The Coffee Shop (20 page)

“Watch it.”

Brian laughed, but a frown crossed his face. “Wait a minute. If reconciling with me gets me killed, what are you doing talking to me now?”

“Because I know it’s safe to now. You were already dead two days ago here in the future, on a different timeline. That tells me that whatever happened had already happened before that point in time. When I talked to you three days ago, the first time here in the future, on a different timeline, before I knew my ‘fixing it’ would get you killed…it was already done. There was no taking it back. That you’re still here indicates it was safe to do so.”

Brian stared for a moment.

“I’m just glad that talking to you three days ago was not what led to your death.”

“You and me both. Okay is this the strangest conversation on record or what?”

“I could agree with that. So, you can imagine my shock when you and Denise walk through that door to have dinner with Annie and me. Annie had called Denise, and between the two of them, they got us back together. Had I known what she was up to I would have stopped it. They must have arranged to have us both meet without realizing we were meeting each other. Can’t explain it any other way.”

“Wait, when was that?”

“Two weeks ago yesterday, but that was in another timeline, and Annie was the one to instigate it.” He swallowed the last of his drink and walked across to the bar and filled his glass again. “But now I have totally lost her.” He swung his arm at the empty penthouse. “As you can see, there is no Annie.”

Brian shook his head. “What did you do?”

“Why do you say it like that?”

Brian just shook his head. “Oh, Derrick.”

Derrick closed his eyes, and dropping his head, he shook it from side to side. “After my first meeting with Annie, I realized I had done something slightly different. I commented about her book. And when I dreamed that night, that was when she was slightly different, and the books on the bedside table were gone. So I made sure the next two meetings with her went exactly as they had in my first dream, and over the next two glimpses into the future she became the Annie I knew again.” He looked up to see Brian watching him.

“But you couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you? You just had to do something, didn’t you? I know you, Derrick. I know your heart is in the right place, and you meant well, but let’s face it, you obviously screwed up big time. So, what was it you did that now has you here alone?”

“You’re right. I should have known to leave well enough alone. The first meeting with Annie had already proved that to me. And when everything went back to the way it was, by doing it exactly as it had occurred in the first dream, that should have told me as much.” He took another drink. “I can honestly say I don’t know what I was thinking. I got comfortable, and as I had already been with Annie, in my head, for five months, I started to think of myself as that future Derrick. And I overstepped.”

“Dare I ask what exactly it was that you did?”

“I discovered she was hiding the fact that she was
—
”

“A stripper?”

Derrick stared, his jaw tensing.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. You know me.”

“Unfortunately.”

“I’m sorry, I was hoping to alleviate some of the
—
”

“Life altering devastation?”

“So, I’m guessing it didn’t work?”

“I discovered she likes to do high IQ tests for fun.”

“She what?”

“Exactly. This is her idea of fun.”

“And let me guess. You stuck you big, fat nose right in the middle of it, didn’t you? You can’t help yourself, Derrick. Like I said, you have this compulsion to help, only it winds up getting you in trouble, and I’m guessing your suggestion didn’t go down so well.”

“I suggested she could be using her abilities for something on a somewhat grander scale, yes.”

“Oh, Derrick, Derrick, Derrick.” Brian shook his head. “You poor, dumb slob.”

Derrick stared. “You don’t happen to know a Mrs. Fleming, by any chance, do you?”

“Mrs. Fleming?”

“She said almost exactly the same thing.”

“Smart woman.”

“Are those words actually supposed to be helping me on some level?”

“No, but they make me feel better.”

Derrick stared. “Should I say what I’m thinking right now?”

Brian grinned. “Look, you’ll go to her. Say all the right things. And fix it.”

“I obviously tried to do that, and it didn’t work.” He gestured to the empty penthouse.

Brian sipped his scotch. “And you have obviously not sent yourself a note to tell yourself what not to do to try and fix it.”

“I probably did, and it just made it worse, so I retrieved the note and had it destroyed before I got it.”

“You see, that paradox stuff…You send a note to be read in the future, so you can get a glimpse of it to use it in the past, only you see that it makes it worse the next time you get a glimpse into the future, so the next time you are in the past you destroy the note, so you never get it in the future to use in the past. But then you probably send it again, not realizing you already did all that, and, okay I am officially tired from thinking.”

“Do that a few more times and you’ll be where I am now.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“The only thing I can do. Keep trying to fix it with Annie, and hope that it works.”

“Well, I hope I’m talking to you in the next timeline. Oh, and that I’m alive. That part would be good.”

“I am sorry about that, Brian, you do know that don’t you?”

“It all makes sense now. Or does it? All this stuff has my head so turned in knots I’m not sure what’s real anymore.”

“I’m going to miss you over the next few months. But you do realize that I can’t be certain it’s okay to contact you until two weeks ago.”

“Um, yes?”

