Page 41 of Time Stops With You

“Didn’t you promise that I’d die the next time you see me?”

I glance over and find a small smile on his lips.

My own lips tug upward and I help him up another step. “We’ll postpone that plan for the time being. You’re not dying on my watch tonight.”

Five

CULLEN

If you change too suddenly, you’re going to die.It’s an old saying pointing out how human beings never truly change.

Unless they’re facing the end, of course. That’s when they seek forgiveness, tie up loose ends, and make amends for past mistakes.

I don’t need or want forgiveness, but the Pilot-less Plane project is a loose end I refuse to leave dangling. That’s why Imustmentor Josiah and set him up with the tools he’ll need to succeed in the future.

Marrying Nardi is simply an extra firewall to protect my mainframe.

And yet…

Somethinghappened in that stairwell.

What exactly? I wouldn’t be able to describe. All I know is that my heart started beating faster, the air around me grew excruciatingly hot and her lips looked delectable.

Such ridiculous thoughts toward a woman have never entered my head before.

It’s a sure sign that I’m on my way out.

“Be quiet.” Nardi places a finger to her lips before opening the door of her apartment.

I tiptoe in behind her.

She gestures to the couch, makes another ‘sh’ motion and then moves down the hallway. She disappears into what I believe is Josiah’s room.

Left to my own devices, I do a quick survey of her apartment. The ceiling has several stains, evidence of a pipe leakage. The room itself is barely livable. If I stretch my arms, I would be able to touch the other wall within three steps.

While Nardi’s kitchen was impeccably kept, her living room shows a different level of care. The rug is worn and dust coats the fringes. The pillows have seen better days and her television stand? Yikes.

Rather than sit for a second time in a couch that hasn’t been vacuumed in years, I browse the mantle. There are several pictures of Josiah and an older woman who bears a startling resemblance to Nardi. Many of the pictures have a background of a sunny sky, plentiful coconut trees, and sandy beaches.

Based on the background check I ran, Nardi and Josiah are both from a Central American country called ‘Belize’. Their mother is still living in Belize while Nardi is taking care of her brother alone.

Bringing Josiah to live with Nardi was the right choice. With his potential, he’ll have more opportunities to hone his gift at a school here than in a small island nation.

A door in the distance opens and shuts. Soft footsteps patter toward me.

I turn just as Nardi appears again. “Why are you standing?”

“I…” Good etiquette probably requires that I keep my thoughts about her dirty couch to myself. I distract her instead. “Is this your mother?”

Nardi approaches the picture with a smile on her face. “Yes. They took this picture in Placencia. Mom hates boats because she never learned to swim. But a few years after I left Belize, they built a road to one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Mom bought bus tickets and took Josiah over there the minute she could.”

“Have you been back to Belize?”

Nardi shakes her head. “At first, I couldn’t. Not until I got my papers sorted out. After, I just got so busy and the price of the tickets…” She shrugs.

I nod, fascinated. “It’s my first time meeting someone from Belize.”

“Yeah, I hear that a lot.” She laughs and, standing under the living room lights, her dark eyes sparkle.

---