Page 26 of When I Found You

I take several deep breaths before opening the door. Arthur glances up from behind his desk. He stands as I walk in and close the door behind me.

“You asked to see me, sir?” I keep my attention focused on him, but I can feel Dad’s presence in the room. Those piercing eyes ground me. I take a breath and steady my racing heart.

“Yes, Kate. I want you to meet Victor Cohen, my associate.” He turns away, and I follow his gaze. “Victor, this is my new assistant, Kate.”

“Good to have you on board, Kate.” Dad extends his hand and offers a sincere smile.

There’s a stabbing pain in my chest from my heart exploding. I choke back a sob at the sight of him. His familiar mop of hair slicked back with precision, kind eyes, and commanding presence. He looks exactly like he does in the photograph I keep of him on my dresser. I want to scream and cry and throw myself into his arms, tell him how much I missed him. The desire to do it nearly overwhelms my sense. But I refrain.

Instead, I reach out and take his extended hand. “An honor, Mr. Cohen. I’m excited to work with you.”

The heat of his hand engulfs mine. After thirty-two years of being deprived of his presence, his touch, I’m engulfed by a torrent of emotion by the simple contact. Pain, relief, joy, sadness, and every possible emotion in-between seems to catch me up in a hurricane. I may die, but it would be worth it for this one moment of reconnection. I shake his hand firmly and ignore my heart screaming inside my chest.

“Likewise.” He releases me and steps back. His smile is kind and warm.

I clear my throat and smile turning back to Arthur. His expression is guarded and stern. I drop my gaze, unable to stand the intensity of the moment.

“Kate, would you please pull the file for the Mulligan Building as well as the Firehouse and Webber projects?” Arthur’s deep voice reverberates off my soul.

I swallow the lump in my throat and meet his gaze. “Of course.” With a parting smile at Dad, I turn and leave the room.

Once I’m outside Arthur’s office, I head directly for the filing cabinet and retrieve the files he requested. Staking them in a pile, I place them on Gladys’s desk.

“Here are the files Mr. Maxwell requested.” I gesture toward the door. “I need to use the ladies’ room.”

Gladys nods without glancing up from her typing. “Go ahead, dear.”

The walls compress inwards. My head spins. I step out into the hallway and rush toward the restrooms located at the end of the corridor. Inside, it’s empty. I collapse inside a stall and hang my head over the toilet as the nausea rolls over me. But nothing comes up and for once I’m glad I skipped lunch.

I slam the toilet seat down and collapse against the wall. Tears fall freely as the rush of emotions slam into me like a freight train.

How the hell can I do this? How can I work alongside Dad and not tell him the truth of my identity? How can I continue this charade with Arthur after all he’s done for me? My heart splits with indecision. Even if I tell the truth, no one will believe me.

Arthur is a practical man. He won’t believe I’m from the future. He’ll think I’m insane and send me off to some asylum somewhere for psychiatric evaluation. Fear grips me. I’ll never see Dad again. I’ll be trapped here forever.

Too late. I’m already trapped here, in a time I don’t belong. How is this even possible? I’m no closer to understanding how I got here than I am to understanding if there’s even a way to get back to my time? I thump my head against the wall. Not that I want to go back to the future. The thought alone makes my skin crawl. I shiver. No. I’ll make it work here, but I don’t exist and this presents a problem.

At some point, I’m going to have to ask for help. The question is, who can I possibly trust with the truth of my situation? Another wave of nausea rolls over me and I wrap my arms around my waist.

What am I going to do? Maybe I should reach out to Marcy or even Rob, the doctor friend of Arthur’s. Deep in my mind, I know doing either would cause a rift between me and Arthur. If anything, I’ve learned Arthur is a fiercely loyal man, and while he may not understand my situation, he deserves the truth at some point.

I choke back a sob because I know the moment I tell him, whatever we have will be over. And the thought of losing him terrifies me more than the possibility of never seeing my parents again.

Chapter Twelve

Arthur

I send everyone home early. Since it’s Friday, no one questions my dismissal. It’s been a while since I granted such a boon. Gladys beams at me when she exits the office reminding me to tell Kate when she returns from the restroom.

That won’t be a problem because Kate is the very reason I’m sending everyone home early. After her unusual reaction to meeting Victor, the pieces are starting to fall into place. Finding Kate outside the office. Her questions about my associates, Victor in particular. But seeing her flustered response to his presence solidifies my suspicions.

What I hadn’t anticipated was the surge of possessive jealousy to commandeer my common sense and rational thought. Jealousy because I want her to react to my presence. Possessive because Victor already has a beautiful wife. The undercurrent hums through me, and I pace my office unsure of how to even approach the conversation with Kate.

The outer office door closes. Kate’s shadow falls across the frosted glass of my door.

After a deep breath to steel my expression, I open the door. The words die in my throat when I see Kate bent at the waist searching the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet. Her skirt rides high on the back of her thighs and all I can imagine is slipping my hand along those curves and baring her backside as she bends over my desk.

The filing cabinet slams shut.

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