Chapter Sixteen

Opening his eyes, Derrick stared up at the ceiling. He missed Annie, and every time he dreamed of her in the future, living here together, so much in love…and now to see she never will…

He had to fix it. But how? Whatever he had tried to do obviously didn’t work. But as to what that was, he had no idea. How was he to know what not to do? It’s not like he could ask Angela, as far as she was concerned it hadn’t happened yet. No, he had to figure this out, and he had to figure it out fast. Problem was he knew no matter what he came up with, he would be second-guessing himself. All he could do was to approach it as he did every obstacle in life, and then, not do that.

He laughed aloud at the absurdity of it. Here, he had to come up with a solution so that he would know what solution not to use. Then come up with something that was nothing like it.

Derrick stared out the window. No matter what he tried to come up with, he couldn’t be certain it was what he did wrong the first time. He had never been in love, not like this anyway, and as to how to deal with something like this, it had never been something he had had to resolve before. And it finally came down to going with his gut feeling. It had never let him down before. But then maybe that was what he had done that had ruined any chance of being with Annie.

You have to stop doing this. This is getting you nowhere
. He knew no matter what he came up with he couldn’t be certain. All he could do was to go with his heart and pray that he did and said the right thing to fix what he had done in the first place.
Just keep it simple, stick to the point, don’t digress or try to excuse it. Apologize, explain why you were so stupid, and tell her you won’t do it again.
Now if you can just do that!

Dialing Perfectly Natural, he waited as the phone rang. “Angela?”

There was a pause. “Yes, may I help you?”

“She’s working today, isn’t she?”

“Yes, we have that.”

“If I come down there to talk to her, is there some place we can speak in private?”

“We may have some in storage, in the back. Not sure about that though. You may need to go somewhere else for that.”

“I doubt ambushing her on the street would work. It’s not exactly a conversation you want to have in public. And I have a feeling she won’t let me into her apartment just now so, that leaves — ”

“Why don’t you come on down, and we’ll see what we can do.”

“Thank you! You are a lifesaver!”

“I hope we have what you are looking for, but until you get here I can’t say for sure. Okay, then, see you in a bit.”

She ended the call, and he pocketed his cell. He had never been so nervous or scared in his life. If someone were to ask him if he had been either of those in his lifetime, he would have said not since he was a little kid. But things had changed. He had met Annie, and they had fallen in love. At least he had fallen in love with her. He could only assume she felt the same about him. It seemed she cared about him. And maybe that was why she reacted so strongly to what he had said last time they were together. What he thought and said mattered to her. And that he said it, someone that she should feel safe around, someone that she should feel she could share anything with and not worry about being judged or criticized…

He had been thinking of her, wanting only what he thought was the best for her, but he hadn’t stopped to think about the fact that she had chosen the life she had, for a reason. She may have been perfectly happy with the way things were, and to expect so much from her may have been asking more than she could give. She wasn’t tough as nails, and that is just what you have to be if you are going to jump head first into the competitive world of the high intelligence arena.

If he had really stopped to think about it, he would have seen that. But his way of seeing things, the way he had always done things, when it came to Annie it was as if he lost all sense of direction and that ability of his that worked so well in all other situations couldn’t be applied. And it was just occurring to him it shouldn’t be applied. She wasn’t a corporation, or a merger, she was the woman he loved. More than anything.

He climbed into the limousine calling up into the front seat. “Perfectly Natural, please, Lawrence.”

“Sir.”

He could see Lawrence watching him in the rear view mirror, and he smiled, trying to appear casual, but he knew he wasn’t pulling it off.

“Are you all right, sir?”

“Yes, Lawrence. Thanks for asking. Just a little disagreement with Miss Maddock. Something I hope to clear up.” He smiled self-consciously, uncertain as to why he had just shared all that personal information with Lawrence. He wasn’t the type to do that, just open up and spill his guts like that, and this concerned him. This whole Annie thing was putting him off his game.
There you go again. Thinking of Annie like she was just another acquisition.

He shook his head, trying to push the thoughts from his head, and the limousine pulled into the parking lot of the store.

He stared over at the entrance, those few paces to walk to it being the hardest he would ever take. The door to the limousine opened, and it startled him. He had forgotten all about Lawrence. “Lawrence, thank you.” He stood, straightened his tie, and adjusted his suit jacket. “Wish me luck, Lawrence.”

Lawrence tipped his hat. “Good luck, sir.”

He’d never asked anyone to wish him luck before. He’d never had to. He didn’t need luck. He was fully capable of doing whatever was required of him to succeed in any given situation. But he had to stop himself from thinking that way when it came to Annie, and he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to. He was so used to falling back upon his gut instinct that he had to stop himself from doing so.

Maybe that was what happened last time. He couldn’t stop himself from doing what he always did. He realized he needed to distract himself. Keep himself off balance. And that was exactly what Annie did to him. Perhaps that was why he had that overwhelming compulsion to resort to what he knew.
Speak from the heart. Speak from the heart.

Reaching the door, he opened it stepping inside. Scanning the store, he tried to catch sight of her, but he didn’t see her anywhere. Angela was standing behind the counter, and when their eyes locked, she motioned briefly in the direction of the back. Taking his cue, he moved in the direction she had indicated, walking with purpose toward the shelves of cereals and grains.

