enough to get Mary's attention. She turned
around quickly, making sure the child could see her smile.

'No, darling, I'm all right. I think I just got a little too hot,
okay?"

Hope nodded, but her big eyes were still dark with worry.

Daniel glanced in the rearview mirror. Her panic was obvious and catching.
He knew just how she felt. When Mary had gone limp in his arms, his heart had
almost stopped. She was the center of their world. He winked at Hope in the
mirror and then asked.

'Are you still up for vanilla ice cream, honey, or are you going to try
something different this time?"

The change of subject was exactly what Hope needed.

'I'm still having
banilla
," she announced.
"But when we get to the ice cream store, can I have my ice cream in a cone
instead of a cup?"

Hope's innocent question shifted Mary's focus into the everyday business of
parenting so smoothly that she answered before she thought.

'May I, not can I," Mary said, as she turned to Hope, then somehow knew
she'd said that very thing a dozen times before.

Hope sighed. "Oh yeah ...I forgot. May I have a cone?"

Mary knew she was staring, but Hope's expression was so like Daniel's she
couldn't look away. Was this what Hope would have looked like if she had lived,
or was this just a wider crack into insanity?

'Mommy... may I?" Hope persisted.

Mary blinked, as if coming out of a trance. "What? Oh...uh...yes, you
can have the cone but we'll have them put a little marshmallow in the tip of
the cone like before, okay? Then when the ice cream starts to melt, it won't
leak."

'Yea!" Hope cried, and settled back in her seat as Daniel accelerated
through the intersection. Mary felt herself nodding as she turned around, but
her heart was hammering in her chest. With a near-silent moan, she leaned back
against the seat and closed her eyes.

Like before? Where in hell had that come from?

Almost an hour later, they were on their way home. Hope was asleep in the
back seat of the car and the taste of praline and pecan ice cream was still on
Mary's tongue as Daniel turned right.

'Where are we going now?"

Daniel frowned. "Home."

'But this isn't the way to our house."

Daniel's frown deepened. The confusion on her face was real. Once again, he
knew he should have ignored her resistance to a checkup and taken her straight
to the emergency room. Something wasn't right.

He pulled into the circle driveway and parked beneath the portico, then
turned to face her.

'Honey, we've lived in this house for almost three years."

Mary's eyes widened as she stared at the brick two-story house and the tall
white columns bracing the roof of the portico. Then she closed her eyes and
took a deep breath before she was able to face him. "Isn't that silly of
me? For some reason I was thinking of our old house over on

Daniel leaned across the seat and felt her forehead, as if she might have a
fever.

'I still think you need to see a doctor."

Panic shifted, then receded. "And I think we need to get Hope in
bed," she said.

Before Daniel could argue, Mary was out of the car and opening the door to
the back seat. Gently, she unbuckled Hope from her booster seat and took her in
her arms.

'I'll carry her," Daniel said.

'No, you get the door," Mary said, certain there were no keys to this
house in her purse.

Daniel sighed, then shook his head and quickly did as she asked.

The shaded rooms were cool, a welcome respite from the sweltering heat of
afternoon. But Mary's relief was short-lived when she realized she had no idea
where her daughter's room was supposed to be. She stared up at the circular
staircase and wondered if she could bluff her way through, but the worry was
taken out of her hands when Daniel took Hope from her arms.

'You're not carrying her up those stairs," he muttered. "In fact,
you need to take a nap, yourself. Come on, honey. I'll unload the groceries and
put them up. I want you to rest."

Mary followed Daniel up the stairs, not because she particularly wanted to
sleep, but because she needed to see the layout of the house without making a
complete fool of herself.

As she watched him laying Hope on the bed in her room, she couldn't help but
wonder about this constant confusion. This was her dream. So why didn't she
just know this stuff?

She backed out of Hope's room into the hall and then turned around, staring
blankly at the series of closed doors. As she stood, certain things began to
emerge. The door directly across from Hope's room was a bathroom, decorated in
three shades of blue. She didn't know how she knew it, but she was positive she
was right. When she opened the door and peeked in, her heart skipped a beat.
Just as she'd thought it would be.

Quietly, she backed out and then walked a few feet down the hall to the
first door on her left. This was the spare bedroom. She closed her eyes,
picturing what was behind the door. Immediately, she focused on a pink and gold
comforter on a four-poster bed.

And she knew that, in the corner, there was a matching armoire she and
Daniel had found on an excursion to
Atlanta
two years ago.

Taking a deep breath, she looked in. It was there, just as she'd envisioned.
When she closed the door she was smiling.

Okay, I've been making this too hard. It's still my dream. It can be any way
I want it to be.

Daniel was coming out of Hope's room as she turned around.

'Why aren't you in bed?" he asked.

'Because I was waiting for you to tuck me in, too."

Breath caught in the back of Daniel's throat. The invitation in her voice
was impossible to miss. He caught her up in his arms and carried her across the
hall, toed the door open with his shoe and then kicked it shut behind him.

Mary knew before she looked that there would be a king-size brass bed and
that the room was decorated with the colors of autumn. When Daniel laid her
down, she felt, before she saw, the handmade quilt on their bed. As the
familiar softness cushioned her back, she kicked off her shoes and reached for Daniel.
There was no way to know how long this fantasy would last, and she didn't want
to waste a moment.

A hungry glint fired in Daniel's eyes as he sprawled across her. Tunneling
his fingers through her hair, a low moan rose from his throat as he centered his
mouth upon her lips.

In desperation, Mary clung to him. It had been so long. But before she could
remove her clothes, Daniel drew back with a groan.

'
Oooh
, baby, hold that thought. I've got to get
the groceries in out of the heat."

He rolled away from her and then got off the bed. Before she could think, he
was out of the room and on his way down the stairs.

Mary turned over on her belly and buried her face in the pillow in mute
frustration, then moments later, sat up in bed.

The furnishings in the room were almost opulent, but had a comfortable,
lived-in look about them that almost seemed familiar. Her gaze fell on the
closet and suddenly, she bounced off the bed and ran toward it. As her fingers
curled around the doorknob, she caught herself holding her breath in nervous
anticipation. Slowly, she pulled the door open then stepped inside and turned
on the light.

Daniel's clothing was hanging on the right in a neat and orderly manner,
from suits, to sport coats to casual slacks. Blue jeans were folded and stacked
neatly on a built-in shelf as were an assortment of T-shirts. A row of shoes
was on the floor beneath the clothing and a small rack of neckties hung from
the back of the closet door. Just as she would have expected it to be.