Free Time Masters Book One; The Call (An Urban Fantasy, Time Travel Romance) by Geralyn Beauchamp

Th en you and I a re going to go out for breakfast. After whi ch we can go round up Kitty-kat, if you like, and do a little shopping at the mall.” Her dark eyes sparkled, coaxing a smile from Shona who slowly pushed aside the dream, the longing slipping away, alm ost as if her mother could chase it off .
    “I would like that.” Shona whispered. Maybe getting out would calm the rest of her nerves.
    “Good. You’ve been studying too hard and could use the break.” Maggie sprang to her feet and spun to face Shona like a cheerl eader, sending her dark hair fl ying. “We do the town today!”
    Shona raised a brow at her.
    “Too enthus iastic for you?” Maggie teased then sobered.  “Yes, well.  I’ll just mosey along and let you get ready.”
    Shona smiled and marveled at her mother. She hoped she looked as good when she reached forty-eight. Maggie Whittard was a stunning woman and everyone whom she met always told Shona and her father just that. She was a lso the proud possessor of a fi erce Irish temper, a classic trait Shona was thankful she had not inherited, though many assumed she did using her multi-colored reddish hair as the indicator. “I will have to give Kitty a call and see what she is doing,” she replied. “Who knows what she is up to today.”
    Maggie calmed at the thought, a pained look on her face. “You do that.” She turned to leave the room, then looked back, her face full of an emotion Shona couldn’t quite recognize.
    “Is something the matter?” Shona asked, concerned. “Or are you just dreading Kitty?”
    “No, nothing’s wrong. Call Kitty. I’ll be downstairs…” she wriggled her eyebrows playfully, “w restling with your father.” She then bounded out of the room.
    Shona rolled her eyes, got wearily out of bed, and looked around for the faded jeans she had thrown off the night before. She could still feel the lingering eff ects of the dream, but th ey were not too unpleasant as yet ; the alarm clock having wakened her before the dream had the chance to turn bad. For that she was grateful, and patted the clock in a silent thank-you before getting dressed.
    Downstairs, Shona’s father sat at the kitchen table looking slightly disheveled, evidence her mother had indeed been wrestling with him while getting herself ready. Shona looked at him, one eyebrow raised in question.
    Evan Whittard took it as an accusation. “Hmmph,” he grunted into his morning paper. “Wait until you’re married. You’ll look like this, too.” He glanced at her. “Now and then, anyway.”
    The candid statement brought up her other eyebrow. She swallowed and quickly turned away. Evan peeked at her over his paper and chuckled to himself. He loved to make her blush; heaven knew he couldn’t make his w ife do that. “So buttercup, where are you off to today?” he asked still amused.
    Shona abruptly stopped her digging throu gh a cupboard full of fancy tea cups and saucers. He’d not called her ‘buttercup’ in years. “Breakfast, Kitty, shopping.”
    “Sounds like a fast day. Want to slow it down a little for me?” His paper rustled as he spoke, the sound loud in Shona’s ears.
    “Breakfast, I do not know where. Kitty, I do not know what time. Shopping…” she looked at him and smiled broadly, a monumental feat of late for her. “I do not know how much .”
    Evan groaned, folded his paper and slapped it on the table. “You’ ve been hanging around that darn Kitty too long. If you and your mother are taking that spendaholic with you, make sure you get an early start. It takes that kid three hours just to fi gu re out what store to go into fi rst. And then she never stops! I feel sorry for the poor bast…”
    “Dad!” Shona exclaimed, shocked and a little hurt at his sudden attack on her friend. Although it was all true .
    “All right. But I still feel sorry for the poor… guy that ends up married to her. I hope he’s got good credit.” He picked up the paper again and hid behind