Even Rainbow wasn’t making any sense. She knew something about Cooper, but she was hiding it from me. But why would she do that? Somehow it involved my mother. Maybe my mother had had an affair with Cooper when she’d performed in Boston. It was hard for me to believe she’d do that. Not only because she was way older than he was, but because she was so in love with my father. And, more importantly, because Cooper wasn’t a musician.
Laughing, I padded into the kitchen. No, Cooper had my mother mixed up with someone else. I didn’t look at all like my mother. If anything, I looked more like my father.
I spotted a plate stacked with fudge on the counter.
Yes! You rock, Rainbow!
Despite the limited cuisine in the house, Rainbow had a huge sweet tooth and was an excellent baker. Pouring myself a glass of wine, I grabbed a couple of fudge bars and headed to my room. I took a bite. It had an odd bitter aftertaste and it definitely didn’t have any chocolate. It wasn’t fudge. Whatever it was, it tasted really good. I took another bite and a sip of wine. The combination was so good.
I took off my dress and put on a ratty T-shirt. I looked at my cellphone. My parents were in Austria this week. They were probably in rehearsal by now. It wouldn’t hurt to check in on them and maybe ask my mom if she knew Cooper.
I flipped my phone open. My fingers nervously tapped over the buttons.
It was entirely possible that mother could’ve slipped and had an affair with Cooper, maybe even a one-night stand. What was even more surprising was that Cooper would date a much older woman given his last two so-called conquests, Gianna and Flapper Girl. Despite his harsh words, he appeared heartbroken when he alluded that my mother had abandoned him too.
“Forget it.” I tossed the cellphone on the nightstand and turned off the lamp. It was way too late for crazy. I just wanted the night to end. Everything always looked better in the daylight.
Right?
There was a tapping on the window. Or door. It was way too early in the morning and my head was pounding. Either Penny was pecking on the window or Greg at the door. Whoever it was, was going to get a major chewing out.
“Wake up, Nicole! You’re going to be late for work.” My eyes flashed open at the sound of a strange female voice calling from the other side of the door.
My head pounded harder, and I squeezed my eyes shut. It was probably Rainbow, and the massive hangover I had was messing with my head.
I reached out to the nightstand, feeling for my cellphone to check the time. It was Sunday and Lou had given me the day off. I was in no rush to go anywhere, but I knew Greg would want to tell me everything that had happened with his mom last night.
My hand landed on something large, round, and plastic.
My eyes popped open. Sitting on the nightstand where I placed my cellphone last night was a pink telephone. It had a round circle with numbers just like my grandmother used to have years ago. Was this a joke? And where was my cellphone? I picked up the receiver. There was a dial tone.
I rubbed my bleary eyes. When they came into focus, I noticed something different about the room. The walls were lined with Duran Duran and Culture Club posters.
What the hell?
I jumped out of bed. Greg had something to do with this. I was sure of it. It’d been a long time since he’d pulled one of his famous birthday pranks.
“Greg!” I called out, running into this room. When I opened the door to his room, it was filled with moving boxes.
I rubbed my eyes again. Greg really went all out on his prank. He probably got Travis to help him move his things into a storage unit.
I headed for the kitchen, expecting Greg to jump out and yell, “Surprise!”
Instead of Greg, there was a petite girl by the stove, swaying to music as she stirred eggs. On the counter next to her was a small radio, the silver antenna sticking out. Carole King’s voice crooned from the tiny speakers.
“Who are you?”
“Ah!” She jumped, dropping the spoon. Brown eyes looked to mine. Short blond curls framed a pretty heart-shaped face. “You scared me. Remind me to limit your drinking. When you say you can’t handle it, you really do mean it.”
“Who are you? And where’s Greg?” I repeated, looking around the room. Even the kitchen was decorated differently. There was a big-ass microwave with an old fashion knob instead of the small one we’d brought. The silver refrigerator had been replaced with a yellow one.
How much did this prank cost him? Hiring the actress had to have cost a small fortune. She was good. She looked at me like I was the crazy one.
“What’s wrong with you today? Okay, I’ll play. I’m Charlie. The roomie who you said to last night, and I quote, “I love you more than MTV, Charlie.”
I stared at her as she blinked, waiting for my response. I wanted to laugh and congratulate her for a good performance. Instead, I had a sinking feeling that she was telling the truth.
Charlie turned back to the stove. “You slept all day. Sorry I had to wake you, but you promised Lou that you’d open up Magic this afternoon.”
“Don’t you mean Jitters?”
She laughed. “You’re in need of serious caffeine.” There’s a mug for you on the counter.
Sipping my coffee, I watched Charlie as she continued to sing and wondered how long Greg was going to go along with the charade. The song ended and switched to the news.
“And in national news, President Reagan reiterated his presidential record to date in last night’s radio address from Camp David...”
Coffee spewed onto the counter.
President Reagan?
Dashing to the radio, I picked it up and searched for a microchip or USB device that could hold a digital recording.
“Uh, Nicole, what are you doing?” Charlie looked at me funny.
“Is this a new iPod design?”
“What’s an iPod?”
“Never mind. I’ll Google it. Where’s my laptop? I went to the corner desk in the living room where I usually kept it. There was a typewriter sitting where my laptop should have been.
Charlie laughed from behind me. “You’re so funny. iPod, laptop, Google. Where do you come up with these words? Next thing you’ll be asking if I’ve seen your domahicky.”
“Everyone knows what an—” I froze as I took in everything around me: the radio, the phone, the typewriter. “What’s the date?”
“Sunday.”
“Not the day, the date.”
“I don’t know. Who keeps track? There’s a calendar on the side of the fridge. You should know; you put it there.” She shook her head.
I dashed to the fridge and snatched the calendar.
“It’s not possible.” I sank to the floor.
There it was in black and white, a large block of numbers indicating the year.
1984.
Download Your Gravity - Part Two
Can gravity pull you back and never let go?
Confused and distraught, Nicole Ashford wakes up in 1984 without knowing what has brought her back in time. Determined to find her way back home to her life in 2002, she sets out to find answers. But those answers lead her to what she never thought she'd find--the love her life, Jax Reynolds. Torn between going forward and staying back, she must decide where she truly belongs. But is the choice really hers or does destiny have a different plan?
Also by L.G. CASTILLO
Strong & Wilde Series
Secrets & Surrender Series
Your Gravity Series
Broken Angel Series