Annie was talking with a customer, sharing a story about some cereal they had both tried, and hated, but oh, it was just so good for you. She laughed and caught sight of Derrick, seeing him watching her from the end of the aisle. “This one here is good.” She picked up one of the boxes from the shelf, holding it out to the customer. “At least I liked it. You can always add fruit, or even put some cinnamon and honey on it if you like. Some people add yogurt. It’s up to you.”

The woman nodded, smiling, and slowly made her way back down the aisle past Derrick.

Looking back to the shelves, Annie started to straighten the boxes, moving them forward to fill in the now empty space. “Mr. Sloane.”

Derrick smiled at her use of his surname, and thought perhaps it would be best to return the greeting doing the same. “Miss Maddock.”

“Was there something I could do for you?”

“I…” He cleared his throat, and she stopped to look at him. “Uh…I was wondering if I might be able to talk with you?” She stared for what felt like a very long time to him, not saying anything.

“All right.”

She looked unhappy, but at least she was open to letting him say what he had come to tell her.

“Uh…would it be possible to talk somewhere where it’s a little more private?” For a second he was certain she was going to say no, but her expression changed, and she looked sad.

She glanced in the direction of the stock room, but turned walking toward the back. “Back here,” she said over her shoulder, without looking back.

He followed her out a door and into a back alley, most likely for deliveries, he surmised by the stacks of plastic crates piled by the door.

Taking one of the crates, she turned it upside down and sat on it. Leaning back against the building, she looked up at him without saying a word.

For a second he didn’t know what to say. Here she was ready and willing to listen, at least he hoped she would listen, and he was fidgeting like he was back in grammar school and called to the Principal’s office.

“Oh, sorry, would you like a seat?” She stood, looking for a crate to offer him.

“No. No, I’m just fine. Thanks for offering though.” And then he laughed. “I love that about you, Annie. Even in a situation like this, you are thinking of others, and their comfort, and are they okay? You are the most amazing person I have ever met, and that I would be so stupid as to even begin to think I had any right to suggest the way you are right now isn’t perfect?” The words had just up and gushed out of him before he even realized what it was he was doing, and he prayed it wasn’t the wrong thing to say. “Because you are perfect. You are the only perfect person I have ever met. I think that’s what had me so confused. I didn’t know that such a thing could exist, as a truly happy person. Content in the life they have, not needing to be the center of attention, or conquer the world, but truly happy. And I think it scared me. And I went into some sort of ‘Derrick knows how to fix this’ mode. In my thinking you needed to be fixed, but now I realize how incredibly stupid that was. Why do you have to be my version of what I think you should be? Where did I get the idea that was what I should be doing? Dumping all my insecurities all over you. In my own twisted way, I thought what I was doing was a good thing. But now that I’ve had a chance to step back and see the bigger picture I realize how totally idiotic it was to expect you to be another version of me. Especially when the person I fell in love with is exactly who you are.”

“You’re in love with me?”

“Oh, I’m sorry to just blurt it out like that. That was it, wasn’t it? The one really stupid thing I said that made you never want to see me ever again, wasn’t it?”

“I’m sorry? But what are you talking about?”

Derrick laughed. “What
am
I talking about? If only I knew, because lately, anything comes out of this mouth.”

“So, you didn’t mean what you said about being in love with me?”

Turning slightly away, Derrick closed one eye. “Yes?”

Annie stood, and stared up at him quizzically. “Was that a question? Because that sounded like a question.”

“Do you want it to be?”

Annie laughed. “Oh, my dear man. Just look at what you have been reduced to.” She shook her head. “Why is it that I make you this way?” She sighed and looked to the pavement. “I admit, that I too have started to have feelings for you. And I too, am not used to this.”

He took a step toward her. “You are?”

“It’s all happening so fast. It’s like I already know you, or some nonsense.” She raised her eyes to meet his. “Does that sound ridiculous to you?”

“I’ve been thinking the exact same thing.” Stepping to the building, he leaned up against it. “And here I thought I was the only one thinking that.” He knew in that moment that everything was going to be okay. That she had accepted him back into her life, and he hoped, into her heart. “So, we’re okay then?”

She smiled. “Yes, we’re okay.”

“Oh thank God.” He collapsed onto one of the crates. “Here I thought I had ruined any chance I had of ever being with you again.” He looked to see her watching him. “And I better stop talking before I say something else stupid and mess it up again.”

She laughed again, and reaching out, she ran her hand over his hair, but pulled her hand back. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I just did that.” And then she shrugged. “I guess it’s that, I feel like I already know you, thing again.”

“Don’t mind me. I don’t have any problem with anything you may do.”

“Careful. You just may live to regret your words.” Her words sounded ominous, but she smiled, brushing the comment away with a wave of her hand. “I was going to go for a walk on the beach after work. You’re welcome to join me if you want?”

“I’d love to. And I know of a little pizza place that would really appreciate some business.” He glanced down at the pavement beneath his feet.