Page 34 of A Matter of Time
As she entered the coffee shop, she noted the lack of patrons. While unusual, it simply meant she could choose a nice spot to sit and enjoy her coffee without interruption. She got a cup of her favorite pumpkin spice coffee and nestled into a corner spot with a view of the door. She was exhausted. They’d been working day and night since Thanksgiving to get ready for the competition and she needed to clear her head and take a deep breath. If she didn’t, she wasn’t sure how effective she’d be against her own opponent.
As she sat daydreaming, she heard the sound of the coffee shop door opening and closing and then felt the presence of someone standing nearby. Startled back to the present, she nearly jumped out of her seat as she lifted her eyes to see Malcom Granger standing before her.
“This is a surprise, Angelina. I wouldn’t expect to see you here all alone.” His lips smiled, but the rest of his face remained impassive.
“Malcolm, you scared me,” Angelina said.
“That wasn’t my intention. May I?” he asked, pointing to the chair opposite her.
“Sure. Please, join me. What are you up to today?” she asked, trying to ignore the unsettled, nervous feeling which had overcome her with Malcolm’s arrival.
“The same as you, I would imagine. Getting ready for this weekend.” A server brought him a coffee and he barely acknowledged their presence.
Angelina thought the server looked familiar. He didn’t work here, or if he did, she hadn’t seen him before. She had seen him somewhere though – but she couldn’t think where.
“Is everything okay?” Malcolm interrupted her thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a bit tired. I needed a little pick me up, so here I am.”
Malcolm leaned forward across the table. “Angelina, I wanted to speak with you about something. You’re fairly open minded, aren’t you?”
It sounded more like a statement than a question and Angelina nodded as she sipped her coffee, which she found she was enjoying less by the minute.
“I have a proposition for you. Hopefully you’ll think it a worthwhile endeavor.”
“What is it?” She wasn’t certain she really wanted to know. After herdatewith him, she had been so freaked out that she had avoided him at every turn.
“I realize our date the other night didn’t go well, but you are an intelligent woman and I think I can ask for your help in this matter without worry.”
“My curiosity is piqued.” She was holding onto her coffee cup for dear life. Malcolm was examining her face, as if he expected to find something there. She wiped at her lips with a napkin.
“I’m sorry. I’m making you uncomfortable. You’re beauty has me mesmerized and I’m afraid I’m not very good at disguising my interest in you.”
How on earth should she respond to that? She remained mute, and concentrated on staring at the napkin holder.
“Let me get right to the point. Do you believe in time travel?” Malcolm sipped his coffee and patiently waited for her to answer.
Angelina suspected her eyebrows had hit her hairline, she was so stunned by his question. “Time travel? No, I don’t think so. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I believe your friends, Richard and Nick, are time travelers from medieval Scotland.” He held up a hand to stop her immediate protest. “Before you say anything, I know you must think I’ve lost my mind, but think about what you know about them, and then think about what youdon’tknow.”
Angelina’s head was spinning. If she didn’t know better, it might be possible to believe Nick and Richard were from the past, given their way of speaking, and their reactions to so many things, but since time travel wasn’t viable, there had to be another explanation for the questions she had about them. “I think I’d better get back to practice, Malcolm. They’ll miss me if I’m gone too long.” She began to rise, but Malcolm swiftly grabbed her wrist.
“Please. Just a few more moments of your time.”
She sat down warily because he obviously wasn’t going to let her leave without creating a scene.
“I’m sure you’ll need more time to process what I’ve just told you, but I’m equally as certain you’ll come to agree with my findings. In any case, I need your help to convince them to take me with them back in time.”
Angelina was concerned about Malcolm’s mental state. He reallybelievedthis whole time travel thing and unbelievably, he thought he could do it too! “Okay. Let’s suppose you’re right, and time travel is possible. If Richard and Nick have time travelled to San Francisco, wouldn’t they have gone back by now? What’s keeping them here?”
“I think it’s morewho’skeeping them here. They must know how to get back. There’s got to be a portal somewhere in the city, and I need their help to find it.”
“Portal?” Angelina repeated blankly.
Malcolm nodded. “Of course. There must be some kind of wormhole that they’ve travelled through to reach us from their time and consequently, I’m certain they know where it is hidden. I need to find it, Angelina. It’s of the utmost importance.”
“Why?”
