Free Clockwiser by Elle Strauss Page A

We’d be like yoyos flying through time.”
     
    The smile I was desperate for finally appeared on Nate’s face. “Good point. As long as your flame hasn’t gone out.”
     
    “It’s not out, I promise you.”
     
    “Good. So, anyway,” Nate said as we started walking again. He threaded his fingers through mine. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you that I had a little visit from your cop friends last night.”
     
    “Oh, no.” I squeezed his hand. “Was it terrible? I’m so sorry.”
     
    “Relax, it was fine. I actually didn’t have anything but the truth to tell. The last time I saw Tim he was walking into your house.”
     
    “I’m not a good liar. They could tell I was holding back, but it’s not like I can tell them the truth.”
     
    “No you can’t, so getting back to the task at hand.” He ran a hand through his hair. “How about bungee jumping?”
     
    “Bungee jumping?
     
    “Yeah, doubles. That should get your heart pumping.”
     
    “But you do remember when we return, it’s to the exact same moment when we left. All of sudden we’d be hanging upside down over a river or something. And what about Tim? We’d drop him, and he could be killed.”
     
    “Okay, maybe not a good idea.”
     
    I didn’t notice the Toyota pulling into the parking lot, but when the driver’s dark head popped out, I recognised Lucinda.
     
    “Your mom said you might be here,” she said.
     
    “Hi,” I said, realizing I’d left my cell phone in my bag at home. Then I saw her eyes, all puffy and red. “Lucinda? Are you all right?”
     
    She burst into tears, “Josh broke up with me.”
     
    I was stunned. “Since this morning?”
     
    “He dropped by on his way to work and said he didn’t want to drag things out anymore. He met someone at UF and even though they aren’t official, he didn’t want to lead me on. He likes her now, not me.”
     
    She let out a huge sob, and I wrapped her in a safe, non-skin-touching hug. “Oh, Luce.”
     
    I felt badly since I was the one who’d pulled strings to get them together. Josh was a friend of Nate’s, and if it weren’t for me, he’d never have noticed Lucinda.
     
    I appealed to Nate with my eyes.
     
    “Uh, Josh is...” Nate’s face flattened out. “He’s just... he’s not ready to...”
     
    Lucinda drew a tissue out of her purse and blew her nose. “Thanks, you don’t have to make excuses for him.”
     
    The three of us sat on a bench, with me in the middle, all of us looking kind of lost.
     
    “I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Lucinda hiccupped.
     
    “It’s fine,” I said, though I was starting to get antsy about sitting around and not finding a way to get back to Tim.
     
    Nate must’ve felt the same way. “But we really should...” he started.
     
    “Oh,” Lucinda said, “I totally forgot about Tim. Oh my goodness, Casey, you need to get back to him. “
     
    “The question is how,” Nate said.
     
    Lucinda wiped mascara from under her eyes with her tissue. “Have you tried making out?”
     
    “Lucinda!” I said, my face growing crimson.
     
    She flashed me a conflicted look. “Well, it used to work.”
     
    Nate frowned and folded his arms across his chest. “We already tried that.”
     
    Lucinda’s dark eyes grew wide. “And it didn’t work?”
     
    “Lucinda, please. I need stress. Nate doesn’t stress me out anymore.” Though this conversation was.
     
    “Okay, let’s think,” Lucinda said.
     
    “We’ve ruled out bungee jumping,” Nate said. Lucinda sent him a “well, duh” look.
     
    “It’s not like it’s anything specific,” I said. “I mean, I’m stressed out about Tim and my parents already. Why isn’t it working?”
     
    “Time travel is anything but predictable,” Nate said. He got that right.
     
    Lucinda jumped to her feet, almost knocking me off the bench. “I’ve got the best idea!”
     

Chapter Twelve
     
    TIM
     
     
     
     
     
    You know that “fight or flight” impulse