Page 81 of Time Stops With You

“Nardi’s waiting,” I remind the prodigy.

And I doubt she’s in a good mood.

“Him?” Asad’s brain is still backfiring.

Unbothered, Josiah whirls around with the tent poles and almost whacks Asad’s car. He veers left, missing the hood by a hair but losing his balance in the process.

“Whoa.” I instinctively grab his arm to steady him.

“Thanks,” Josiah says.

I take two of the poles away. “Let me help.”

Asad is still short-circuiting and I briefly wonder if he’ll need an ambulance called. However, I determine that he’ll be fine and join Josiah instead.

We walk together, our sneakers thudding against the concrete of the parking lot. I’m content to move in silence, but Josiah interrupts the quiet by muttering, “I have a question.”

“About the PLP Project?”

“About my sister.”

I stiffen. “What about her?”

“Have you convinced her to marry you yet?”

I clear my throat gently. “Who told you about that?”

“I overheard you two talking that time you came over.” He gathers the poles closer to his chest. “The first time, I mean. Not the time you cooked pasta.”

My mind goes blank. I have no idea how I should respond to that.

We walk for a bit more. The sun heats the top of my head and the poles are especially heavy. The adrenaline rush I felt when I saw Nardi with Big T is starting to fade. My body’s caving under the pressure.

“Nardi hasn’t been on a date since I came to live with her,” Josiah blurts.

That surprises me. While I spend most of my time alone and find company exhausting, Nardi is very magnetic.

“What about Big T?”

“That guysucks.”

I grin in silent agreement. No wonder I felt a strong connection to Josiah as my legacy. We think alike.

“But,” he continues, “even if the most perfect guy in the world shows up, Nardi’s not going to marry him.”

“Why not?”

He narrows his eyes in thought. “She said she won’t marry anyone. Not after her last boyfriend.”

I can feel my blood pounding in my ears. “Who was her last boyfriend?”

“The guy who brought her to America.”

“Nardi left Belize with a man?”

Josiah nods.

A stiff frown works over my face. I’d read all of Nardi’s files and nothing had mentioned an ex. Though, to be fair, the PI hadn’t researched her life in Belize and I hadn’t been interested in going further back either.

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