“I can stay, too.”The words weren’t easy to say.All of her fought them.
Rita shook her head.“No.”
Alice didn’t want to feel relieved, but it was tempered by guilt.
“Ness and I will be fine,” Rita said.
Alice could tell there was a big helping of bravado in there.She wanted to tell her to define “fine,” but she didn’t.
“Con?”
“I don’t like this,” he said.
“We know,” Rita said, “but it has to be this way.”
He gave a slow, very reluctant nod, then stepped up, his arms going around her as he went in for a kiss.He didn’t look to be in hurry to end it, Alice noted with amusement.
Ness rolled her eyes, but didn’t comment.
Con stepped back.“Don’t get lost,” he said.He appeared to have a thought and he extracted one of the locating beacons that Rita had carried and handed it to her.
Her fingers curled around it, as if it were a talisman.
It might work, Alice thought.It could even be the signal they’d followed here.Though followed seemed a very expansive way of putting it, since there had been a high level of no choice.
“We’ll come back for you both,” Alice said.“Once we fix the machine.”
Ness nodded, but it was clear her curiosity was greater than any fear she might have felt.
Con went round and opened the passenger door for her, then moved slowly to the driver’s side.His gaze kept going to Rita, an edge of desperation in there.
Alice felt on the desperate side herself.The others could be gone when they got back there.
He climbed in.“I don’t like this.”
“I don’t either.”
They exchanged a gaze, then Con started the engine and reversed so he could steer the camper back onto the highway.
It was an almost straight line heading to where she hoped Ty would be and away from Rita and Ness.
“Who did Ness need to see?”She asked, her gaze the rear view mirror where Rita and Ness stood watching them drive away.
“Her father,” Con said.
Chapter18
Rita made herself turn away before the camper was completely out of sight.She rubbed her chest, surprised she felt her heart beating when it had left with Con.
She touched her lips fleetingly, the feel of his kiss so intensely sweet, tears pricked her eyes.
“You’re not going to cry are you?”
Rita almost smiled at the words, and heard the underlying fear in them.
“No,” she said.“There’s no crying in time travel.”
Ness looked at the cluster of buildings.“So who is in there?”
